Lebanese Tabbouleh

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
• Ingredients Overview
• Steps Overview
• Serving Suggestions
• Calories
• For Grain-Free, Gluten-Free, Low Carb or Keto Tabbouleh
• Storage Instructions
• More Summertime Salads
• Lebanese Tabbouleh Recipe

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
• 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.

Steps Overview

1. Remove wilted or yellowed leaves from the parsley and trim the stems.
2. 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. 
3. Dry the parsley. Use a salad spinner or let it air dry. 
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. Finely chop the fresh mint leaves and thinly slice the scallions. Add them to the chopped parsley.
7. Chop the tomato into a small dice and add it to the remainder of the ingredients.
8. 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.

For Grain-Free, Gluten-Free, Low Carb or Keto Tabbouleh

For gluten-free, low-carb or keto diets, 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.

Storage Instructions

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days. Tabbouleh cannot be frozen.

Enjoy!

More Summertime Salads

• Fattoush Salad (Pita bread salad)
• Lebanese Cucumber Yogurt Salad (Khyar Bi Laban)
• Watermelon and Feta Salad
• Strawberry Spinach Salad
• Greek Salad with Grilled Chicken

This post was originally published on July 15, 2016. It has been updated with new content.