Looking for a fresh, healthy, simple vegan pasta salad? This Vegan Couscous Salad is all that and more!
Using fresh crisp cucumbers, creamy avocado, and bright tomatoes, this couscous salad hits all the right notes to culminate into the perfectly balanced bite. Easy to make and lovely to eat, this will become your go-to for lunch, a side dish, or a quick snack!
In this recipe, you will learn how to use vegetable broth to infuse more flavor into your couscous and how to balance simple ingredients to bring a variety of textures and taste to each bite.
As an environmental scientist, I’m always looking for ways to incorporate fresh, seasonal ingredients with low impact on the environment, but high impact on flavor!
Green tip: Eating seasonally is one of the best (and most delicious) ways to support local and improve your carbon footprint. Local foods have less associated transportation costs and fuel emissions.
Find out when these fresh ingredients are in season near you with this Seasonal Food Guide!
Vegan Couscous Salad Ingredients
Here’s everything you need:
- Couscous. I like to use pearl couscous in this recipe, which is just a little bit larger than regular couscous, but you can use either!
- Vegetable broth. To cook the couscous in to infuse flavor. You can buy it or make your own from vegetable scraps.
- Tomato. You can use a slicing tomato, beefsteak tomato, vine ripe tomato, or even cherry or grape tomatoes.
- Cucumber. The best way to add crunch!
- Basil. For an herbaceous and subtly sweet finish.
- Avocado. The diced avocado adds both flavor and a creamy texture to your bite.
- Lemon juice and olive oil. Believe it or not, this simple combo of lemon juice and olive oil is all you need to dress this salad.
- Salt and pepper. To season and elevate all of the natural flavors in this couscous.
Vegan Couscous Salad Tips and Tricks
How to Make Flavorful Couscous
Couscous is a tiny pasta made of wheat or barley, that’s rolled into a little ball. Similar to rice, it soaks up the flavor of whatever you cook it in.
There are two common types of couscous that you can typically easily find at your supermarket. The first, Israeli or pearled couscous, is larger, just like the ones pictured here. This recipe calls for 1 cup of uncooked pearled couscous.
The other common type of couscous is Moroccan. It is very small, almost resembling grits or semolina. It can easily be used in place of Israeli couscous in this recipe, substituting 1 cup of Israeli couscous for 1 cup of Moroccan couscous.
The best way to infuse extra flavor into your couscous is by actually cooking it in vegetable broth. Bring the couscous and veggie broth to a boil in a medium-sized pot.
Then, reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes until the couscous is tender.
Green tip: Reduce your food waste by making the most out of your ingredients! Save veggie scraps in the freezer and use them to make your own vegetable broth.
Dress Your Couscous While Its Hot
Once your couscous is cooked, transfer it to a large bowl. Add the olive oil and lemon right away while the couscous is still hot and toss to coat.
This will ensure your couscous doesn’t stick together and also allow the couscous to really soak up the flavor of both the lemon and olive oil.
How to Prep Your Tomatoes
Rinse your tomatoes and slice it into thin strips. Cut out the stem and dice the tomatoes into small, bite-sized pieces.
While the pieces of tomato certainly do not have to be perfectly uniform, getting everything roughly equal in size is the best way to get every element in each bite.
You can use a standard slicing tomato, a vine ripe tomato, or a beefsteak tomato. You can even use about a half of a pint of cherry tomatoes. Whichever tomatoes you use, make sure you’re dicing them.
If you don’t have a tomato knife or high-quality chef’s knife, you may find a serrated knife is easier to use to pierce the skin of the tomato.
Prep Your Cucumbers for the Couscous Salad
The cucumber brings so much freshness and crunch to each bite. Use a sharp knife to chop off the ends and slice the tomato into strips about ½-inch thick.
Then, you can lay your slices flat to easily dice them into bite-sized pieces, roughly the same size as the tomatoes.
I just rinse the cucumbers and leave the skin on, but if your preference is to peel your cucumber, you certainly can do so with a vegetable peeler.
How to Easily Dice Basil
While your instinct may be to remove your basil leaves from the stems, I encourage you to leave them on! The stems are perfectly edible and super flavorful.
To dice the basil, start by washing and drying it. Place it on a dry cutting board, then stack a few leaves and stems together.
Roll the stacked leaves and stems them tightly and slice across to create thin strips. Turn the strips and cut perpendicular to make small, even pieces.
How to Dice Your Avocado
Use a sharp knife to slice your avocado in half lengthwise. Pull the two halves apart. The pit will stay whole and remain in one half of the avocado. Remove it and discard it.
Then, you can use your knife to dice the avocado flesh while it is still in its outer rind. From there you can scoop the avocado flesh out from the rind with a spoon directly into your couscous salad.
If you open and dice your avocado early while your couscous still has a while to cook, squeeze a little bit of lemon juice on top to keep it from browning.
Season and Toss Your Couscous Salad
Once your couscous has had a little time to cool, add your prepped tomato, cucumber, basil, and avocado. Then, add the salt and pepper.
Use two forks to toss everything together, fluffing the couscous as you do so. Taste to see if you need any additional salt and pepper. And voila! You’ve got a super refreshing and delicious little pasta salad!
How to Store Leftover Couscous Salad
Ideally, it’s best to eat this couscous salad fresh for the best texture on all the veggies and to avoid browning from the avocado.
The couscous alone will stay fresh covered in the refrigerator for about 5 days. You can always add the remainder of your ingredients fresh when you’re ready to eat it!
The good news is, if you do have leftovers, the lemon will help to keep the cucumber, avocado, tomato, and basil fresh for 2-3 days.
Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator and enjoy it cold.
Green tip: Of the billions of tons of food wasted annually, 50% of food waste happens at home. Reduce your contribution to food waste by properly storing and then enjoying leftovers.
Lemon Pearl Couscous Salad Frequently Asked Questions
Is couscous OK for vegans?
Dried couscous is vegan. Couscous is safe for vegans so long as it is not cooked in bone broth or prepared with any other meat or dairy products.
This vegan couscous salad uses vegetable broth and all fresh, plant-based ingredients to keep it safe for vegans.
What is couscous made of?
Couscous is a tiny pasta made of wheat or barley, that’s rolled into a little ball. There are two common types: Israeli or pearl which are larger, or Moroccan couscous.
Why You Should Make This Vegan Couscous Salad
- It’s fresh! Packed with fresh fruits (avocado and tomato), veggies, and herbs.
- It’s healthy! Chock-full of vitamins, fiber, and anti-oxidants.
- It’s quick and easy! Under 30 minutes and no special gadgets necessary!
If you’re loving this Vegan Couscous Salad and want to explore more pasta salad options, check out this Confetti Orzo and Sherry Bowtie Pasta.
Vegan Pearl Couscous Salad with Lemon
Print Save RateIngredients
- 1 ½ cup vegetable broth
- 1 cup pearl couscous
- 1 large tomato (vine ripe, slicing, or beefsteak)
- 1 medium cucumber
- 1 ounce fresh basil leaves
- 1 ripe avocado
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice (½ lemon = approx. 2 tablespoons juice)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- In a medium pot, bring vegetable broth and couscous to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prep your fresh ingredients, dicing the tomato, cucumber, basil, and avocado flesh.
- Transfer the cooked couscous to a large bowl, add the olive oil and lemon juice, and stir to coat. Set aside to cool for about 5 minutes.
- Add the diced tomato, cucumber, basil, avocado, and salt and pepper to the couscous and stir to combine. Enjoy cool or at room temperature.
Pro Tips
- You can use ½ pint of cherry or grape tomatoes in place of your large tomato if you have those on hand.
- I love making this recipe with pearl couscous, but regular couscous works, too!
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