Lebanese Tabouli Recipe

Simple, traditional tabouli salad with fresh parsley, mint, green onions, tomatoes, and bulgur wheat in a simple olive oil lemon dressing. Have this restaurant-quality vegan Middle Eastern salad ready in just minutes!

I probably enjoy a salad with at least 6 meals in a week. Three of those are likely to be this simple, homemade Lebanese tabouli salad (and at least one is my Lebanese Fattoush). It’s simple to prepare and is absolutely packed with the fresh flavors of parsley, mint, and green onion.

It is versatile enough to pair with all sorts of mezze, appetizers, and mains. It’s the flavor of my childhood! Plus, this vegan Tabouli salad is a fun way to incorporate more Mediterranean salad flavors into your dishes.

This healthy Lebanese salad is not only packed with flavor. It also contains plenty of fiber, vitamins and minerals, and heart-healthy fats, with a bit of protein too (thanks to the bulgur). And this version is the one I grew up with. I may be a little biased, but I think it’s the best tabouli ever!

Jump to:

• What Is Tabouli?
• Tabouli Ingredients
• Recipe Variations and Add-ins
• How To Make Tabouli Recipe?
• What to Serve with Taboli?
• How to Make Ahead and Store?
• FAQs
• Recipe Tips and Notes
• More Salad Recipes
• Lebanese Tabouli Recipe (Tabbouleh Salad)

What Is Tabouli?

Tabouli (also called tabbouleh, tabouleh, tabbouli, and taboulah) is a Levantine salad originating in Lebanon and Syria. This fresh, herby salad consists of bulgur wheat, tomatoes, onion, fresh mint, and parsley in a simple olive oil-lemon juice dressing. The result is super fragrant and herby, with some texture and chew from the soaked (not cooked) bulgur wheat.

Unlike many grain salads, though, the star ingredient in authentic tabbouli is the fresh parsley rather than the bulgur. Meanwhile, the bulgur is left to soak in the dressing (rather than in hot water like many recipes) to absorb the flavor and plump up until chewy and delicious. With the addition of mint and green onion, tabouli salad is made even more fragrant.

I’ve also made a gluten-free lentil tabbouleh recipe and love serving this as part of my regular salad rotation with my Middle Eastern chickpea salad (balela), Mediterranean chopped salad, and Shirazi salad.

Tabouli Ingredients

Prepare this Lebanese tabbouleh salad recipe with just a handful of fresh ingredients and pantry staples.

The Chopped Herb Salad

• Parsley: You’ll need Italian/flat-leaf parsley and plenty of it (leaves and stems) for this recipe for tabouli. It is the star of the show, after all! Curly parsley will work as an alternative.
• Mint: While this is technically optional, fresh mint leaves are a must-have, in my opinion.
• Green Onions: Green onions/scallions add a wonderful subtle onion flavor without overpowering. You could substitute red onion or sweet onion for a more robust flavor.
• Tomatoes: Use firm, fleshy tomatoes that are ripe (we’ll be draining the excess juice for the dressing). You could use cherry/grape tomatoes during the winter.
• Bulgur wheat: Bulgur wheat (also sometimes called cracked wheat) comes in several sizes. I recommend using the finest one (labeled extra fine). It only takes a couple of minutes to start soaking up the dressing liquid and softening. I use homemade bulgur.

If you use coarse bulgur wheat, it can take up to 45 minutes to soak (best done in a hot liquid or boiling water) and soften enough to be palatable within the tabbouleh.

For the Tabouli Dressing

This simple Mediterranean-style salad dressing relies on just two ingredients plus salt and pepper, all mixed with the excess water from the tomatoes. It’s simple but absolutely delicious.

• Olive oil: Use extra virgin olive oil for the best flavor and health benefits. You should use a good quality olive oil for this recipe.
• Lemon juice: Fresh lemon juice is best. Lime juice would work in a pinch.

You can increase the zesty flavor of the dressing with the addition of ½-1 teaspoon of lemon zest.

• Salt & Black pepper: Season to taste.

Recipe Variations and Add-ins

• Chili: Add a finely diced small red chili pepper for some heat in the bulgur tabbouleh.
• Pomegranate: Use instead of or alongside the tomato. You could also use some pomegranate molasses in the tabouli dressing.
• Cucumber: This isn’t added to a traditional tabbouleh salad. However, I love to add cucumber to chopped salads for the crisp crunch. Use Persian or English cucumbers and de-seed them to avoid a soggy tabouleh. You can also salt it with the tomatoes to drain excess liquid.
• Bell pepper: Finely chopped bell pepper (green, red, orange, or yellow) will add extra crunch and nutrition.
• Olives: To add tang. Use black or green olives.
• Ground allspice: Just a pinch adds further depth of flavor.
• Lebanese 7 spice: Alternatively to the above, add a pinch of Lebanese 7 spice.
• Low carb: You could use riced cauliflower in place of the bulgur.
• Feta: Crumble a little feta cheese or vegan feta over the salad for a salty, tangy flavor.
• Chickpeas: Up the protein in the tabouleh with the addition of chickpeas (or white beans).
• Garlic: Add a clove (adjust to taste) or minced garlic to the dressing for more flavor.

How To Make Tabouli Recipe?

First, rinse and dry, then dice the tomatoes and transfer them to a colander. Sprinkle them with salt and then allow them to drain into a small bowl for 15- 20 minutes.

To prepare the dressing, combine the olive oil, lemon juice, and drained tomato juice. Then add the bulgur wheat and salt and pepper (salt to taste as the tomato juice is already salty).

Set it aside for a few minutes to allow the bulgur to soften and absorb the liquid.

Meanwhile, wash, dry, and then chop the herbs. Slice the green onions, roughly chop the parsley, and ribbon the mint (refer to FAQs). Then transfer everything to a large serving dish and toss to combine.

What to Serve with Taboli?

Tabouli is a popular addition to any mezze spread and works as an appetizer or side dish for a wide variety of meals. You could enjoy it with:

• Lettuce – use romaine lettuce leaves to scoop up the tabouli into little lettuce cups. This is actually how it is mostly served in Lebanon one of the main mezze.
• Pita bread
• Hummus
• Baba ghanoush
• Fattoush salad
• Batata harra (a spicy potato appetizer)
• Dolmas (stuffed grape leaves)
• A falafel wrap, burger, or loose falafel as part of a mezze platter.
• Chicken shish tawook
• Lamb kofta
• Shawarma (chicken) or mushroom.
• With fish dishes like baked salmon.

How to Make Ahead and Store?

Make ahead: You can prepare the salad 2-3 days in advance. First, however, follow all the tips to avoid a soggy salad (in the FAQs below). I recommend only adding the tomato and salad dressing 30 minutes (or less) before serving.

Store: Once prepared, the leftover tabouli salad will last in the refrigerator for 2-3 days in an airtight container. It will taste even better on day two, after plenty of marinating.

I highly recommend removing it from the fridge 20-30 minutes before serving for the best texture and flavor.

I don’t recommend freezing the tabouleh.

FAQs

Recipe Tips and Notes

• Use a sharp knife: To finely chop all the ingredients. You can use a food processor for the parsley. But a knife is the best tool for everything else.
• Adjust the ratio: One of the biggest variations between regions is the ratio of the ingredients. For example, in Lebanon, this is a parsley-based salad. However, similar versions of this dish in other countries use more bulgur. So experiment – and not just with those two ingredients – and you can easily tailor this to your tastes.
• Salt the tomatoes: The drained juice is a delicious addition to the dressing. And the tabouli won’t become too soggy over time.
• Leaving it to marinate: Add the dressing to the salad just before serving for the very freshest results. For a more developed flavor, add it at least 30 minutes (2 hours is even better!) in advance and leave it to marinate.
• Use the best ingredients: When possible, use all fresh, ripe, in-season veggies. For example, during winter, cherry/grape tomatoes often have the best flavor.

More Salad Recipes

• Lebanese Lentil Tabbouleh (Vegan Lentil Salad)
• The Best Quinoa Salad
• Cucumber onion salad
• Roasted beet and goat cheese salad
• Simple cucumber avocado tomato salad

If you try this Lebanese tabouli recipe, I’d love to hear your thoughts and questions below. Also, I’d appreciate a recipe card rating below, and tag me in your recipe recreations on Instagram @Alphafoodie!