How-to guide
How to Have a Traditional Moroccan Breakfast
A traditional Moroccan breakfast is built around bread — several kinds, warm and varied — alongside honey, olive oil, amlou (an almond, argan oil and honey spread) and sweet mint tea or coffee, rather than the cooked eggs and pastries visitors sometimes expect. Knowing what to order and where to find it properly makes for one of the most genuinely enjoyable meals of a Marrakech day.
About 45 minutes to 1 hour
Step by step
- 1
Start with the bread basket
Khobz (round semolina bread), msemen (flaky, folded flatbread) and harcha (a dense, semolina griddle bread) are the classic trio, often served together warm. A good breakfast spread includes at least two of these rather than a single bread type.
- 2
Add amlou for dipping
Amlou — a thick paste of roasted almonds, argan oil and honey — is the defining Moroccan breakfast spread, eaten by tearing bread and dipping directly into the bowl. It's rich, nutty and distinctly different from any Western spread.
- 3
Include honey and olive oil separately
Alongside amlou, a small dish of honey and one of good olive oil are traditionally offered, each for dipping bread into individually or drizzling over msemen, giving you three distinct flavour options across the meal.
- 4
Order eggs if you want them, as an addition
A soft-cooked or fried egg, sometimes in a small tagine dish with spices, is a common but optional addition to the bread-based core rather than the main event the way it might be at a Western breakfast.
- 5
Drink mint tea or Moroccan coffee
Sweet mint tea is the classic accompaniment, though Moroccan coffee — often a strong, spiced blend — is equally traditional, particularly in cafés. Ask for whichever suits your morning; both are entirely authentic choices.
- 6
Try beghrir if available
Beghrir, a spongy, honeycomb-textured semolina pancake, soaked in honey and butter, is a beloved breakfast and teatime treat when it's on offer, distinct from the flakier msemen.
- 7
Seek out a proper local café, not just your riad
While many riads serve an excellent breakfast spread, a local neighbourhood café frequented by Marrakchis on their way to work offers a more everyday, unpolished version of the same meal — worth trying at least once.
- 8
Take your time over it
A traditional breakfast here is meant to be lingered over with tea refills rather than rushed, so allow a proper hour if you can, particularly on a day without an early excursion planned.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Expecting a Western-style cooked breakfast as the default rather than the bread-and-spread format that's actually traditional.
- Skipping amlou because it's unfamiliar — it's one of the most distinctive and rewarding parts of the meal.
- Rushing through breakfast rather than treating it as a relaxed, sociable start to the day.
- Assuming coffee isn't traditional — Moroccan coffee is just as authentic a breakfast drink as mint tea.
- Only trying riad breakfasts and never a simple local neighbourhood café version.
Tips from the kitchen
- Amlou keeps well and is worth buying a jar of to recreate this breakfast at home afterwards.
- Harcha, denser and more savoury than msemen, pairs particularly well with a little butter and honey.
- Beghrir is worth asking for specifically if you don't see it offered by default, since not every breakfast spread includes it automatically.
- A proper Moroccan coffee is often stronger and more concentrated than a standard filter coffee — ask if you'd prefer it milder.
- Some riads will happily add a simple egg dish to the spread on request even if it's not automatically included.
Questions
What is a traditional Moroccan breakfast made of?
It centres on warm breads like khobz, msemen and harcha, served with amlou (an almond, argan oil and honey spread), plain honey, olive oil, and sweet mint tea or Moroccan coffee, rather than a cooked, egg-centred meal.
What is amlou and should I try it at breakfast?
Amlou is a rich paste of roasted almonds, argan oil and honey, eaten by dipping bread directly into it. It's one of the most distinctive parts of a traditional Moroccan breakfast and well worth trying.
Is coffee or tea more traditional for Moroccan breakfast?
Both are entirely traditional — sweet mint tea is iconic throughout the day, while a strong Moroccan coffee, sometimes lightly spiced, is equally common at breakfast, particularly in cafés.
Do Moroccans eat eggs for breakfast?
Sometimes, as an addition to the bread-based core rather than the centrepiece — a soft-cooked or fried egg, occasionally served in a small spiced tagine dish, is a common but optional extra.
Learn it hands-on in Marrakech
Reading is one thing; doing it beside a local host is another. Book a Marrakech cooking class, or explore the medina on a guided food tour.