Couscous & Vegetables Medley made in Instant Pot or Pressure Cooker. You can also call this Vegan Couscous Pilaf. Enjoy this quick and delicious couscous, as a side or salad.
I used Israeli Couscous from Trader Joe's in this recipe. Isreali Couscous is also called pearl couscous or maftoul. It is larger than traditional couscous, pasta-like pearls made from wheat flour.
I got this from Trader Joe's store near my house. It is also available on Amazon. However, it is much more expensive there. There are other brands from Amazon that are more reasonable.
This is ready in less than 30 minutes in the pressure cooker. As we are cooking in under pressure, I also reduced the amount of water added to cook it to a 1:1 ratio. You can also replace and use broth for cooking. I used the whole packet, which was about 1 ¾ cups. It readily serves 3-4.
How to make Instant Pot Isreali Couscous Pilaf?
I followed a procedure similar to rice pulao but reduced the spices used. Start with heating the instant pot in sauté mode, and add the bay leaves and onions. Saute for a couple of minutes, and add the veggies of your choice. I added red bell peppers and grated carrots. Add the couscous and water/broth.
Change the instant pot setting to Manual or Pressure Cook mode at high pressure. Set it to just 2 minutes. When the instant pot beeps, do 10 minutes of NPR, which means release the pressure manually after 10 minutes of beeping. If you are using another brand of couscous, I suggest adjusting the cooking time to one-half of the recommended time on the package.
Vegetable Couscous is ready. Garnish with cilantro or parsley, and enjoy it.
Check out other instant pot side dishes:
📖 Recipe
Instant Pot Couscous & Vegetable Medley
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 2 Bay leaf (Tej Patta)
- ½ Onion large chopped
- 1 Red Bell Pepper large chopped
- 1 cup Carrot grated
- 1 ¾ cup Couscous Isreali
- 2 cup Water or broth
- 1 teaspoon Salt or to taste
- ½ teaspoon Garam masala
- 1 tablespoon Lemon juice
- Cilantro to garnish
Instructions
- Heat the instant pot in sauté mode and add olive oil to it.
- Add the bay leaves and onions. Sauté for 2 minutes.
- Add the bell peppers and carrots. Sauté for one more minute.
- Add the couscous, water, garam masala and salt. Stir well.
- Change the instant pot setting to manual mode for 2 minutes.
- When the instant pot beeps, do 10 minutes NPR. This means release the pressure manually 10 minutes after the beep.
- Fluff the couscous, it is fully cooked. Mix in the lemon juice. Garnish with cilantro and serve hot.
Notes
- Prepare with vegetables of your choice. I used bell peppers, carrots and onions, which I had at home. Other options are cauliflower, broccoli, edamame and green peas.
- If you like, you can add more spices, I wanted to keep the spices light so my daughter could eat it.
Note: Nutrition values are my best estimates. If you rely on them for your diet, use your preferred nutrition calculator.
Flix says
Thanks for sharing this . I personally love it
Shane McQuillan says
Came out great in the end, but my insta post posted the "burn" warning. I tried to get it going again, and in the end I released steam, took a look (burnt slightly on bottom), and let it sit with lid back on for !0 mins.
Seemed to do the trick. Thoughts on where I may have gone astray?
Meeta Arora says
Hey Shane - Glad you enjoyed the couscous despite the hiccups with the burn message. The new instant pots are a bit more sensitive to burn message. Here are some possible changes I can suggest - 1) After sautéing the bell peppers and carrots in step 3, deglaze the pot by adding some water. 2) Add the water and spices, then add couscous on the top. Do not stir much. Just press with a ladle so all the couscous is submerged in water.
I would love to hear if these changes help!
Amanda says
Mine burned too -
I tried it twice and no matter what I did it burned so I had to put the couscous that wasn’t burnt in a silicone steam basket. I have not been able to get any grain to not burn and all my books and this recipe say I’m doing it right. I’m stumped.
Meeta Arora says
Hey Amanda - I am sorry to hear you are having trouble cooking any grains in your ip. I would suggest to deglaze well and add a little more liquid, in case that helps. I also suggested to first add water, add couscous on top and not stir it. The newer ip models are much more sensitive to burn which has been causing this issue. I hope you can overcome this issue.
Meeta Arora says
Hi Amanda and Shane - I just tried this couscous again with more liquid. For 1 3/4 cup of couscous, I added 2 cups water and it worked well. I hope you try again with more liquid and see if you still get the burn issue. Thank you!
Sarah Walker says
We love this recipe. So flavorful, and easy to make! Thank you!
Piping Pot Curry says
Thank you, Sarah. So happy to hear you enjoyed it!
Sanketa says
Hey,
You can also add Gujarati Recipes and Desserts in your blog.
Because Gujarati Dishes so amazing.
Piping Pot Curry says
Absolutely, love Gujarati food. I will be adding more and more recipe. Thanks for the suggestion!
Namrata says
I love quirky recipes. Thank you for sharing 🙂
Piping Pot Curry says
Hope you enjoy it ????
Marion says
This was quick, easy, and delicious!
Piping Pot Curry says
Thanks Marion. Glad you liked it!