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
- 1/2 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 tbsp lime juice (lemon juice, if you prefer)
- 3–4 tbsp 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
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Looks very delicious and so full of flavor! Can’t wait to try it.
Wonderful, Shelby! I hope you enjoy it.
I made this recipe for a potluck by doubling everything except the parsley and mint. It was a great success, especially with the vegetarians. I put the bulgur in warm water and let sit while I chopped everything else. There will be no water to squeeze out, and therefore no lost nutrients either.
Wonderful, Therese! Thanks so much for sharing!
Hi–Were you supposed to use hot water on the bulgur? I’ve never used it before, so followed the recipe. The flavors are great but the bulgur is very hard.
Hello, Michele. It depends on the kind of bulgur. In this particular recipe, I list extra fine bulgur in the ingredient list, this one–> http://amzn.to/2fOjQM and just tap water. Extra fine bulgur does not need hot water nor too much time to soak. 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. Hope this helps. I’ll add a note for future reference. Thanks for asking!
Just made this variation and it is spectacular. I too am a fan of 1-1 bulgar and parsley. Thank you Suzy!
Awesome, Jenn! Thanks so much for sharing!
Tabouli Salad is my favorite dish. Your recipe looked so great. Definitely try to make it.
Thank you, Suzy.
Awesome, Vicky! Thanks so much!
I have just made your tabouli salad and love the crunchy fresh taste.
Thank you for sharing the recipe.
I am keeping track of my caloric intake. Do you know how many calories there are in a full cup of the salad?
Thank you
Hey Vicky! So glad you hear you enjoyed the tabouli. I don’t have a way here on the blog to offer nutrition information, and I don’t really feel qualified to do so. But there are various programs and sites like myfitnesspal.com where you are able to type the ingredients in to calculate calories etc. Hope this is helpful
The only calories really worth counting are those in 3-4 tablespoons of olive oil – divided by the number of servings for a per-serving calorie result. 120 calories per tablespoon, would be about 500 calories all told.
Oh yeah, and the bulgar wheat. Nearly forgot about that.
I love to add roasted pine nuts. Why half a salad, its better the next day.
I also put pine nuts in my couscous. My husband grew in in all the French speaking N African countries. We also have Turkish friends who have all taught me so many wonderful recipes! I’ve serve Kafta with my toubeli, along with pita bread.
Nothing like a great Irish dish! lol
I love adding pine nuts to a lot of my dishes…great idea to add it on this one too! Sounds like you guys enjoy a lot of different foods!! I can’t say I know much about Irish food, but I’ll bet it’s awesome!!!
I add butley (Purslane) leaves to my tabouli, nothing like freshly squeezed lemon or lime if you perfer.
Yes, Purslane is great here too! Thanks for sharing!
Our family dish has diverted a bit, we use a one to one ratio bulgur wheat to parsley and add a lot of cinnamon with the lemon and olive oil. I love letting this sit overnight and having it the following day as the flavors blend
Great variation, Fred! The cinnamon adds a nice touch…and lemon or lime work just great here. Thanks so much for sharing!
I have never seen a tabouli recipe call for lime juice. I always use lemon. And a lot of it! I like to eat it as a meal – maybe for lunch at the office. I sometimes add garbanzo beans to make it more hardy.
Hi Angie! Actually lime is more common where I grew up, so I just use it more often. In a tabouli recipe, either lime or lemon will work. they are slightly different in taste, so you are right, you may use a different amount of lemon. I like your idea of adding garbanzo beans for a more filling meal.
This recipe is a must try for me. Thanks, Suzy for another treat from you.
Great, Jasmine! Can’t wait to hear your thoughts on this one 🙂
Looks so colorful. I love this salad so much.. Healthy and delicious.
Thank you, Tina!
I know it is not traditional but I love to add feta or goat cheese to mine.
Great idea, Nadia!
Yes, tabouli is not the same without feta cheese!
Feta is not a typical addition to tabouli. But some folks do like it that way.I personally don’t add feta to tabouli
This is a gorgeous salad. Thanks for all the tips, information and step-by-step tutorial. Pinned.
I love Tabouli Salad, however my family do not. How do you suggest I cut the recipe to make 2-3 servings?
Andrea, you can simply cut the recipe in half, and do a quick tasting to adjust from there as you like!
Change your family.
Looks very good I’ll try it out.
Great, Lola! Hope you like it!
Can the herbs and vegetables be chopped in a food processor?
Penny, great question. I hear that people do make tabouli using a food processor, so it is possible. However, if you do so, still chop each ingredient separately. I think you would have better results if you at least chop the tomatoes and cucumbers using a knife; you don’t want too much liquid which would happen using a food processor.
This looks delicious! I love your photo, Suzy!
This is one of my favorite salads! Appreciate you stopping by, Lindsay!
Can tabouli be frozen?
In my opinion, it’s not the same when you freeze tabouli. I find that it wilts too much, and the veggies lose their crunch. You can make tabouli the night before and store in a tight-lid container in the fridge.