This Cucumber Couscous Salad is refreshing, light, and packed with flavor! You can serve it on its own for lunch or add a side of protein like grilled salmon or chicken. It's perfect for BBQ season and great for meal prep!
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Why You'll Love This Couscous Salad
Light and fresh - The combination of crunchy cucumbers, fresh lemon juice, lemon zest, feta, and olives really brings otherwise plain couscous to life! It's refreshing and light, but also surprisingly filling. Because couscous is made with wheat, this is basically a pasta salad and it makes a great side dish for grilling season but it's delicious served for lunch on its own as well.
Easy and simple - Couscous is one of the easiest grains you can cook and everything else comes together really easily. All you have to do is chop your veggies and whisk the dressing and you're done! This salad is totally fail-proof and can be made last minute.
Great for meal prep and making ahead - You can easily make this salad ahead of time or just prep some of it the night before to save time. I like cooking the couscous ahead so I don't have to wait for it to cool down. It stores really well so it's great for meal prep. It also travels well so you can add it to your school or work lunches or bring it to a potluck.
Ingredients
- Couscous - Couscous is made with wheat flour (not gluten-free) and there are a few varieties. I'm using Morrocan couscous which is the smallest variety and it should be readily available at most grocery stores. You can also use Pearl couscous which is much larger (the balls are about the size of peas) and it has a few varieties like Lebanese Moghrabieh or Palestinian Maftoul. The cooking time will vary.
- Cucumbers - The recipe calls for mini Persian cucumbers sliced into thin rounds. You can use an English cucumber as well but you might need to cut it into half moons instead because the rounds would be too big.
- Red onion - Pick a firm red onion. Shallots would work here as well. I like to slice it top to stem, not horizontally because it makes shorter slices and it's easier to eat that way. You can soak the sliced onion in a bowl of cold water to remove some of its bite.
- Chickpeas - I always use canned chickpeas to save time but you can cook your own as well.
- Feta cheese - I highly recommend using block feta that you crumble yourself, not pre-crumbled feta. Pre-crumbled feta has unnecessary additives that prevent it from clumping together and it tends to be drier.
- Fresh herbs - I'm using fresh parsley and fresh dill in this salad. I highly recommend using fresh herbs because dried herbs just won't add the same flavor in this case. Fresh mint or fresh chives would also be a delicious addition!
- Olives - I like using pitted Kalamata olives but any olives you have and like work great. You can skip them if you don't like olives.
- Lemon vinaigrette - The dressing for this salad is a simple vinaigrette made with extra virgin olive oil, fresh lemon juice, lemon zest, honey, dijon mustard, fresh garlic, fine sea salt, and freshly ground black pepper. If you don't like raw garlic, you can add garlic powder instead. I highly recommend fresh garlic though for the best flavor. You could also use Roasted Garlic.
Variations and Substitutions
- Preserved lemon - To add another layer of flavor and a different kind of lemon flavor than just lemon zest and juice, add some finely chopped zest from preserved lemons! You can read more about them in my Preserved Lemon Vinaigrette. They're very salty so you want to wash them first and add only a little bit but if you have them, I think they would be a great addition! I like to add only their zest to salads.
- Fresh mint - If you have it, you can add some finely chopped fresh mint to the salad. You don't need too much, just a few leaves is enough to add a ton of flavor. Dried mint unfortunately won't work here.
- Pickled red onion - If you want to add extra tang or you don't want to add raw onions, make some Quick Pickled Red Onions! You don't want to add too many but about ¼ cup would be great in this salad.
- Sun-dried tomatoes - Chopped sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil would go really well with all the flavors in this salad so if you have some you need to use up, add them in!
- More fresh vegetables - You can add other veggies to this salad to bulk it up to have more servings. Bell peppers, cherry or grape tomatoes, or even roasted or grilled veggies would be delicious! Try adding some roasted eggplant, zucchini, or bell peppers.
- Make it gluten-free - As I mentioned previously, regular couscous is NOT gluten-free as it's made with wheat flour. You can use gluten-free couscous or gluten-free orzo if you can find it. Quinoa would also be a great naturally gluten-free substitute. Always make sure what you're using is certified gluten-free.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- To make the vinaigrette, add extra virgin olive oil, lemon zest, freshly squeezed lemon juice, dijon mustard, honey, grated garlic, sea salt, and black pepper to a medium bowl or a jar and use a whisk to whisk it until smooth and emulsified.
- Set aside until ready to use.
- Bring water to a boil in a medium pot on the stove. Add sea salt and dry couscous and stir.
- Turn off the heat and cover with a lid. Let it sit for 5 minutes.
- Fluff the couscous with a fork and drizzle with olive oil. Stir to mix and set aside to cool for 10-20 mins. Spread it on a large plate to chill it faster. I like to prep the vinaigrette while the couscous is chilling.
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- Slice up the cucumber and red onion and add them to a large bowl along with canned dried and rinsed chickpeas, feta, chopped pitted olives, chopped fresh parsley, and chopped fresh dill.
- Add the couscous and drizzle with lemon vinaigrette.
- Toss everything together gently to combine.
- Serve immediately or store in the fridge.
Tips & Tricks!
- Cook the couscous ahead of time! If you want to save time but don't want to prep the whole salad ahead, you can cook the couscous the night before so you don't have the wait for it to cool once you're ready to make the salad.
- Use block feta, not pre-crumbled feta for the best flavor and to avoid unnecessary additives.
- When thinly slicing onions, slice them in half vertically, cut of both the top and stem, and slice them top to stem for shorter, more presentable slices that are easier to eat than if you were to slice them horizontally.
- Soak sliced raw onion in cold water for a few minutes to get rid of some of its bite.
Serving Suggestions
With protein-packed chickpeas and feta, this salad is filling enough to be served on its own for lunch or a light dinner, but it also makes a delicious side for meat or vegan protein.
I like serving it with roasted or grilled chicken, fish like salmon, or even steak! You can also stir in some cold smoked salmon to make it more filling and keep things simple. It's a great salad to serve with anything from the grill, and it travels well,l so it's easy to bring to a potluck.
Storage
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
The cucumber will soften as it sits with the dressing, but any water it release,s the couscous soaks up, so it tends to keep really well. You can easily make this salad ahead either for meal prep or to save time. It tastes the best the next day when the couscous soaks up all the flavors!
FAQs
I like using the smallest variety here, Moroccan couscous. It doesn't even need to boil; you just need to soak it in hot water for 5 minutes, and you're done! It's my favorite variety, and I like how it sticks to everything in this sala,d so you don't have to chase it around the plate.
Yes, this salad stores really well,l and it actually tastes better the next day! If you need to save time during the day, prepare it the night before. You can also just cook the couscous the night before, so you don't have to wait for it to cool.
After some research, I found there are gluten-free versions of couscous made with corn or cassava flour. I found this Cassava Flour Couscous and this Corn Flour Couscous. Keep in mind I haven't tried them myself, so I can't guarantee results.
Similar Cucumber Salads
Below are four of my favorite cucumber side salads. The tzatziki one is one of the most popular recipes on the site, and the mango one is my personal favorite! To see all the latest ones, head over to Salads.
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Print📖 Recipe
Cucumber Couscous Salad
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 5 mins
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
This Cucumber Couscous Salad is refreshing, light, and packed with flavor! Serve it on its own for lunch or add a side of protein like grilled salmon or chicken. It's perfect for BBQ season and great for meal prep!
Ingredients
Lemon Vinaigrette
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon zest
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tsp honey or agave
- 1 tsp dijon mustard (optional)
- 1-2 cloves of garlic, grated or minced
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt (or more to taste)
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
Cucumber Couscous Salad
- 2 cups water
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
- 1 cup dry couscous
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 4 cups thinly sliced cucumber (6 small cucumbers)
- 1 small red onion, thinly sliced (approx. ½ cup sliced)
- 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- ½ cup crumbled feta (approx. 100g)
- ½ cup pitted olives, sliced or chopped (I use kalamata olives)
- ¼ cup finely chopped fresh parsley
- ¼ cup finely chopped fresh dill
Instructions
Lemon Vinaigrette
- Add everything to a medium bowl or a jar and use a whisk to whisk until smooth and emulsified.
- Set aside until ready to use.
Cucumber Couscous Salad
- Bring water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add sea salt and dry couscous and stir.
- Turn off the heat and cover with a lid. Let it sit for 5 minutes.
- Fluff the couscous with a fork and drizzle with olive oil. Stir to mix and set aside to cool for 10-20 mins. Spread it on a large plate to chill it faster. I like to prep the vinaigrette while it’s chilling.
- Slice up the cucumber and red onion and add them to a large mixing bowl along with canned chickpeas, feta, olives, chopped fresh parsley, and chopped fresh dill.
- Add the couscous and drizzle with lemon vinaigrette.
- Toss everything together gently to combine.
- Serve immediately or store in the fridge.
Notes
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
Optional add-ins: more chopped vegetables (bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, roasted or grilled vegetables), sundried tomatoes, fresh mint, homemade quick pickled red onions, chopped preserved lemon (peel only)
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Veronika Sykorova says
You'll love this salad for the summer! It's refreshing, filling, and so easy to make!