What is French Couscous Salad (aka French Taboulé)?

If you’ve ever browsed the deli section of a French supermarket, chances are you’ve spotted little individual tubs labeled “Taboulé.”: one of the French’s favorite salads on the go! But while traditional Middle Eastern tabbouleh is studded green with parsley and mint, French taboulé is more of a couscous salad. It swaps bulgur for couscous, uses fewer herbs, and includes sweet raisins, tomatoes and colourful bell peppers.

This French-style Couscous Salad is a summer staple in France – perfect for picnics, barbecues, or light lunches. It’s best served cold, and I love its balance of tangy, savory and sweet – with crisp veggies and chewy couscous and raisins.

It’s fresh, satisfying, and surprisingly simple to prepare too — with just a handful of pantry staples and a few summer vegetables. This recipe is always on a rotation in my kitchen in the Summer and widely enjoyed in French households. It makes a great introduction to French home-style cooking for North American kitchens, or anywhere else you are in the world!

Why You’ll Love This French Couscous Salad

• Fresh and flavorful: Packed with herbs, seasonal veggies, and lemon juice.
• Quick to make: Ready in under 30 minutes (plus chilling time).
• Perfect for meal prep: A great make-ahead recipe that keeps well for days and travels easily.
• A taste of French Summer: A classic side dish in warm-weather meals.

What You’ll Need to Make French Taboulé at Home

• Chicken broth and couscous – For the couscous base, cook medium-grain couscous in low-sodium chicken stock for the best flavor. Medium-grain couscous cooks quickly and fluffs beautifully – avoid pearl couscous for this recipe; the texture is too dense. For a vegetarian version, substitute with vegetable broth or water + ½ tsp salt.
• Extra virgin olive oil – Add it both when cooking the couscous (adds flavor and keeps the couscous from clumping) and later in the dressing.
• Raisins – I love the raisins in this recipe! They add a nice sweetness and satisfying chew. Golden or regular raisins both work.
• Veggies – A mix of diced tomatoes and bell peppers are the traditional mix found in the French taboulé. Choose ripe, juicy tomatoes for the best flavor, like Vine or Roma. The Bell peppers add sweetness and crunch. I love to use a mix of red, yellow and green for vibrant colors.
• Fresh herbs – A mix of parsley and mint is chopped up and added to the salad for freshness, brightness and volume. I feel like this amount of fresh herbs recreates the traditional Taboulé salad I grew up with in France, but feel free to add more if you yearn for a more herbaceous, greener salad.

How to make French Taboulé (Step-by-Step)

1. Rehydrate the Raisins. Soak the raisins in a bowl of water for at least 30 minutes. This softens them and adds a chewy, juicy sweetness to the salad.
2. Prepare the Couscous. Bring chicken broth (or salted water) to a boil. Add olive oil and couscous, stir, cover, and remove from heat. Let steam for 6 minutes, then fluff with a fork. Transfer to a large bowl and allow to cool to room temperature. (Or cook according to the directions on the package of your couscous)
3. Add the Veggies and Herbs. Once cooled, stir in the diced bell peppers, diced tomatoes, chopped parsley and mint, and drained raisins.
4. Make the Dressing. Whisk together lemon juice, EVOO, salt, pepper, cumin, and cayenne. Pour over the couscous mixture and stir well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours so the flavors meld beautifully.

My Cooking tips

• Add 2 tablespoon of good-quality EVOO to the chicken stock (or water) when steaming the couscous – this will ensure a light and fluffy couscous, every time.
• You can substitute large tomatoes, diced for cherry tomatoes, halved – same quantities apply.
• I know raisins are not everyone’s favorite, but they truly make the salad! They yield that signature chew that make this French taboulé salad so unique. You can swap them if you really don’t like them, but know the texture won’t be as traditional. 

Serving Suggestions

This French couscous salad is endlessly versatile. Serve it cold as:

• A side dish for summer BBQs or grilled meats such as chicken or lamb chops.
• A light lunch with stuffed vegetables or a slice of quiche.
• A picnic-friendly main with a wedge of cheese and a slice of country bread.

I hope you’ll love this classic French Couscous Salad recipe as much as I do. If you have any questions, please leave a comment. 

More French Salads to try: 

• Green Bean Potato Salad
• French-style Rice and Tuna Salad
• French Grated Carrot Salad (Carottes rapées)
• French-style Potato Salad
• Piemontaise Potato Salad
• Frisée Salad with bacon, eggs and croutons (Salade Lyonnaise)
• French Egg Salad
• Classic French Lentil Salad 
• Cucumber Salad with crème fraiche
• Classic French Celery Root Remoulade
• Classic Parisian Salad (Salade Parisienne)
• French Lentil Salad with tomatoes and cucumbers
• Authentic Niçoise Salad
• Warm Goat Cheese Salad

French-Style Couscous Salad (Taboulé)

Print Recipe

Serves: 4-6 people Prep Time: 30 minutes Cooking Time: 6 minutes 6 minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 4.7/5

( 13 voted )

Ingredients

For the couscous:
1 ¾ cup chicken-broth (or water with 1/3 tsp salt)
1 ½ cup (10oz) Couscous
2 tbsp (30ml) extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup (50g) raisins, not packed
About 2 cups (500g) diced tomatoes
¼ red bell pepper, seeded and diced
¼ green bell pepper, seeded and diced
½ bunch fresh curly parsley, chopped
½ bunch fresh parsley, stemmed and chopped (curly or flat)
6-7 sprigs fresh mint, stemmed and chopped

For the dressing:
½ tsp salt
½ tsp fresh ground black pepper
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
¼ tsp ground cumin
1/2 lemon, juiced
3 tbsp (45ml) extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions

1. Soak the raisins in a bowl with water – the water should cover all the raisins. Let them soak on the counter for a minimum of 30 minutes.
2. Make the Couscous. In a medium pot, bring the chicken stock (or water and salt) to a boil. When the liquid is boiling, stir in the extra virgin olive oil and couscous (the water should barely cover the couscous). Take the pot off the heat and let the couscous steam for exactly 6 minutes (lid-on). After 6 minutes, take the lid off and use a fork to fluff the couscous. Transfer the couscous to a bowl to let it cool down to room temperature.
3. When the couscous has cooled to room temperature, add the diced bell peppers, diced tomatoes, chopped parsley and mint, raisins (drained), and stir.
4. Add the dressing ingredients: the salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, cumin, lemon juice and EVOO. Stir to combine, cover the bowl with a plastic film and chill for at least 2 hours before serving, as this helps the couscous and raisins to soak up the dressing and for the flavors to meld. This Couscous salad should have a slightly moist, pleasantly “chewy” consistency after the 2 hours.

Notes...

Store your French taboulé in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. It tastes even better the next day!

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