Calories in couscous

Cooked. 112 kcal (469 kJ) per 100 g. Choose a portion below and every figure on the page updates.

Couscous is not a grain but tiny pellets of pasta made from durum wheat semolina. Cooked, it is about 73% water and has 112 kcal (469 kJ) per 100 g, almost entirely from starch, with 3.8 g of protein and virtually no fat. Its most notable nutrient is selenium, which wheat takes up from the soil.

Where the energy comes from

Share of total energy contributed by each macronutrient, using the standard 4/4/9 kcal per gram factors:

Things worth knowing

• One cup of cooked couscous (157 g) has 176 kcal / 736 kJ, and half a cup (79 g) 88 kcal / 370 kJ.
• Dry couscous has 376 kcal per 100 g and more than triples in weight once it absorbs water, so check whether a recipe gives the dry or cooked weight.
• A cup supplies about 43 µg of selenium, roughly 78% of the Daily Value, but only 2.2 g of fibre.
• Compared with cooked quinoa (120 kcal per 100 g), couscous is slightly lower in energy but has less protein and fibre. Wholemeal couscous has more fibre than the refined version.

Converting these figures

One 1 cup, cooked of couscous is 176 kcal, which is 736 kJ. To convert any other figure, divide kilojoules by 4.184 for calories, or use the converter on the home page.

It takes 213 g of couscous to reach 1,000 kJ (239 kcal). See how that compares with other foods on the 1000 kJ to calories page.