Couscous salad is hearty, fresh, and easy to make. This gorgeous dish features fresh, seasonal ingredients like cucumber, red onion, herbs, and cherry tomatoes. Drizzle everything in a simple and bright lemon juice dressing!

I love making this couscous for a summer cookout because it’s the perfect, simple side dish and pairs easily with any grilled protein (chicken, shrimp, burgers, steak, salmon, etc.)! This couscous salad can also be enjoyed solo as a light dinner or tasty little lunch.

closeup of couscous salad in a white bowl.
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Couscous is the best because it cooks SUPER fast, making it a very convenient ingredient to utilize in the kitchen.

If you’re a fan of this couscous salad recipe and fresh veggies, check out my delicious Asparagus Couscous Salad or this incredible Chicken And Mango Couscous Salad. You can’t go wrong with either of these variations.

Ingredients To Make Couscous Salad

For the couscous:

  • Couscous — I like using whole wheat couscous to make my salad heartier, but any will do.
  • Water — For cooking couscous.
  • Salt and pepper — Simple seasonings for big flavor. Add them to taste!

Salad Ingredients:

  • Red onion — Delicious and spicy! If the flavor of your onion is too strong, you can soak it in cool water for a few minutes before adding it to the salad.
  • Tomatoes — I like using cherry tomatoes because they’re extra sweet. Grape tomatoes will also work.
  • Cucumber — For a bit of crunch.
  • Fresh herbs — I generally use parsley and mint for this recipe.
  • Feta crumbles — Salty cheese pairs nicely with bright, lemony dressing.

For The Salad dressing (lemon vinaigrette):

  • Fresh lemon juice — Freshly squeezed is always best, though bottled can work in a pinch! If you prefer, you can replace lemon juice with white wine vinegar.
  • Extra virgin olive oil — You can also substitute avocado oil.
  • Garlic — One to two whole cloves, finely minced.
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper — To taste.
  • Optional: lemon zest
overhead view of all the ingredients for the couscous salad.

Instructions to Make Couscous Salad Recipe

Cooking the couscous:

  • Measure water into a saucepan and bring it to a boil. Remove from the heat and add your couscous!
Left: saucepan full of hot water. Right: couscous added to hot water in saucepan.
  • Place a lid on the saucepan and allow the couscous to soak in hot water or chicken broth for about 5 minutes, until soft.
  • Remove the lid and use a fork to fluff to separate the fine grains, then set the couscous to the side or in the fridge and allow it to cool while you work on everything else!
Left: lid on saucepan. Right: fluffing cooked couscous with a fork.

Make dressing:

  • In a small bowl or glass mason jar, combine lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper.
  • Whisk until ingredients are well combined, then do a taste test and add more salt or pepper if desired.
Left: dressing ingredients measured into a bowl. Right: dressing ingredients whisked together in bowl.

Assemble and serve:

  • Transfer couscous to a large bowl, then add halved cherry tomatoes, veggies, herbs, and salty feta crumbles.
Salad ingredients measured into a large mixing bowl.
  • Mix well, drizzle homemade lemon dressing over ingredients, and then toss again so everything gets a nice coating.
  • Do a taste test and add a bit more salt/pepper if necessary, then serve and enjoy!
closeup of couscous salad in a white bowl.

Recipe Tips

  • I like using whole wheat couscous for a lighter salad but any will do. You can also use pearl couscous! Just check the packaging so you can properly adjust cook time.
  • If you’re not a big fan of cucumber and tomatoes, you can replace them for any other vegetables you enjoy like broccoli, red bell pepper, spinach and asparagus.
  • Fresh herbs taste phenomenal in this salad, but you can definitely use dried if that’s what you’ve got on hand.
  • You can also replace mind or parsley for fresh basil or oregano.
  • Substitute another crumbly cheese, if desired. Goat cheese and cotija cheese are good options.
  • If you would like, you can add olives such as kalamata olives, chickpeas and beans like black beans, corn to your Mediterranean couscous salad.
  • Sprinkle some pine nuts or almonds to add extra flavor and crunch.

What to Serve with Couscous Salad?

Grilled Chicken: Serve your couscous salad with grilled chicken thighs, grilled chicken wings or grilled chicken breast for a hearty and protein-packed meal.

Roasted Vegetables: Add a side of roasted vegetables like roasted potatoes, eggplant, zucchini, or cherry tomatoes to complement the salad’s flavors.

Bread or Rolls: Soft dinner rolls, garlic bread, or pita bread make for excellent accompaniments to scoop up the salad.

Kebabs: Skewer shrimp or grilled chicken kebabs and serve them alongside your couscous salad.

Couscous Salad Recipe

3.84 from 6 votes
Author: Olivia Ribas
Servings4 people
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time25 minutes
Couscous salad is hearty, fresh, and easy to make. This gorgeous dish features fresh, seasonal ingredients like cucumber, red onion, herbs, and cherry tomatoes. Drizzle everything in a simple and bright lemon juice dressing!
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Ingredients 
 

For the Couscous

  • 1 cup dry Moroccan couscous
  • 1 cup water
  • salt and black pepper to taste

For the Salad

  • 1/4 cup red onions
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes cut in half
  • 1 1/2 cup cucumber chopped
  • 2 tbsp fresh parsley chopped
  • 1 tbsp fresh mint chopped
  • 3 tbsp feta cheese

For the Dressing

Instructions 

  • In a medium saucepan, bring water to a boil. Once the water is boiling, turn off the stove and add couscous. Clover the saucepan with a lid and let sit for 5 minutes.
  • Uncover, fluff with a fork, and set aside to let cool for 5 minutes more.
  • In a mason jar or small bowl, pour the freshly squeezed lemon juice and olive oil. Add garlic, salt and pepper and whisk everything.
  • In large bowl, add couscous, red onions, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, fresh parsley, mint and feta cheese. Stir really well. Pour the dressing on top and mix everything again.
  • Taste and adjust the seasoning if you think it is necessary. Serve immediately.

Notes

  • I like using whole wheat couscous to make the salad lighter, but you can use regular couscous if you prefer.
  • You can also use pearl couscous if desired, but check the packaging and adjust cook time as necessary.
  • I also prefer to use fresh herbs, but you can swap them for dried herbs too. 
  • If you do not have feta cheese, you can use cotija cheese, goat cheese, or any other crumbly cheese.
  • To store: Place leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate for 2-3 days. Salad will last longer (3-4 days) if you store dressing separately.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/4, Calories: 288kcal, Carbohydrates: 31g, Protein: 6g, Fat: 15g, Cholesterol: 6mg, Sodium: 762mg, Potassium: 205mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 2g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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Olivia Ribas

Welcome

Hi, I'm Olivia


Happy to have you here! I’ve been creating and sharing tasty, easy-to-make recipes on Primavera Kitchen for over 10 years now! I’m all about simple, delicious recipes made with fresh, seasonal, and wholesome ingredients that your whole family will love.

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3.84 from 6 votes (4 ratings without comment)

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54 Comments

  1. Sarah & Arkadi says:

    very healthy looking salad! love the colours!

    1. Olivia Ribas says:

      Thanks!

  2. Jess @ Flying on Jess Fuel says:

    This looks awesome! Such great summer flavors… and I love the feta on top to tie it all together. My zucchini and tomato plants are on their last legs, so I will have to make this soon!!

    1. Olivia Ribas says:

      I hope you love this recipe! Thanks, Jess!

  3. Jessica @ Jessica in the Kitchen says:

    This is a beautiful salad! I love couscous and your use of the veggies.

    1. Olivia Ribas says:

      thanks, Jessica!

  4. anna@shenANNAgans says:

    Such a lovely summery fresh salad, love the unexpected tangs of taste with this one.

  5. Alyssa says:

    This is such a gorgeous salad! I just wanted to let you know that I have a website (Simply Creative Recipes) where I showcase recipes that I find and I am linking to this post if you don’t mind. You are welcome to submit your recipes to my site if you’d like!

  6. Maggie says:

    Love this salad! I made it tonight for dinner, and it’s so light- perfect for a refreshing dinner after a long hot day! I can’t wait to try the leftovers cold straight out of the fridge! The recipe didn’t call for tomatoes, but I added halved cherry tomatoes and more corn. This will become a repeater!

    1. Olivia Ribas says:

      So glad you enjoyed this recipe 😉

  7. Diane Prysizney says:

    Olivia, I discovered your recipe only a week ago, and I’m HOOKED. I have made it twice already, making it again tonight. Because my mom is severely sodium restricted, I tweaked it a little and added some honey and herbs from my garden (and a separate container just for me with all the fixin’s and some black olives). The recipe is amazing. Thank you for sharing it with us <3

    1. Olivia Ribas says:

      I’m so glad you loved it! Thanks so much for taking the time to share this review. 🙂

  8. Teri says:

    The recipe sounds amazing and I can’t wait to try it! One question since I am tracking my calories and macros:
    What is the total yield (in cups) so that I can calculate 1/4 of that for the “serving size”?
    Thank you!

    1. Olivia Ribas says:

      I believe this recipe is about 4 cups or maybe 5 cups.