Buying & care
Setting Up a Moroccan Kitchen: A Starter Kit
Setting up to cook Moroccan food can feel like it demands a shelf of special equipment, but it does not. A short, prioritised list of tools plus a well-stocked pantry will let you cook most of the classics well. This guide sorts the kit into what to buy first, what to add as you go, and the ingredients that matter as much as any pot, so you can build a Moroccan kitchen sensibly.
- Read
- 8 min
- Guide
- Buying & care
- Updated
- 19 July 2026
At a glance
- Start small: one braising pot, a mortar and good knives will cook most Moroccan dishes.
- Add a couscoussier, tagine and griddle as your cooking calls for them.
- The pantry — spices, preserved lemon, olives, smen — matters as much as the hardware.
- Buy quality where it counts and improvise elsewhere; you need far less than you think.
Buy these first
The foundation of a Moroccan kitchen is small. With a heavy lidded braising pot, a mortar and a couple of good knives, you can already cook a wide range of tagines, stews and salads. These are the pieces that earn their place from day one, and most of them you may already own.
- Heavy lidded pot: a Dutch oven, casserole or clay tagine for slow braising.
- Mortar and pestle: the mehraz for garlic, chilli and freshly ground spice.
- Chef's knife and paring knife: sharp blades for vegetables, herbs and meat.
- Wooden spoons and a ladle: for gentle stirring and serving broth over grain.
- Heat diffuser: if you buy a clay tagine and cook on gas or electric.
Add these as you go
Once you are cooking regularly, expand the kit to match the dishes you gravitate to. Buy a couscoussier if couscous becomes a fixture, or improvise with a stockpot and colander until then. Add a clay or enamelled cast-iron tagine for authenticity and presentation, a flat griddle for msemen and baghrir, and metal skewers if you grill brochettes. A wide gsaa bowl helps if you make couscous or bread from scratch.
None of these are urgent, and buying them gradually spreads the cost and ensures you only own what you use. Let your cooking lead the shopping rather than the other way around.
The pantry that makes it sing
Hardware is only half the kitchen; Moroccan flavour lives in the pantry. Stock a good ras el hanout or the spices to blend your own, cumin, paprika, ginger, turmeric, cinnamon and saffron, then add the preserved lemons, cured olives, and smen that give the food its salty, sour, savoury depth. Fresh coriander, parsley, mint, garlic and onions round it out. With these, even a simple pot produces vividly Moroccan food.
Build the pantry alongside the kit and you will get far more from both. For the pieces in depth, see the essential utensils guide, the couscoussier guide and the tagine pot guide; then start cooking with our recipes or learn hands-on through cooking classes.
Frequently asked questions
What do I need to start cooking Moroccan food?
A heavy lidded braising pot, a mortar and pestle, and good knives will cook most Moroccan dishes, and you likely own some already. Add a couscoussier, tagine, griddle or skewers as your cooking calls for them, and stock a pantry of spices, preserved lemon, olives and smen.
What is the first thing to buy for a Moroccan kitchen?
A heavy lidded pot for braising, since it cooks tagines and stews from the start, and a mortar and pestle close behind for garlic, chilli and freshly ground spice. Between them they underpin most Moroccan cooking, and neither needs to be expensive or specialised.
Do I need a tagine and a couscoussier to start?
No. A heavy lidded pot braises a fine tagine and a stockpot with a colander steams couscous, so you can start with neither special vessel. Add a tagine for authenticity and presentation, and a couscoussier if couscous becomes a regular part of your cooking.
What pantry staples do I need for Moroccan cooking?
Ras el hanout or the spices to blend it, plus cumin, paprika, ginger, turmeric, cinnamon and saffron, then preserved lemons, cured olives and smen for salty, sour, savoury depth. Fresh coriander, parsley, mint, garlic and onions complete a pantry that brings the food to life.