Just-Add-Water Apricot Pistachio Couscous Snack Cups
Stir couscous, chopped dried apricots, raisins, pistachios, cinnamon and salt together in a pot. Boil 1 1/4 cups water on a camp stove or campfire grate, pour it over the mix, cover for 5 minutes, then fluff with olive oil and maple syrup. It takes about 15 minutes total and makes 4 sweet, filling snack cups.
This is a snack you can make with one pot and a kettle's worth of hot water. Couscous soaks up boiling water in minutes, and the dried fruit plumps up as it sits. The result is soft, lightly sweet and a little nutty.
It works at a trailhead, a picnic table or a backcountry site. Eat it warm on a cold afternoon or let it cool for a grab-and-go cup. Pre-mix the dry parts at home and camp prep takes almost no effort.
Just-Add-Water Apricot Pistachio Couscous Snack Cups
- Prep
- 5 min
- Cook
- 10 min
- Serves
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Heat
- High flame to boil water, then off heat
- Pack weight
- 1 lb
- Campfire
- Camp stove
- Backpacking
- No cooler needed
- One burner
- Low water
- One-pan cleanup
- Shelf-stable
- Prep ahead
Ingredients
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Gear you'll need
- 1.5-quart pot with lid
- Small pot or kettle for boiling water
- Camp stove or fire grate
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Fork and spoon
- 4 heat-safe cups or bowls
Steps
-
Combine the dry mix
Add the couscous, apricots, raisins, pistachios, cinnamon, cardamom and salt to a pot with a lid. Stir well so the spices and fruit spread evenly.
-
Boil the water
Bring 1 1/4 cups of water to a full rolling boil in a separate small pot or kettle. Use treated or potable water if you filtered it from a stream.
-
Pour and cover
Pour the boiling water over the dry mix and stir once. Put the lid on right away and set the pot somewhere flat and out of the way.
-
Let it steep
Wait 5 minutes without peeking. The couscous will soak up all the water and the fruit will soften.
-
Fluff and sweeten
Drizzle in the olive oil and maple syrup. Fluff with a fork, breaking up any clumps.
-
Cool and portion
Spoon into 4 cups or bowls. Let it sit 5 to 10 minutes if it is too hot to eat. Eat within 2 hours, or within 1 hour if it is above 90°F.
Trail Notes
Mix the couscous, fruit, nuts, spices and salt in a zip bag at home. Pack the oil and maple syrup in small leakproof bottles. At camp, it's just water and stirring.
Use dried cherries, dates or figs in place of the apricots, or almonds in place of pistachios. Honey works in place of maple syrup, but then it's no longer vegan.
Nothing here needs refrigeration before cooking. Once made, cooked grains should not sit warm. Eat within 2 hours, or toss it. Don't save leftovers for the next day without a cold cooler.
Pack out any extra water and scrape pots clean into a trash bag, not onto the ground. Bag the pistachio shells and any dropped crumbs so animals don't learn to look for food at your site.
Campers ask
Can I make couscous at camp without a stove?
Yes. Any way you can boil water works, including a grate over a campfire or a jetboil-style burner. Couscous only needs boiling water poured over it, so you can pull the pot off the heat as soon as the water boils.
How much water do I need for camp couscous?
Use equal parts couscous and boiling water, plus an extra 1/4 cup when you add dried fruit. This recipe uses 1 cup couscous and 1 1/4 cups water.
Can I eat this cold?
Yes. Let it cool in the cups and it eats like a soft snack salad. Keep it out of the heat and eat it within 2 hours of making it.
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