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Curried Couscous Salad

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Curried couscous salad is fragrant, sweet and spicy with loads of crunchy fresh veggies, nuts, dried fruit and topped with a zippy curry dressing. This salad is delightfully different, keeps well in the fridge and is so easy to make. 

A closeup shot of curried couscous salad in a blue bowl with a wooden spoon.
A blue bowl full of couscous, almonds, parsley, celery, carrots, craisins, and dried apricots, ready to be mixed.

What is couscous?

A lot of people think couscous is a grain because it looks so similar to rice or quinoa, but it’s not. Couscous is actually a kind of pasta made from semolina and wheat flour.

A mason jar with the mixed curry dressing.

You can buy several varieties of couscous. For this curried couscous salad we’re keeping things as easy as possible by using boxed instant couscous. Which means this salad is basically as easy to make as boiling water! 

The curry dressing is poured over the top of the curried couscous salad.

Carrots, celery, slivered almonds, dried apricots, craisins, and chopped fresh parsley are the key players in curried  couscous salad outside of the zippy homemade curried dressing. But feel free to switch things up as they suit you. Got dried cherries and pecans on hand instead? Use those!


How long will curried couscous salad keep in the fridge? 

This salad will stay good for 3-4 days in the fridge making it an excellent dish to make ahead of time or to take to a picnic!

A serving plate of curried couscous salad served on a lettuce leaf.

This salad may seem exotic, but it’s inexpensive to make and it’s actually really easy to pair with. Just serve it alongside roasted chicken, pork chops, pork loin, shrimp, lamb, etc!

A closeup shot of curried couscous salad in a blue bowl with a wooden spoon.

Curried Couscous Salad

Yield: 8
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes

Curried couscous salad is fragrant, sweet and spicy with loads of crunchy fresh veggies, nuts, and dried fruit. This salad is delightfully different, keeps well in the fridge and is so easy to make. 

Ingredients

  • 1 10 ounce box couscous
  • 1 1/2 cups shredded carrots
  • 1 cup chopped celery
  • 1/2 cup craisins
  • 1/3 cup chopped dried apricots
  • 1/2 cup slivered almonds
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

For the dressing

  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 3 Tablespoons honey
  • 1 Tablespoon lime juice
  • 2 Tablespoon curry powder
  • 1 Tablespoon turmeric
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

  1. Cook couscous according to the directions on the package. Cool completely and fluff with a fork.
  2. Add the carrots, celery, slivered almonds, craisins, dried apricots and parsley to the couscous, mixing well.
  3. Add the dressing ingredients to a mason jar or another container that tightly seals. Shake it well until blended and pour over the salad. Mix again and serve.

Notes

Store in an air-tight container in the fridge. Will stay good for several days. 

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a review or a photo! I'd love to hear your feedback!

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Curried couscous salad is fragrant, sweet and spicy with loads of crunchy fresh veggies, nuts, and dried fruit. This salad is delightfully different, keeps well in the fridge and is so easy to make. #curry #couscous #couscousalad #accidentalhappybaker

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Kerry

Tuesday 25th of February 2020

Lovely recipe, I used raisins, carrots, parsley and scallions. The dressing is perfect and I love the way the curry and turmeric coat the couscous, eventually changing the colour of all of the grains. Everyone loved this at the dinner table today!

Amy D

Wednesday 26th of February 2020

Thanks for the lovely review Kerry! So glad you all enjoyed it!

Andrea Metlika

Thursday 18th of July 2019

I really like that this has all the veggies in it with the couscous. And that dressing, Yum!

Amy D

Wednesday 24th of July 2019

I agree, the dressing is what makes this salad shine.

Georgie

Thursday 18th of July 2019

I'm obsessed with couscous salad and this looks fabulous! I love how colourful it is too! great recipe

Amy D

Thursday 18th of July 2019

Georgie, that is one of the things I love about it too is all the colors!

Ashley @ Sweetpea Lifestyle

Thursday 18th of July 2019

Yum!! I love anything with curry, and this was delightful!

Amy D

Wednesday 24th of July 2019

So glad that you loved it Ashley. Thanks for the feedback.

Beth

Thursday 18th of July 2019

Ooooo, this looks so delicious! I love that it can be enjoyed for a couple days too - if it lasts that long!!

Amy D

Wednesday 24th of July 2019

Me too, I usually set some back to have with my lunches for later in the week when I make this as a side dish.

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