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Home > Salads > Easy Israeli Couscous Salad with Chickpeas and Herbs
35 minutes minutes

Easy Israeli Couscous Salad with Chickpeas and Herbs

Modified: Aug 8, 2024 · Published: Jan 9, 2024

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Israeli couscous salad in bowl with text
Israeli couscous salad in bowl with text

Israeli couscous salad is packed with vegetables, pearl couscous, and Instant Pot chickpeas. With simple lemon dressing and loads of fresh herbs, this salad is great for a light lunch, picnics, and potlucks on any day.

Israeli couscous salad in a bowl.
Jump to:
  • Pearl couscous salad with chickpeas
  • What is pearl couscous?
  • Ingredients
  • Variations
  • Step-by-step instructions
  • Serve
  • Storage
  • Tips
  • Recipe FAQs
  • Related salad recipes
  • 📋Israeli Couscous Salad

Pearl couscous salad with chickpeas

  1. This salad is fresh, vibrant, easy to make, and packed with nutrients, fiber, and protein.
  2. It’s light yet filling and satisfying. Couscous is a complex carb that makes the salad filling/hearty meal rather than just a side. It’s a great summer salad.
  3. The salad is loaded with fresh vegetables and loads of fresh herbs too.
  4. Easy to customize, pearl couscous can be substituted with regular tiny couscous. You can add vegetables of your choice.

What is pearl couscous?

While many believe that it’s a grain like rice or barley, couscous is a type of pasta and it’s made of semolina flour.

Pearl couscous is bigger than regular tiny couscous and when pearl couscous is cooked, it looks like pearls of pasta. Regular tiny couscous is prepared to be soaked in water before use, pearl couscous is required to be cooked on the stove.

You can infuse by cooking with aromats like onion, garlic, and chicken stock. I sometimes use Instant Pot bone broth to cook couscous and it tastes wonderful. Once cooked it turns out light, and fluffy, and each bead is separated.

Ingredients

ingredients for Israeli couscous salad spread on a board

All the ingredient’s exact measurements are mentioned in the recipe card below. Scroll down to the recipe card or click on the “Jump to recipe” tab on top for a quick scroll.

  1. Pearl couscous – Pearl couscous is bigger than regular couscous. Works great in salads.
  2. Chickpeas – use canned chickpeas or cook chickpeas easily at home using an instant pot. No need to soak them, just cook dry chickpeas in a pressure cooker that is ready in an hour.
  3. Cherry tomatoes – Cherry tomatoes make the salad look pretty. Tang of the tomatoes enhances the flavor of the salad.
  4. Red onions – add crispy crunchy texture to the salad. Note – If you can’t handle the astringent flavor of raw onion, a pickled red onion can be used as a substitute!
  5. Fresh herbs – use any fresh herbs like parsley, cilantro, fresh mint, dill leaves, and fresh basil. I used a mix of cilantro and fresh mint.
  6. Jalapenos (optional) – for an extra kick. You can use pickled jalapenos to add flavor and texture to the salad.

Salad dressing

  • EVOO – Use the best quality extra virgin olive oil for the best taste.
  • Lemon zest & lemon juice – The zest of one lemon and freshly squeezed lemon juice adds fresh, tang flavors.
  • Mustard – use Dijon mustard or stone ground mustard. I used stone ground mustard paste.
  • Salt & pepper – for seasoning, as required per taste.

Variations

Add crumbled or cubed feta cheese.

Vegetables: Chop zucchini, bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, and red onion, and spread them on a baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle salt and pepper, or use seasoning salt. Roast in preheated oven at 400F for 30-30 minutes. Allow roast vegetables to cool and then stir into pearl couscous salad.

Fruits: Use pomegranate arils, chopped green apples, dried cranberries, dried raisins, and dried apricots (chopped), to the salad.

Nuts:

  • Silvered almonds (toasted)
  • Pine nuts (toasted)
  • Walnuts
  • Macadamia nuts

Step-by-step instructions

No canned chickpeas? No problem. Use the pressure cooker to cook chickpeas (need to soak overnight).

If using canned chickpeas, drain chickpeas from the liquid and rinse it once in a colander before using.

sautéing garlic and onions in olive oil in a skillet.

Step 1: In a large pot, heat EVOO. Sauté minced garlic and onions for 2 minutes, stirring frequently.

pearl couscous was added to the cooking pot along with onion and garlic.

Step 2: Once onions begin to sweat, add in pearl couscous.

cooking pearl couscous in water in the cooking pot.

Step 3: Pour water or chicken stock (or any other stock), and stir well.

cooking pearl couscous in a pot with onion and garlic.

Step 4: When water begins to boil, reduce heat to medium-low.

pearl couscous cooked in a pot with the lid closed.

Step 5: Cover the pot with the lid and let it simmer for 8 to 10 minutes.

fluff cooked couscous with a fork.

Step 6: Couscous should be light and fluffy. Open the lid, and fluff it with a fork gently. Set aside to cool.

To make the salad dressing:

making Israeli couscous salad dressing in a jar.

Step 7: While couscous cools down, make salad dressing. Add EVOO, lemon zest, lemon juice, mustard, salt, and pepper into a jar.

making salad dressing in a jar.

Step 8: Cover tightly with a lid. Shake well.

Toss salad

all the salad ingredients added to the salad mixing bowl.

Step 9: Into a large salad bowl, add cooked couscous. Add in the rest of the salad ingredients – halved cherry tomatoes, chopped cucumbers, red onions, roughly chopped baby spinach, chickpeas, chopped fresh herbs (cilantro or parsley, dill and fresh mint), chopped green onions, chopped jalapenos (leave the seeds on if you like it hot).

pour lemon salad dressing over couscous salad.

Step 10: Pour salad dressing over it.

Step 11: Gently toss the salad until well combined.

toss Israeli couscous salad

Serve the salad immediately for the side dish.

Serve

It’s best to serve it after a few hours the same day. Couscous soaks in all the wonderful flavors from the lemon salad dressing and tastes great.

Storage

Leftover salad can be stored in an airtight container covered with a lid in the refrigerator for 2 days. Consume salad within 2 days.

Tips

  1. Perfectly cooked couscous– For 1 cup of pearl couscous, use 1 ½ cups liquids. Gummy, sticky, or overcooked couscous will ruin the salad.
  2. Cook pearl couscous in advance – You’ll need to cook pearl couscous at least 1 hour before so it has ample time to cool completely.
  3. Fresh is best – use fresh, best-quality ingredients.
  4. Best quality EVOO – Salad dressing is a flavor enhancer for any salad. Using the best quality EVOO will make the salad taste its best.
  5. Serve it the same day – let the salad rest for a few hours so couscous will soak in all the flavors from the dressing. 
summer pearl couscous salad with chickpeas cherry tomatoes and fresh herbs.

Recipe FAQs

Does couscous taste like pasta?

Well not exactly! It may be called pasta of the Middle Eastern countries,  but it’s smaller in size compared to pasta and has a slightly slippery texture, so my mind might not be able to register it as pasta.

Can you use regular tiny couscous in the salad?

Yes, you can. Regular tiny couscous is prepared to be soaked in water before use.

How to store couscous salad?

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Isreali couscous salad in white bowl with spoon
5 from 2 votes

📋Israeli Couscous Salad

Jyothi Rajesh
Israeli couscous salad is packed with vegetables and cooked pearl couscous and chickpeas. With simple lemon dressing and loads of fresh herbs, this salad is great for a light lunch, picnics, and potlucks on any day.
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Prep Time 20 minutes mins
Cook Time 15 minutes mins
Total Time 35 minutes mins
Course Salads, Side Dish
Cuisine Mediterranean
Servings 6 servings
Calories 291

Ingredients
  

Couscous-

  • 1 cup pearl couscous
  • ¼ cup cooked chickpeas (canned chickpeas works too)
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 tablespoons onion finely chopped
  • 1 ½ tablespoons EVOO
  • 1 ½ cups water or stock use vegetable stock for vegetarian option

For Salad-

  • 8 oz cherry tomatoes halved
  • 2 small cucumbers diced
  • ¼ red onion diced
  • 1 cup baby spinach finely sliced
  • ½ cup chopped parsley or cilantro, chopped
  • ½ cup fresh mint chopped
  • 3 stalks of green onions chopped fine
  • 1 jalapenos chopped fine (reduce it to half if you don’t want too spicy and remove seeds)

For Lemon Salad Dressing-

  • ⅓ cups EVOO use best quality
  • 1 lemon zest
  • 1 lemon juice freshly squeezed
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon pepper

Instructions
 

  • If using canned chickpeas simply drain chickpeas from the liquid and rinse it once in a colander before using.
  • In a large pot, heat EVOO. Sauté minced garlic and onions for 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
  • Once onions begin to sweat, add in pearl couscous.
  • Pour water or stock (use vegetable stock for the vegetarian option), stir well.
  • When water begins to boil, reduce heat to medium-low. Cover the pot with the lid and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes.
  • Open the lid, and fluff it with a fork gently. Keep it aside to cool completely.
  • While couscous cools, make salad dressing. Into a jar, add EVOO, lemon zest, lemon juice, mustard, salt, and pepper. Shake well.
  • Into a large salad bowl, add cooked couscous. Add in the rest of the salad ingredients – halved cherry tomatoes, chopped cucumbers, red onions, roughly chopped baby spinach, cooked (or canned) chickpeas, chopped fresh herbs (cilantro or parsley and fresh mint), chopped green onions, chopped jalapenos (leave the seeds on if you like it hot).
  • Pour salad dressing over it. Gently toss the salad.
  • Rest for a while at room temperature, and serve immediately.

Video

Notes

    1. Perfectly cooked couscous– For 1 cup of pearl couscous use 1 ½ cups liquid. Gummy, sticky, or overcooked couscous will ruin the salad.
    2. Cook pearl couscous in advance – You’ll need to cook pearl couscous at least 1 hour before so it has ample time to cool completely.
    3. Fresh is best – use fresh, best-quality ingredients.
    4. Best quality EVOO – Salad dressing is a flavor enhancer for any salad. Using the best quality EVOO will make the salad taste its best.
    5. Serve it the same day – let the salad rest for a few hours so couscous will soak in all the flavors from the dressing. 
Nutritional Info – Please remember that the nutritional information provided is only a rough estimate and can vary based on the products used.

Nutrition

Calories: 291kcalCarbohydrates: 31gProtein: 6gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 2gSodium: 226mgPotassium: 386mgFiber: 4gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 1391IUVitamin C: 29mgCalcium: 57mgIron: 2mg
Did you make this recipe?Follow @CurryTrail and tag #CurryTrail to share your creation!

Created by Jyothi Rajesh

Thank you for stopping by.

I’m Jyothi Rajesh (Jo for short) and i’m the founder of the food blog, Curry Trail where I share my culinary Adventures. I live in Bangalore, India. I’m a mom of two beautiful kids. My passion is creating and sharing delicious and easy recipes for the home cook. I have been blogging since 2014 and many of my recipes have appeared in both online and print publications over the years. Learn more about Jyothi Rajesh.

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    Comments & Reviews

  1. Linda says

    February 09, 2020 at 7:00 pm

    The quantity of chickpeas, either canned or dried, is missing from the ingredients list.

    Reply
    • Jyothi Rajesh says

      February 10, 2020 at 12:22 pm

      Oops, sorry about that. Corrected it now. Thanks for pointing it out.

      Reply

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Jyothi - Author of Curry Trail.

Welcome, I'm Jyothi

My food philosophy is simple, fresh and full of flavors! I love ‘spicy’ food. In fact so much so that I can skip dessert for extra spicy savory food!

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