Instant Pot Couscous (Israeli Couscous)

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Fresh, delicious, and with a hint of tangy zestiness, you’ll love this Instant Pot Couscous. It’s an easy but healthy side dish that pairs with pretty much everything!

Coming together in just about 10 minutes, it might be one of the quickest, hands off, internationally inspired dishes ever. The bright, fresh, tangy flavors are sure to complement all sort of meals (or just eat this as a meal itself!).

Have you ever tried couscous? It’s such an easy grain to cook up that whenever a last minute side dish is needed, we reach for our container of couscous.

This Instant Pot couscous has been one of our favorites, along with this Israeli couscous salad, as it goes with pretty much anything from chicken to steak to seafood. We are particularly fond of serving it with these sous vide lamb shanks or these sous vide lamb chops!

Sweet raisins, nutty pine nuts, tangy lemon and slightly chewy pearls of couscous are just amazing. We just LOVE how delicious this is, and that it's one of the easiest side dishes ever!

Even better, if you need a dish for a potluck or party but you’re low on time, this is perfect. Simply add the couscous into your Instant Pot, toast up some pine nuts, and combine it with raisins.

Served at room temperature and packed full of flavor, it’s also the perfect party dish!

Check out the Instant Pot couscous story!

What is Couscous?

Couscous is crushed durum wheat semolina (not gluten-free!) that has been formed into small granules or balls. They have a neutral taste and take on added flavors really well.

It’s commonly served in Algerian, North African, and Moroccan cuisine. They come in multiple varieties and make for a great alternative to traditional gains for side dishes.

You may also want to learn more about the health benefits of couscous.

Types of Couscous

Here are the three common types of couscous you’ll find in your local grocery stores.

1. Israeli Couscous: also known as Pearl Couscous, this is the type we’ll be cooking with today. They look like little pasta-like pearls, hence their name, and have a nutty flavor and a chewy texture.
2. Moroccan Couscous: this is the smallest of the couscous, looking like small grains of rice, they take less than 10 minutes to cook.
3. Lebanese Couscous: also known as Moghrabieh, they’re the largest of the couscous, similar in size to peas.

Why This Recipe Works

1. It’s fast to cook since couscous is a quick cooking grain, making it the perfect last minute dish.
2. Thanks to the lemon notes paired with nutty pine nuts, you’ve got a fresh savory side dish that doesn’t overwhelm the main dish it’s paired with.
3. It’s a versatile dish, simply swap out the chicken stock or vegetable stock to make this vegan friendly.

The Ingredients

For this pressure cooker couscous, you only need a handful of ingredients to make it flavorful.

Israeli couscous — Do not swap the couscous as the cook time will change due to the different sizes.

Shallot — They don’t have the same sharpness that onions have while providing a mild but sweet taste to the dish.

Chicken stock — Chicken stock helps add flavor to the couscous as it will absorb all the liquid while it cooks. I prefer to make homemade chicken stock as it has the richest flavor, but any low sodium version will work.

Lemon zest and juice — I love the zesty tangy kick you get from the addition of lemon.

Pine nuts — You’ll love how these pine nuts taste with the couscous once they’ve been toasted. It’s a nice contrast in texture to the couscous and raisins.

Raisins — This will add a mild sweetness to the dish. You could also use chopped dried apricots or cranberries.

The full list of ingredients can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

Step By Step Instructions

Turn on the sauté function on the Instant Pot and add the olive oil.

Add the couscous and shallot and sauté for 2-3 minutes (stirring occasionally), until the shallot is softened.

Stir in the cinnamon, lemon zest, salt and broth.

Turn the sauté function off and set the Instant Pot to pressure cook for 5 minutes on high.

Use the quick release to release the pressure.

Stir in the pine nuts, raisins, lemon juice and parsley and serve with extra lemons on the side.

How to Toast Pine Nuts

Heat a skillet over medium heat and add the pine nuts. Toast for 2-4 minutes, until a light golden brown.

Be sure to toss them regularly to prevent burning.

Expert Tips

• Use homemade chicken stock for the best flavor.
• If you choose to use a store bought broth with salt in it, reduce the salt to ½ teaspoon then adjust to taste at the end.
• Replace the chicken stock with vegetable stock to make this recipe vegan.
• When you sauté the couscous with the shallots, it helps give the couscous a toastier nuttier flavor to it so don't skip it.
• You might find tri-colored couscous in the store, they taste no different than the plain colored couscous.
• Uncooked couscous keeps like pasta in the pantry, making them a great ingredient to stock your pantry with for last minute quick meals.
• Golden raisins can be used in place of regular raisins.

Common Questions

You'll also want to finish your meal off with this incredible pistachio baklava! Don't worry - if I can make it you can make it!

More Instant Pot Side Dishes To Try

• Instant Pot Beets
• Instant Pot Broccoli
• Instant Pot Cauliflower Soup
• Instant Pot Acorn Squash

Did you make this Instant Pot couscous recipe? Leave a comment below and let me know how it turned out!