Tabbouleh — Never had it? Think couscous or quinoa mixed with vegetables, herbs, lemon and olive oil! Easy, no cooking required, healthy, and packed with so much flavor!! (Great for outdoor events because there’s no mayo!)
What Is Tabbouleh?
When I told my family I was going to make tabbouleh they said, Tab what? Tabbouleh. The ridiculously easy, no-cooking-required dish that’s along the lines of couscous or quinoa mixed with vegetables, herbs, lemon, and olive oil. Healthy and packed with flavor.
After making it yourself and tasting how fresh and vibrant homemade is, you’ll never be tempted to buy it from the overpriced grocery store salad bar.
Tabbouleh is made with bulghur wheat, sometimes just labeled bulghur. There’s coarse and fine and in my regular grocery store it’s sold near the lentils and couscous as ‘bulghur, coarse’ in a plastic bag.
It’s accidentally vegan and healthy. The flavors marry over time and it tastes even better the day or two after you prepare it, making it a great make-ahead recipe for lunches for the week, clean-eating dinners, or easy party and potluck sides. There’s no mayo, which is great for outdoor events.
Tabbouleh Ingredients
To make this easy tabbouleh salad, you’ll need:
- Bulghur wheat
- Boiling water
- Lemon juice
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- Cherry tomatoes
- Cucumber
- Green onions
- Fresh mint and parsley
How to Make Tabbouleh
To make the tabbouleh you simply pour boiling water over the dry bulghur, add lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper, cover and wait an hour. That’s it.
While you’re waiting, chop up cherry tomatoes, cucumber, green onions, mint, parsley and add them after the bulghur has softened and plumped.
Stir it all together and you’re in for a texture and flavor treat. The bulghur is soft but slightly chewy, there’s juicy tomatoes, crunchy cucumbers and green onions, and between the lemon, parsley, and mint it’s truly an aromatic dish.
Can I Prep Tabbouleh in Advance?
Yes! I actually prefer to make it a day ahead of time, cover, and refrigerate because the flavors marry over time.
How Long Does Tabbouleh Last?
Tabbouleh will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days and can be served chilled or at room temp.
Tips for the Best Tabbouleh
If you’re not a tabbouleh traditionalist, you can improvise with just about anything in your crisper drawer from bell peppers to cilantro. I’ve seen some recipes swap couscous for the bulghur.
If you need to make this dish gluten-free, I’ve had readers report success using quinoa instead of bulghur (you’ll have to cook the quinoa according to package instructions, I’d imagine).
You’re welcome to add more or less herbs to this tabbouleh salad as you see fit. I know some people love parsley and others don’t!
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Tabbouleh
Ingredients
- 1 cup bulghur wheat or bulghur
- 1 ½ cups boiling water
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 cup cucumber, peeled and diced small
- 1 cup green onions, sliced thin (about 6 trimmed green onions, using the green and white)
- 1 cup fresh mint leaves, chopped finely (make sure to use just the leaves, stems are bitter)
- 1 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped finely
Instructions
- To a large bowl add the bulghur; set aside.
- To a microwave-safe bowl or glass measuring cup, add the water and heat to boil, about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Pour the boiling water over the bulghur, add the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, stir, cover with plasticwrap, and set aside for about 1 hour. After 1 hour, check to make sure bulghur is softened and plumped and most of the liquid has been absorbed. If it hasn’t wait a bit longer until it absorbs.
- Add all remaining ingredients, stir to combine, taste and check for seasoning balance (may need more salt, pepper, lemon), and make any necessary adjustments.
- Tabbouleh can be served immediately but I prefer to make it a day ahead of time, cover, and refrigerate because the flavors marry over time.
Notes
- Tabbouleh will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days and can be served chilled or at room temp.
- Adapted from Ina Garten.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I really love this!! I made a few adjustments to adapt it to what I had at home, I used quinoa instead of Tabbuleh, but it’s still fresh and delicious!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad you loved this and that the quinoa worked well!
I really love this!! I made a few adjustments to adapt it to what I had at home, I used quinoa instead of Tabbuleh, but it’s still fresh and delicious!
One of my favorite dishes evahhhhh!
One of my personal fave things I’ve made on my blog in ages. Now others may not be so impressed because it’s simple, but I loved this one :)
This is so fresh and vibrant–and incredibly easy. I put it together while Jon manned the grill. I had a bit of difficulty finding bulgur and was afraid I’d have to settle for whole wheat couscous but finally spotted a couple of bags of the Zyad brand hiding on a bottom shelf. We are loving every single one of your savory recipes!!!
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great and that you and Jon and loving it! So glad you found the bulgur. Even in my grocery store (which is pretty diverse and carries a lot of more unique products given my area) the bulgur is hiding on the bottom shelf and very non-noticeable unless you are really looking and standing there for awhile. Glad it was an incredibly easy recipe for you to have in your repertoire now, too :) Sooooo many variations you can do with this!
Oh, I love Tabbouleh! I have Celiac Disease so I always make mine with quinoa- it’s just as tasty as the original versions. So delicious as a salad or wrapped up in a pita (or a GF wrap for me!).
Tabbouleh = summertime!!! One of my favorite dishes! I usually add chopped greek olives and feta cheese to mine…and sometimes sub quinoa for the bulgar. I do not use onion and just drizzle the evoo but otherwise I use the same recipe. Such a great use of cherry tomatoes from the garden :)
There are so many ways to go with it. Yours sounds along the Greek lines and I bet super tasty with the feta!
Yes, it did happen Averie, and we devoured it at 9pm with pita chips and some fried fish. It was refreshing and amazing, next on my list is that good looking mozzarella, basil and quinoa salad!
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad you devoured it at 9pm with fish and chips! Sounds perfect and enjoy the next salad if you end up making that one – LMK!