• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
The Good Hearted Woman logo
  • Home
  • Recipes
    • Appetizers, Small Bites & Snacks
    • Beverages
    • Bread
    • Comfort Food
    • Ingredients & Techniques
    • Condiments
    • German Recipes
    • Main Dishes
    • Salads
    • Seafood Recipes
    • Side Dishes
    • Soups
    • Sourdough
    • Desserts & Sweets
    • 30-Minute Meals
  • Cozy Living
    • Arts & Crafts
    • For Music Lovers
  • US Travel
    • Rocky Mountains
    • Southwest
    • The South
  • Contact
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipe Index
  • Cozy Living
  • Food Holidays
  • About Us
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipe Index
    • Cozy Living
    • Food Holidays
    • About Us
    • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×
    Home » Recipes » Side Dishes

    Cranberry Orange Pearl Couscous

    Published: Jun 2, 2020 · Modified: Aug 25, 2024 · by Renée B. · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe   Print Recipe
    Plated couscous with orange slice garnish. Pin image text overlay reads: Cranberry Orange Isreali (Pearl) Couscous.

    Sweet-tart cranberries combine with crunchy pepitas and fresh orange in this simple, versatile couscous dish. Serve it warm as a side dish or cold as a salad: either way, Cranberry Orange Pearl Couscous is a perfect complement to any light meal!

    Plate of couscous garnished with orange slices and fresh mint.

    Cranberry Orange Couscous is one of our favorite sides! It’s easy to make, goes with almost anything, and can be on the table in about 30 minutes. This easy pasta side is full of bright, refreshing flavors, colors, and textures. We especially love serving it as a light side with fish; our citrus grilled salmon pairs with it perfectly.

    Jump to:
    • What Goes into this Couscous Recipe
    • How to Make this Couscous Recipe
    • What to Serve with Cranberry Couscous
    • Cranberry Orange Pearl Couscous

    What Goes into this Couscous Recipe

    Citrus couscous ingredients displayed on cutting board, labeled.
    • Couscous: This couscous recipe calls for using pearl couscous (i.e., Israeli couscous); however, you can use any kind of couscous to make it: you just need to adjust the cooking times accordingly. 
    • Orange juice: If at all possible, use freshly squeezed orange juice. Premade OJ will work just fine, but fresh squeezed has a more delicate flavor that only enhances this recipe.
    • Pepitas: Pumpkin seeds complement the nutty flavor of the couscous. Sunflower seeds make a good substitute for pepitas in this recipe.
    • Dried cranberries: These bring a sweet, tart bite to the couscous. Golden raisins and chopped dried cherries both make good substitutes.
    • Chicken broth: Use a very light chicken broth. Vegetable broth will also work.
    • Orange Zest
    • Salt
    • Butter

    What is Couscous?

    Despite its grain-like appearance, couscous is actually a pasta, made from semolina and wheat flour that has been moistened and tossed together until it forms little balls, and then precooked in steam and dried for packaging.

    Couscous has slightly nutty, relatively neutral taste, making it a tasty, convenient alternative to rice, potatoes, or noodles. When cooked, couscous looks like little round pasta spheres, and has a pleasant texture and mouth feel. It is equally good hot or cold, making it perfect for everything from soup to salad.

    This couscous recipe calls for pearl couscous (i.e., Israeli couscous); however, you can use any kind of couscous to make it: you just need to adjust the cooking times accordingly. 

    How to Make this Couscous Recipe

    Melt butter in a large, heavy bottom skillet over MEDIUM-HIGH heat. Add the couscous to melted butter and sauté, stirring constantly, until it just begins to turn golden, about 3-4 minutes.

    Add the raw pumpkin seeds to the couscous. Continue to stir until most of the couscous is golden brown, another 3-4 minutes.

    Couscous and pepitas sauteeing in a large skillet.

    Immediately add the chicken broth to couscous, and bring everything to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 8-10 minutes, stirring frequently, until most of the liquid is absorbed and the couscous is al dente. (You may need to add a little extra chicken broth; if so, do so sparingly.)

    Make it Vegetarian: It is so easy to make this recipe vegetarian! Just sub in a light vegetable broth (or even water) for the chicken broth and season to taste.

    When the couscous is al dente (barely done), remove the skillet from the heat.

    Broth added to skillet, with couscous and other ingredients submerged in broth.

    Stir in dried cranberries, orange juice, and orange zest. Add red pepper flakes at this time, if desired. Cover and allow to sit for at least 10 minutes.

    Skillet with wooden spoon and couscous, cranberries.

    Season as needed with salt and pepper. Stir in chopped fresh mint as desired. Garnish with additional fresh mint. Serve warm or cold.

    Cooked couscous being stirred with a wooden spoon.

    What to Serve with Cranberry Couscous

    This Cranberry Couscous goes with almost any fresh fish or chicken recipe. One of our all-time favorite meals includes a citrusy trifecta of flavor: cranberry couscous, honey glazed salmon, and a simple green salad tossed with carrot-ginger dressing!

    Leftover citrus couscous is a real treat, too! It's great as it is; or combine cold, leftover couscous with cold leftover salmon, chicken, or tofu for a delicious, satisfying lunch-worthy pasta salad.

    Plate of couscous with a fork in the background.
    Plate of couscous garnished with orange slices and fresh mint.
    5 from 3 votes

    Cranberry Orange Pearl Couscous

    Sweet-tart cranberries combine with crunchy pepitas and fresh orange in this simple, versatile couscous dish. Serve it warm as a side dish or cold as a salad: either way, Cranberry Orange Pearl Couscous is a perfect complement to any light meal!
    Print Pin Add to Shopping List Go to Shopping List
    Course: Salad, Side Dish
    Cuisine: American
    Diet: Vegetarian
    Prep Time:15 minutes minutes
    Cook Time:20 minutes minutes
    Total Time:35 minutes minutes
    Servings: 8 servings
    Calories: 162kcal
    Author: Renee
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Equipment

    • 1 Enameled Cast Iron Skillet
    • 1 Microplane for zesting oranges

    Ingredients

    US Customary - Metric
    • 1 cup pearl couscous Israeli (5 ounces)
    • 2 tablespoons butter
    • 2 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
    • ½ cup raw pumpkin seeds pepitas; or sprouted pumpkin seeds (2.5 ounces)
    • ½ cup dried cranberries coarsely chopped (2 ounces)
    • ½ cup orange juice 1 medium orange
    • 1 teaspoon fresh orange zest 1 medium orange
    • 1 pinch red pepper flakes OPTIONAL
    • kosher salt
    • Freshly ground black pepper
    • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint plus more for garnish; OPTIONAL

    Instructions

    • Melt butter in a large, heavy bottom skillet over MEDIUM-HIGH heat.
      Add the couscous to melted butter and sauté, stirring constantly, until it just begins to turn golden, about 3-4 minutes.
      Add the raw pumpkin seeds to the couscous. Continue to stir until most of the couscous is golden brown, another 3-4 minutes.
    • Immediately add the chicken broth to couscous.
      Bring the couscous mixture to a simmer.
    • Reduce heat to LOW, and simmer for 8-10 minutes, stirring frequently, until most of the liquid is absorbed and the couscous is al dente. (You may need to add a little extra chicken broth; if so, do so sparingly.)
      Remove from heat.
    • Stir in dried cranberries, orange juice, and orange zest.
      Add red pepper flakes at this time, if desired.
      Cover and allow to sit for at least 10 minutes.
    • Season as needed with salt and pepper. Stir in chopped fresh mint.
      Garnish with additional fresh mint.
      Serve warm or cold.

    Notes

    We highly recommend using pearl couscous for this recipe; however, it can be made with any variety of couscous. Cooking times are dependent upon the manufacturer, but generally:
    • Moroccan couscous, the smallest variety, takes 5-6 minutes to cook al dente. (Moroccan couscous is usually steamed rather than cooked.)
    • Pearl (Isreali) couscous (recommended) takes 8-10 minutes to cook al dente.
    • Lebanese couscous, the largest variety, takes 23-25 minutes to cook al dente.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1serving | Calories: 162kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 8mg | Sodium: 243mg | Potassium: 153mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 172IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 15mg | Iron: 1mg
    This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.
    Have you tried this recipe?Mention @TheGoodHeartedWoman or tag #thegoodheartedwoman!

    Want More Free Recipes?

    Subscribe to our newsletter to get family-friendly recipes and cozy living ideas in your inbox each week!
    Find us on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook, too.

    Thank you for visiting the Good Hearted Woman. Remember to bookmark this site, and come back soon!

    More Side Dish Recipes

    • Closeup of pumpkin pasta garnished with parmesan and fresh sage; ready to serve.
      Creamy Pumpkin Pasta with Parmesan & Sage
    • Ramekin filled with sweet potato stuffing. Stuffed squash blossoms in background.
      Grilled Stuffed Squash Blossoms
    • Single serving of layered rainbow jello on a small plate.
      Layered Rainbow Jello
    • Overhead shot of Sweet Saffron Rice, cooked in a crockery casserole dish, garnished with edible gold leaf.
      Sweet Saffron Rice
    1059 shares
    • Share
    • Flipboard

    About Renée B.

    Renée is self-taught home chef with a penchant for creating healthy(ish) comfort food recipes, and adapting vintage recipes for the 21st century cook. In her spare time, she writes unfinished novels and songs about cowboys.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      5 from 3 votes

      Leave a Reply Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




      This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    1. Suzy says

      June 03, 2020 at 1:05 pm

      5 stars
      Love the flavor combination with the couscous! Love the step by step instructions too to make this come out perfect every time!

      Reply
    2. Amanda says

      June 03, 2020 at 12:56 pm

      My boys are OBSESSED with couscous so I can't wait to make this for them!

      Reply
    3. Beth says

      June 03, 2020 at 12:47 pm

      5 stars
      I made this for dinner the other night and my family absolutely loved it! I can't wait to make this again!

      Reply
    4. Nicolette says

      June 03, 2020 at 12:42 pm

      5 stars
      So fresh! I love the use of mint and the combination of sweet and savory flavors! Would be easy to modify to make vegetarian or vegan as well!

      Reply
    5. Soniya says

      June 03, 2020 at 12:29 pm

      This looks and sounds so delicious ? perfect summer recipe.. can't wait to make it.

      Reply
    6. Maria says

      June 03, 2020 at 9:23 am

      These look so yummy, can't wait to try it!

      Reply
    7. Lecy | A Simpler Grace says

      June 02, 2020 at 4:47 pm

      This looks delicious. I love all the textures and flavors in this dish.

      Reply
    8. Mimi says

      June 02, 2020 at 1:24 pm

      Such a yummy lunch idea, it's perfect to bring to work

      Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    Headshot of adorable middle-aged couple in forest setting.

    Hi, I'm Renée!

    Welcome to The Good Hearted Woman, a food blog dedicated to contemporary and heirloom comfort foods, including easy family meals, seasonal and regional dishes, homemade breads, BBQ and potluck favorites, and delectable desserts.

    More about Me & Mr B →

    Follow Us

    • Pinterest
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • https://twitter.com/rosewayrenee

    newest recipes

    • Breakfast casserole muffin on a plate with arugula and chopped avocado.
      Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole Muffins

    • A bowl of pecan granola in a small bowl, setting on an outdoor bistro table.
      Healthy Maple Pecan Granola

    • Two German Beef Rouladen rolls sliced on plate to show layered pinwheel, with sour cream and spätzle on the side.
      Authentic German Beef Rouladen (Rinderrouladen)

    • Small glass jar filled with habanero syrup, with one small habanero pepper sitting to the side.
      Habanero Simple Syrup

    • Two pink cocktails in martini glasses, with five raspberries and a habanero pepper at the base of one glass.
      Sparkling Raspberry Habanero Cosmo

    • 9-panel collage showing images of food and recipes from German Dessert Recipes roundup.
      German Dessert Recipes

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Cookie Statement
    • Terms & Conditions
    • Accessibility Statement

    Follow

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates
    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
    • Instagram
    • Twitter

    Contact

    • Contact
    • Meet Me & Mr B

    Content on this website may contain affiliate links, including Amazon affiliate links, which means we earn from qualifying purchases. Please check out our privacy Policy for more details.

    Copyright © 2025 The Good Hearted Woman. All rights reserved.

    1059 shares
    1.1K shares
    We Value Your Privacy
    We use cookies to make this website a better place. Cookies help to provide a more personalized experience and relevant advertising for you, and web analytics for us. To learn more about the different cookies we use, check out our Cookie Policy.
    Functional Always active
    The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
    Preferences
    The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
    Statistics
    The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
    Marketing
    The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
    Manage options Manage services Manage {vendor_count} vendors Read more about these purposes
    View preferences
    {title} {title} {title}
    We Value Your Privacy
    We use cookies to make this website a better place. Cookies help to provide a more personalized experience and relevant advertising for you, and web analytics for us. To learn more about the different cookies we use, check out our Cookie Policy.
    Functional Always active
    The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
    Preferences
    The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
    Statistics
    The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
    Marketing
    The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
    Manage options Manage services Manage {vendor_count} vendors Read more about these purposes
    View preferences
    {title} {title} {title}

    Recipe Ratings without Comment

    Something went wrong. Please try again.