Warm Couscous Salad with Apricot Vinaigrette
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
Light, fresh, and full of flavor, this couscous salad with a tangy-sweet apricot vinaigrette is made for summer.
I love Moroccan food, especially the way it blends savory and sweet—that’s the inspiration behind this couscous salad. It’s made with scallions, fresh herbs, crunchy almonds, and a tangy-sweet apricot vinaigrette, and it’s everything you want in a summer side: light, quick to make, easy to pack for a picnic or BBQ, and delicious served warm or at room temperature. I love it with my Grilled Moroccan Chicken but it’s just as good alongside almost any chicken, pork or lamb dish.
“Winner! Fast, easy, delicious, and pretty! New favorite! Thank you!!”
What You’ll Need To Make Warm Couscous Salad With Apricot Vinaigrette
- Low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth + butter: Cooking the couscous in broth instead of water infuses it with flavor, and a little butter makes it rich and fluffy.
- Couscous: The hearty base of the salad. While it looks like a grain, couscous is actually a tiny pasta made from semolina flour—it cooks in minutes.
- Apricot preserves, olive oil & white wine vinegar: These make the vinaigrette. The preserves add sweet-tangy flavor, the vinegar balances it with brightness, and the olive oil adds richness and ties it all together.
- Scallions + fresh parsley or mint: Add freshness, color, and a light herbal note. The herbs are optional, but they really make the salad pop.
- Sliced almonds: Bring a satisfying crunch and toasty flavor that complement the sweet apricot vinaigrette.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1: Steam the couscous. Combine the broth, butter, and ¼ teaspoon salt in a medium pot and bring to a boil. Add the couscous and stir. Cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and remove from the heat. Let sit for 5 minutes, then fluff the couscous immediately with a fork so it doesn’t clump together.
Step 2: Make the vinaigrette. In a small bowl, whisk together the apricot preserves, olive oil, vinegar, ¼ teaspoon salt, and a few grinds of fresh black pepper.
Step 3: Mix the couscous and dressing. Add about three-quarters of the vinaigrette to the couscous and stir to combine. Taste and add the remaining vinaigrette, little by little, if necessary (you may not need it all). Be sure to add all the little chunks of apricot from the vinaigrette, as they tend to settle at the bottom of the bowl (just use a fork to fish them out).
Step 4: Finish and serve. Stir in the scallions, herbs, and sliced almonds. Taste and adjust seasoning, if needed (I usually add a good bit of salt). Serve warm or at room temperature.
You May Also Like
Warm Couscous Salad with Apricot Vinaigrette
This quick couscous salad travels well, tastes great warm or at room temp, and pairs beautifully with grilled meats or seafood.
Ingredients
- 1½ cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth, best quality such as Swanson
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- Salt
- 1 10-ounce box couscous (1½ cups)
- 6 tablespoons apricot preserves, best quality such as Bonne Maman
- 4½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 scallions, white and green parts, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley or mint (optional)
- ⅓ cup sliced almonds
Instructions
- Bring the broth, butter, and ¼ teaspoon salt to a boil in a medium pot. Add the couscous and stir. Cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and remove from the heat. Let sit for 5 minutes, then fluff the couscous immediately with a fork so it doesn't clump together.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the apricot preserves, olive oil, vinegar, ¼ teaspoon salt, and a few grinds of fresh black pepper. Add about three-quarters of the vinaigrette to the couscous and stir to combine. Taste and add the remaining vinaigrette, little by little, if necessary (you may not need it all). Be sure to add all the little chunks of apricot from the vinaigrette, as they tend to settle at the bottom of the bowl (just use a fork to fish them out). Stir in the scallions, herbs, and sliced almonds. Taste and adjust seasoning (I usually add a good bit of salt) and serve warm or at room temperature.
- Make-Ahead Instructions: The salad can be made up to 2 days ahead of time and stored in a covered container in the refrigerator; add the almonds right before serving.
Nutrition Information
Powered by 
- Per serving (6 servings)
- Calories: 375
- Fat: 15g
- Saturated fat: 3g
- Carbohydrates: 52g
- Sugar: 9g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 9g
- Sodium: 227mg
- Cholesterol: 5mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
See more recipes:
Comments
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Can the recipe be made with pearl couscous?
Sure, but the couscous cooking time may need to be adapted (follow the guidelines on the package). Enjoy!
I cannot tell you how good this is! I could eat this every single day. I made the recipe as written. I recently had overnight guests and made this for dinner with the Moroccan chicken. The next afternoon, my friend opened my fridge and ate all the cold leftovers, plus she asked for the recipes. I take that as a compliment.
I really like this recipe and have taken it to a couple events. It has been popular. For a special diet consideration, do you have a suggestion for something I could substitute for the white wine vinegar other than another vinegar?
Hi Deb, you could use an equal amount of lemon juice. And glad you like the recipe!
What would be a good substitute for white wine vinegar in this recipe? I am not a vinegar lover.
Hi Deb, You can use an equal amount of lemon juice in place of the vinegar. Enjoy!
Can I use Smuckers sugar free apricot preserves instead of Bonne Maman apricot?
Sure, Lynda, that should work. Enjoy!
This was DELICIOUS! I ended up eating the entire batch myself, for dinner and then lunch over the next few days. Didn’t have mint, so next time I’ll add that. I did add some orange zest, a little bit of orange juice (before measuring the liquid) and some sliced dried apricots to the water before boiling it. After cooking, along with almonds added mandarin oranges. I put the salad dressing in my tiny Cuisinart mini-processor so the apricot preserves would make the dressing creamier.
The flavors in the dish are wonderful.
With the leftover dressing, the next night I poured it over a pork tenderloin before cooking. Awesome! Thank you Jenn! Another great recipe
Winner! Fast, easy, delicious, and pretty! New favorite! Thank you!!
Another great salad dish – I wasn’t sure about the apricot preserves but it was subtle & very good. Every salad I have tried so far are now my favorites!
Hi Jenn,
Your recipes are stellar.
On this recipe, I have never made couscous before. I carefully followed the directions, (I thought), I had ingredients prepped chopped etc., and I noticed you called for one and a half cups of water or broth, and the box asks for 1 1/4. I assume you intended the one and a half cups? ( all the recipes have turned out fabulous, except the texture on my couscous)
I did mess up and not get to the fluffing part till couple minutes after the five minutes. I assume user error on my part there.( lol)
I want to make this recipe and couscous again, so could you please give me advice about the one and a half cups of liquid?
I am very grateful for your input and your recipes.
I Have your first cookbook, and I’m looking forward to the next one.
Thanks!!!
Hi Carol, sorry to hear the texture of your couscous didn’t turn out as you expected. The couscous that I use actually calls for using 1:1 ratios of liquid and couscous, so if you found that you didn’t like the texture of it (and your package directions are different), feel free to cut back on the liquid the next time you make this. Also, glad to hear you like the first cookbook — the second one is coming out in September so stay tuned!
Do you think this would work with Quinoa instead of couscous? I have a whole bunch!
Sure!