Whenever you crave healthy and easy salads, this tabbouleh salad recipe is just what you need! Lebanese Tabouli Salad is mouth-watering and so irresistible! Tabouli is a Middle Eastern staple salad that is frequently served as part of a mezze platter or as a side salad.
The juice and tang from the freshly squeezed lemon and natural juices of the tomatoes mixed with fresh herbs create a salad like none other, and the bulgar wheat adds a nutty flavor. It makes a great side dish to many main course meals, a delicious snack, or even a light tasty meal. Fresh and tasty, this salad is sure to please your taste buds!
A Real Treat for Your Taste Buds
Tabbouleh is a staple side dish on Mediterranean menus. You can find it along with pita bread, hummus, baba ganoush, falafel, muhammara, makdous, feta, olives… all of my favorite things.
My mom makes the best tabouli and she taught me to make it this way and oh boy!!! It is so good! Give it a try!
What is In Lebanese Tabouli Salad?
The true star of the show is lots of fresh parsley! The parsley stands up well to the citrus in the dressing, which is why tabouli tastes even better the next day.
Some tabouli recipes, call for fresh mint leaves and green onions, whereas others call for only parsley and red onions. This recipe is the most similar to the one I grew up with, but feel free to make it your own.
Why You’ll Love this Tabbouleh Salad
- It’s simple to make with a few ingredients that are readily available all year.
- This Lebanese Salad is super refreshing and has herby and zesty flavors.
- It is healthy because it is packed with highly nutritious ingredients that are good for you.
- It’s also vegan-friendly and can be made gluten-free.
Here’s All What You’ll Need
You’ll only need a handful of ingredients to make this classic middle eastern salad.
Parsley: You’ll need fresh parsley to make this salad. Both flat-leaf parsley and curly parsley work. Wash them, dry them, and then chop the ends off. Then chop them to a fine dice. You can use the food processor, but remove the stems first.
Tomatoes: Tomatoes are a main ingredient in this salad. They build on the refreshing factor. For your tabouli salad recipe, choose firm and ripe tomatoes. Chop your tomatoes into very small cubes. Roma or plum tomatoes are a good choice since they are firm and have fewer seeds.
Bulgur: Authentic tabbouleh is made with extra fine bulgur
(whole-grain made from cracked wheat) that is soaked rather than cooked. It gives tabouli an earthy flavor. You can find bulgur wheat in Middle Eastern Grocery stores. Soak the bulgar wheat according to package directions.
Green onion: If you don’t have green onions, you can use white onions or spring onion.
Dressing: To dress the salad, you will need simple olive oil lemon dressing. Use extra virgin olive oil, freshly squeezed lemon juice, and pomegranate molasses (optional).
Spices: You will need seven spices and salt.
Check the recipe card for quantities.
Lebanese Tabouli Salad and It’s Benefits
Tabouli, also known as tabbouleh, is a simple and easy-to-make Mediterranean salad. Its main components are parsley, herbs, and tomatoes. It’s a light salad that goes well with most dishes. It’s also very popular in the region and can be found in almost any Mediterranean or Middle Eastern restaurant.
Some people think of tabbouleh as a bulgar salad because the Americanized version has more bulgar and less parsley. However, the opposite is true!
Tabouli is very healthy because it is made with bulgur, which is high in fiber, vitamin B, and protein. The dressing is made with olive oil, which is a good source of healthy fat. This salad is also an excellent choice for a healthy side dish or a light lunch. It’s dairy-free and vegan by nature.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):
YES, if you ask me! It even tastes better the next day since it would have absorbed all the flavors of the juice. It is actually a culturally well-known secret that the longer the bulgur sits in the tabouli juice, the better the whole dish tastes!
You can make Tabouli Gluten Free! You can remove the burgul completely or replace it with quinoa!
Parsley has lots of benefits. They are known to be rich in iron. They are also rich in antioxidants, packed with nutrients and known to extract antibacterial properties. So, it is the perfect salad to add to your diet.
The good news is that you can make this salad ahead of time and store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two days. Making it ahead of time allows the flavors to really develop. This salad cannot be frozen.
Our All Time Favorite Salad
The Fastest and Easiest Way to Make Tabouli
In the video below I show you how you can make tabouli in a much faster way than the traditional way of using a knife. Some people do not prefer this option since they think it makes the parsley soggy, but I have a solution for you to make your tabouli salad prep time cut by 75%!
Wash your parsley very well and allow them to air dry until they are completely dry. Chop most of the stems off and toss them out about 3-4 inches. Typically I chop the whole bunch of parsley when I am using a knife, but when using a food processor you want to remove the stems since they will not blend well in the food processor and will slow down your quick method.
I remember one day I had some friends coming over for lunch and I just so happened to have washed and dried parsley from the day before. I literally prepped my salad in less than 10 minutes using the food processor and tasted incredible. So, the way I look at it is, why not? You don’t necessarily always have to use this method but it is a great option for those busy days!
What to Serve Tabbouleh with?
Tabouli makes a great and bright addition to the dinner table next to your grilled tawouk skewers or shawarmas, for example. But it can also be included as part of mezze along with other small plates like, Hummus, Muhammara (Roasted Red Pepper and Walnut Dip), Vegetarian Grape Leaves, Falafel, Spicy Potato and Cilantro (Batata Harra), etc…
A Festive of Colors
Important Tips on How to Make Easy Lebanese Tabouli Salad
- Make this GLUTEN FREE by omitting the bulgur. You can replace bulgur with cooked quinoa.
- Pro tip: Prepare the parsley ahead of time: Parsley should be thoroughly washed. Allow to dry completely before storing in the refrigerator using a clean kitchen napkin or paper towel. To remove excess water, you could use a salad spinner.
- An important tip my mom taught me is to cube the tomatoes first and then add the bulgur, the pomengerate molasses, olive oil, and lemon and lit it sit while I chop up the other ingredients. This allows the bulgur to soak up and it will be ready when I finish chopping.
- If you’re using a knife to chop the parsley, use a sharp knife, slicing through it gently.
- Add pomegranate molasses for a tangier taste.
- Throw in a dash of seven spices for added flavor.
- Adding some cumin gives it a zing too and is known to help relieve bloating from the parsley . You can also add a dash of black pepper for extra flavor.
- Serve and eat with Romaine lettuce leaves or cabbage leaves.
- If you don’t have green onions, definitely opt for cubed white onions. They also taste great in tabouli salad.
- Before serving, chill the tabouli salad for 30 minutes to 1 hour. It allows the flavors to develop beautifully.
Authentic Tabbouli Ingredients
How do you make tabouli from scratch? Here is a list of the ingredients you will need! I made a quick video you can watch on this page to refer to 🙂
- parsley Italian or curly
- tomatoes /cubed
- green onion or white onion /chopped
- dried mint
- lemon juice
- fine bulgur
- olive oil
- seven spices
- pomegranate molasses (optional)
- salt
Step by Step Instructions
Zesty, healthy, and delicious, tabouli salad is an absolute favorite!! The preparation has been simplified in the video below with a very easy dressing that will wow you!
First, Cube tomatoes and place in a large bowl.
Next, add the olive oil, lemon, salt, bulgur, molasses and seven spices and mix then place in fridge. If you choose, you can omit the seven spices but I love the kick it gives to the tabbouli.
Finally, in a separate bowl, finely chop washed and air dried (not wet) parsley (or place in a food processor) then add to the chilled tomato mix. Add more salt if needed. Enjoy alone or in a lettuce leaf or cabbage leaf.
You will notice I added a tiny pinch of seven spices and pomegranate molasses which are totally optional but highly recommended! The seven spices gives a hint of subtle flavor, and pomegranate molasses gives the tabouli that tangy kick on another level. It truly makes a difference!
As many will say that this is not traditional, you can’t always play by the rules when making special dishes.
Vegan Tabouli Salad!
Other Salad Recipes You Will Enjoy:
- Tastiest Homemade Coleslaw Salad
- Simple Middle Eastern Salad
- Best Fattoush Salad With Dressing
- Roasted Chickpea Avocado Salad
- A Worthy Watermelon Burrata Salad
- Fantastic Kale Dijon Salad
- Plant-Based Chicken Salad With Barbecue Vinaigrette
- Tastiest Tuna Egg Salad Recipe
- Citrus Vinaigrette Strawberry Mango Kale Salad
- Honey Mustard Harvest Salad
Tabouli Salad
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 bunches parsley Italian or curly
- ¼ cup green onion or white onion chopped
- 6 medium tomatoes cubed
- 1 tablespoons dried mint
- 1 large lemon juice
- ½ cup fine bulgur
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon seven spices optional
- 1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses
Instructions
- Cube tomatoes and place in a bowl. Add the olive oil, lemon, salt, bulgur, molasses, and seven spices and mix then place in fridge. If you choose, you can omit the seven spices but I love the kick it gives to the tabbouli.
- In a separate bowl, finely chop washed and air dried (not wet) parsley (or place in a food processor), add to the chilled tomato mix then add the chopped green onions and mix very well. Add more salt if needed. Enjoy alone or in a lettuce leaf or cabbage leaf.
Video
Notes
- Make this GLUTEN FREE by omitting the bulgur. You can replace bulgur with cooked quinoa.
- An important tip my mom taught me is to cube the tomatoes first and then add the bulgur, the pomengerate molasses, olive oil, and lemon and lit it sit while I chop up the other ingredients. This allows the bulgur to soak up and it will be ready when I finish chopping.
- Be sure to wash then fully dry the parsley before placing in the food processor
- Add pomegranate molasses for a tangier taste.
- Throw in a dash of seven spices for added flavor.
- Some cumin gives it a zing too and is known to help relieve bloating from the parsley .
- Serve and eat with Romaine lettuce or cabbage leaves.
- If you don’t have green onions, definitely opt for cubed white onions.
Rasha says
This Lebanese Tabouli salad was so easy and delicious to make! It’s a light and healthy meal option! Thanks for sharing Lama !
Mariana says
I’ve been searching for a recipe that tastes like the amazing Lebanese tabouli you get in restaurants and finally found it! I’d give six stars if I could ❤❤
Lama says
Thank you so much for your feedback! 🙂
Elena says
So yummy! Using the food processor is the best hack to save time
Donna says
I made this salad last night. It was perfect! The blend of flavors was amazing. I added extra lemon juice and a sprinkle of spices. Yummmmy