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This couscous salad is packed with flavors and textures from sweet and chewy to toasty and crunchy! An awesome side salad to have on hand.
Couscous: The Food So Nice They Named It Twice
I love couscous. Moroccan couscous, Israeli pearl couscous—I’ll eat them all! They make for fantastic salads and side dishes.
For this gorgeous and colorful salad, I opted for Moroccan couscous. I love how light it is and how well it blends with all of the fresh textures and flavors.
You could, however, opt for its bigger, chewier counterpart if you prefer.
This salad is best served cold as a side or as a small lunch. I especially love it in the summertime with grilled meat, like these Moroccan chicken skewers or my Za’atar Chicken Drumsticks!
Is Couscous Healthy?
Yes! Couscous is naturally low in fat. It’s a good source of fiber and it even offers up a bit of protein, B vitamins, and minerals.
There are grains that are more nutrient dense, but couscous is still a healthful option—especially when tossing it with other wholesome ingredients.
The Ingredient List
- Moroccan couscous
- Vegetable broth
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Sea salt
- Raisins
- Dried apricots
- Grape tomatoes
- Mini cucumber
- Green olives
- Fresh parsley
- Fresh mint
- Lemon juice and zest
- Toasted sliced or slivered almonds
- Cumin
- Smoked paprika (optional)
Recipe Notes
- If you decide to use Israeli pearl couscous instead, prepare 1 cup as per the directions on the packaging. Still use vegetable broth instead of water, just as this recipe suggests.
- Black or golden raisins will work.
- I like using grape tomatoes and mini cucumbers, but you could use any variety of tomato and any size cucumber.
- For the green olives, I recommend Castelvetrano olives if you can find them. Though. regular green olives will do, Castelvetrano are milder and sweeter.
- I typically use toasted almonds in this recipe, but you could also use toasted pistachios.
- Smoked paprika is entirely optional. I like to add it as it adds a bit of warmth and depth to the overall flavor, but it’s a personal thing.
A Quick Rundown on How to Make Couscous Salad
- Prepare your couscous as per the directions on the package, but instead of using water, use vegetable broth. It adds flavor!
- Once the couscous is ready, stir in the raisins and dried apricots. Cover and let it sit while you chop and prepare your other ingredients.
- To toast the almonds, heat a dry pan over high heat. Once the pan is hot, lower the heat, add the almonds, and toast them, shaking the pan every once in a while to prevent burning.
- Once everything is chopped, toasted, and ready, transfer the couscous to a large serving bowl.
- To the same serving bowl, add those toasted almonds, tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, parsley, mint, lemon juice, lemon zest, cumin, paprika, and a nice glug of olive oil.
- Toss everything well to mix. Taste and season with more sea salt if necessary.
Useful Tools for This Recipe
- Sharp knife
- Cutting board
- Saucepan
- Frying pan
- Spatula
- Mixing bowl
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Juice reamer
Have You Made This Recipe?
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Other Healthy Side Salads You’ll Love:
- Sun-Dried Tomato Couscous Salad with Tuna
- Healthy Crab Meat Salad with Lime
- Crunchy Greek Cucumber Tomato Salad
- Lemon and Herb Orzo Salad
Healthy Couscous Salad
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked Moroccan couscous
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 1 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
- A few pinches of sea salt
- 1 mini cucumber, roughly chopped (or 1 cup of roughly chopped English cucumber)
- 1 cup quartered grape tomatoes
- 1/2 cup sliced or slivered almonds, toasted
- 1/4 cup raisins, black or golden
- 1/4 cup roughly chopped dried apricots
- 1/4 cup roughly chopped Castelvetrano olives
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
- 2 TBSP chopped fresh mint
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced
- 1 tsp smoked paprika (optional)
- 1 tsp cumin
Instructions
- Cook the couscous as per the directions on the package, but use vegetable broth instead of water for extra flavor.
- When the couscous is done, stir in the raisins and dried apricots, and cover to let it sit while you get your other ingredients ready.
- Let's toast the almonds! Heat a dry pan over high heat, and once the pan is hot, reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the almonds to the pan and toast them for about 5 minutes, or until they're aromatic and starting to turn golden in color. Be sure to shake the pan every once in a while to prevent the almonds from burning. (This is very important.)
- Transfer the couscous to a large serving bowl; add the toasted almonds, tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, parsley, mint, lemon juice, lemon zest, cumin, paprika, and a nice glug or two of extra virgin olive oil.
- Mix the salad well by giving everything a good toss. Have a taste and season with more sea salt if necessary.
- I like to pop the salad in the fridge for a few hours before serving as it allows the flavors to mingle and everything just becomes tastier overall. But you could serve this right away, if needed.
