This Tabbouleh recipe is fresh, healthy, and flavorful. It just happens to be vegan, which means more people can enjoy. Tabbouleh makes for a deliciously satisfying lunch or side dish.
Our region of the Midwest is entering transition mode. One day the trees were lush and green. We all blinked a few times and suddenly a handful of red and orange leaves rushed in. Um, how and when and already?!
Everyday, there’s more evidence of fall rolling in and while I’m not quite ready for Baked Pumpkin French Toast Casserole, I’m all in with adding some Hearty into my salad.
Enter this Lebanese Tabbouleh Salad. This tabbouleh recipe is beautifully outfitted with fresh herbs, vegetables, and bulgar. It’s healthy, supremely flavorful, and unbelievably easy. And because the flavor gets more amazing with time, tabbouleh is a rockstar when it comes to lunch the next day.
Tips for the best tabbouleh salad
- If your dry bulgar has different cooking instructions, go with it. I’ve used several brands of bulgar using the below recipe with great results, but if the instructions on your bag of dry bulgar leaves you mind-boggling conflicted, go with your package instructions.
- Use only the freshest herbs and plenty of them. Some tabbouleh recipes are heavier on the herbs and veggies while using just a sprinkling of bulgar. We like our tabbouleh a bit more hearty, so we aim for about 50/50 with the vegetable to bulgar ratio.
- Let your finished dish sit for a couple of hours, covered at moderate room temp or chilled. The longer it melds, the better the flavor.
- Kosher salt and black pepper are listed as to taste; note that tabbouleh kind of loves salt, so you may end up using more than you expected.
We love this tabbouleh recipe because:
- It is beautiful and tastes every bit as pretty
- You can make it hours ahead of time
- Leftovers are aces for lunch the next day
- It’s crazy easy to make
- My vegan friends can happily devour platefuls of this
Watch us make the best roasted vegetables:

Tabbouleh Recipe
- Prep Time: 20 min
- Cook Time: 10 min
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: salad, appetizer
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
Description
This Tabbouleh recipe is fresh, healthy, and flavorful. It just happens to be vegan, which means more people can enjoy. Tabbouleh makes for a deliciously satisfying lunch or side dish.
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry bulgar (sometimes called bulgar wheat)
- 1 3/4 cup regular strength chicken or vegetable broth
- 2–3 TB freshly squeezed lemon juice (amount depending on taste)
- 3 TB extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 cup chopped seedless cucumbers
- 1/2 cup chopped grape or cherry tomatoes
- 1/4 cup freshly chopped parsley, packed
- 1/4 cup freshly chopped mint, packed
- 1/4 cup freshly chopped green onion or chives, packed kosher (coarse) salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add dry bulgar and broth to a medium saucepan. Bring to boil and immediately lower to simmer. Cover with tight fitting lid and simmer for 10 min. Turn heat off, leaving lid on for another 5 minutes. Fluff with fork and let cool to room temp*
- Transfer cooled bulgar to serving bowl. Add lemon juice, olive oil, and garlic powder. Stir to incorporate. Add remaining ingredients and gently stir just until combined. Add kosher salt and black pepper to taste. Let sit for 1-2 hours before serving, for best flavor.
Notes
*Tip: for faster cooling, transfer cooked bulgar to a large shallow dish to let cool. *Tabbouleh tastes better after a couple hours, as the flavors meld together with time. It can be served at room temp or chilled.
Keywords: Tabbouleh
Kitchen Stuff We Love:
More Satisfying Salads:
Farro Salad with Butternut and Avocado
Wheat Berry Salad with Apples and Cranberries
Strawberry Asparagus Farro Salad
These all look delicious. I have some grams of quinoa and I think they will also be perfect for this recipe.
Quinoa can definitely work! Hope you enjoy!!
Yum!! Really enjoy tabouleh, though have never tried making it at home. Will need to now! Thanks!
It’s so easy, you’ll love it!
As healthy as it is beautiful. As tasty as it is colorful. Thanks for this recipe!
I don’t think I have ever made tabbouleh before but I have eaten it at middle eastern restaurants and loved it. It’s such a fresh dish! And it looks like it is really easy to make as well.
The Tabbouleh looks super yummy as it has lot of fresh ingredients and I love the different kind of veggies are added into. Yum!
This looks delicious I love trying out new recipes than you so much for sharing
I have never tried to make tabbouleh before, but this looks very interesting. I’m easily intimidated by dishes I don’t always have–with ingredients I don’t usually see. This doesn’t look so intimidating.
I’m 1000% saving this recipe to share with my fiance. We LOVE this kind of food and it’s the perfect side to a meat dish or veggie dish for our cookouts. Thank you!
Yum! This looks so light and flavorful. I’m going to have to save this for later.
I love this recipe so much, one of my to go recipes when I have friends over.
Oh wow. I think I found my next meal idea. I love that its so healthy and easy to make.
Oh my goodness, this looks like such a delicious recipe! With so many autumn parties coming up in the near future, this would be a great thing to make when either hosting your own, or being invited to someone else’s!
I have loved tabbouleh from the first mouthful 13 years ago. Here it is usually served as part of a mezze platter or as a side with main courses. Having more bulgur in it definitely makes it more filling for a main meal.
This Tabbouleh recipe looks fresh, healthy, and flavorful. Great that it is vegan. Tabbouleh makes for a deliciously satisfying lunch or side dish. I will definitely try it!
i’ve actually never had tabbouleh. but this sounds really good!
Love tabbouleh recipes! The cucumbers do add some fresh scent and sensation. Could eat it every day!
I’ve never had this before, but it looks yummy. I would definitely try making this recipe sometime.
This would be an interesting recipe to follow. I’ve never had this dish before. Worth looking into.
This looks so yummy and the plus is that it is healthy as well. I have not had Tabbouleh before but i am going to give it a try.
I have not heard of this before but it looks delicious
Yumm! My parents are visiting and I’m going to attempt this, especially since mom is a vegetarian.
It is funny how fast seasons change, isn’t it? This looks tasty.
Looks so healthy and yummy!!!
This looks really delcious. Will make this during the weekend and see how the kids enjoy it
Your salads are literally making my mouth water! The Tabbouleh is absolutely not an exception. Tabbouleh for a side dish with steaming rice would be my go-to! Super filling and Yummy!
I’ve never had tabbouleh before, but my mouth is watering just looking at it. I will definitely be trying this recipe out soon. It looks delicious!
I love the pictures! The sad is indeed super easy to make – and it seems pretty scrupmptious for my husband too who runs away from salads!
I have honestly tried Tabbouleh only once. I am happy that you shared the recipe. Now I can make this at home and enjoy it more often!
I’d never heard of Tabbouleh before but I definitely want to try out that delicious looking dish! Plus it’s vegan too so it’s a win-win for me and my friends.
I love tabbouleh but I’ve never considered making it myself. This seems like a good recipe, and I like the suggestion of using quinoa.
That looks good to try and taste. I haven’t tried this before and sounds new to me.
Great, Thank you for sharing the menu.
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