This vegan cous cous salad recipe is packed full of pomegranate seeds, chickpeas and fresh herbs. Perfect for a dairy free festive side salad or a healthy packed lunch.
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Aside from lots of fresh parsley and mint, this vegan cous cous salad is all about the chickpeas and refreshing, bold pomegranate seeds. Tart and tangy, this a dish that's perfect for the holidays or a light lunch.
What I love the most about this vegan cous cous salad is how easy it is to make! You only need about 15 minutes to throw together this vibrant and nutritious gem. You can also make it ahead....in fact, the flavors deepen and intensify as it's resting in the fridge. Perfect for a time-saving stress-free Christmas side dish, or a grab and go lunch.
If you love pearl cous cous, be sure to check out my popular beetroot cous cous salad with vegan feta.
Reasons You'll Love This Recipe
- The combination of tangy pomegranate seeds with aromatic mint and earthy chickpeas is really special.
- This salad is festive enough for your holiday table, but simple enough to make for a light lunch.
- You can make vegan cous cous salad ahead of time. The flavors only intensify in the fridge.
- It's 100% vegan and dairy-free!
👨🍳How To Make Vegan Couscous Salad
- Toast The Cous Cous: Heat your olive oil in a saucepan. Add your Israeli cous cous (aka pearl cous cous) to the pan and toast it for 3 minutes. Be careful not to let it burn. You want for it to be a toasty golden brown.
- Cook The Cous Cous: Add your vegetable stock to the pan, and bring it to a gentle simmer. The typical water to cous cous ratio is higher for Israeli (aka pearl cous cous) than it is for small cous cous. It's 1 cup Israeli cous cous to 1 ½ cups liquid. You can also cook cous cous in your rice cooker. Be sure to keep the stock at a gentle simmer so that the water doesn't boil off and leave you with burnt cous cous.
- Chop The Herbs: While your couscous is simmering, chop your parsley and mint finely. I like to do this in a food processor because you can get a really fine mince quickly. However, a sharp knife will work just as well.
- Prepare your citrus dressing by whisking together your orange juice, apple cider vinegar and olive oil.
- If you're using a whole pomegranate this is a great way to remove the seeds.
- Assemble your vegan cous cous salad by transferring the pearl cous cous to a serving bowl. Stir in the chopped herbs, pomegranate seeds and chickpeas. Pour the dressing over the top and toss. Enjoy!
Top Tip
Let the salad rest in the fridge for 30 minutes to allow the flavors to meld and intensify.
🙋Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, dried cous cous is simply small balls of semolina. Cous cous is not made with eggs or any dairy products, so it's entirely plant based and safe for vegans to eat. However, that doesn't mean that every cous cous dish you order will be vegan - you'll need to check the ingredients on any pre-packaged cous cous salads etc.
No, it's not gluten free. If you want to make this vegan cous cous salad gluten- free, you'll need to omit the cous cous and replace it with quinoa. Follow the packet instructions for cooking the quinoa.
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Cous Cous Salad
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil extra virgin
- 1 cup pearl cous cous *aka Israeli cous cous
- 1½ cups vegetable stock *or hot water
- ¾ cup pomegranate seeds *see note 4
- 1 cup flat leaf parsley finely chopped
- ½ cup mint finely chopped
For The Citrus Dressing
- 1 orange *juiced
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons olive oil divided
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a saucepan. Add the cous cous and toast for 3 minutes. *see note 1
- Add the vegetable stock to the pan and simmer, uncovered for 10 minutes. *see note 2
- While the cous cous is simmering, chop the parsley and mint finely with a food process or a sharp knife.
- Transfer cous cous to serving bowl. Stir in chopped herbs, chickpeas and pomegranate seeds. Drizzle the dressing over the top, stir and enjoy.
Notes
- Toasting the cous cous is optional, but I highly recommend it. It adds a sweet, nutty flavor to the couscous. Just be sure not to burn it.
- The typical ratio of water (or stock) to Israeli cous cous (aka pearl cous cous) is 1:1 ½. So, that's one cup of couscous to 1 ½ cups of liquid. Be sure to keep the heat fairly low so that the water doesn't boil off straight away.
- Gluten Free Option: Cous cous is not gluten free. For a gluten-free salad, simply substitute quinoa. Follow the package instructions for cooking the quinoa.
- If you're using a whole pomegranate, have a look at this article for instructions on how to easily remove the seeds.
Vicky
Tastes great
Keri Bevan
Hi Vicky, Glad you liked the recipe! Thank you for your feedback!