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Welcome to my Gluten Free Moroccan Couscous Recipe I’m a bit excited about this one! In this recipe write up I tell you how to make your own gluten free couscous from scratch, that’s right, the actually couscous grains. I also give you step-by-step tips on how to cook it, and finish with a simple recipe for Moroccan flavour couscous. To help you navigate the different sections I’ve added a handy skip-to section below.
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Does couscous have gluten in it?
The simple answer to ‘does couscous have gluten in it?’ is yes, because it is made out of durum wheat which is a typically hard grain from the wheat family. This durum wheat is then ground down into semolina which is the term used for fine powdery durum wheat. It’s this semolina some of us will remember eating at school for pudding with a dollop of jam in the middle.
I found a lovely simple explanation of how ‘normal’ couscous is made to give you an idea of the process.
To make couscous, coarsely-ground durum wheat (semolina) is moistened and typically tossed with fine wheat flour until small, round granules of pasta dough are formed. These tiny balls of pasta are then left to dry for several hours before they’re cooked through a quick steaming process.
Bob’s red mill – what is couscous made from?

What is gluten free couscous made from?
A gluten free substitute for couscous is maize or corn, you may see the wording maize semolina on the packet. Now, semolina as mentioned above is made from durum wheat so this is not gluten free. However maize semolina is gluten free, I just wish they didn’t use the word semolina as it’s confusing – what do you think?
In my post Easy Gluten Free Pasta Salad I go into a fair bit of detail about different types of gluten free pasta. Many pastas are made solely from corn/maize so gluten free couscous is effectively a teeny-tiny, iddy-biddy pasta ball!
Once I’d realised that, I knew I’d be able to make it myself.




Where can I buy gluten free couscous?
The images above are of the limited options we have here in the UK. Tesco and ASDA have their own branded versions but both seem rarer that unicorn poop at the time of writing this with many stores out of stock. If in stock they are around £2.00-£2.50 for 350g or more.
Clearspring Couscous can be found in Sainsbury’s, Ocado and on Amazon and seems to be around £1.50 for a 200g box.
Aduna’s Fonio is technically trying to be a couscous, because it’s a grain much like quinoa. I have bought this in the past and it’s a lovely light grain that fluffs up beautifully like ‘normal’ couscous but it is smaller in size so quite delicate in texture. You can find out more about the origins of the grain on the Aduna – Fonio Super Grain website.
Quick guide to Fonio as a couscous alternative
Naturally Gluten-free. Light & nutty flavour. Cooks in 3mins. Fonio is an ancient Super-Grain that has been grown in West Africa for 5,000 years and is being touted as the “new quinoa” by foodies. Its benefits include:
- NATURALLY GLUTEN-FREE: suitable for coeliac diets and those with gluten intolerance
- LOW GI: helps reduce fluctuations in blood glucose and insulin levels
- RICH IN IRON: helping reduce tiredness & fatigue
- RICH IN AMINO ACIDS: which are often lacking in today’s cereals
- A SOURCE OF ZINC, VITAMIN B1 & B3 AND PHOSPHORUS
How do I make my own gluten free couscous?
To make your own gluten free couscous dish you need gluten free couscous. But what if I told you that you can make your own gluten free couscous from scratch.
Remember earlier in the ‘what is gluten free couscous made from’ paragraph I said that gluten free couscous is made from maize or corn. Well so are most of the gluten free pasta’s you have in your cupboard at home.
I had a lightbulb moment, when I thought ‘why not just blend the pasta?’. I did exactly this when making my Instant Gluten Free Chocolate Ready Brek, I simply blitzed the gluten free oats!
The question was, what pasta’s worked best, so I did a few little experiments to find out.
Long story short, I found that gluten free spaghetti was the best pasta shape to blitz to make gluten free couscous. The pasta was already thin and as it got chopped to pieces it made tiny little couscous-style shapes.
The images you see below are each different pasta cooked and rinsed ready for added flavour.





As you can see above I tried with tagliatelle and macaroni too but spaghetti certainly ended up with the best texture.
To blitz the pasta I used my Braun Soothie Maker as it’s so quick and easy to use, but a liquidiser would work too. If you have neither, you could also use a food processor/blender but the different blade gives you a larger grain end result as seen in the images below. Using my Braun smoothie maker (you can see the blade above) I got a smaller, rounder shaped grain.


How to make gluten free couscous
What you need:
150g gluten free pasta (spaghetti works best but any GF pasta can be used)
Blender/Liquidiser
Method:
I make my couscous 50g at a time. Simply add your chose pasta to the blender and blitz for 30 seconds at a time until you get fine couscous size beads.
Using a fine sieve (small holes) sieve out the pasta ‘dust’ and tip the remaining couscous beads into a dish. Repeat two more time until you have approximately 150g of couscous.
How do I cook gluten free couscous?
Making a flavoured couscous dish that’s gluten free is a bit different to making a traditional Moroccan couscous dish. With semolina couscous, you need to add the stock and flavour to the couscous so it absorbs all the flavour as the couscous plumps up.
With gluten free couscous, you need to rinse the tiny grains once cooked as they are too ‘glutenous’, anyone else think we need another word to describe sticky foods?
In my recipe, you cook the couscous, rinse the starchy gloopiness away and then add the flavour.
As with the top tips in my Easy Gluten Free Pasta Salad on how to cook pasta, the same tips apply here;
- no need for oil
- no need for salt
- add boiled water to a saucepan and bring back to boil
- THIS BITS DIFFERENT – remove from heat once back to boil, add a lid and time for 5 minutes
- rinse thoroughly under a cold tap
- add a dash of oil to keep couscous from sticking
Now you can set the couscous aside and work on the Moroccan couscous flavouring.
What is the traditional Moroccan couscous dish made of?
Traditional Moroccan Couscous dishes are packed with flavour and spices. While the ingredients may be slightly different as family pass down recipes through the generations, there are always the basic ingredients of the traditional dish.
- couscous
- raisins or sultanas
- cinnamon
- turmeric
- ginger
- stock (normally beef or lamb)
- onion
- lemon juice
Some dishes have all the ingredients incorporated into the couscous, others have the vegetables, onions, raisins and meats added on top of a bed of flavoured couscous.
My recipe is the former all-in-one style and a lot simpler in terms of ingredients.
What do you eat with couscous?
Moroccan Tagine is naturally gluten free as it has no gluten containing ingredients, not even a stock. Just to note. many stock cubes and bases have wheat in them to help thicken.
Couscous traditionally accompanies tagines. If you would like a tagine recipe to go with this Moroccan couscous then I’d highly recommend this coeliac safe Moroccan Lamb Shank Tagine by Easy Peasy Foodie.
Storing couscous
If you want you can make the dried couscous in bulk and store in an airtight container.
To store the prepared cooked gluten free Moroccan couscous dish I simple leave to cool to room temperature and keep in a Tupperware contained in the fridge. This can then be served cold at a later date with salads and BBQ’s.

Gluten Free Moroccan Couscous Recipe
If you make it and like the recipe I would be eternally grateful if you popped back and commented leaving a star rating as this will tell search engines that this recipe is worth checking out and others will get to find it in searches.

Gluten Free Moroccan Couscous
Ingredients
For the couscous
- 150 g gluten free couscous
- 500 ml boiled water
For the Moroccan flavour
- 50 g raisins
- 1 gluten free stock I use Knorr Vegetable Stock Pots
- 1 tsp cumin seeds you can use ground cumin
- 1 tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 clove garlic (powder, puree or clove) crushed
- pinch ground turmeric
- 1 lemon
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
To cook the couscous
- Boil the kettle and pour 500ml of boiled water into a large saucepan, bring back to the boil.
- Add the weighed couscous and stir with a metal spoon to separate the little beads of 'pasta'. Bring back to the boil then remove from heat add a lid and leave for just 5 minutes.
- Once cooked, drain the pasta using a sieve and wash under the cold tap. Place the sieve over the empty saucepan off the heat and drizzle with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper, now leave to cool while you continue to prepare the Moroccan flavouring.
To make the Moroccan spice flavouring
- In a dry frying pan add the cumin seeds and toast for a minute until you can smell the cumin. (If using ground cumin, skip this step).
- Boil the kettle again and make 200ml of stock with your gluten free stock cube.
- To the stock add all the spices, onion powder, crushed garlic and juice from half a lemon (keep the other half back for garnish).
- Tip the stock into the frying pan with the cumin seeds and return to the heat.
- Add the raisins/sultanas and heat through until these plump up and the stock has reduced to a thick gravy
- Using a fork, fluff up the cooled couscous and tip this into the frying pan. Remove from the heat (keep cooking and the couscous will go sticky)
- Make sure your couscous is coated in the Moroccan style stock, I continue to use a fork for this bit as it keeps the grains from clumping together too much.NOTE: with ALL gluten free couscous you can expect a sticker end result, not fluffy individual grains like semolina couscous.
- Serve immediately as a side dish if eating hot or allow to cool to room temperature and transfer to a Tupperware tub and keep in the fridge to eat cold.
Notes
- no need for oil
- no need for salt
- add boiled water to a medium saucepan and bring back to boil
- THIS BITS DIFFERENT – remove from heat once back to boil, add a lid and time for 5 minutes
- rinse thoroughly under a cold tap
- add a dash of oil to keep couscous from sticking
Nutrition
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I just read the article on gluten-free Moroccan couscous and it was absolutely delicious! As someone who follows a gluten-free diet, I’m always on the lookout for tasty and convenient meal options that fit into my lifestyle.
I really appreciate that this recipe uses gluten-free couscous as a base. Gluten-free couscous is a great alternative to traditional couscous and is just as easy to prepare. It’s also very versatile and can be used in a wide range of dishes, from salads to side dishes to main courses.
One thing I really love about this recipe is the use of traditional Moroccan spices, like cumin and turmeric, which give the couscous a delicious and aromatic flavor. The addition of vegetables and chickpeas also makes it a well-rounded and nutritious meal.
Overall, I think that this gluten-free Moroccan couscous recipe is a fantastic option for anyone looking to add some variety to their gluten-free diet. Thanks for sharing this delicious recipe!
this was so tasty! I cannot wait to make it again
I am so excited to try this. That is such a great idea using gf spaghetti to make couscous. We’ve not liked the gf couscous we’ve bought in the shops, but I’m fairly sure this will be a hit. Thank you so much!!
It’s also a great way to use up odds and sods of pasta that you’ve got at the back of the cupboard! Thank you so much for commenting Emma x