This easy and healthy recipe for an authentic Lebanese Tabbouleh salad can be served on its own as a light meal or enjoyed as a side dish with grilled meats and fish.
Tabbouleh, also commonly spelled Tabouli, is a classic Lebanese vegetarian dish. It's often served in the Middle East as a side salad or as part of mezze (small dishes served as appetizers).
An authentic Tabbouleh salad recipe's main ingredients are fresh parsley, fine bulgur, fresh ripe tomatoes, scallions and mint. Differences in spices used are found depending on which region in Lebanon you are from.
For instance, many will add a pinch of cinnamon or a seven-spice blend. My Lebanese family uses salt, black pepper and a pinch of cayenne. Tabbouleh is dressed with a simple vinaigrette made with extra-virgin olive oil and freshly squeezed lemon juice.
Jump to:
How to Make it
Though it is commonly available in most grocery stores and delis, this traditional Tabbouleh recipe is so delicious and surprisingly easy to make at home.
By using the freshest ingredients and following my step-by-step instructions, you'll be rewarded with a much fresher and better-tasting Tabbouli than anything store-bought.
Please see the recipe card below the post for precise ingredients amounts.
Ingredients Overview
- Fresh parsley. You can choose flat-leaf (also known as Italian) or curly parsley, or even a combination of both. Both types of parsley are commonly used, though some will swear that flat-leaf parsley tastes better while others think curly parsley will give you a lighter and fluffier salad.
- Fresh mint. The best mint to use in this recipe is spearmint.
- Scallions (green onions)
- Ripe tomatoes: Choose a ripe but firm large tomato or two smaller tomatoes.
- Fresh lemon juice: You'll need 1-2 lemons, depending on their juiciness.
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Fine bulgur wheat (cracked wheat): Use the dark variety if possible. If you can't find fine bulgur in your grocery store, check Middle Eastern or health food stores.
Tips: For convenience, You can clean and dry the parsley a day in advance, simply store the dried parsley in a clean plastic bag or airtight container in the refrigerator. For a grain-free Tabbouleh, omit the bulgur and reduce the dressing. Store leftover dressing in the refrigerator for other salads.
Variations
- For grain-free, gluten-free, low carb or keto Tabbouleh, simply omit the bulgur from the recipe. I recommend reducing the amount of dressing used to account for the missing bulgur.
- Though not traditional, you can substitute quinoa for bulgur for a gluten-free version of tabbouleh. If you do so, cook the quinoa according to the package directions and let it cool before mixing it with the other ingredients.
Steps Overview
- Remove wilted or yellowed leaves from the parsley and trim the stems.
- Wash the parsley 3 times to remove grit. To wash the parsley, submerge it in water and swish it to release the grit and then lift the parsley out. Repeat with fresh water two more times.
- Dry the parsley. Use a salad spinner or let it air dry.
- Chop the parsley. You might be tempted to use a food processor for this task but doing so will over-process the parsley. Instead, use a sharp knife and chop the parsley finely. You shouldn't see full leaves of parsley in your finished salad. Add the chopped parsley to a large bowl.
- Place the fine bulgur wheat in a fine-meshed strainer and rinse under cold water. Press it against the strainer to remove excess water and reserve. Note that fine bulgur does not need to be cooked.
- Finely chop the fresh mint leaves and thinly slice the scallions. Add them to the chopped parsley.
- Chop the tomato into a small dice and add it to the remainder of the ingredients.
- Make the lemon and olive oil dressing and add the seasonings.
Serving Suggestions
Tabbouleh is best served as soon as possible, it can be enjoyed at room temperature or lightly chilled. This recipe will serve 4 to 5 as a starter or side dish or 2-3 as a light main course.
Traditionally, it is eaten with crisp romaine lettuce. Stuff the cavity of the leaf with Tabbouleh and enjoy!
For a complete meal, pair it Middle Eastern favorites like grilled Chicken Shawarma Kebabs, Kafta Kebabs, Caramelized Onion Hummus, or with these Dukkah Crusted Lamb Chops. It's also delicious served on the side of this Pistachio Crusted Salmon. For dessert, try homemade Baklava, it can be prepared way ahead of time!
Calories
This healthy parsley salad made with nutritious ingredients is low in calories. Based on the nutrition calculator that I'm using, one serving (¼ of the recipe) contains approximately 259 calories.
Storage Instructions
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days. Tabbouleh cannot be frozen.
Enjoy!
More Summertime Salads
- Lebanese Potato Salad
- Fattoush Salad (Pita bread salad)
- Lebanese Cucumber Yogurt Salad (Khyar Bi Laban)
- Watermelon and Feta Salad
- Strawberry Spinach Salad
- Greek Salad with Grilled Chicken
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Have you made this recipe? Let us know how it turned out! Leave a star rating and a comment below, we'd love to hear from you.
Lebanese Tabbouleh Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 cups finely chopped parsley wash parsley thoroughly several times, dry it well and remove stalks before chopping.
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped mint leaves washed and stems removed
- ¼ cup fine bulgur wheat rinsed and drained
- 1 cup diced tomatoes (approximately 1 large tomato, chopped into small dice)
- 1 scallion (green onion) trimmed and thinly sliced, (about 2 tablespoons)
- 4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice or to taste
- 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon sea salt more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper more to taste
- ⅛ teaspoon pinch of cayenne cinnamon or seven spice blend, all optional.
Instructions
- Combine chopped parsley, mint, scallions and tomatoes in a large bowl. Add drained bulgur.
- Add olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper and a pinch of cayenne to bowl.
- Toss Tabbouleh ingredients well. Serve immediately or refrigerate if serving later.
Notes
- I have found that bunches of parsley can vary considerably in size. Therefore, it is hard to give a precise number of bunches you will need. But for 3 cups of finely chopped parsley, you will need approximately 2 to 3 big bunches.
- Parsley can be picked and washed the day before, just dry the parsley before bundling it in a dry towel and then in a plastic bag in the refrigerator.
- Fine bulgur wheat does not need to be soaked or cooked, just rinsed and drained.
- For gluten-free, low-carb or keto diets, simply omit the bulgur from the recipe.
- Though not authentic, quinoa can be used in place of bulgur for a gluten-free Tabbouleh salad. Cook quinoa according to package directions and let cool before combining with the rest of the ingredients.
Nutrition
This post was originally published on July 15, 2016. It has been updated with new content.
Kathy says
My Lebanese MIL says use an entire bunch of green onions and coarse bulgar that you soak 20 minutes. Gives the salad more substance.
Abraham Sahyoun says
I never heard of cayenne, pepper and mint in a tabbouleh. You are missing the Allspice to rub the onions and lemon zest. My wife makes about 900 lbs of tabbouleh on the one day lebanese Bay Area festival in Redwood City
Nancy says
Love Tabboleh in the summer months with parsley fresh from the garden...your classic recipe sounds wonderful!
Sweet and Savoury Pursuits says
Thanks Nancy, my parents grow tons of parsley in their garden for this exact purpose!
Elaine @ foodbod says
Love it! Tabouleh as it should be
Sweet and Savoury Pursuits says
Ahh, thanks so much Elaine!
apuginthekitchen says
Love your tabbouleh Fida, I could eat it by the boat load. It's so fresh and delcious and I love all the parsley you used I am a confirmed parsley lover. One of my favorite meals is tabbouleh with grilled kebab and rice. OMG, so delicious and I saved your recipe because as much as I love it, I rarely make it myself. Terrible I know.
Sweet and Savoury Pursuits says
Hi, tabbouleh is delicious, though it's easy to make it is quite a bit of work. Hope you give my recipe a try this summer, like you said it's delicious with kebab and rice!
Louise Crosby says
Fida, I love how you use a lot of parsley in your tabbouleh and not much bulgur - most of the time you see it the other way around, which is not traditional. Thank you, I think I will make this for dinner tonight! It's perfect summer food, especially as local tomatoes become more available.
Sweet and Savoury Pursuits says
Hi Louise, hope you enjoyed the tabbouleh, you're right much of time we see tabbouleh with more bulgur than parsley, but that it isn't the way it should be. And yes, local and garden tomatoes make tabbouleh even better!