Hot Breakfast Couscous

I don't usually like to review a recipe unless I've made it at least once as it's written. But people seem to be critiquing the idea, rather than the specific flavours, so I'm going to break that rule. I think this is wonderful. You can't be expecting oatmeal with a different texture; you have to be expecting a totally different breakfast. It probably also helps to like couscous -- a lot, which I do. I would really recommend trying it, especially if you like hot cereal in the morning. variations: I used chopped dried apples and walnuts and added them after about two minutes of the five, so that the apples reconstituted a little. I poured a little maple syrup and vanilla soy milk (I made it with regular skim) over the top once it was cooked.

I really like this. Easy to make and a delicious, nutritious start to the day, especially if you load it with raisins and nuts. Easy to expirement with, using different nuts and fruit, and maybe some granola-esque breakfast cereal ingredients. If you find it too dry you can remedy this with an ancient method called adding more milk. Any time you cook with couscous don't be a slave to the recipe. Trust your intuition and if it's dry add liquid.

Delish!!! I have been looking for a quick, easy & tasty breakfast, and this is it. What a winner! Here's how I make mine: at night I fix up a mug with 1/4 Cup Couscous, some "Bare Fruit" organic bake-dried cinnamon apple chips (broken up), dried cherries cut into smaller pieces, and chopped walnuts, & cover with some plastic wrap. Then in the morning when I fix my tea I add 1/3 Cup boiling water, recover w/the plastic wrap and let sit 5 minutes. Stir, add a tsp. of sugar (I found that if I add the sugar in the beginning when it cooks, the sweet gets lost and I have to add more), and some milk until it's nice & moist. The milk cools it down too much, so a quick 15 - 20 seconds in the microwave heats it back up. Makes just the right amount for breakfast! I save the plastic and reuse it the next day.

I liked the idea of this recipe and I enjoyed it, it just needed more oomph, and more liquid, my couscous was dry and still a bit crunchy so I had to add another 1/2 cup of liquid, but I should maybe have added more. The cinnamon also wasn't "cooked" enough to flavour the milk and there was a powdery taste in the dish. When I make this again I will simmer a cinnamon stick in milk and use a tad more honey than called for to get the flavour in.

I LOVED this and I absolutely disagree with the reviewers who said there is not enough liquid. I think they are expecting the couscous to be an oatmeal substitution. I, on the other hand, expected sort of a breakfast "pilaf" and that is exactly what I got. If you want something more like hot cereal then add more liquid. I think the recipe is great as written.

This has become a portable favourite for me. I work early (5 AM) and by the time I'm ready to eat, just heating this up and smelling the cinnamon and nutmeg wafting through the microwave's vents makes me feel like I'm back in my mom's kitchen. FYI, I usually add vanilla to the milk and shake it before adding it to the couscous to heat. Enjoy!

I am always looking for new warm breakfast ideas and this one is unique. I like the combination of flavors and textures. I added more honey and I had different dried fruit around the house, but I think it works out the same. Thanks for the new idea!

My version: I just made it with water instead of milk (because we were almost out), and, like others, I found it a little bit dry so I added a little more water. I used dried nectarines instead of apricots, and I splashed lots of milk and extra honey on it just before I ate each serving. Absolutely delicious, and a great idea. Thanks for sharing!

I think I was expecting something closer to cream of wheat. What I got was okay, but not great. After sitting for 5 minutes I got a big pot-size lump of couscous. If I make it again I will add more liquid at the beginning. The flavor was very mild so I added a little kosher salt, some more cinnamon and sugar, and then drizzled some maple syrup over the top.

I can see why this recipe would be on a camping menu. It had a very trail mix feel to it. I thought it was very good, I did have to add more milk than what the recipe calls for. It ended up being a little dry after the 5 min, but the flavor was really good.

I used craisins instead of raisins. This was very good but so dry... I had to add extra milk in the pot. To make it extra-good, I also topped each serving with a drizzle of honey and a splash of heavy whipping cream.

I love this recipe because I can always whip it up from ingredients I've got lying around. But I do change some things, mainly the liquid to cous-cous ratio, which can make this recipe a bit dry. I change it to a half to 1, dry to wet. Thanks for the great recipe!

this was fantastic! Made mine mostly according to the recipe, but didn't measure anything but the milk. For the people who say it comes out as a lump- well of course it does. It's couscous. Just fluff with a fork as you stir in the fruit. My cinnamon was closer to 1 1/2 tbsp, with a very generous dollop of honey, and it was delicious!

I added twice as much milk as the recipe calls for, and the consistency was great - not at all runny. I love couscous, but this was a bit bland even with the cinnamon, fruit, and nuts. I might try adding more spices next time.

Love this. I make it with Silk coconut milk instead of skim and add half a banana. Sprinkled with cranberry trail mix and a little extra milk. Yum.

Fantastic!! I LOVE couscous and I used regular couscous (not the pearl kind). I made the recipe for just 2 people and left out the fruit, and added 1/2 c. more milk and 1/2 c. more almonds. This was so delicious! I really like the crunchy-nutty taste of the almonds, and the light sweetness of the honey. Super healthy, low carb and low salt too! Plus, I was full for the entire morning until lunch time, no cravings for snacks. Thanks so much for a yummy recipe...it's already been added to favorites!

Great template for a quick breakfast! Definitely add more milk, though, or it will be too dry. Maple syrup was a good sub for the honey and I also added some ground flax. Yum...I want to try this with quinoa too :)

I went ahead and added more liquid due to the reviews, and it is good, but unlike couscous--more like very very thick oatmeal. The flavor is good, but I am a cinnamon lover and there's not enough of it!

I love couscous.Tried some of those , really good. Also make some concussion of my own :) Handful of whole almonds plus 2 cups of filtered water in the blender for a few minutes, then on the stove, with 2 bananas Cubed apple Handful of frozen berries When boiled, turned of fire, added 1/4 cup of couscous , topped the pot for 5 minutes. Voila, delicious, great natural flavors, no sugar and very hardy breakfast :)

This is EXCELLENT. I used it as an entire recipe and also as a single serving which was recommended by a reviewer. Both were awesome. Thank you for the recipe and the review.

Love this! I hate oatmeal, but have always wished for something to replace it. This is a great option. I added a bit vanilla to mine and used craisins instead of raisins. As others have noted, will adjust the milk to my mood. Also a great option for kayaking / hiking trips, especially if you bring powdered milk. Those guides are so smart. UPDATE: Made this again with extra milk and it was really good. I've upgraded from 4 to 5 stars.

Couscous typically cooks with 1 1/2 cups of boiling liquid per 1 cup of couscous. It should also be washed prior to cooking, to get rid of any "powdery" tastes (similar to quinoa). Hope this helps!

Followed the recipe exactly, but cut it down to two servings. May add a little more milk next time as I would like it a bit more creamy. I love couscous and wasn't sure about taking it over to the sweet side...it was wonderful especially after a strenous workout this morning, needed to get my energy back up and this sure did it!!

All I have to say is yum....I put a dash of nutmeg and was very good. Kids loved it

We were not into this. Definitely prefer oatmeal with all the same add-ins. I can see how this would be very convenient for camping though.

This is a quick and easy recipe. It is something a little different than the same old thing. I put dried mixed berries and pecans in mine. Yummo!

I thought this was a great healthy breakfast. I love couscous. I added a bit of vanilla and cinnamon and used molasses instead of honey because I was out of it. It turned out really sweet and perfect or my sweet morning breakfast fix!

A nice alternative for a hot breakfast. Super quick, and easy to personalize.

soooo good!

I never really tried couscous before this, I love it! I do apples with hazel nuts and agave nectar instead of almonds with apricots and honey. I never thought I would like this grain, but it's way better than oats.

Marrying an Arabic man, I have grown to love couscous. But since I am use to having it will a soup, I think this would maybe be really good with a fruit sauce on top. Next time I will also put the apricots, raisins and almonds in while waiting for the milk to boil.

I absolutely love this! I often add a little nutmeg to it as well and sometimes extra hot milk when it's done cooking to making it moister.

It was awful!

This breakfast is such a nice change in the morning. I like having hot breakfast in the morning, but I'm usually too lazy to cook. This basically cooks itself, and it's delicious.

This was delicious! Taking into account other readers' reviews, I used a ratio of two cups of milk to one cup of couscous. For anyone on a sugar/dairy-free diet, try with unsweetened soy milk and Stevia. Before the milk boiled, I mixed in a heap of fresh blueberries. They softened up nicely. After the couscous was ready, I topped it with a big dallop of yogurt (unsweetened goat yogurt, in my case), a touch of Stevia to taste, and a bit of extra fresh cantaloupe that I had on hand. Mixed together, this made for a tasty and filling breakfast. Thank you for sharing.

This was just ok. I halved the recipe and used craisins instead of raisins. In the end, the couscous was VERY dry (I like mine slighly more moist), and I don't feel like the milk really added anything to this dish; water would work just fine (if you're watching fat/calorie intake). It was ok...but I probably won't make it again. On the plus side...it's a very quick warm breakfast to throw together.

Upon making this recipe as written, the couscous was still crunchy. It became much better after adding more than double the amount of liquid called for. (No, I was not looking for an oatmeal-like consistency. It was crunchy. I like couscous and I know it isn't supposed to be crunchy!! I bought it in the bulk aisle of the natural section.) Anyway, after adding the extra liquid, the recipe was quite good.

I did not care for this recipe. There was WAY too much cinnamon in the recipe, & even if I was to make it again using less cinnamon, the texture was unappealing. I don't know if the couscous didn't get cooked fully (I was worried about scalding the milk) or what, but it was sticky & hard.

I have been trying to find something to flavor up the couscous. This was great! It absolutely satisfied my cravings for something sweet and savory!

Sooooo good! I made it as is minus the nuts and dried fruit(simply becasue I like fresh fruit better) and it was amazing! The milk and honey gave it the flavor it needed without extra sugar for me. I also added a spoon full of cool whip and it was even better! I also cut it down to 1/4 a cup because two cups would have been way to much for me to eat alone. Quick, easy, healthy, and tasty. Will be making this over and over again.

I agree with most reviewers that more milk and sweeteners or spices would be helpful. It was not the most exciting recipe ever but people at my potluck enjoyed it... I think I will make it in the future for potlucks with my hippie friends who are really into this kind of thing, but I wouldn't make it for myself. I substituted cranberries for the apricots, which i really liked. I'd say it's a good idea to somewhat increase the amounts of dried fruits and nuts, as well. The biggest issue with the recipe was just that it was somewhat bland.

This is really good but needs more liquid.

I really liked the flavors and will make this again. Sadly, I didn't see the fine print that said this was 8 servings. It was a bit much for my wife and me. The down side is that this really IS dry. When I lifted the lid off the pot to stir in the other ingredients, there was no stirring. Instead, there was "cutting in". The cous cous had become a solid mass that I had to break apart. Even if you're not expecting, as one writer chided, breakfast pilaf, surely it shouldn't be so dry it can't be stirred. We served it with milk, which helped. The next time I make it, I'll increase the liquid by about half.

The flavor is just fine.

I add more milk so it isn't as dry. Very yummy recipe!

I just whipped this up in less than 10 minutes. I used soymilk, whole-wheat couscous, and golden raisins. I think it's perfect! Not too sweet, the dried fruit makes it sweet enough for me. I think it's delicious (and I'm used to my couscous being dry, so I didn't think it needed extra liquid like other reviewers suggested. But it might be yummier that way too).

I thought that this was a very good recipe however it definitely needed more milk. I started with the recipe measurements as is and then just kept adding milk until it reached the consistency I wanted. Oh and I didn't have raisins or apricots so I used dried organic cranberries instead and they were awesome! Thanks for the recipe.

When I made this, it was really dry even after I added more milk. I might try to make it again though.

Tasted great except wasn't enough milk. A little too dry for me. Going to make it again and tweak the recipe a little bit.

This recipe is tasty and creative. It's a nice change from oatmeal and cream of wheat, while keeping with the same kind of idea. My only criticism is that it was very dry in the end - I heated up and added quite a bit of milk after the cooking process because it was dry and lumpy. It is tasty with a dallop of whipped cream.

Very good. I substituted apricots and almonds, it was delicious. Could use a little more... moisture? Something. It was kinda dry but very good.

I do not care for cooked milk. The texture just didn't do it for me. The taste is great though. So, maybe next time I will try juice or water.

An adventerous and unique breakfast dish to try, but would not make it again. It had the distinct flavour and texture of pasta, which I found a bit unappealing in the morning.

I liked this one but my family did not. I think it is because they are not couscous fans. It was very dry and made way too much. Next time I would half the recipe and add more liquid.

This was good but dry. Needs more liquid.

Delicious, flexible recipe. I used whole wheat couscous and walnuts and cranberries in place of the suggested dried fruits and nuts. Also, I prefer my hot cereal to have more liquid so I added more milk. Enjoy this fiber-ful breakfast, I did!!

Excellent, non-traditional breakfast stuff. We add lots of brown sugar and a bit more milk to make a consistency you could almost drink. Even my very traditional midwest-kinda guy love it.

I didn't really like how dry the couscous came out (too much like a side dish) so I added more milk and an egg yolk (first mixing in a little boiled milk with the egg yolk to temper it before adding to the main mixture) to make it thicker. Tastes great.

Very creative and tasty!

substitute dried cranberries- it's amazing!

I'm always looking for new breakfast recipes and this is one of the best ones I have found in a long time. So easy to make and experiment with. I didn't have any dried apricots so I added fresh strawberries instead. I initially had this as is and thought it tasted great, but then I was craving something creamy, so I added some plain, low-fat yogurt. It took it over the top for me. Will definitely make this part of my regular breakfast routine and try different alterations. Thanks for sharing such a wonderful and nutritious recipe, Junebuff1!

I thought this was WONDERFUL!! I agree with the last post...just add a little more liquid (it's not rocket science!!)Thanks for the recipe. We will be using this often.

Yummy and easy

Nice texture and filling. Not a lot of flavor

Delicious! I used chopped up fresh apple with the no skin and I let that boil with the milk for a minute before I put the couscous in. I too think it could use a little more milk but have no problem putting it on after its all cooked up with a little drizzle of honey. YUM!

I love this recipe! I've made it several times now and although I've never made the full 8 servings and I use soy milk instead of cow milk, I'm finding time after time that I need TWO parts soy milk to one part couscous. Otherwise, just like other users say, it's way too dry. As for cinnamon, honey, and other additives, I add them to taste. Enjoy!

I've been searching for a breakfast recipe just like this. I love the creamy, nutty taste and texture. I have a Thermomix so modified the method and quantities for that, and for 2 serves. I used rice milk and doubled the quantity; added a granny smith apple and a good slurp of coconut cream in the second half of cooking; swapped honey for maple syrup (only because I am allergic to honey). Later I added in a fresh nectarine and banana. Yum! Thank you for the recipe. Good job.

Had too add a LOT of milk to eat this. That said, the overall taste was good and I like the flexibility this recipe allows. It's quite easy. I, like a lot of reviewers, added cinnamon stick to the milk while boiling. I also played witht he dried fruit a bit and substituted what I had on hand. I have already forwarded this recipe on to others as a nice breakfast alternative.

Since this recipe was for 8 servings(too large for just me) I halved it and it still made quite a bit and have stored it for several breakfasts. It was delicious but rather dry, not like a porridge. Next time I will add more milk and less couscous. I like a more creamy texture. I didn't have raisins so I substituted dried cranberries. I would make it again.

First off I have to say that I've never eaten couscous ever so this was my first taste. Its definately an interesting texture, kind of like cream of wheat but bigger and a little dry. I only made 1 serving and left out the dry fruit cause I didn't have any on hand. I put the couscous in a big mug and microwaved the milk/honey/cinnamon just till it was hot and added it to the mug, left it for a while and that was it. I do have to say like other reviews that it is dry but it was still good. I did like it the way it turned out but I think maybe next time I'll add a little more milk and a little more honey. Was not too sweet almost just right for my taste. I will try it again and maybe add cut up apples with a little more cinnamon. Good though and not dissapointed at all.

Gave a four because recipe could use just a little tweaking. Definitely needed more milk, probably 3/4 cup more for me. Also added more honey. I guess if your used to sweeter tasting breakfasts like me, adding some sugar-free maple syrup did the trick. Took a moment to get used to the texture but now I love it. After your own personal tweakings, this can be a great new breakfast dish.

I wasn't impressed by this recipe at all. My husband and I are big fans of couscous but it was just too dry. I did make a cream sauce with brown sugar and added to it the cooked couscous, it helped but I don't think I'll make it again.

WAY too much cinnamon. Also, I cut the entire recipe in half and there wasn't nearly enough milk! I don't think that the couscous to liquid ratio should be one to one, espesially for a breakfast cereal! This had the consistancy of a very dry rice dish! Could be a good starting point to make some revisions and come up with something good though!

I'm sorry to leave a bad review, but I just didn't care for this. I couldn't even eat more than a few bites. A good idea, but maybe needs some tweaking.

Yes! A new breakfast option. I made with water and added milk on top before eating. Very good.

Just finished making it tonight and it’s excellent and easy to make and tastes great.