Cooking Class in Marrakech: What You Cook, Prices and How to Choose

A cooking class in Marrakech usually starts with a walk through the souk to buy spices and vegetables, then three to four hours in a kitchen learning to make a tagine, Moroccan salads and mint tea, and ends with lunch of everything you cooked. Our private class costs from €65 per person with hotel pickup, ingredients, a local chef, lunch and a recipe card. It is a perfect half-day for food lovers, families and anyone who wants to bring a taste of Morocco home.

What you will cook

Menus vary with the season and the teacher, but a typical class includes:

• A tagine, such as chicken with preserved lemon and olives, or lamb with prunes. You learn the slow cooking method and the spice mix.
• Couscous with seasonal vegetables, steamed in the traditional couscoussier.
• Cooked salads like zaalouk (smoky aubergine and tomato) and taktouka (peppers and tomato).
• Moroccan mint tea, with the high pour that makes the foam.

Vegetarian and vegan menus are easy to arrange; tell us when you book. If you want to learn more about the national dish first, read our guide to the Moroccan tagine.

How a class works, step by step

1. Pickup and welcome tea. A driver collects you at your hotel or riad.
2. Souk shopping. With the chef, you visit the market to choose vegetables, herbs and spices, and learn how locals buy.
3. The spices. Cumin, paprika, ginger, turmeric, saffron, cinnamon and the famous ras el hanout blend. You smell, taste and learn which spice goes with which dish.
4. Cooking. Each person has a station. The chef shows each step, then you do it yourself.
5. Lunch. You sit down and eat what you prepared, with bread and tea.
6. Recipe card. You leave with the recipes to cook them again at home.

Book it on our Moroccan cooking class in Marrakech page.

Types of cooking classes in Marrakech

How to choose a good class

• Hands-on, not a demo. Make sure each person cooks, not only watches.
• Market visit included. It is half the experience.
• Small group. Fewer people means more time with the chef.
• Transfers. Check if pickup is included, especially for classes outside the medina.
• Dietary needs. A good school adapts the menu without fuss.

Spices and ingredients to bring home

Most travellers want to recreate their tagine at home. The easiest things to carry are dry spices: cumin, sweet paprika, ground ginger, turmeric, cinnamon and a ras el hanout blend. Buy saffron only from a trusted shop, as cheap "saffron" is often coloured flower petals. Preserved lemons and argan oil travel well in sealed jars, and a small clay tagine can go in checked luggage if it is well wrapped. Ask your chef which spice merchants they use; the souk visit at the start of the class is the perfect moment.

Table manners in Morocco

At a Moroccan table, food is often shared from one central dish. People traditionally eat with the right hand, using bread to pick up the food, and take from the part of the dish in front of them. Wash your hands before the meal, and accept the mint tea that follows: it is a sign of welcome. Do not worry about getting it perfect; your hosts will be happy to show you.

A little history

Moroccan cooking mixes Amazigh (Berber), Arab, Andalusian and Mediterranean influences. Couscous is traditionally eaten on Fridays with family, and in 2020 the knowledge and practices around couscous were added to UNESCO's intangible heritage list, a joint nomination by Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Mauritania. Learn more in our Moroccan food guide and our article on the mint tea tradition.

Combine it with other experiences

A cooking class takes a morning or an afternoon, so it pairs well with something else on the same day. Try a pottery class for another hands-on craft, or end the day with a dinner show in the Agafay desert. Real food lovers can go further with our 7-day food tour with the Sahara.