Black Bean Couscous Salad
Published 8/11/2022 • Updated 3/17/2024
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This black bean couscous salad is jam-packed with veggies and made with a delicious cilantro lime dressing to tie it all together.
Easy Couscous Salad with Black Beans
Looking for an easy salad to make for a party or meal prep for the week? You’ve come to the right place because this black bean couscous salad is so tasty and packed with tons of veggies.
It’s loaded with tons of fiber from the beans and nutrients from the veggies. This simple couscous salad truly is perfect for so many occasions.
Try it!
Mediterranean Couscous Salad
This Mediterranean couscous salad is the perfect addition to any summer meal. Serve this veggie-packed salad as a delicious side dish or a colorful main dish.
Featured Ingredients
- Israeli Couscous: we love using Israeli couscous because it is larger than regular couscous and has a bit of a bite to it.
- Corn: we used fresh ears of corn that were broiled for more flavor. Feel free to use canned or frozen.
- Spices: this couscous salad has a Southwestern flare all thanks to chili powder and garlic powder.
- Black Beans: black beans add fiber and protein to this salad.
- Onion: feel free to use any kind of onion.
- Bell Pepper: a mix of bell peppers gives this salad a nice crunch and extra veg.
- Cotija Cheese: every salad deserves some cheese and we’re using cotija cheese!
The Dressing
The yummy cilantro lime vinaigrette totally makes this recipe. Here’s what you need:
- lime juice
- white wine vinegar
- hummus
- cilantro
- hiney
- chili powder
- paprika
- salt
Simple Instructions
- Cook and chill couscous: Bring water to a boil. Add couscous and turn the heat to low. Cover and let cook for 12 minutes. Transfer couscous to a large plate and spread it out. Refrigerate to chill while you make the rest of the salad.
- Season and broil corn: spread corn out on a baking sheet and drizzle with avocado oil. Season with chili powder, garlic powder, and salt. Broil for 5-7 minutes, tossing every so often.
- Combine ingredients: combine black beans, veggies, lime, cilantro, cheese, and chilled couscous.
- Make the dressing: add all the ingredients for the dressing into a Mason jar or bowl and mix to combine,
- Toss salad: pour the dressing over the couscous salad and toss to combine,
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Serving Suggestions
At a BBQ: serve this delicious black bean couscous salad as a side at your next BBQ. Serve next to grilled chicken, watermelon salad, and grilled zucchini.
Bento Box Lunch: package up leftovers as a bento box lunch idea!
With a protein on top: complete the meal with a protein of choice on top. Here are some ideas: baked salmon in foil, grilled shrimp, or pan-seared chicken.
Storage
Store leftover couscous salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-5 days.
Black Bean Couscous Salad
Ingredients
For the Salad
- 1.25 cups Israeli couscous
- 1.5 cups water
- 2 cups sweet corn, we used 3 ears of fresh corn, but you can use thawed,frozen corn
- 2 teaspoons avocado oil
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1.5 cups cherry tomatoes, cut into fourths
- 1/2 small red onion, finely diced
- 1 large green bell pepper, diced
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
- 1/3 cup cotija cheese, crumbled (+more for topping)
For the Dressing
- 3 tablespoons lime juice
- 1.5 tablespoon white wine vinegar, or rice vinegar
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoons garlic hummus
- 2 tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped
- 2 teaspoon honey
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 3/4 teaspoons salt
Instructions
- Bring 1.5 cups of water to a rolling boil. Add in couscous and turn to heat to low. Cover the pot and simmer until all water is absorbed (about 10-12 minutes). Fluff the couscous with a fork and if there is no excess liquid the couscous is ready.
- Spread the couscous out onto a large plate or a small platter and place the couscous into the refrigerator or freezer to chill.
- While the couscous is chilling, turn the oven to broil and place the corn onto a baking sheet. Drizzle the avocado oil over the corn and then season with chili powder, garlic powder, and salt. Toss until the corn is coated and place into the oven. Broil the corn for 5-7 minutes, tossing periodically. Remove the corn from the oven when it begins to brown and caramelize.
- Add the corn, black beans, cherry tomatoes, red onion, bell pepper, lime zest, cilantro, cotija cheese, and cooled couscous to a large bowl and mix until combined. Set aside.
- Add all of the ingredients for the dressing to a mason jar and cover. Shake the ingredients together until combined.
- Pour the dressing over the couscous and other ingredients. Toss all the of the ingredients with the dressing until everything is coated in dressing. Top with any additional cotija cheese and enjoy.
Tips & Notes
- This recipe was updated in April, 2022. Check out the old recipe and photos here.
- Depending on how much you like lime, start with the juice from 1 and then go up from there. We used the juice from 2!
Watch It
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Photography: photos taken in this post are by Ashley McGlaughlin from The Edible Perspective.
I loved this recipe. Simple but flavorsome. I sprinkled on Himalayan salt just before serving which gave the dish a lovely crunchy texture. Simple but effective. I don’t have a photo as we ate it all – oops.
https://superbsalt.com/best-himalayan-pink-salt/
I really like your post. it is a really informative and healthy post for me. I also like writing blogs related to healthy food; this post is beneficial for my blog.
Hello! I am in the process of process of making this and are so excited!! However can you help me clarify what temperature to broil the corn at? It just says broil but it doesn’t have a temperature I need to set my oven to? Thanks!!
Delicious! I hate to be one of those but I really wanted to make this after seeing it on Instagram but was missing some critical ingredients – I didn’t have humus, black beans, cortija, or cilantro. To kind of made up for this, I added a tbsp of diced jalapenos, peas, a dash of coriander, and parmesan as well as using Trader Joe’s harvest grain blend which has some other things besides couscous and it was divine. Sometimes you gotta just use what’s on hand . Despite a lot of substitutions, I feel like the heart of the recipe was intact. The dressing was delicious. Huge fan. If a recipe can still taste good despite swaps, more power to it. Thank you for sharing – it hit all the right spots for lunch today!
Love this ? How much is 1/6 of the recipe? A cup? Thanks!
Jalapeno isn’t mentioned in the recipe?
This looks so tasty! I’m trying to get into meal prep and this seems like a solid place to start. Question, though… For some reason I’m not a huge cous cous fan so do you think I could use quinoa instead? I would think it would still retain all the amazing flavor. Thank you!
Yes, try quinoa!
You mention jalapeño, but it’s not in the recipe. How much do you use in your dressing?
I couldn’t resist commenting. Very weell written!