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Moroccan Cooking Class in Marrakech: Tagines, Couscous and Spices
Moroccan cooking class in Marrakech: our chef teaches you traditional recipes at Riad Vendôme. Tagine, couscous, pastilla, msemen. Market visit included. For 8, 10, 12, 14, 15, 20 guests. From €42/person. Class in French (English on request), in the riad patio. Ideal for couples, families and groups.
Moroccan cuisine is classified as UNESCO Intangible Heritage and considered one of the richest in the world. At Riad Vendôme, our Chef Naima passes on the secrets of this ancient gastronomy: the subtle blending of spices, the slow cooking of the tagine in earthenware, the hand-rolling of couscous semolina. An authentic culinary journey in the heart of the Marrakech medina.
In brief — Moroccan cooking class in Marrakech
- Moroccan cooking class in Marrakech: learn to make tagine, couscous and pastilla with our chef. From €42/person Riad Vendôme.
- For 8 to 20 guests; class in French (English on request), in the riad patio, market visit included.
- Moroccan cuisine is UNESCO Intangible Heritage; ideal for couples, families and groups.
- Direct booking / WhatsApp: +212 600 608 608
The Treasures of Moroccan Cuisine
A cooking class in a boutique hotel in Marrakech
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a Moroccan cooking class good for a weekend getaway?
Yes. A 3-hour Moroccan cooking class is a highlight of any weekend getaway in Marrakech — market shopping, hands-on prep with Chef Naima, then tasting your dishes on the rooftop. Fits perfectly into a long weekend short break.
Value for money on Moroccan cooking class in the medina?
Riad Vendôme offers one of the best price-quality ratios: €48/person for 3h with Chef Naima (5.0/5 on Google), all included. Compare to palace classes at €€80-150 for similar experience. Affordable authentic medina experience.
What Moroccan dishes can you learn to cook?
At Riad Vendôme, you can learn the great classics: chicken tagine with preserved lemons, kefta tagine, lamb tagine with prunes and almonds, fish tagine in chermoula, traditional 7-vegetable couscous and chicken pastilla. Each workshop also includes the preparation of 2 Moroccan starters.
What makes Moroccan cuisine so special?
At Riad Vendôme, moroccan cuisine is distinguished by the richness of its spices (more than 30 varieties), its unique cooking techniques (earthenware tagine, steamed couscous), its sweet-savoury combinations and its centuries of cross-cultural influences (Berber, Arab, Andalusian, Jewish). It is classified as UNESCO Intangible Heritage.
What spices are used in Moroccan cuisine?
At Riad Vendôme, essential spices include ras el hanout (blend of 25-30 spices), cumin, turmeric, Taliouine saffron, cinnamon, ginger, black pepper, sweet paprika and coriander. During the souk shopping, Chef Naima teaches you to recognise and dose them.
Is the class suitable for vegetarians?
Yes, at Riad Vendôme, Moroccan cuisine naturally offers many vegetarian options: vegetable tagine, 7-vegetable couscous, zaalouk (aubergine caviar), cheese briouates, cooked Moroccan salad. Chef Naima adapts the menu to your diet.
How much time should one for master a tajine?
At Riad Vendôme, in a single 2 to 3-hour workshop, you master the basics of a traditional tagine. The technique isn't complex — it's the spice dosing and cooking time that make the difference. You leave with the recipe and spices to recreate the dish at home.
Can you buy spices after the class?
Yes, at Riad Vendôme, during the souk shopping, you can buy your own spices to take home. Naima advises on the best stalls and fair prices. We also offer a spice sachet as a souvenir (ras el hanout, cumin, turmeric) with each class.
Where exactly is Riad Vendome located in Marrakech?
Riad Vendome is at 217 Derb El Halfaoui, in the Dar El Bacha district of the Marrakech medina. It is a 7-minute walk from Jemaa El-Fna square, close to the Koutoubia and the souks, so you reach the main sights on foot without needing a taxi. A member of staff meets you at the nearest vehicle drop-off point on arrival.
How do I book, and how quickly do you reply?
You book directly with the riad, not through a platform. Send your dates and group size on WhatsApp at +212 600 608 608 and you receive a written quote within 24 hours. There is no automated booking engine: every stay is confirmed by a person, and the payment terms are set out in the quote you receive.
Can the whole riad be privatised, and for how many guests?
Yes, Riad Vendome can be hired exclusively. The main riad has 12 rooms and goes up to 20 rooms with our second riad 100 metres away, for exclusive hire of up to 45 guests. During an exclusive hire there are no other guests: the pool, hammam, jacuzzi and rooftop are reserved for your group alone.
Coming from the US or Canada? The class is led by Chef Naima with full English translation by Éric, the owner, so it suits English-speaking North American guests. There are no non-stop flights from the United States — from New York allow about 8 to 9 hours via Casablanca on Royal Air Maroc, and Canada has a seasonal non-stop from Montreal to Casablanca. Most North American guests take the class during a few-day stay at the riad.
Moroccan gastronomy is an art of living. It is distinguished by the richness of its spices (more than 30 varieties used daily), the diversity of its cooking techniques (earthenware tagine, steamed couscous, fried briouates) and the generosity of its portions. Each dish tells a story: the chicken tagine with preserved lemons comes from Fès, the pastilla has Andalusian origins, and couscous is a Berber heritage.
Spices: the soul of Moroccan cuisine. During the souk shopping trip, our chef introduces you to the essential spices: ras el hanout (a blend of 25 to 30 spices, each cook's personal signature), cumin (present in almost every dish), turmeric (for its golden colour), Taliouine saffron (Morocco's red gold), cinnamon (in sweet-savoury dishes) and ginger.
Our Traditional Recipes
Each recipe we teach is a classic of Moroccan cuisine, passed down from generation to generation:
The tagine — Morocco's iconic dish. Slowly cooked in a conical earthenware pot, the tagine allows the flavours to concentrate through steam condensation. Our chef teaches you the 4 most popular tagines: chicken with preserved lemons and olives, kefta (beef meatballs) with eggs, lamb with prunes and almonds, and fish in chermoula.
The couscous — Morocco's Friday dish, shared with family. The semolina is rolled by hand (a technique our chef teaches you), then steamed above a broth of vegetables and meat. 7-vegetable couscous is a masterpiece of balance between sweet and savoury.
The pastilla — This flaky pastry is a monument of Moroccan-Andalusian gastronomy. Brick pastry sheets, shredded chicken or pigeon, toasted almonds, cinnamon and icing sugar. The sweet-savoury contrast surprises and delights. It's the most technically demanding recipe on our menu.
The Programme of Your Moroccan Cooking Class
10:00 — Welcome tea. Our chef introduces you to the basics of Moroccan cuisine: spice families, cooking techniques, the importance of the clay tagine.
10:15 — Market shopping. Off to the local souk to buy fresh ingredients. You learn to recognise the spices, choose seasonal vegetables and bargain prices like a local.
11h — In the kitchen. Preparation of 2 starters (zaalouk, cooked salad or briouates) and your main course. Our chef guides you step by step: how to chop onions for the tagine, dose the ras el hanout, monitor the cooking.
13:00 — Tasting on the rooftop. Your dishes are served on the riad's panoramic terrace with views over the medina and Atlas Mountains. Mint tea and Moroccan pastries (gazelle horns, makrout) included.
Moroccan Cooking Class Rates 2026
| Package | Included | Price / pers. |
|---|---|---|
| Discovery | 1 recipe + tasting (without souk) | 48 € |
| Traditional | Souk + starters + 1 tagine + tasting | 48 € |
| Gastronome | Souk + starters + tagine + pastilla or couscous + pastries | 48 € |
(*) Price per person, minimum 2. All ingredients and spices included.
Why Moroccan Cuisine Is Unique in the World
Moroccan cuisine draws its richness from centuries of cultural crossings: Berber influences (couscous, tagine), Arab (spices, pastries), Andalusian (pastilla, mechoui), Jewish (dafina, adafina) and French (a legacy of the protectorate). This diversity explains why Morocco has more than 1,000 recorded traditional recipes.
Sweet-savoury, the hallmark of Moroccan gastronomy, comes together in the lamb tagine with prunes, the pastilla and even the couscous tfaya. This surprising pairing is inherited from the Arab-Andalusian cuisine of the 12th century and gives Moroccan dishes all their originality.
Videos and photos: watch our cooking workshops and spa sessions on video at @riadvendome on Instagram.
A cooking class in a boutique hotel in Marrakech
At Riad Vendôme, your cooking class takes place in an authentic boutique riad, in the heart of the Marrakech medina, in the prestigious Dar El Bacha neighbourhood. No impersonal classroom or standardised hotel kitchen here — you cook in the real kitchen of the riad, overlooking a patio with fountain, traditional zelliges and lush plants.
Our guests choose Riad Vendôme precisely for this intimate atmosphere. By joining a cooking workshop with us, you don't just learn recipes: you experience the riad from the inside, discover traditional Moroccan architecture, and ascend to the rooftop terrace with panoramic views over the medina rooftops, the Koutoubia and the Atlas Mountains. It's a complete immersion in the Moroccan art of living.
Why a riad rather than a hotel? In a riad, the space is on a human scale (maximum 25 guests). The chef is by your side, not on a stage. You touch the ingredients, you feel the spices, you cook with your hands. L'privacy of the riad transforme a simple class becomes a moment of authentic exchange with our chef and the other participants.
🌿 Half-Day Package: Cooking Class + Spa
L'experience complete in Marrakech en a day trip. Combine a morning cooking class with an afternoon spa session — the ideal programme for couples, the hen party and the groups that want to fully enjoy their stay.
| Package | Programme | Price / pers. |
|---|---|---|
| Cooking & Spa Discovery | Morning: full cooking class (souk + cooking + tasting) Afternoon: oriental hammam + 1hr massage | 97 € |
| Cooking & Spa VIP | Morning: VIP class (souk + 2 recipes + pastries) Afternoon: hammam + body wrap + 1hr30 massage + tea | 130 € |
| Cooking & Spa Group (10+ guests) | Morning: team building cooking workshop in teams Afternoon: hammam + 1hr massage per person | 70 € |
Rates up to date as of 21 August 2026 · valid until August 2028. Written quote within 24 hours on WhatsApp +212 600 608 608.
(*) Price per person, minimum 2. Includes all ingredients, aprons, produits spa and linge. Reserve 48:00 in advance.
Why this package? In morning, you are actif and creative in the kitchen. The afternoon, let you go prise in the hammam after a morning well remplie. The tagine you cooked, the mint tea on the rooftop, then the hammam with black soap and the argan oil massage — it's the perfect day out in Marrakech, and everything happens in the same place, with no transfers or logistics.
Ideal for: couples on a romantic weekend, hen party (our clients' favourite combination), groups of friends, corporate seminars (day trip incentive), retraites yoga (cuisine saine + relaxation), voyages group.
Book via WhatsApp: +212 600 608 608 — Eric you puts together your programme tailor-made.
⭐ Google 4.2/5 (617 reviews) · 🏠 Booking 8.3/10 · ✈️ TripAdvisor 4.2/5 · 🎉 500+ events organised since 2013
The Riad Vendôme is classified by the Moroccan Ministry of Tourism.
See also: Cooking Classes · Spa & Hammam · hen party in Marrakech · Seminar in Marrakech
Curious before you book? Browse Chef Naima's authentic lamb tajine recipe to get a taste of the class.