My Moroccan couscous salad packs a delicious punch of sweet and savory flavors! Made with Moroccan couscous, fresh veggies, juicy mandarin slices, and hearty chickpeas, all dressed in a scrumptious Moroccan-spiced citrus vinaigrette, it's both easy to make and hard to resist. This salad will be the star of your next summer cookout!
Couscous was one of my first loves when I began exploring global cuisine, and that love persists to this day. I'm all about exploring different ways to use this simple staple, from couscous soup to curry with couscous to Moroccan couscous, and now to this delicious couscous salad.
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Couscous works great in a cool summer side dish like this one. Couscous is basically a type of pasta, and we all love a good vegan pasta salad. For my couscous salad, I took a different direction than I usually would with pasta salad, though. Since couscous is a Moroccan ingredient, I featured Moroccan flavors in this recipe. Some of the seasonings might surprise you, but trust me — they work together like magic!
Ingredients You'll Need
Below you'll find a list of ingredients in this recipe, with notes and substitutions. Scroll all the way to the bottom of the post to see the full recipe, including the amount of each ingredient.
- Couscous. We're using Moroccan couscous, which is the smaller variety, as opposed to pearl or Israeli couscous, which comes in larger, spherical little bits.
- Olive oil. This is for our dressing, so use a good quality extra virgin olive oil.
- Orange juice. Be careful here, as some brands of orange juice contain non-vegan additives. Check the ingredients or squeeze your own juice.
- Maple syrup. Another liquid sweetener, such as agave or coconut nectar, could be used.
- Red wine vinegar. We're just using this to balance out the sweetness from the other ingredients. Other types of vinegar like white wine or apple cider vinegar will also work.
- Orange zest. You'll need mandarins for the salad, so feel free to use mandarin zest if you'd like.
- Garlic.
- Spices. We're using ground cumin and cinnamon. Sounds unusual, but it's a pretty common combination in Moroccan cuisine, and it's delicious!
- Salt and pepper.
- Mandarins. Try to use seedless ones.
- Red bell pepper.
- Baby spinach.
- Chickpeas.
- Almonds. Other types of nuts would be delicious in this salad. Try pistachios, cashews, pine nuts, or pecans.
- Scallions.
- Parsley.
How It's Made
Below is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you'd like to skip right to the recipe!
Step 1: Cook the couscous. Just follow the package directions for this step. It's super easy and only takes about ten minutes. Let it cool a bit when it's finished.
Step 2: Make the dressing. Whisk together the olive oil, orange juice, maple syrup, red wine vinegar, orange zest, garlic, spices, and salt in a small container.
Step 3: Assemble the salad. Place your couscous into a large bowl. Add all of the remaining ingredients, then add the dressing. Toss until everything is nicely mixed and evenly coated in dressing. Give it a taste test and season it with salt and pepper.
Step 4: Serve. Your Moroccan couscous salad is ready! You can serve it immediately, or stick it in the fridge for a few hours to chill.
Tip: This salad is intended as a side dish, but increasing the portion size makes it a great main course.
Variations
- Israeli couscous salad. Make this salad using Israeli couscous (also known as pearl couscous) instead of Moroccan.
- Switch up the fruit. You can replace the mandarins with another type of fruit, but go with something sweet and juicy! Mangoes, peaches, and cherries would work great.
- Add vegan feta. Store-bought or homemade tofu feta would make a great addition to this salad.
Frequently Asked Questions
Couscous contains gluten, so no, this salad is not gluten-free. If you'd like a gluten-free version, you could try substituting another type of gluten-free grain, like quinoa.
Your couscous salad will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for about three days.
You can, but I recommend waiting to add the baby spinach until just before serving, since it will wilt quickly.
More Cool Vegan Summer Salads
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📖 Recipe
Citrusy Moroccan Couscous Salad
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry couscous
For the Dressing
- â…“ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup orange juice
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons orange zest
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
For the Salad
- 3 mandarins, peeled and separated into segments
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 2 cups baby spinach
- 1 cup canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- ½ cup sliced or slivered almonds
- 2 scallions, chopped
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Prepare the couscous according to the package directions. Once finished, remove the lid from the pot and let it cool while you prepare the dressing and salad ingredients.
- Whisk all of the dressing ingredients together in a small container, such as a liquid measuring cup.
- Transfer the couscous to a large bowl. Add the remaining salad ingredients. Drizzle the salad with the dressing and toss it to coat everything. Season the salad with salt and pepper to taste, then toss again.
- Serve immediately, or chill for later.
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