Tabouli salad or Tabbouleh is a simple Mediterranean salad of very finely chopped vegetables, lots of fresh parsley and bulgur wheat, all tossed with lime juice and olive oil. Grab my tips and watch the video for how to make tabouli below.
Tabouli is likely the topmost famed Mediterranean/Middle Eastern salad there is. Because it is now sold in most large supermarkets around the world, I feel compelled to dispel one thing: the “star of the show,” so to speak, in a tabouli recipe is not the bulgur. The idea is to have a little bulgur with the salad, not a little salad with your bulgur.
What is in Tabouli Salad?
The true star in a tabouli recipe is the very finely chopped parsley–lots of it! Parsley holds well against the citrus in the dressing; that’s why tabouli is even better the next day. Some tabouli recipes like this one, call for a few fresh mint leaves and green onions, while others use only parsley and red onions instead. This recipe is closest to the version I grew up with, but feel free to make it your own.
Important tips for this tabouli salad recipe:
1- In this tabouli recipe, I recommend extra fine bulgur. Extra fine bulgur does not need hot water nor too much time to soak before adding it to the salad. If you end up using coarse or extra coarse bulgur, then hot water is recommended and you will need to soak it for 45 minutes or so.
2- To achieve the right tabouli texture, you will need to chop the vegetables as finely as possible. Can one use a food processor to chop tabouli ingredients? You can use one to chop the parsley, if you like, but I would advice you to chop the tomatoes, green onions etc. using a sharp knife.
3- Be sure to use firm tomatoes. Once chopped, place the tomatoes in a colander to drain excess juice.
4- Tabouli does not traditionally call for cucumbers. This is my own twist, I like the extra crunch added. I use English Cucumbers also known as hothouse cucumbers, they are long, thin skinned, and generally seedless. If you choose to use the more common American cucumbers, be sure to remove the skin; cut the cucumber in halves and remove most of the seeds then proceed to chop.
5- No dressing but a splash of fresh lemon or lime juice and quality extra virgin olive oil like our Early Harvest olive oil. It’s an exquisite Greek extra virgin olive oil from the estate of the Kotsovolas family in Christianoupolis, Greece. Hand-picked; cold pressed; from organically grown and processed Koroneiki olive oil; and of extremely low acidity (0.35%.) Learn more about our Early Harvest olive oil here.
6-For best results, cover the tabouli and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter. If you like, serve the tabouli with a side of pita and romaine lettuce leaves, which act as wraps or “boats” for the tabouli.
What to serve with Tabouli
Tabouli makes a great and bright addition to the dinner table next to your grilled kabobs or shawarmas, for example. But it can also be included as part of mezze along with other small plates like, Creamy Hummus; Falafel; Turkish fried eggplant; and spicy Middle Eastern Potatoes.
Watch How to Make Tabouli (tabouleh)
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Tabouli Salad Recipe
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 6-8 1x
Description
Traditional tabouli salad recipe with parsley, mint, bulgur wheat, finely chopped vegetables and a zesty dressing. Recipe with step-by-step photos.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup fine bulgur wheat
- 4 firm Roma tomatoes, very finely chopped
- 1 English cucumber (hothouse cucumber), very finely chopped
- 2 bunches parsley, part of the stems removed, washed and well-dried, very finely chopped
- 12–15 fresh mint leaves, stems removed, washed, well-dried, very finely chopped
- 4 green onions, white and green parts, very finely chopped
- Salt
- 3–4 tbsp lime juice (lemon juice, if you prefer)
- 3–4 tbsp Early Harvest extra virgin olive oil
- Romaine lettuce leaves to serve, optional
Instructions
- Wash the bulgur wheat and soak it in water for 5-7 minute. Drain very well (squeeze the bulgur wheat by hand to get rid of any excess water). Set aside.
- Very finely chop the vegetables, herbs and green onions as indicated above. Be sure to place the tomatoes in a colander to drain excess juice.
- Place the chopped vegetables, herbs and green onions in a mixing bowl or dish. Add the bulgur and season with salt. Mix gently.
- Now add the the lime juice and olive oil and mix again.
- For best results, cover the tabouli and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter. If you like, serve the tabouli with a side of pita and romaine lettuce leaves, which act as wraps or “boats” for the tabouli.
- Other appetizers to serve next to tabouli salad:Hummus; Baba Ganoush; or Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
Notes
- The finer you chop the vegetables, the better. See additional tips above.
- To serve a smaller crowd, simply cut the recipe in half.
- You can keep tabouli refrigerated in a tight-lid container for 2 days or so. It’s important to try and drain some of the juice out before refrigerating leftover tabouli.
- Recommended for this Recipe: Early Harvest Greek extra virgin olive oil (from organically grown and processed Koroneiki olives)
- SAVE! Try our Greek Olive Oil Bundle!
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Category: Salad
- Cuisine: Middle Eastern
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Hi, thanks for all your amazing recipes! I’ve never had bulgar wheat before, does it need to be cooked first? Like couscous
Hi, Lily! No need to cooke the extra fine bulgur for this recipe. It just needs to soak a bit. Enjoy!
I like to add some finely diced preserved lemon to this dish; it gives an extra lift and adds a lot. Sometimes it’s nice without, to stay “classic.” But if you want to try adding some extra “zing” for little surprises in the mouth, give it a try!
Love that idea! Thanks for sharing, Scott!
ThankYou
Thirty five years ago well looking for and establishment that made falafels, the area I was in had no idea what a falafel was lol, anyway we happened in on this little tiny walk-in establishment and the first thing I saw was their taboulie salad. Unfortunately they did not serve falafels but that salad looks so good and they allowed me to taste test and I immediately fell in love with it. Now understand this establishment was 23 miles from our home and my then boyfriend now husband knew exactly how much this meant to me because I didn’t get that excited about food ever. From that day forward for the next year or two he would literally just drive me over anytime I asked just to get a small container of this salad and it made my day every single time. A couple months later they closed down and I never found another place that serve the same and shortly thereafter we got married had a baby and moved to Washington State where for sure they had no idea what to believe salad was. I’ve had falafel since here and there but nothing compared to the hibachi Cafe in Hermosa Beach, and sadly until today I hadn’t even thought about little bully salad but something hit me and I went in search of a recipe. Your recipe as I read through it I could literally taste the ingredients and I knew it was going to be identical to what I enjoyed all those years ago. We’re having it tonight as I’m on my way to pick up the ingredients now I will let you know but I’m pretty sure once again you have just made my day.
What a wonderful memory! I sure hope our recipe nails it for you :). Can’t wait to hear!!
I’ve been looking for a tabouli recipe like the one I used to have. This is the closest Ive found, only difference is the one I had used red wine vinegar. Can’t wait to make this!
Yay! Can’t wait to hear what you think!
Sounds tasty, but why toss out the flavorful juice when you need liquid to soak the bulgur?