Perfect Fluffy Couscous
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A versatile and super-easy side, this couscous recipe comes together in minutes with hardly any effort. It’s light, fluffy, and perfect for soaking up your favorite sauces or serving alongside grilled meats and roasted veggies.
Couscous is a North African dish made from tiny steamed granules of semolina flour. Though it looks like a grain, it’s actually a type of tiny pasta. Traditionally, it’s steamed in a special pot—a process that takes time and patience. Here in the States, we typically rely on the instant variety, which couldn’t be easier to prepare—just add hot liquid and let it sit for 5 minutes.
While the basic method on the package works fine, with a few simple tweaks, you can take it from basic to truly delicious. Whether you’re pairing it with a Moroccan tagines, grilled meats, or roasted veggies, it’s a speedy, satisfying alternative to rice or potatoes.
“This takes couscous to another level! It’s a frequent side dish in our house.”
What You’ll Need To Make Couscous
- Low-sodium chicken broth (or vegetable broth): The liquid used to cook the couscous. Broth adds more flavor than water, but water works fine if you want to keep the flavor more neutral.
- Butter & Extra-virgin Olive Oil: A combo that adds richness and helps the couscous stay fluffy and flavorful.
- Instant couscous: These tiny, pre-steamed semolina granules cook almost instantly by absorbing hot liquid, resulting in a light and fluffy texture.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Types of Couscous Explained
Couscous might seem simple, but there are a few different kinds, each with its own texture and cooking style.
Instant: This is the kind you’ll most often find in U.S. grocery stores. It’s made from tiny semolina granules that are pre-steamed and dried, so it cooks fast—just add hot liquid. It’s light, fluffy, and great for quick side dishes or salads.
Traditional: This type is steamed (not boiled) the old-fashioned way—usually over a simmering stew in a pot called a couscousière. It’s extra fluffy and delicate, but it’s a more involved, time-consuming process.
Israeli or Pearl Couscous: Despite the name, Israeli couscous is quite different from traditional couscous. The pearls are larger and rounder, with a chewy texture and mild, nutty flavor. You cook it like pasta, and it holds up well in grain bowls, pilafs, or tossed into salads.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1: Boil the liquid. In a medium pot, bring the water or broth to a boil. Add a drizzle of olive oil, a small pat of butter, and a pinch of salt for flavor, then add the couscous.
Step 2: Steam the couscous. Take the pot off the heat, cover, and let it sit for 5 minutes to steam. Make sure the pot stays tightly covered while steaming—trapped steam is what softens the couscous evenly. When you lift the lid after 5 minutes, the couscous will look flat and compact.
Step 3: Fluff. Right away, use a fork to fluff the couscous and break up any clumps. (Using a fork, not a spoon, helps separate the grains without mashing them.) Make sure to do this while it’s still warm—once it cools, it can stick together.
Serving Ideas
Couscous is super versatile and works with a variety of dishes. It soaks up sauces from dishes like Moroccan brisket, chicken tagine, and hearty stews. It’s equally good with grilled entrees like Moroccan meatballs, grilled Moroccan chicken or lamb kofta.
For something lighter, use it as a base for salads—it’s wonderful in my warm couscous salad with apricot vinaigrette, or you can create your own by tossing in chopped veggies, fresh herbs, a splash of lemon juice, and maybe something crunchy like nuts or cucumbers. You can also spice it up with warm seasonings or pair it with roasted vegetables for an easy side.
More Side Dish Recipes You May Like
Perfect Fluffy Couscous
This quick and easy couscous recipe is perfect for soaking up sauces or rounding out a weeknight meal. Bonus–it’s on the table in under 10 minutes!
Ingredients
- 1¾ cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth (or water)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1½ cups (10 oz) instant couscous
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, bring the water (or broth), salt, butter, and oil to a boil. Stir in the couscous, cover tightly with a lid, and remove from heat. Let the couscous steam for 5 minutes. Use a fork to fluff the couscous and break up any clumps. Serve warm.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The couscous can be frozen for up to 3 months. When ready to serve, reheat it in the microwave until hot.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (6 servings)
- Calories: 226
- Fat: 5g
- Saturated fat: 2g
- Carbohydrates: 37g
- Sugar: 0g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 7g
- Sodium: 220mg
- Cholesterol: 5mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Yesterday I needed to prepare a quick meal and I tried this recipe. It came out tops
Came out great. Also, thanks for not adding a whole bunch of BS before the recipe! Short intro paragraph , bam RECIPE. You know why I’m here. Thanks!
Turned out perfect! Light, delicate texture and we added curry, garlic, seasoning salt and Montreal chicken seasoning. It was paired with steamed broccoli and baked halibut for a completely delicious experience!
Amen. I’m looking for a recipe, not storytime.
Fantastic and easy recipe, came out perfect on my first try
I have made this a few times…give it a 10..fantastic thanks
Made this on 2 successive nights. First night, used substandard (old) couscous. Consistency was perfect, flavor sucked. I mean, wasn’t very good…
Made it again tonight, fresh couscous. Perfect, both consistency and flavor.
Paired with Moroccan chicken with preserved Meyer lemons. Not your recipe, Jenn (blush!).
Will become the basis of lots of variations in the future: roasted garlic, sauteed onions, etc.
Many thanks for this recipe. So simple, so right.
Joe
How would I adapt this recipe if using Israeli couscous?
Hi Lynda, As I’m not sure about the water to couscous ratio and timing for Israeli couscous, I’d recommend following the instructions on the box. 🙂
The first time I made couscous was from a Hello Fresh meal kit. It was awful. Slimy little pellets of awfulness. So, being forever the one to keep trying something new, I bought the Hello Fresh kit again and ditched their recipe and used yours instead. My result wasn’t perfect. But the chicken broth was a great improvement, as was the butter. This was something I would actually eat. I don’t know if that counts as a testimonial.
As a suggestion. You should make some couscous without that Hello Fresh Meal Kit. That’s probably your problem & why you are ending up with something you wouldn’t eat. Especially if it’s the larger Israeli couscous, where this recipe needs modification or it doesn’t come out right.
Instead, you should get some regular CousCous from the bulk foods section of your grocery store & cook it from scratch. It literally only takes 10 minutes to make & the last 5 minutes is just letting it sit. It’s also very inexpensive to buy.
Recently, I purchased both traditional couscous and Israeli couscous from the bulk dry food bins at the grocery store. But I realized I no longer had a recipe available at home, so I went online and your site was the first one I found, at the top of the search results, and it looked simple & straightforward. For my first batch I decided on the traditional couscous, and to use this recipe, but with some modifications, based on what I have available.
I have a bunch of turkey broth available, so I decided I would use it & instead of butter (unsalted) I used original Smart Balance, which is not unsalted. Upon completion, it didn’t look exactly like your picture, but once I used a fork to fluff it up, it looked & tasted absolutely wonderful. I haven’t had any great couscous since many years ago when I served in the military and spent time on more than one occasion in the Mediterranean. This recipe, turned out perfect, bringing back many wonderful memories of the food.
I will be using this recipe, many, many more times with many different meals.
Thanks.
Super easy and delicious!!! Thank you 🙂
We usually buy the packaged couscous where you add water. This was so much better! The chicken broth combined with the butter and olive oil gave the couscous an added dimension. We could have made a meal out of it! Thank you for the recipe.
Was delish and EASY. Exactly what I was looking for. 🙂