Rice & grains · Glycemic index
Does couscous spike blood sugar?
Yes — couscous has a medium GI of 65, and a 157 g serving (1 cup cooked) has a glycemic load of 22, which is high. Couscous is made from refined semolina wheat, and milled, refined grains tend to have a higher GI than intact whole grains; couscous sits in the medium band.
Key numbers
- Glycemic index
- 65
- Medium GI
- Glycemic load
- 22
- High GL
- Available carbs
- 34 g
- 2.2 g fiber
- Serving
- 1 cup cooked
- 157 g · rehydrated with hot water
GI vs GL for couscous
The glycemic index (GI) compares how fast the carbohydrate in a food raises blood sugar against pure glucose (100), using a fixed amount of carbohydrate. The glycemic load (GL) adds the other half of the story — how much carbohydrate a normal serving actually contains: GI × available carbs ÷ 100. For couscous: 65 × 34 g ÷ 100 ≈ 22.
That figure is an average reported in the 2008 international GI tables (“Couscous: 65 ± 4 (average of all available data)”). The 2021 tables list one ISO-standard test of regular couscous at 65 and a pearl (Israeli) couscous at 52; they report no mean, so the 2008 average is used.
Eating a different amount? Work out the glycemic load of your portion.
How to eat couscous with less of a spike
- Mix it half and half with chickpeas or lentils, which are much lower in GI.
- Try pearl (Israeli) couscous, which tested 52 against 65 for regular couscous in the 2021 tables.
- Load it with roasted or raw non-starchy vegetables so a smaller amount of couscous fills the bowl.
Lower-GI swaps
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Frequently asked questions
What is the glycemic index of couscous?
Couscous has a glycemic index of 65, which is medium. That figure is an average reported in the 2008 international GI tables (“Couscous: 65 ± 4 (average of all available data)”). A 157 g serving (1 cup cooked) contains about 34 g of available carbohydrate, giving a glycemic load of 22 (high).
Is couscous good for prediabetes?
Couscous is fine in small amounts, but whole grains such as barley or quinoa are better everyday bases if you are working on your blood sugar. When you do have couscous, keep it as a side rather than the main event.
Is couscous healthier than rice for blood sugar?
Not by much. Couscous averaged a GI of 65, a little below boiled white rice at 73 but above basmati at 60 and well above pearl barley at 30.
Sources
GI values come from the international GI tables; carbohydrate and fiber per serving are calculated from USDA FoodData Central.
- Atkinson FS, Foster-Powell K, Brand-Miller JC. International tables of glycemic index and glycemic load values: 2008. Diabetes Care. 2008;31(12):2281–2283, Table 1
- USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 169700: Couscous, cooked
- Atkinson FS, Brand-Miller JC, Foster-Powell K, Buyken AE, Goletzke J. International tables of glycemic index and glycemic load values 2021: a systematic review. Am J Clin Nutr. 2021;114(5):1625–1632, Supplemental Table 1
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, The Nutrition Source — Carbohydrates and Blood Sugar
Data last checked .