Lebanese Tabbouleh Salad (Tabouli)
This delicious Lebanese Tabbouleh Salad (Tabouli) is a popular Middle Eastern dish. It is fresh, leafy, herby, and citrusy. Combining these ingredients creates a mouth-watering, healthy, and savory side that can be served with shawarmas, grilled kabobs, lamb, chicken or fish.
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This side dish is refreshing, citrusy, and bursting with flavor. Each bite offers a delightful mix of textures from the bulgur wheat, tomatoes, cucumber, fresh herbs, and a splash of lemon juice.
Tabbouleh comes from the Arabic word 'taabil', which means to season or spice. It is thought that tabbouleh was first eaten in the mountains of Lebanon and Syria more than 4000 years ago. Traditionally, tabouleh is served as part of a mezze in the Arab region. However, it has become popular in the western areas. Some dish variations include lettuce, sweet peppers or semolina instead of bulgur wheat.
You may also enjoy this Easy Lebanese Fattoush Salad, Vegetarian Mediterranean Pasta Salad or Easy Chicken Kebab in the Oven.
Why This Recipe Works
- This addition of parsley, mint and cucumber makes this salad refreshing and delicious!
- It is seasoned with simple and easy-to-find ingredients such as lemon juice, salt, and pepper, adding a zesty citrusy flavor.
- It can be served alongside Oven-Baked Salmon with Lemon and Pepper or Easy Chicken Kebab in the Oven.
- You can adjust this recipe to suit your taste by adding less or more of each ingredient.
- Double or triple the recipe to feed more.
Ingredients
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
- Bulgur wheat: One of the main ingredients in tabbouleh. You can use medium-sized bulgur wheat or fine bulgur wheat for this recipe. To prepare medium-sized bulgur wheat, use hot water. Refined bulgur wheat does not need to be cooked. Make sure you read the packaging to ensure that you prepare the bulgur correctly.
- Parsley: A leafy green herb that adds delicious flavor to this side. Make sure you use fresh parsley.
- Mint: The second leafy green herb in tabbouleh adds a distinct minty flavor, making this side dish taste very refreshing. Use fresh mint for this recipe.
- Tomatoes: Use fresh tomatoes for this recipe.
- Cucumber: Use fresh cucumbers.
- Onion: Traditionally, green onions/scallions/spring onions are used in tabbouleh. However, you can use white onions instead.
- Garlic: Crush fresh garlic cloves very finely for this recipe.
- Seasonings: All you need is salt and pepper to taste for this recipe.
- Lemon juice: Do not skip the lemon juice! In my opinion, it really makes this dish. However, be careful not to add too much. If you do, you can always add more bulgur wheat to balance the flavors.
Tips and Substitutions
- Herbs: Wash herbs thoroughly and leave to dry. Remove the stems from the parsley and mint before chopping.
- Chopping: Chop tomatoes, cucumbers, green onions, parsley, and mint as finely as possible. You can also use a food processor.
- Liquid: Drain tomatoes, cucumbers, green onions, parsley, and mint after seasoning them with salt and pepper.
- Flavor: For optimal flavor, leave to sit in the fridge for 3 hours.
- Bulgur wheat: Al dente bulgur wheat is best for this recipe.
How to Make Lebanese Tabbouleh Salad (Tabouli)
- Add bulgur wheat to a pot.
2. Add enough water to cover the bulgur wheat and salt to taste. Bring it to a boil then cook for 10-12 minutes on low to medium heat or until done (follow the instructions on the packaging).
3. Chop and dice the fresh herbs, scallions, tomatoes and cucumber as thinly as possible.
4. Add the cooled bulgur wheat, chopped vegetables and lemon to a bowl.
5. Squeeze the lemon juice into the bowl removing all seeds, add olive oil and season the salad with salt and black pepper.
6. Toss everything in a bowl until combined.
7. Serve this refreshing zesty Lebanese Tabbouleh Salad (Tabouli) with Tandoori Chicken Kebabs or Chicken Doner Kebab.
Recipe FAQs
Tabbouleh combines bulgur wheat, tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, parsley, mint, lemon, olive oil, salt, and pepper.
Tabbouleh is made with bulgur wheat, tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, parsley, mint, and a zesty lemon dressing. In contrast, fattoush features lettuce, tomatoes, fried pita, cucumbers, parsley, and a tangy pomegranate dressing.
Refrigerate in an air-tight container for 1-2 days.
More Delicious Salad Recipes
Lebanese Tabbouleh Salad (Tabouli)
Equipment
- chopping board
- Chefs knife
Ingredients
- ½ a cup of bulgur wheat
- 3 large bunches of parsley
- ½ a bunch of mint
- 4 tomatoes
- 1 cup of cucumber
- ½ a cup of green onions
- 2 garlic cloves
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 3-4 tablespoon of lemon juice
- â…“ cup of olive oil
Instructions
- Add cooked bulgur wheat to a bowl (see notes). Add olive oil and lemon juice to a separate bowl and whisk until well combined. Pour the mixture into the bulgur wheat, stir and set aside for later.
- Meanwhile, chop tomatoes, cucumbers, green onions, garlic, parsley, mint very finely and add the ingredients to a bowl. Season the ingredients with salt and pepper to taste, drain and set aside.
- Add bulgur to the chopped ingredients and toss together.
- Serve at room temperature or cold. Option to refrigerate for 30 minutes to intensify flavours.
Notes
- Herbs: Wash the herbs thoroughly and let them dry. Remove the stems from the parsley and mint before chopping.
- Chopping: Finely chop the tomatoes, cucumbers, green onions, parsley, and mint. You can also use a food processor to make it easier.
- Liquid: After seasoning the tomatoes, cucumbers, green onions, parsley, and mint with salt and pepper, make sure to drain any excess liquid.
- Flavor: For the best flavor, let the mixture sit in the fridge for 3 hours.
- Bulgur Wheat: Cook the bulgur wheat al dente for this recipe. Follow the instructions on the packaging.
I love making tabbouleh. The bright greens and the acidic dressing goes so well with grilled meats. Such a great recipe.
I made your tabbouleh recipe as a side dish for my roasted branzino and it was the perfect compliment. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Because I'm gluten intolerant I substituted the bulgur wheat with quinoa.The flavor was so spot on I could have eaten the entire dish alone.
I love Tabbouleh but never made it at home until I tried this recipe! It was delicious and such a good addition to my dinner!
This tabbouleh was not only super yummy, but really filling as well! I enjoyed this recipe and I will for sure make this again
This tabbouleh is so refreshing and rivals that of my favorite Mediterranean restaurant. I'll be making it again.
The flavors in this salad were perfectly balanced and so refreshing. I'm going to be saving so much money not ordering tabbouleh from around the corner. This was easy to make!
Sooo GOOD! Thanks for sharing! Try this!! It’s soooo great my husband love it and brought the left over to work. The only thing that I added is a 1/4 tsp of sumac and all the dry ingredients went in the dressing and mix well. Oh! I used some quinoa .
I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Love this recipe! Tabbouleh is one of my favorite salads, and this recipe deliveres. The perfect combination of fresh parsley, bulgur, and mint. Will definitely be making this again! ??
Love this recipe! Perfect blend of fresh and herby. Definitely a new favorite in my household.
Wow, this recipe for Lebanese Tabbouleh Salad looks amazing! I'm definitely going to try it out. I love the fresh herbs and parsley used in the dish. It sounds so refreshing and perfect for a summer meal. Can't wait to give it a try! ??
Wow, I'm so glad I stumbled upon this blog post! I've been looking for a great tabbouleh salad recipe for ages, and this one looks absolutely delicious. I can't wait to try it out and add some fresh parsley and mint to give it a bit of a boost. Thanks for sharing!
Love this recipe! Tabbouleh is one of my favorite Middle Eastern dishes and this recipe is so easy to make. The combination of bulgur, parsley, tomatoes, and mint is perfect. Definitely giving it a try this weekend!
Loved this recipe! I've tried making Tabbouleh before but it never turned out quite right. This one is a game-changer. The dressing recipe you included was spot on. Can't wait to make it again!
This Tabbouleh recipe looks refreshing and packed with flavor! I love how you highlighted the importance of fresh ingredients. Can't wait to try it at my next gathering! Thank you for sharing!