Moroccan Cooking Class in Marrakech: Shop & Cook with Chef Najla

You shop the neighborhood, then cook a full Moroccan meal in a home kitchen.

A Moroccan cooking class in Marrakech where you shop for fresh ingredients at local shops near the instructor's home, then prepare starters and a main course (tagine or vegetarian options) under step-by-step guidance in her kitchen. The morning session includes the market visit. Afternoon classes skip the shopping and begin with tea and pastries. A live guide in English or French leads the four-hour workshop, and you eat what you cook.

The experience

The morning starts at neighborhood shops, not a market stall or a tourist stand. You walk with Chef Najla to the small local vendors near her home and choose the fresh vegetables, herbs and spices for the day's menu together: eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, peppers, lamb or chicken depending on what looks best and what you want to cook. Once you have everything, you head back to her kitchen to begin.

The workshop opens with Moroccan tea preparation. Chef Najla shows you how to make it the traditional way, and you sit down together with homemade cookies and pastries while you get to know each other. Then she guides you step by step through the starters (different types of Moroccan salad, each one a technique), and into the main course. The menu shifts based on the season and what you picked, but it's always a tagine: lamb with caramelized prunes, kefta with tomato sauce, chicken with candied lemon, or a vegetarian version. She shares her personal techniques and her selection of spices as you work, so you understand not just what to do but why. You make it all yourself. She's there to guide, not to cook for you.

Afternoon classes run the same way but skip the shopping: fresh vegetables aren't available later in the day, so the workshop begins with tea and moves straight into the kitchen. Either way, you eat the dish you cooked, surrounded by the flavors and the rhythm of how Moroccan food actually gets made. Bottled water is included. The class runs four hours. A guide fluent in English or French leads the session, and the kitchen is wheelchair accessible.

What’s included

• Bottled water.
• step-by-step instruction in Moroccan tea preparation, salad-making and tagine cooking.
• the full meal you prepare.
• Moroccan pastries and tea.
• morning sessions include the neighborhood shopping trip for fresh ingredients.

Information

Lasts 4h, runs Monday to Saturday at 09:30 and 15:30, from US$ 39 per person, with a live guide in English and French, in groups of up to 15 and with free cancellation up to 24 h before.

Days and timesMonday to SaturdayDepartures at 09:30 and 15:30Another time? ›

GroupUp to 15

Live guideEnglish and FrenchOther languages ›

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.1 with pickup ›

Book up to4h before

AgesAdult (6 to 80 years) · Under 6: can't be booked

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated 7 days ago

Good to know

Wheelchair accessibleStroller-friendlyPublic transport nearbyNot recommended with back problems

Operated by najlae el rhazi

Is this one for you?Book this class if you're in Marrakech for a free morning or afternoon and want to learn how Moroccan food actually gets made, not watch someone else cook it. The shopping trip in the morning adds the real texture of how ingredients get chosen. The afternoon class works if you want the cooking and the meal without the market walk.

Traveler reviews

4.97★★★★★★★★★★

395 verified traveler reviews

5 ★387

4 ★6

3 ★2

2 ★0

1 ★0

Read all the reviews ›

Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English and French.

What if I've never cooked Moroccan food before? Will I be able to follow along?

Chef Najla guides you step by step through each dish, sharing her personal techniques and explaining the herbs and spices as you go. The class is built for people learning, not for experienced cooks, so no prior knowledge is expected.

Do I have to go shopping in the morning, or can I book an afternoon class?

Morning sessions include the neighborhood shopping trip. Afternoon classes skip the market visit because fresh vegetables are no longer available, so they begin with tea and pastries and move straight into the kitchen prep.

What dishes will I actually cook?

The menu includes starters (different types of Moroccan salad like eggplant with tomato or marinated zucchini), and a main course tagine. You choose between lamb with caramelized prunes, kefta with tomato sauce, chicken with candied lemon, or a vegetarian tagine, depending on what you picked at the market or what Chef Najla has on hand.

Do I eat what I cook, or is it just for learning?

You eat the full meal you prepared, accompanied by Moroccan tea and pastries. It's not a demonstration. You make it and then share it together.