Moroccan Couscous Salad – The Stingy Vegan

This healthy Moroccan couscous salad features colorful veggies and flavorful toasted couscous with a deliciously spiced vinaigrette dressing. It’s a great side dish, vegan main dish or bbq or potluck contribution. 

Jump to:

How to make tasty couscous

Couscous by itself is fairly flavorless so you may be wondering what can I add to couscous for flavor?

You’ve come to the right place because I have a couple lesser-known tricks to help you get the most flavorful couscous you’ve ever had!

A step that most people don’t do but they should because it really enhances the flavor is to toast the couscous.

Toasting couscous is very easy. It brings out a nuttiness in the flavor and also enhances the texture, giving it more chewiness and bite.

Incidentally, it also works for quinoa and here’s my toasted quinoa recipe. 

Prior to toasting the couscous, you can take advantage to fry off some aromatics, in this case garlic, to bring the couscous even more flavor (and I prefer this over adding raw garlic to the vinaigrette).

Next, you can cook (or more correctly rehydrate) the couscous in vegetable broth instead of water.

Finally, couscous takes on flavors well so whatever spices and seasonings you add will really come through. 

I’ve made this recipe Moroccan style with warming spices like cumin, coriander and cinnamon. 

Smoked paprika also works really well with couscous. Turmeric gives it a hint of curry flavor and a beautiful golden color, as does saffron if you’re not a stingy vegan like me.

What’s the difference between pearl couscous and Moroccan couscous?

This recipe calls for regular couscous, also known as Moroccan couscous.

It’s the smallest type of couscous that looks like tiny grains.

Because of its appearance, couscous is often mistaken for a grain like rice or quinoa (quinoa is also not a grain but a seed). But couscous is actually made from semolina flour and is a type of pasta.

Pearl couscous, also called Israeli couscous, is larger and rounder than regular couscous.  

It more resembles pasta because the shape is more consistent and obviously made by a machine. It is also cooked similarly to Italian pasta in boiling water.

Moroccan couscous, on the other hand, is usually pre-cooked when you buy it in the store and technically only needs to be rehydrated before being eaten.

Once your couscous is toasted (see previous section), simply turn off the heat, pour your stock or water over it and place the lid on the pan.

In 5 minutes, your Moroccan couscous is rehydrated and ready to use!

What kind of dressing do you put on couscous salad?

Vinaigrette dressings are ideal for couscous salad because they are light and don’t cause the couscous to clump together. 

The easiest way to dress couscous salad is to drizzle a tablespoon or two each of olive oil and balsamic vinegar directly over the salad and toss to combine like in this vegan couscous salad recipe.

If you want something a little more elaborate, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and salt. Or try my maple dijon dressing.

Thanks to its neutral flavor, couscous combines well with countless herbs and spices. Add your favorite dried or fresh herbs to your vinaigrette, or try warming spices like cumin, cinnamon or smoked paprika. 

Spice mixes like curry powder, ras el hanout and garam masala would all work too.

Ingredients

This salad is the definition of “eat the rainbow” with a veggie of each color and chickpeas for protein. This salad is not only full of flavor, but its full of fiber, vitamins and minerals too!

Couscous: This recipe is made with regular couscous, also known as Moroccan couscous. It’s cheap and sold in most supermarkets. 

Pepper: I used a red bell pepper, mostly for color so you could substitute a green, yellow or orange bell peppers instead.

Cucumber: I tend to always use regular field cucumbers rather than the more expensive English or hot house cucumbers. Field cucumbers have thicker skin so you can peel them if you want but for this recipe they are diced small so that the skin isn’t bothersome. I do remove the seeds, though, to prevent the salad from becoming too watery.

Carrot: One medium carrot is enough for this salad. Grated so that it is easier to eat raw.

Dates: A lot of Moroccan couscous salad recipes call for raisins but I prefer chopped up dates to add a touch of sweetness and caramel-like flavor. I use the cheaper and smaller deglet noor variety rather than the more expensive medjool dates.

Chickpeas: I like to add chickpeas to most salads to make them heartier and increase the protein content.

Cilantro: Cilantro adds a fresh, citrusy flavor. If you don’t like it you can substitute parsley. A little bit of fresh mint would also add to the Moroccan-like flavors we’re going for.

Garlic: I’m not a super fan of raw garlic in vinaigrettes so this recipe incorporates the garlic into the couscous as it cooks.

Stock: Vegetable stock helps to add flavor to the couscous but you can use water instead.

Olive oil: A good-quality olive oil is needed not only for the vinaigrette but also for frying the garlic and toasting the couscous.

Lemon juice: The juice of about half a regular-sized lemon.

Spices: This recipe calls for just three spices but they are powerful ones: cumin, coriander and cinnamon for a North African flavor profile. Finally, a bit of salt for bringing all the flavors together.

How to make Moroccan couscous salad

This Moroccan couscous salad recipe is easy to make in about 20 minutes. Great for a quick weeknight dinner or weekend lunch.

Cook the couscous: Start by mincing and frying a couple cloves of garlic in a small amount of olive oil in a medium pan over medium-low heat.

Couscous doesn’t need to be rinsed or prepared in any way before cooking so once the garlic is soft and fragrant, pour in the couscous. 

Allow the couscous to toast, but stir it frequently, especially once it begins to darken in color as it can burn quickly if you’re not careful.

Once most of the grains are a golden brown color, turn off the heat and pour in the vegetable broth.

Quickly put the lid on the pan to trap the steam and set it aside for about 5 minutes while you chop the vegetables.

Once tender, remove the lid and run a fork through it to separate and fluff the grains.

Chop the vegetables: I like to chop everything rather small so that you get a mix of vegetables with each bit of salad.

I don’t bother peeling my cucumber but like to remove the seeds from the cucumber by cutting the cucumber in half from top to bottom and scraping them out with a spoon.

My dates come with pits in them that I have to cut out. I also chop the dates up the same size as the other vegetables.

Peel and grate the carrot with a box grater.

Remove the cilantro leaves from their stems and roughly chop the leaves.

Drain and rinse the can of chickpeas.

Make the dressing: I like to make my vinaigrettes in a mason jar in order to emulsify them by just shaking the jar.

You can also make it in a small bowl and whisk it up.

Just add the olive oil, lemon juice, cumin, coriander, cinnamon and salt to the jar or bowl and mix it up.

Combine: You could serve this salad warm or cold. 

If serving cold, once the couscous is cooked, transfer it from the pan to a large bowl and allow it to cool to room temperature. Once cool, add the veggies and dressing and toss to combine.

If serving warm, combine the hot couscous with the veggies and pour over the dressing. Toss to combine.

Substitutions and variations

Couscous: You can substitute the couscous for a grain of your choice: quinoa, pearl couscous, millet, bulgar or amaranth can work in this salad.

Spices: You can omit any spice you don’t have/like or substitute it with something else. Add turmeric for a bit of curry flavor and golden color, garam masala or ras el hanout will give a similar flavor profile.

Veggies: This salad is adaptable to whatever vegetables you have on hand or think would be good. Nuts, particularly sliced almonds, are a popular addition to Moroccan couscous salads as are raisins instead of dates.

FAQs

Make ahead and storage tips

Since I recommend removing the cucumber seeds and don’t call for other vegetables with a high water content (like cherry tomatoes), this salad keeps well for several days without becoming soggy.

Store leftovers, or your meal-prepped salad, in an airtight container or in the bowl covered with plastic wrap in the fridge for up to 4 days.

How to serve Moroccan couscous salad

This salad is hearty and makes a good vegan main dish on its own. 

It would also be ideal as a bbq side dish alongside veggie burgers or tofu kebabs, or for a picnic or potlucks as it doesn’t get soggy and would transport well.

Serve Moroccan couscous salad as a side dish to vegan shepherd’s pie, vegan stew, or roasted artichokes.