Warm Couscous Salad with Apricot Vinaigrette
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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.
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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
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- 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.
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This is a divine recipe. Thank you!!
Can this recipe work with freshly squeezed lemon juice instead of white wine vinegar?
Sure, Cristina — that would be fine!
I am planning on using this for a luncheon. Is it best to make this day of or can it be made the day before? Add dressing if made the day before or wait until you are serving it? Am also using your lemon poundcake. It is wonderful. Thank you
Hi Maria, It’s fine to make it a day ahead and either reheat or bring to room temperature before serving. I would add the dressing right before serving. Enjoy!
Re this couscous with apricot dressing, (which sounds delicious), would you recommend serving it with the Moroccan chicken recipe and with the carrot-walnut-cranberry slaw or would the two side dishes be too similar in flavour, with the fruity taste in each? Thanks..your recipes sound great!
Hi Steve, It pairs beautifully with the Moroccan chicken. If you wanted to serve the salad, I would probably do it as a first course instead of a side. You might also like my Moroccan Carrot Slaw.
Another winner, Jenn! I made this last night to serve with Moroccan chicken and the roasted carrots with curry. Wow…my husband is still talking about it. I’m a real foodie and have always used FoodNetwork and Epicurious as my inspiration, but for the last couple of months your website is the first place I go. I use your recipes at least 3 times a week. Made your tilapia the other night and it was delish and so easy. I’ll be trying the lemon pound cake for Easter to serve with your fabulous leek quiche.
Happy Passover!
sounds delicious, could you substitute quinoa for the couscous? thank you
Hi Rita, Yes that’d be fine.
thanks for getting back so fast! can’t wait to try!
What a wonderful salad. I grew to love couscous while living in Brazil for a couple years. However, I never had it as the above recipe. All I can say is I am a huge fan. The apricot vinaigrette puts this dish over the edge. I served this along side the Crispy Tandoori Chicken Drumsticks with Mango Chutney on Jenn’s site. The two together were amazing.
For my tastes, the next time I make it I will probably put a little less olive oil in the vinaigrette due to the end product having an olive oil taste (or maybe I need to use better olive oil). But other than that I will definitely be making this one again.
I didn’t love this recipe…but then again I didn’t have the mint on hand, so not sure if that made a huge difference. I suppose I wasn’t a huge fan of the dressing. The apricot jam tasted super sweet in the dressing to me.
Made this on Friday along w/ the Thai Chicken Skewers – so delicious! followed the recipes *exactly* and everything was fantastic. i wouldn’t change a thing on either. (Used 100% of the marinade on the cous cous. I made the dish in advance and stirred in 3/4 of the marinade b/c I feared it would all absorb and leave the dish dry. Then when it was time to serve I added the remaining 1/4 of the marinade to freshen it up.)
Another winner! Easy with big flavor pay off.