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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This is the perfect couscous! My go to recipe every time and always comes out perfect. Thank you
Wow! It really is THE perfect couscous!
Yeah worked well and gonna try a salad next thanx again
Cooking cous-cous previously has always been a really hit-or-miss type of dish for me. But I’ve made this recipe several times now and it has turned out perfectly every time! And the flavour is great – it can be eaten as it is, or it also creates a beautiful base to build on with other flavours and ingredients. I won’t be cooking cous-cous any other way from now on! Thank you for a fabulous recipe 🙂
Proper cous cous is steamed, not cooked with boiling water. This is a lazy short cut and not how it is prepared in North Africa. If you want light, fluffy cous cous, you have to steam it three times for work minutes each.
You can keep cooking the primitive time-consuming method; the rest of us who have better things to do with our time much prefer this quick method. There is more than one way to cook. If you already know how to cook couscous why are you even looking at other recipes?
Well said Alby, well said.
Don’t give a one star review because you didn’t like the method. I bet you didn’t even make it!
Jen’s is one of the better food blogs out there, I have had more wonderful meals from Jen than any other chef.
Hi Jenn, Greetings from Ireland. I would just like to say that I love and have made this recipe many times. It always turns out perfect for me. I make as per your recipe and add whatever I have and appeals on the day. Today however I did something different… and I’m guessing you may not be impressed with me🤦♀️….. but I feel I should share it, as it may help those who said your recipe didn’t work for them. I don’t know why but today I decided to use the microwave! I measured couscous in a bowl. To a microwave dish, I added a chicken stock cube to hot water and mixed in with a fork. I then added salt and stirred. I added the butter and mixed until it dissolved. Finally I added the extra virgin olive oil and stirred to combine. I then covered the dish with a lid and heated in microwave for a 1 1/2 minutes to boil. Microwaves differ so you may need to do for shorter/longer time, in any event keep an eye on it! I then added it to my couscous, gave it a very quick gentle stir, covered bowl and let it sit for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes I gently fluffed couscous with fork and what happened……today I again had the most perfect couscous👏! I hope that might help if stove top doesn’t work for you. Thank you Jenn for all your wonderful recipes and apologies 😁. Mary.
😁
Excellent!
The couscous turned out perfect. To make it cruelty-free I used the Better Than Boullion Mushroom Flavored concentrate, to sweeten naturally I added a bit added raisins which are also antioxidant powerhouses, served along side Beyond Sausage Breakfast Patties.
BTB mushroom base contains dairy products.
Worked well for me.
Thank you
I followed the recipe and the finished product was scrumptious. Thank you!
Next time I will add a little curry powder with the raisins.
This comes out perfect every time we make it.