Can you cook couscous in a rice cooker? Absolutely! And, it will come out perfectly soft and fluffy if you follow a few simple steps. All you need is three simple ingredients to cook Morocco's favorite dish to perfection.
If you've seen my cilantro lime rice or my Mexican rice recipes, you'll know how much I love to cook with my rice cooker. I've even cooked lentils in my rice cooker.
And now...I'm going to show you how to make perfectly soft and fluffy couscous in your rice cooker. You won't believe how easy and mess free it is to make perfect couscous!
Reasons You'll Love This Recipe
✅It only requires three simple ingredients to make (including the couscous).
✅It's dairy free and vegan.
✅Couscous in a rice cooker only takes 10 minutes to make. Just set your rice cooker, and let it do the rest.
✅This recipe is very flexible. Check our my suggestions below for spicing up your couscous.
Ingredients
It only takes three simple ingredients to make perfectly fluffy rice in a rice cooker, and here they are:
- Couscous: This recipe is for cooking standard semolina couscous in a rice cooker. However, if you want to cook Israeli (or pearl) couscous in your rice cooker, use 1 ¼ cups of water or broth for every cups of couscous. Before adding your Israeli couscous to the rice cooker, toast it for a few minutes in a saute pan with a tablespoon of vegan butter, then cook as per the instructions in the recipe.
- Olive Oil: Olive oil keeps the couscous moist and prevents it from sticking to the rice cooker.
- Vegetable Broth: You can always use water instead of vegetable broth, but I think the vegetable broth really enhance the flavor of the couscous. You can use fresh stock or a vegetable stock cube.
How To Cook Couscous In A Rice Cooker
- Add your couscous, vegetable broth and olive oil to the rice cooker. Note that the broth will be quickly absorbed by the couscous, so it will not look like rice, which when cooked in a rice cooker, normally has the water covering it.
- Cook your couscous on the white rice setting. There's no need to set a timer, as the rice cooker turns itself to warm once your couscous has finished cooking. However, it generally it takes only about 5 minutes.
- When the rice cooker turns to warm, keep the lid on for an additional 5 minutes.
Serving Suggestions
- Add some sauteed onion and almonds or pistachios to the couscous before cooking it in the rice cooker.
- Add some raisins or chopped prunes to the couscous before cooking.
- Serve with authentic air fryer falafel for a wonderful vegan dinner.
- Rice cooker couscous is the perfect accompaniment to sheet pan gnocchi.
- A homemade vegan lentil loaf would be delicious served with couscous.
- Make it Moroccan by stirring a tablespoon of harissa paste into the vegetable broth before adding it to the rice cooker.
- Make a cold vegan couscous salad!
Did You Make This Recipe?
If so, I'd love to see it! Tag me on Instagram @thisdailydish. Or, leave me a comment below. It makes my day, and your feedback helps other readers!
Frequently Asked Questions
No, couscous is not gluten free. It's made from semolina, which is made from durum wheat, which is not gluten free.
Yes, you can! Let the couscous cool fully before transferring it to an airtight container. Couscous will stay fresh in the fridge for up to three days. Reheat in the microwave or eat cold.
Yes, you can. Use 1 ¼ cups of vegetable broth for every cup of pearl couscous. Add one tablespoon of olive oil. Set the rice cooker to the white rice setting and cook until it switches to the warm setting. Leave the lid on the rice cooker for an additional 5 minutes. Fluff the couscous with two forks before serving.
Craving More Easy Vegan Recipes?
Broccoli and Cashew Stir Fry With Teriyaki Sauce
Recipe
How To Cook Couscous in a Rice Cooker
Ingredients
- 1 cup couscous *see note 1
- 1½ cups vegetable broth
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- Add the couscous, vegetable broth and olive oil to the rice cooker.
- Cook the couscous on the white rice setting.
- When the rice cooker turns to warm, keep the lid on for 10 minutes.
- Fluff the couscous with a fork before serving.
Notes
- To cook Israeli (or pearl) couscous in a rice cooker use 1 ¼ cups of vegetable broth for every cup of pearl couscous. Add one tablespoon of olive oil. Set the rice cooker to the white rice setting and cook until it switches to the warm setting. Leave the lid on the rice cooker for an additional 5 minutes. Fluff the couscous with two forks before serving.
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