Nutrition for Couscous (cooked)

Calories, Protein, Vitamins and More


image of couscous source

Couscous Nutrition Summary

One cup of cooked couscous (157 grams or 0.3 lb) contains 176 calories and 6 grams of protein. Couscous consist of 73% water, 23% carbohydrates, 4% protein, and less than 1% of fat.

Couscous is an excellent source of a few nutrients, including carbohydrates and dietary fiber. It also contains significant amounts of protein and selenium.

In one cup of cooked couscous:

  • Calories: 176
  • Protein: 6 g
  • Sugar: 0.2 g
  • Dietary fiber: 2.2 g
  • Fat: 0.3 g
  • Sodium: 7.9 mg
There is no significant amounts of saturated fat or cholesterol in couscous.

See the Couscous Nutrition Chart for complete recommended daily values.
The specific nutritional values from USDA is for: Couscous, cooked.

Calories in Couscous

Couscous has 176 calories per cup or 112 calories for every 100 grams. Most of its calories are from carbohydrates and protein.

85% of calories in couscous are from carbohydrates, 14% of calories are from protein and 2% of calories are from fat.

Calories from Carbs

The majority, or 85% of the calories in cooked couscous are from carbohydrates. The carbs in couscous are mostly in the form of dietary fiber and sugar (92% and 8%). 1 cup of couscous has 9% of daily values or 2.2 grams of dietary fiber.

  • Dietary fiber: 2.2 g
  • Sugar: 0.2 g
There is no significant amounts of starch in couscous.

Calories from Fat

A small portion, or 2% the calories in cooked Couscous are from fat. Couscous is very low in total fat, with 0.3 grams per cup. Most of the fat in couscous are healthier unsaturated fats.

Couscous is cholesterol free and trans-fat free.

  • Total fat: 0.3 g
  • Polyunsaturated fat: 0.1 g
There is no significant amounts of cholesterol, trans fat, saturated fat or monounsaturated fat in couscous.

Omega-6 in Couscous

A source of omega-6 fatty acids, every cup of couscous contains a total of 0.1 grams of omega-6. In addition, a large portion of the omega-6 in couscous comes from linolenic acid - the only essential omega-6 fatty acid. [2]

  • linoleic acid: 0.09 g

Calories Similar to Couscous

Some other grains or pasta with similar calories to couscous by weight:


Protein in Couscous

A great source of protein, a single cup of Couscous contains 12% of recommended daily values or 6 grams of protein. In addition, couscous contains significant amounts of all 9 essential amino acids.

  • Protein: 5.95 g
  • Tryptophan: 0.08 g
  • Threonine: 0.16 g
  • Isoleucine: 0.23 g
  • Leucine: 0.41 g
  • Lysine: 0.11 g
  • Methionine: 0.09 g
  • Phenylalanine: 0.29 g
  • Valine: 0.25 g
  • Histidine: 0.12 g

Protein Similar to Couscous

Some other grains or pasta with similar amounts of protein to couscous by weight:

Vitamins and Minerals in Couscous

Cooked couscous is a source of selenium. It also contains significant amounts of thiamin (Vitamin B1), niacin (Vitamin B3), Vitamin B6, folate (Vitamin B9), zinc, copper and manganese.

Vitamins in couscous (1 cup):
  • Thiamin: 0.1 mg
  • Niacin: 1.5 mg
  • Vitamin b6: 0.1 mg
  • Vitamin e: 0.2 mg
  • Folate: 23.6 ug
  • Vitamin k: 0.2 ug
Minerals in couscous (1 cup):
  • Calcium: 12.6 mg
  • Potassium: 91.1 mg
  • Iron: 0.6 mg
  • Magnesium: 12.6 mg
  • Zinc: 0.4 mg
  • Selenium: 43.2 ug
  • Phosphorus: 34.5 mg
  • Copper: 0.1 mg
  • Manganese: 0.1 mg
  • Choline: 5.2 mg
There is no significant amounts of vitamin a, riboflavin, pantothenic acid, vitamin c or vitamin b12 in couscous.

Flavonoids and Carotenoids in Couscous [3]

Couscous contains a couple of healthy phytonutrients and antioxidants, specifically carotenoid lutein + zeaxanthin. In one cup of couscous:

  • lutein + zeaxanthin: 39 ug

Couscous Nutrition Chart

Couscous:

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folate (Vitamin B9)
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histidine
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lysine
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methionine
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phenylalanine
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choline
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Nutrition calculations are from Harvard Medical's nutrient guidelines [1] and USDA's food central database (2019) [2].
We calculated values from 2000 kCal daily recommended diet.

Couscous in Cooking

Most recipes call for one or two cups of couscous.


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