Couscous Salad with Apricots, Mint, and Pistachios

This Apricot Pistachios Couscous Salad with cucumbers and mint is a light, fresh summer salad. Enjoy it as a meal or side dish for an easy addition to your summer menu.

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Hello, folks! How are you doing? I hope you all are having a great and restful weekend. So am I, thanks for asking.

Can you believe summer is almost over? While autumn recipes will soon appear online, I’ll keep sharing summer ideas a bit longer.

Let’s dive into this Apricot Pistachios Couscous Salad.

Why Will You Like This Apricot Pistachios Couscous Salad?

If you love the addition of fruits to your savoury recipes, you will love this Couscous Salad with Apricots. It’s filling and satisfying, yet it’s also relatively light and fresh.

The neutral taste of couscous goes well with dried apricots, nutty nuts, juicy cucumbers, and fresh mint, absorbing all these flavours.
Its light and fluffy texture has a subtle chewy bite – not too distinctive, like pasta or pearl couscous, but it’s present.
Next, it’s super easy and quick to make.
And best of all, you can make it in advance. In fact, it will taste only better the next day, as the flavours will continue to develop. If you make it in advance, however, I’d recommend adding the pistachios and arugula just before serving so they won’t become soggy.

Ingredients You Will Need for Apricot Pistachios Couscous Salad

To make this Couscous Salad with Apricots, Mint, and Pistachios, you will need the following ingredients:

Fine couscous – the base ingredient of this salad. The standard ratio is either 1:1 or 1:1 1/2, e.g., one cup of couscous to one and a half cups of water. I usually go with equal parts, and it works just fine; this ratio results in a slightly drier and fluffier final product, which is perfect for salads. And if you think that couscous looks too dry to your liking, it’s easy to fix by adding a little extra boiling water.
Water – used for cooking couscous.
Extra virgin olive oil – added to the couscous.
Cucumbers – add freshness and lightness.
Dried apricots – add the flavour and a subtle tang. Look for apricots that are plump, pliable texture and a vibrant, orange-yellow color. Any varieties will work, but I prefer Turkish apricots, as they are super meaty, tasty, and soft.
Pistachios – add a pleasant crunch and flavour that pairs particularly well with apricots.
Fresh mint – just a little mint adds a ton of flavour and freshness, turning a simple couscous salad into a perfect summer salad. If available, use a mix of different varieties of mint.
Arugula or salad mix.
Salt and pepper – to taste.

I did not use any dressing, except a little extra drizzle of oil, because this salad is already juicy to my liking. But you are welcome to add more olive oil or even a drizzle of orange or lemon.

Possible Additions and Variations

Use other dried fruit like figs or cranberries in place of apricots.
Add fresh apricots. Keep in mind that in this case, the shelf life of this salad will decrease greatly, depending on the ripeness of the apricots.
Swap pistachios for walnuts, almonds, or even pumpkin seeds.
Add a little spicy kick by adding minced jalapeno or fresh ginger.
Serve with some crumbled feta or goat cheese for more added flavour, texture, and protein.

More Couscous Salads

Be sure to check more salad recipes with couscous:

I hope you like this Couscous Salad with Apricots, Mint, and Pistachios, and you will try it. If you try it, please let me know in the comment section of this post below, send me an Instagram message, or share your photos by adding the hashtag #havocinthekitchen.

Cheers!