Tabbouleh Recipe
Posted Jun 12, 2023, Updated May 26, 2024
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This is the best Tabbouleh Recipe! It’s bold and flavorful, bursting with fresh herbs and crunchy veggies. This tabouli is easy to make and best served cold with your favorite Mediterranean dishes.
Ever since my favorite Lebanese restaurant closed its doors, I have been working hard to create recipes for my favorite Mediterranean dishes, like this fresh and simple homemade Tabbouleh.
In this tabouli recipe, bulgur, fresh herbs, tomatoes, onions and cucumbers are tossed in a flavorful lemon garlic dressing.
It’s truly the perfect Tabbouleh, just as delicious as my favorite restaurant that I loved and miss greatly!
Tabbouleh Recipe: Ingredients and Substitutions
- Bulgur Wheat. I have used quinoa or couscous in place of bulgur in a pinch. And while those are good substitutes, they’re not truly authentic.
- Fresh parsley & mint. there are no substitutes for the fresh herbs in authentic tabouli.
- Roma tomatoes. choose your favorite tomato variety such as cherry tomatoes, heirloom, etc.
- Green onions. red onions are good substitutes for green, if desired.
- Lemon juice. freshly squeezed or bottled both work well.
- Minced garlic. use jarred or freshly minced garlic.
How to Make Tabouli
We will walk through how to make tabbouleh step-by-step. Be sure to watch the video for extra help!
Prepare the Bulgur
Begin this recipe by preparing the bulgur. To do this, combine ½ cup bulgur and 1 cup water in a pot. Bring to a boil.
Then, cover and reduce heat to a simmer and cook until tender, about 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes, drain the excess water. Then transfer the bulgur to a large bowl and fluff with a fork. Let it cool.
Make the Dressing
In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, sea salt and pepper. Set aside.
Assemble the Tabbouleh Salad
Once the bulgur is cooled and the dressing is ready, it’s time to assemble the tabouli salad.
Begin by adding parsley, mint, tomatoes, green onion and cucumber to the cooled bulgur wheat and stir to combine.
Then, pour the dressing over the tabbouleh and stir until it’s evenly distributed.
Next, cover the bowl and chill the tabbouleh for at least 2 hours.
Serve
Serve cold with your favorite Mediterranean dishes. Here are some suggestions:
- Greek meatballs are a family favorite.
- Serve it alongside these chicken kebabs or grilled Greek chicken.
- Serve it with a this homemade tzatziki sauce and homemade hummus (you can use store-bought but homemade is so much better)!
- Make yellow rice, Greek Salad, Greek pasta salad, or Greek Orzo Salad.
- Pair it with homemade pita bread or homemade naan!
Store
Store leftovers of this Tabbouleh Recipe in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 5-7 days. I do not recommend freezing this recipe, as the texture of the tomatoes and cucumbers will change after freezing and thawing.
Tabbouleh Recipe FAQs
It’s made of bulgur wheat, parsley, mint, tomatoes, onions and cucumbers, and a lemon, olive oil, garlic dressing.
Tabouli originated in Lebanon, some people say Syria.
Be sure the bulgur wheat is completely dried and cooled before assembling the tabbouleh salad. You can also remove the seeds/insides of the tomatoes to reduce moisture in the recipe.
It can last for up to 1 week stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
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Easy Tabbouleh Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup bulgur wheat
- 2 cups flat leaf parsley finely chopped
- ¼ cup fresh mint finely chopped
- 2 Roma tomatoes finely diced
- 4 green onions finely sliced (1/2 cup)
- 1 cucumber peeled and finely diced (about 1 cup)
Dressing
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- Pepper
Instructions
Prepare the Bulgur
- Combine ½ cup bulgur and 1 cup water in a pot. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to a simmer and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain excess water, transfer bulgur to a large bowl and fluff with a fork. Let it cool.
Make the Dressing
- In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, sea salt and pepper. Set aside.
Assemble the Tabbouleh
- Add parsley, mint, tomatoes, green onion and cucumber to the cooled bulgur wheat and stir to combine.
- Pour dressing over the tabbouleh and stir until evenly distributed.
- Cover and chill for at least 2 hours.
- Serve cold with your favorite Mediterranean dishes.
Video
Notes
- Bulgur Wheat. I have used quinoa or couscous in place of bulgur in a pinch. And while those are good substitutes, they’re not truly authentic.
- Fresh parsley & mint. there are no substitutes for the fresh herbs in authentic tabouli.
- Roma tomatoes. choose your favorite tomato variety such as cherry tomatoes, heirloom, etc.
- Green onions. red onions are good substitutes for green, if desired.
- Lemon juice. freshly squeezed or bottled both work well.
- Minced garlic. use jarred or freshly minced garlic.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hello there! I just came across your amazing recipe and I must say it looks absolutely delicious.