This couscous salad recipe is a delicious make-ahead lunch or side dish. It's filled with fresh veggies, chickpeas, feta, herbs, and a bright lemon dressing.
This couscous salad recipe is a celebration of fresh summer flavors. It’s filled with herbs like basil and thyme, crisp cucumbers, and raw and roasted cherry tomatoes. Along with the tender pearl couscous, I add chickpeas for protein and feta cheese for a rich, tangy kick. A bright lemon dressing ties the whole thing together.
If you don’t often cook with couscous, you might not know that it’s made with water and semolina—the same ingredients used to make many types of pasta. So in a lot of ways, this couscous salad recipe is similar to a pasta salad. It keeps well if you make it ahead, so it’s perfect for packing up for lunches and picnics. And while it makes a great side dish, it works just as nicely as a fresh vegetarian main. I have it on repeat in my kitchen every summer. I hope you love it as much as I do!
Why You’ll Love This Couscous Salad
- The pearl couscous has such a fun texture. The little balls are tender and chewy, with a slight al dente bite like pasta. I love them alongside the other juicy, creamy, and crisp textures in this salad.
- It features tomatoes 2 ways! I add half to the salad raw for juicy texture and slow-roast the rest so they become concentrated, tart, and jammy. They add so much dimension to this simple summer salad!
- You can make it ahead. This salad keeps in the fridge for up to 4 days, so it’s a great option for meal prep lunches or packing up for summer picnics.
Couscous Salad Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this couscous salad recipe:
- Couscous, of course! I love chewy pearl couscous here, which is larger than traditional North African couscous. Look for it in the grain section of your grocery store, labeled as either pearl couscous or sometimes Israeli couscous. In a pinch, regular couscous works too, though the smaller grains will give the salad a softer texture.
- Cherry tomatoes – The combination of roasted tomatoes and raw tomatoes creates wonderful texture and flavor.
- Chickpeas – I make roasted chickpeas to add crunch and protein to the salad.
- A pinch of smoked paprika – I toss it with the chickpeas for smoky depth of flavor.
- Olive oil and lemon juice – They create a light, bright salad dressing for this recipe.
- Garlic – For savory bite.
- Fresh herbs – I love basil and thyme here, but any soft, leafy herbs will shine in this salad. Try adding parsley, dill, oregano, or fresh mint!
- Cucumbers – These add a fresh, crisp element to the salad.
- Feta cheese – It adds creamy texture and tangy, salty flavor.
- And salt and pepper – To make all the flavors pop!
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
How to Make Couscous Salad
This pearl couscous salad has 5 main steps:
1. Start by making the roasted tomatoes. Heads up: this process is super hands-off, but it takes a while, about 2 hours. The long, slow roast at a low temperature causes the tomatoes to shrivel and cook down without bursting, giving them a deep savory, umami flavor. Tip: Do this step in advance to make the salad quick to toss together!
2. Make the roasted chickpeas. This process is quicker—it just takes canned chickpeas 25-30 minutes to crisp up in the oven. You can also streamline by subbing store-bought roasted chickpeas.
3. Cook the couscous. Cooking pearl couscous couldn’t be easier. I prepare it just like pasta! Boiled in salted water, it reaches al dente perfection in about 9 minutes. After cooking, set it aside to cool. You don’t want the hot couscous to wilt the fresh ingredients.
4. Make the dressing. Whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, thyme, salt, and pepper at the bottom of a large bowl.
5. Toss the salad together. Add the couscous, tomatoes, cucumbers, chickpeas, feta, and basil to the bowl with the dressing and toss to coat. Season to taste and top with more basil, thyme, and a big drizzle of olive oil.
Enjoy!
Recipe Variations
- Make it gluten-free: Use brown rice or quinoa instead of couscous.
- Make it vegan: Replace the feta with pitted and halved kalamata olives.
- Add extra crunch:Â Toss in half a diced red bell pepper, or add 1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion.
- No lemon juice? Dress the salad with red wine vinegar instead.
- For a shortcut version:Â Use regular cooked chickpeas instead of roasted ones, and use 3 cups fresh cherry tomatoes instead of the mix of roasted and raw. Or replace the roasted tomatoes with 1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes.
What to Serve with Couscous Salad
This couscous salad recipe is a fantastic summer side dish. Serve it with anything you’re grilling—bbq tofu, black bean burgers, etc.
I also love it as a main dish, either on its own for lunch or with a side of grilled vegetables for dinner. For an even larger meal, serve it with hummus or baba ganoush and fresh pita bread.
Storage Tips
This couscous salad recipe keeps well in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
If you’re making it ahead for a gathering, I’d wait to add the basil and roasted chickpeas until right before serving so the basil stays vibrant and the chickpeas retain their crunch. I also like to season to taste with a little extra lemon juice and a pinch of salt after this salad chills in the fridge. It helps pep up the flavors after the couscous has soaked up some of the dressing.
More Salad Recipes to Try
If you love this pearl couscous salad, try one of these delicious salad recipes next:
- Quinoa Salad
- Easy Pasta Salad
- Orzo Salad
- Or any of these 52 Best Salad Recipes!
Couscous Salad
Ingredients
- 4 cups cherry tomatoes, half for roasting, half raw
- 1 cup dry pearl couscous
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, plus more to taste
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- Leaves from 6 sprigs fresh thyme, plus more for garnish
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1½ cups roasted chickpeas, tossed with ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika before roasting
- ¼ cup fresh basil leaves, plus more for garnish
- 2 Persian cucumbers, thinly sliced
- â…“ cup crumbled feta cheese
Instructions
- Roast 2 cups of the cherry tomatoes according to this roasted tomatoes recipe. These can be made in advance and stored in the fridge for a few days.
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the couscous according to the package directions until al dente, about 9 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, thyme leaves, salt, and several grinds of pepper. Add the cooled couscous and toss. Slice the remaining raw cherry tomatoes in half and add them to the bowl along with the roasted tomatoes, the chickpeas, basil, cucumbers, and feta. Toss to combine and season to taste.
- Top the salad with more thyme, basil, and a generous drizzle of olive oil and serve.
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A family member can’t eat chickpeas. Could I substitute cashews? Or ?
Hi Melissa, some toasted pine nuts or toasted almonds (1/3 cup or so) would add some nice crunch instead.
Fantastic recipe…..i roasted my garlic n wow what an amazing depth of flavor to the dressing?
I’m so glad you loved it!
Great recipe
I noticed that you said it is OK to roast the tomatoes a day ahead. Is it also OK to roast the chickpeas a day ahead? Could the couscous be cooked a day ahead so that it is also ready for assembly? Thanks!
Hi Elaine, you could but the chickpeas are most crisp on the first day, and the couscous will get a little dry.
I loved making this. I feel like I accomplished something great 🙂 It’s so tasty. Wj I was roasting I roasted the garlic. It’s delicious.
Hello,
I am not one to post comments but felt compelled because this recipe is so darn delicious! I have made it three times in the last 2 weeks. The only difference I made is to add some red onions. I have never roasted tomatoes or chickpeas before, and OMG…Awesome!!Thanks for the recipe!!
Hi Joyce, I’m so glad you’ve loved the salad! Thanks for coming back to let me know!
Love this recipe. Just discovered it a few weeks ago and have made it several times already. Each time has been slightly different depending upon what I had on hand and each equally good. The slow roasted tomatoes is what really puts it over the top.
Help!I forgot to roast the thyme with the tomatoes! Having it tomorrow- should I roast separately?
Hi Pat, you can just skip it and add a few leaves for garnish. It’ll be great anyway!
I’m having a bbq tomorrow is this something I can make ahead of time, or should I wait to make it tomorrow? Is it best served warm or cold? I can’t wait to try it.
Hi Nisha, I’d roast the tomatoes today if you want to get ahead (store them in the fridge overnight) and make the rest tomorrow. It’s great at room temp. I hope you enjoy!
The recipe calls for smoked paprika and the directions say add thyme. So was the smoked paprika for the chickpeas? or did you mean to list thyme?
I skipped the paprika, and I’m serving tonight, I am sure it will be delish.
Thanks!
Hi Heather, thank you for catching that – yes, the paprika was supposed to be tossed with the chickpeas before they roast. Should be delicious still without it!
Thos was absolutely delicious. And so easy to make. Thanks for sharing.
What do you do w the chickpeas? They’re in the ingredients and not the instructions?
Hi Alexis, it’s linked to roasted chickpeas, here are the instructions to roast them: https://strong-nights.today/roasted-chickpeas/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv class=reply>
Wow, we made this salad recently and loved it. So much flavor and would also be delicious with either shrimp or chicken. This recipe will become a favorite I believe!
I really liked this recipe! The roasted tomatoes were amazing, and I think it’s great with a little extra lemon for zing, however I keep screwing up the toasted chickpeas! They just don’t seem crispy enough even after extra cooking, and I thought I dried them plenty. Perhaps I drizzled too much olive oil? Any tips? Anyways, love your recipes!
Hi Abby, I’m glad you loved it! You can keep cooking the chickpeas longer – just yesterday I was cooking some and I forgot to set the timer so they went at least 10 minutes longer. They turned out SUPER good and crispy, so I’m going to adjust the timing suggestion in my recipe.
I absolutely love your recipes!
Made this tonight – it was a decent amount of work (between the chickpeas and the tomatoes) but it was definitely worth it. Everyone had seconds, even our tomato-skeptical kids. They picked out the fresh tomatoes but I think they didn’t realize what the roasted tomatoes even were (apart from delicious). This will definitely be a staple of my summer cooking.
I’m so glad you all loved it! Sometimes, I make the tomatoes the day before, it helps the process go quicker.
My whole family enjoyed this. We used fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, thyme and basil right out of our garden. So simple to throw together, not complicated and a pleasant side dish with lots of flavor but isn’t overpowering with a main dish. Love the toasted chickpeas. So happy I found this recipe!
I didn’t get a chance to oven roast the tomatoes, and it was still delicious. Looking forward to making it again properly.
Hi Leslie, I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
I don’t leave comments on recipes, ever. In fact, this is my first ever out of hundreds of recipes I’ve used.
But this salad is probably the most delicious couscous salad I’ve ever had. I made it ALMOST exactly- but I couldn’t find Israeli couscous, so I used regular. I even made the roasted cherry tomatoes and chickpeas!!
IT’S WORTH THE TIME, FOLKS!! This is so delicious with so many flavors that compliment each other so well. I’m currently pigging out as I type this!
Ha ha, yay!! I’m so glad you loved it so much. Thanks for taking a minute to come back and let me know 🙂
You have smoked paprika on the ingredients list but I’m missing where it gets added?
oh thanks for pointing that out! I toss it with the chickpeas before roasting.
i love this recipe, so much so that i feel like i made a mistake by not printing it or writing it on a recipe card. is there a reason that some of the cooking instructions were removed? now it seems like i have to click through to two other pages for roasting temperatures, and the instructions for roasting tomatoes now advise 3 hours instead of an hour? i’ll try to remember the older, better recipe instead.
Hi Alicia, here are the original instructions for the tomatoes and chickpeas:
tomatoes:
Roast the cherry tomatoes (this step can be made in advance): Preheat the oven to 300°F. Slice 2 cups of the cherry tomatoes in half, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkles of salt and pepper, and place cut side up on a baking sheet. Roast 60 to 90 minutes (the time will depend on the size and juiciness of the tomatoes), or until shriveled and browned around the edges. Remove from the oven and set aside.
chickpeas:
Increase the oven heat to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the chickpeas on the baking sheet and toss with a drizzle of olive oil and sprinkles of salt and pepper. Roast 20 minutes, or until crispy. Remove from the oven and toss with the smoked paprika.
apologies that separating these recipes out ended up to be inconvenient.