Easy Couscous

This couscous recipe comes out fluffy and perfectly seasoned in minutes! Here are the tricks to how to cook couscous.

If there’s a food that epitomizes an easy side dish, it’s this one: couscous. This tiny pasta is fluffy, flavorful, and takes just 10 minutes to whip up with no actual cooking required (just boiling water!). This traditional Berber food has swept the globe: its ease of preparation and delightful light texture makes it perfect for serving with just about anything. Here’s our favorite couscous recipe and some background on its origin.

What is couscous?

Couscous is a North African pasta with tiny grains made from semolina flour. Its texture looks like grains of rice or quinoa, but’s actually a pasta! It originated with the Berbers of Algeria and Morocco, sometime between the 11th century and 13th century. Today it’s a pantry staple around the world because of its versatility and quick cooking time. It’s a cultural dish of the Maghrebi cuisines in the countries of Algeria, Tunisia, Mauritania, Morocco, and Libya.

Is couscous gluten free? No. Couscous is a pasta made with wheat, so it contains gluten. People with gluten free diets should avoid it or look for special gluten-free couscous.

Types of couscous

There are three major types of foods called couscous: Moroccan, Israeli or pearl couscous, and Lebanese. However, the second two types aren’t technically considered couscous. The recipe below features Moroccan couscous, so it’s not optimized for the Israeli variety (it has a different cooking time). Here’s an overview of the types of couscous:

• Moroccan couscous has very small, irregular grains and a quick cooking time. It’s the standard variety and labeled “couscous” at the grocery (it typically won’t include the word Moroccan).
• Israeli couscous (aka pearl couscous) is larger and shaped like balls. It’s technically considered a pasta and not couscous, since the grains are large and shaped exactly the same. It’s always been machine made, whereas couscous is made by hand. The food was actually invented in Israel in the 1950’s when the government needed to feed masses of immigrants.
• Lebanese couscous has grains that are even larger and a longer cooking time. It’s more difficult to find in mainstream US grocery stores, but may be available at international grocery stores.

How to cook couscous

There are several methods for how to cook couscous. It’s tricky to get perfectly fluffy because it can become clumpy when boiled in a small pot. Here’s a no-fail method that results in beautifully fluffy grains every time (or jump to the recipe below):

• Use a ratio of 1 cup couscous to 1.5 cups liquid. Use water, chicken broth or vegetable broth; broth brings in extra savory flavor notes.
• Boil the liquid. Boil it in a teapot or a small pot on the stove. Boiling the water separately helps to avoid clumps.
• Place the dry grains in a skillet with ½ teaspoon salt. Using a skillet makes for more surface area and less chance for clumping.
• Pour over the liquid and wait 10 minutes, then fluff with a fork. That’s it! You’ll find it’s perfectly fluffy with separated grains: no clumps!

Ways to serve it

Now for the fun part: how to serve couscous! This couscous recipe is for a basic side dish, flavored with lemon and parsley. It goes with just about anything: because it takes just 10 minutes, we find ourselves making it often. Here are a few ways to flavor and serve it:

• Add lemon, parsley and olive oil for a quick and easy side
• Make a couscous salad by mixing with veggies and dressing
• Make a traditional Moroccan seven vegetable couscous by this Moroccan recipe developer
• Serve with a stew like Moroccan chickpea stew
• Make a bowl meal with this easy sheet pan dinner or Mediterranean couscous bowls
• Serve under seafood like shrimp, salmon, salmon cakes, or scallops

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Couscous Salad

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Mediterranean Couscous Bowls Recipe

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Quick Shrimp Couscous

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Israeli Couscous (aka Pearl Couscous)

How are you planning to serve this 10 minute side dish? Let us know in the comments below.

This couscous recipe is…

Vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, and dairy-free.

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More easy side dish recipes

Want more quick and easy sides? Here are a few basics that you’ll find yourself making on repeat:

• Go basic with How to Cook Rice, How to Cook Quinoa, How to Cook Bulgur or How to Cook Farro
• Opt for Easy Lemon Orzo
• Try Spinach Rice with Feta or Cilantro Lime Rice
• Go for Perfectly Seasoned Quinoa
• Grab Easy Canned Chickpeas, Easy White Beans or Easy Cannellini Beans

01

How to Cook Rice

02

Easy Lemon Orzo

03

How to Cook Quinoa

04

How to Cook Farro