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
- ½ 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 tablespoon lime juice (lemon juice, if you prefer)
- 3-4 tablespoon 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
Keywords: tabouli salad, tabouli, tabbouleh, tabouli recipe, tabouli salad recipe, tabbouleh salad, tabbouleh salad recipe, middle eastern salad, how to make tabouli
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Could not agree more with less (and fine) bulgur! I used to work at a Lebanese restaurant that used very little and I much prefer it to the heavy bulgur use you often see sold in stores. Cheers and thank you for a great recipe!
Thanks, Matt!
A restaurant in Oklahoma (Oklahoma?!!!), Yes. Oklahoma,
Makes a wonderfully tabouli that's very close to this. The exceptions are, slightly less mint and 1/8 to 1/4 cooked and finely chopped garbanzo.
A different texture and subtle flavor difference.
I love both, your version and theirs.
So light and refreshing! A perfect meal for summer.
I couldn’t find fine bulgur so I used Bob’s Red Mill and cooked half a cup according to the package instructions. I still think it turned out great! I might add a little more lime juice next time because I really like the bright citrus flavor paired with the mint.
★★★★★
Thanks, Rejina! Glad you enjoyed it!
I hope this is not heresy, but just today I heard a suggestion that a tabouleh recipe like this can be made Keto-diet friendly by replacing the bulgur with chopped pecans. Sounds good to me! I like all the suggestions in this recipe. Will try it soon!
★★★★
Wow, now that's a great idea. I love the above recipie and also adding 1/8 to 1/4 cooked and finely chopped garbanzo, with a little less mint. Next batch I make will have to add the pecans!
I am excited to try this. I have Arrowhead Mills Organic Bulgur Wheat. It doesn't say fine, but it looks fine. Any idea whether it is fine or not? Thank you!
Hi, Margaret. Unfortunately, I don't know. I'm not familiar with that brand.
I'm currently making your Tabouli recipe for the first time at the request of my roommate. We've been transitioning our diet to a more Mediterranean diet since both of us like the flavors and the use of more fresh ingredients. My question is about the Bulgar wheat. I've seen some other recipes that have said you can use Quinoa instead of the Bulgar wheat, I have everything already prepped and ready to mix, however I don't have any of the Bulgar wheat. What does that do to the salad mix? I don't recall seeing it in my Tabouli salad from the Mediterranean restaurant the other night, or is this something that you wouldn't particularly notice? Does it just add texture or does it also add a distinctive flavor? I don't know if I should run to the store to get some or mix up everything without it or if I should add the Quinoa to replace it this time and get some for later. I want your recipe to taste as original as possible and having never used Bulgar wheat before I'm at a loss!
I’ve made this with quinoa and it was delicious. Perfect proportion of ingredients!
Would it hurt to add lime or lemon juice to the water to soak the bulgur?
I think that would be fine, Dawn. Enjoy!
Coming from a Middle Eastern household and having visited a couple of Middle Eastern countries, this is the first time I’ve seen cucumber and lime in tabbouleh!
By far the best tabouli recipe I use. I've made at least half a dozen times, although usually skip the tomatoes
Absolutely delish!! My husband is from the Middle East and we have enjoyed Middle Eastern cuisine for many years. I have found your recipes to be closest we have found to be authentic using American ingredients (although I have purchased specialty spices and lentils that are not available here.) I love tabouli and this recipe scored big time with us. I am happily trying some of the other recipes.
★★★★★
Yay! Love to hear that, Rosana! Thank you!
Dont soak the bulgur on water. Use lemon juice. You can do half lemon juice and half water
When you note 1/2 cup bulgar wheat, do you mean 1/2 cup dry bulgar wheat or 1/2 cup cooked bulgar wheat?
Hi, Kathryn. You'll just need 1/2 cup FINE bulgar wheat, uncooked. You just need to soak it first, per the instructions.