Hot or cold: how do you like your couscous?

Few foods are as versatile as couscous. This light, fluffy staple of Middle Eastern cuisine has found its way into Western diet for a number of reasons. In addition to its many nutritional benefits, couscous can be enjoyed hot or cold, in sweet or savoury dishes, as a dessert or main course. What’s not to love about it?

One of the best qualities of couscous is that it is just as delicious whether you eat it hot or cold. If you want a hearty meal – you can treat couscous like pasta or rice and cook it with veggies, meat or fish with lots of spices. It pairs nicely with all these foods and makes for a filling meal.

But if you are looking for a cold and refreshingly light dessert, couscous goes just as well with fruit, cream, milk and honey or sugar. 

Warm couscous recipes to try immediately

Just think of a warm homemade Martino Couscous gnocchi dish. It can make a delicious and healthy meal for the whole family ready in just 10 minutes. As they cook more quickly than traditional pasta, gnocchi are a great meal idea for weeknights and over the holidays. Paired with different sauces and seasonings gnocchi are so versatile you will love them. 

Another delicious warm couscous dish you can treat yourself to is couscous porridge. A beloved staple from childhood, everyone loves the rich creamy taste of porridge. And there are so many ways to experiment with this recipe to meet all dietary requirements. You can substitute cow milk for almond milk and use any fruits you like – peaches, apricots, apples, blueberries, strawberries, etc. You can sweeten it with honey, maple syrup, agave syrup, cane sugar, etc. The end result is always a warm bowl of yummy goodness you can enjoy for breakfast on a weekday or the weekend. 

Enjoy these cold couscous desserts 

But even if you prefer to enjoy couscous cold there are many recipes to choose from. Couscous desserts are ideal for those who are following a vegan or vegetarian diet, or those who simply want to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Couscous is extremely versatile and makes a great alternative to processed cereals, sweet snacks and even desserts. It is perfectly suitable to cook sweet treats for you and your family either as breakfast, mid-morning or afternoon snack or even an organic, unprocessed, delicious dessert after lunch.

One of the best combinations is cold couscous and fruits. This Moroccan citrus couscous salad is a blast of flavour. The combination of the mild couscous flavour with the sour citrus juice and a pop of sweetness coming for pomegranate will truly delight you during lunch break! Don’t lose any time grab a pencil and save this recipe if you are looking for a light and healthy lunch that can fit in a box! 

Another delicious cold couscous dish is couscous cup with blackberries. Berries are some of the healthiest foods on the planet. Extremely high in antioxidants, berries are among our favorite super foods. If you love berries then this recipe will become your favorite one. Prepare the recipe in advance and keep refrigerated for an easy to grab a snack. 

Ready to serve!

Cold or warm – couscous is easy to cook and can be stored for use later. Recipes that call for cold ingredients are even easier to prepare as you can store the ready-made dish in the fridge. When you need it, you take it out and serve. For warm couscous dishes, you just need to prep and plan so you cook the rest of the ingredients while the couscous is steaming. Usually, it doesn’t take longer than 10 – 20 minutes to have a nice warm meal put together.

So many options and so many ways to enjoy couscous and your favourite ingredients. Warm, cold, hot. You get to decide how you like your couscous.