If you've been searching for the perfect Lebanese Tabbouleh recipe, you're in the right place. This fresh, herb-packed salad is light, refreshing, and bursting with flavor, exactly how authentic tabbouleh should be. It's the perfect side for sumac chicken, shish kabobs, grilled meats, and just about anything coming off the grill.
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Although most Middle Eastern cultures enjoy this tasty salad, we credit the Lebanese for their delicious Lebanese Tabbouleh recipe. This salad is loaded with nutritious ingredients, but you'll feel like you're splurging when you take your first bite.
It can be served with this Lebanese Mujadara recipe, bulgur pilaf, and with meat options like kofta kebabs, zaatar chicken, or Lahm bi ajeen.
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🔖 Ingredients & Substitutions
- Bulgur: Bulgur is a parboiled cracked wheat and comes in different grain sizes from 1 to 4. You'll need #1, which is the finest.
- Lettuce: I prefer to use Romaine lettuce, but you can substitute another crisp lettuce or leave the lettuce out and add more parsley.
- Tomatoes: Roma tomatoes are my favorite tomatoes to add to tabbouleh.
- Cucumbers: I prefer to use Persian cucumbers. If you have access to Armenian cucumbers, they are an excellent option. If you can't get either, use an English cucumber.
- Onion: Green onions or scallions are usually added to tabbouleh.
- Fresh Herbs: You'll need either flat-leaf parsley or curly parsley and fresh mint leaves.
- Oil: Use a good quality extra virgin olive oil. If you have to, you can substitute avocado oil.
- Seasoning: All you need is salt and black pepper. A little cayenne pepper can be added for heat. Speaking of heat, you can add 1 spicy Chile such as a Serrano or a jalapeño pepper, although they are not traditionally added to a tabbouleh salad.
🥗 How to Make Lebanese Tabbouleh
Step 1: Add bulgur to a medium-sized bowl. Pour warm water over the bulgur and soak for 20 minutes.
Step 2: Most of the water will get absorbed, but squeeze handfuls of bulgur over a strainer to remove any additional moisture. Place the bulgur in the fridge until completely cooled.
Step 3: Meanwhile, chop/mince the vegetables and herbs, then add to a medium-sized bowl. Once the bulgur has cooled off, mix it in with the vegetables and herbs.
Step 4: Whisk the dressing ingredients, and pour over the salad.
Step 5: Gently mix the salad ingredients, and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving. Sometimes the salad needs a little extra lemon juice or salt right before serving it.
If you're looking for other authentic Lebanese recipes, make sure you try this Lebanese Salad Dressing recipe from Janelle at PlantBasedFolk.com!
How to Make Gluten-Free Tabbouleh
If you can't tolerate gluten, you can still enjoy this tasty salad. To make gluten-free tabouli, substitute quinoa for the bulgur. You'll want to cook the quinoa as directed on the package, then cool it completely before mixing it in with the other ingredients.
🧆 Lebanese Tabbouleh Serving Suggestions
One way to serve tabouli is in a bowl that's lined with romaine lettuce leaves. It makes for a beautiful presentation. You can also sprinkle the salad with feta cheese to up the protein.
Tabbouleh can be served as part of a mezze platter, as a side dish, or as an appetizer. Serve this Lebanese tabbouleh salad with any of the following: Assyrian Egg rolls, Falafel wrap, or as part of a falafel bowl.
Another option is to serve this salad with Arayes, Lebanese Hummus, or lahm bi ajeen.
🤷🏻♀️ Recipe FAQs
Tabouli can be enjoyed as a side to many dishes, including grilled ribeye steaks and sumac chicken. Or serve it with a chicken shawarma plate. In the Middle East, Lebanese Tabbouleh is served as Mezeh (or appetizer) and is suited to be served alongside Lamb Shish Kabobs and hummus.
Tabouli is a Lebanese Salad, while Couscous is a tiny round pasta made with durum wheat
If you can't find fine-grain bulgur or quinoa to make tabouli, feel free to substitute couscous instead.
👩🏼🍳 Pro Tips
- If you prefer the taste of traditional Lebanese Tabbouleh, just leave out the Romaine lettuce and jalapeno. Instead, add a whole bunch of Italian parsley.
- Lebanese Tabbouleh is best when eaten the same day, but if you have leftovers, a squirt of fresh lemon can do wonders.
- Bulgur comes in four grinds. Grind #1 is the finest, while #4 is the largest grind and is used to make (Bulgur Pilaf). The finest grind is used to make Tabouli.
- If you don't have fresh mint, dried mint can be substituted.
- Some add additional ingredients like sumac powder or pomegranate molasses to tabouli.
🥦 More Salad Recipes
If you enjoy this Lebanese Tabbouleh Recipe, be sure to try these other tasty salads as well!
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📖 Recipe
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Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Add bulgur to a medium-sized bowl. Pour warm water over the bulgur and soak for 20 minutes
- Most of the water will get absorbed, but squeeze handfuls of bulgur over a strainer, to remove any additional moisture. Place the bulgur in the fridge until completely cooled.
- Meanwhile, chop/mince the vegetables and herbs, and add to a medium-sized bowl. Once the bulgur has cooled off, mix in with the vegetables and herbs.
- Whisk the dressing ingredients, and pour over the salad.
- Gently mix the salad ingredients, and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving. Sometimes the salad needs a little extra lemon juice or salt right before serving.
Nutrition
Notes
- If you prefer the taste of traditional Lebanese Tabbouleh, just leave out the Romaine lettuce and jalapeno. Instead, add a whole bunch of Italian parsley.
- Lebanese Tabbouleh is best when eaten the same day, but if you have leftovers, a squirt of fresh lemon can do wonders.
- Bulgur comes in four grinds. Grind #1 is the finest, while #4 is the largest grind and is used to make (Bulgur Pilaf). The finest grind is used to make Tabouli.
- If you don't have fresh mint, dried mint can be substituted.
- Some add additional ingredients like Sumac Powder or Pomegranate Molasses to Tabouli.
Karen says
Hi, Hilda!! Thanks for the recipe! I just want to say that I have subbed chia seed for the Bulgar and it works great!!
Hilda Sterner says
Hi Karen,
Wow! Chia seeds? I can't even imagine. Doesn't it clump up and become gelatinous?
Dave says
This was excellent! I haven’t had this in years and this was better than I remember!!!
Hilda Sterner says
Thanks, Dave, really appreciate the review!