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This Gluten Free Couscous Salad is the perfect 15-minute meal you can throw together for lunch or dinner. Gluten free couscous (made from maize) and leftover turkey are paired with tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion, pistachios, cranberries and parsley, with a zingy Mediterranean dressing.
This Couscous Salad Is A Great Recipe for Leftover Turkey or Chicken!
- Ever wondered what to do with gluten free couscous? Me too! But now I’ve spent a lot of time experimenting with gluten free couscous recipes and this one-bowl, turkey salad recipe is SO good.
- Gluten Free Couscous: Couscous is not usually gluten free (see my gluten free couscous guide) but you can buy a gluten free version made from maize in Asda and Sainsbury’s free from aisles. Failing that, quinoa is a great replacement.
- Great for leftovers: This couscous salad is such an easy way to use up leftover turkey or chicken. I made mine into a turkey salad – this would be ideal after Thanksgiving or Christmas, and just as good in the summer months too. Perfect for saving money on a gluten free diet and reducing your food waste.
- Meal Prep Wonder: This couscous salad recipe is great for meal prep as you can make it 2-3 days in advance and portion it up in lunchboxes. I like to customise mine sometimes with feta, artichokes, or some green leaves.
Table of Contents
Ingredients and Substitutions
There’s a printable recipe card below for this easy Couscous Salad recipe with the full quantities. But here are the main ingredients and ideas for any swaps.
- Gluten Free Couscous: This is typically made from maize, while ‘normal’ couscous is not gluten free and made from durum wheat. Asda and Sainsbury’s both do their own brand free from couscous, or Clearspring have a variety too which is on Ocado.
- Pistachios: I love the crunch these add but feel free to swap for pecans, cashews, walnuts, or your favourite nut.
- Dried Cranberries: Omit these if you prefer but I love the bursts of sweetness.
- Cooked Turkey or Chicken: This is a great recipe for using up any roast dinner (or Christmas dinner!) leftovers – but you can omit this to make a veggie version.
- Cherry Tomatoes
- Cucumber: I use an English cucumber, but you can use mini cucumbers (Persian cucumbers) if you prefer.
- Red Onion: Swap for spring onions (green onions) for a less punchy flavour.
- Vegetable Stock: This is the key to making the gluten free couscous taste great! Always make sure you use a gluten free veg stock – chicken stock works well too.
- Fresh Parsley
- For the dressing you’ll also need olive oil, lemon juice and garlic paste.
How to Make Gluten Free Couscous Salad
There’s a printable recipe card below with the method. But here are some step-by-step photos to show you how easy this gluten free couscous salad is to make.
Add the gluten free couscous to a bowl and pour in the hot vegetable stock and 1 tsp olive oil. Stir well then cover with a plate and leave for 5 minutes.
While the couscous is cooking, use this time to prepare all the vegetables. Mix the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and set to one side.
Once the couscous is cooked, fluff it up using a fork then add to a large serving bowl along with all the other salad ingredients. Pour over the dressing, mix well and serve.
To Store: Keep this gluten free couscous salad refrigerated. It’ll last for 2-3 days in the fridge and can be eaten cold for lunches.
More Gluten Free Salad Recipes
If you like this gluten free couscous salad with turkey then make sure you check out these other gluten free salad recipes too…
- Potato Salad
- La Scala Salad Recipe
- Crispy Rice Salad
- Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta Salad
- Watermelon and Feta Salad
- Hot Honey Beef Bowls
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Gluten Free Couscous Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 30 g pistachio kernels, (roughly chopped)
- 50 g dried cranberries
- 200 g cooked turkey or chicken, (diced)
- 100 g cherry tomatoes, (cut into quarters)
- 1/2 cucumber, (finely chopped)
- 1/2 red onion, (finely chopped)
- 100 g gluten free couscous
- 150 ml gluten free vegetable stock
- 1 tsp olive oil, (or butter)
- 1 tbsp fresh chopped parsley
For the dressing:
- 1 lemon, (juice only)
- 2 tsp garlic paste
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Add the gluten free couscous to a bowl and pour in the hot vegetable stock and 1 tsp olive oil. Stir well then cover with a plate and leave for 5 minutes – I prepare all the veg and dressing during this time.
- Mix the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and set to one side.
- Once the couscous is cooked, add to a large serving bowl along with all the other salad ingredients. Pour over the dressing, mix well and serve.
Video
Notes
- A Note On Couscous: Just an important caveat that normal couscous is made from durum wheat and is not gluten free – this recipe uses gluten free couscous. Details on brands you can find in the UK are in the blog post above.
- Storage: I found this kept pretty well in the fridge for 2-3 days, which makes it good for meal prep. You can eat it cold but I really enjoyed it fresh too while the couscous was still warm.
- Step-by-Step Photos: Check out the blog post above for step-by-step photos to guide you through how this recipe should look at each stage.
- Like this Recipe? It would mean SO much to me if you could leave a 5* rating and tell all your gluten free friends about this Couscous Salad recipe. A little review helps support my website hugely, so thank you! xx
Nutrition
More Gluten Free Salad Recipes
More Leftover Turkey Recipes
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If you love this couscous salad please let me know – I’d love to know how you customise yours too! x
Hi Sarah
What brand of gluten free couscous did you use for your recipe? Thank you, Jenny Brown