039 / 75 · Breakfast in a New Place

Peanut Butter Banana Breakfast Couscous

2 breakfast bowls · Active 10 min · Total 15 min

Print recipe · PDF

Fine couscous becomes a quick breakfast with warm milk, peanut butter and banana. It needs only a brief covered stand rather than a long porridge simmer. The result is fluffy and spoonable, with small grains carrying the peanut flavor instead of dissolving into a smooth pudding.

Jump to ingredients

Peanut butter banana breakfast couscous.

A short stand does the work

Use fine quick-cooking couscous, not pearl couscous. Bring milk just to a simmer and pour it over the grains immediately, then cover. Milk can catch on the base of a small pan, so stir as it heats and avoid a fierce flame. Fluff after five minutes and loosen with a little more warm milk only if needed. Stir peanut butter through while the grains are warm so it distributes easily.

Banana goes on last

Slice the banana just before serving rather than leaving it to brown while the milk heats. A ripe banana gives sweetness, so taste before adding the optional maple syrup variation. This is a useful small-galley breakfast because the bowl does the final cooking and the pan only warms milk. Wash the milk pan promptly; dried milk is harder to remove with limited hot water than a quick warm rinse and proper wash.

Ingredients

  • 2/3 cup fine quick-cooking couscous (115 g)
  • 3/4 cup milk (180 ml)
  • 1/4 cup water (60 ml)
  • 2 tablespoons smooth peanut butter (32 g)
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 ripe banana, sliced (120 g peeled)
  • 1 pinch fine salt

Set out

Small saucepan, Heatproof bowl with lid, Fork

Allergens

Wheat, Milk, Peanut. Check labels and substitutions.

Make it

  1. Put couscous and salt in the heatproof bowl.
  2. Heat milk and water in the saucepan, stirring, until just simmering. Pour over couscous, cover and stand for 5 minutes.
  3. Fluff with a fork, then fold in peanut butter and cinnamon until evenly distributed.
  4. Divide between bowls and top with banana. Serve immediately.

Measure in the serving bowl

A marked camping mug can measure liquid, but use a proper dry measure or scale for couscous until you know the portion. Too much grain makes a dry breakfast.

A useful detail

Couscous brands absorb differently; add 1–2 tablespoons warm milk if the finished grains seem dry.

Another way

  • Drizzle each bowl with 1 teaspoon maple syrup if a sweeter breakfast is wanted.
  • Use almond butter instead of peanut butter; this changes the allergen to tree nuts.

Keep it well

Best fresh. Refrigerate leftovers without banana within 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F/32°C, at 40°F/4°C or below for up to 2 days. Reheat to 165°F/74°C with a splash of milk and add fresh banana after heating.