Tabouli salad is easy to make and absolutely delicious! From crisp cucumber, sweet tomatoes, briny olives and bright parsley, every bite is a little different. A classic Levantine dish (also spelled tabbouleh, tabouleh and taboulah), it's a vegetarian salad recipe that is loaded with flavor and texture. Bulgur wheat makes this Middle Eastern salad hearty enough to make it a main dish and I love to add salty creamy feta to make the salad even better.
Bulgur is a quick-cooking, versatile grain that is very forgiving (like the quinoa in this Kale and Quinoa Salad or this Greek Quinoa Salad). You can make it a day ahead, refrigerate it, and when you take it out the next day and fluff it with a fork, it will still be light and delicious. I use it as a base for a variety of salads or make it alone with a swirl of olive oil and a pinch of salt as a simple side dish.
Jump to:
Ingredients You Need to Make Tabouli Salad
- Water: broth
- Dry Bulgur: (see more on what it is below)
- Salt: omit if using broth
- Lemon Juice: ideally fresh lemon juice
- Olive Oil: good quality extra virgin olive oil
- Garlic: fresh garlic is a key flavor component so garlic powder isn't a good option for this salad
- Green Onions: or fresh chives
- Parsley: fresh parsley, ideally flat leaf (Italian) parsley
- Fresh Mint Leaves: dried mint is not a good substitute here
- Tomatoes: ideally cherry tomatoes, but diced plum tomatoes or Roma tomatoes would also work well
- English Cucumber: or Persian cucumbers
- Feta Cheese: ideally sheep's milk feta
- Greek Olives: or kalamata olives
FAQ
It's a dish that's high in fiber and low in calories along with vitamins, minerals and protein. See the nutrition information in the recipe card for more details.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Bulgur is cracked wheat, a quick-cooking, versatile grain that is very forgiving (like the quinoa in this Kale and Quinoa Salad or this Greek Quinoa Salad). You can make it a day ahead, refrigerate it, and when you take it out the next day and fluff it with a fork, it will still be light and delicious. I use it as a base for a variety of salads or make it alone with a swirl of olive oil and a pinch of salt as a simple side dish.
The correct pronunciation is "TAH-boo-lee".
Recipe Options
- Often Tabouli Salad doesn't include cucumber, tomatoes, olives, and cheese, but it's my favorite way to serve it. Feel free to skip those ingredients for a more traditional salad.
- For a vegan version, just skip the feta cheese.
- If you prefer a gluten free version, make this Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad recipe instead.
Serve With
For a feast, I love to serve this with Grilled Shrimp or Grilled Lamb Chops / Grilled Lamb Loin Chops (or Roasted Lamb Chops in the fall and winter) and some of my other favorite Mediterranean recipes like this pita bread recipe served with Baba Ganoush, Tzatziki, and White Bean Hummus!
How to Make Tabouli Salad
- Stir dry bulgur into boiling water and turn heat off; cover and let stand 25 minutes. Fluff cooked bulgur and let cool.
- To cooled bulgur stir in salt, fresh lemon juice, olive oil and garlic; cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes or up to overnight.
- When ready to serve, fluff bulgur and add remaining ingredients; gently stir to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper; serve.
Tabouli Salad
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups boiling water or chicken broth or vegetable broth
- 1 cup dry bulgur
- 1 teaspoon salt omit if you are using broth
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice about 1 lemon
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 3 green onions (scallions), finely chopped
- ½ cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
- ⅓ cup chopped fresh mint leaves
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 large English cucumber (or 2 medium Persian cucumbers) cut into ½-inch pieces
- 3 ounces crumbled feta
- 1 cup Greek olives or kalamata olives, pitted and halved, (20 to 24)
Instructions
- Bring water to boil, add dry bulgur to boiling water or broth, stir. Turn heat off, leaving the pan in place; cover and let stand 25 minutes.
- Fluff bulgur with a fork and then allow to cool to room temperature.
- Once the bulgur is cool, add salt, lemon juice, olive oil, and garlic. Stir to combine; cover tightly and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or overnight.
- When you're ready to serve the salad, remove the bulgur mixture from the fridge and toss with a fork to lighten and separate. Add green onions, parsley, mint, tomatoes, cucumber, feta, and olives; stir gently to combine. Taste for seasoning – add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Serve.
You should try adding a touch of cinnamon to this recipe. A dear friend from Lebanon made it this way for me and it was off the charts!
I'll have to try that next time, David! Thanks so much.
What a lovely recipe. Just perfect.
I used to make Tabouli frequently until I moved to a rural area where Bulgar simply cannot be found. I forgot about it until I was looking for recipes using cucumber, of which, I grow more than I can eat. Then I found your recipe and was inspired.
I ordered bulgar online, then made your recipe. I love the addition of feta and kalamatas, and added some marinated garbanzos and some diced artichoke hearts. I may add chicken at a later date. Tabouli can be so diverse----the sky is the limit.
One thing that hadn't ever occurred to me was to use a flavorful broth to cook the bulgar. For me, that's game-changing.
Thank You for inspiring me to bring Tabouli back into my diet.
Your comment made my day, Carol! So glad you're enjoying this recipe and adding your own touches!
I now have two vegetarians in the house, and I think there's nothing better than a super hearty dish like this to satisfy everyone. I love bulgur, but will use quinoa or rice so my gluten-free eater can also partake. Love it! 🙂 ~Valentina
Thank you, Valentina! And I actually have a Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad on the site that would be perfect.
Wow. Well I’ve never added feta and olives to tabouli, but why the hell not?! This looks fabulous!!!
Tabouli is one of my favourite summer salads - so easy to make but packed with some great flavours and textures. And it's also beautiful and eye-pleasing.
LOVE salads like this one and with chickpeas or chicken it's a full meal! Beautiful and healthy. Summer approaches and this is a good one to make again and again.
We're hiking the parks here in Utah and I finally had a chance to catch up on reading my favorite food blogs as everyone went to bed early tonight! This would be great to make for the crowd!
I loved following you and David around Utah in your beautiful pictures! What an amazing place and adventure!! Thanks for your kind words, too Kevin. What a complement that you'd count me among your favorite blogs. I feel the very same about yours.
Utah blew us away, so stunning. It's all true, you're one of my favorite peeps!
This salad looks delish! These are basically all of my favorite flavors together in one bowl 🙂
Thank you, Allyson!
Gaaaah this is so gorgeous! Tabouli is such a perfect side dish (slash meal in and of itself), and you've reminded me I need to make it more often. This is such a beautiful go-to!
Thank you, Julia! 🙂
This is one of my favorite salads. That's amazing how just a few simple ingredients like vegetables, herbs, and bulgur can make such a hearthy, earthy, and scrumptious meal. And I do love the addition of feta too - good touch!
So true, Ben! Thank you.
Oh wow, Marissa, this is such a beautiful salad. It's making my mouth water!
It reminds me of the salads I ate in Israel.
I'd add the feta too of course! Delicious!
Thank you, my friend! 🙂
I just bought a new cookbook called The Gaza Kitchen and there's all sorts of lovely recipes like this 😀 Your salad looks wonderful Marissa! 😀
I'll have to check out that cookbook! Thanks, Lorraine.
What a fresh and delicious salad, Marissa! Love the additions in there - so much extra flavour and oomph! I know hubby would devour this one too. I'd make a big batch and eat for lunch throughout the week. And so perfect for those (hopefully soon) summer bbqs. Pinned! Cheers to a great week!
Yes! Looking forward to summer bbqs! Have a wonderful week, Dawn!
I love tabbouleh! I'm having mediterranean tomorrow night, and you have me so excited for it. Delicious 🙂
Thanks, Medha! Can't go wrong with Mediterranean! 🙂
Hi Marissa. Perfect for the upcoming warm days. What an explosion of flavors. I would be very happy with a plate of this as my dinner.
Hi Dorothy. 🙂 I'd love to make it for you!
I LOVE tabouli salads and yours looks just fabulous, Marissa! SO colorful and delicious!! I love that you really jam packed this one with all they yummies! I mean, if adding cucumber, tomatoes, olives, and cheese is wrong, then I don't want you to be right! 😉 This is so perfect for spring and summer! You can bet I'll be adding this to our menu!! Pinned! Cheers, dear!
You always make me smile, Cheyanne! 🙂 Have a wonderful week...
Gorgeous Marissa! This is totally my kind of salad. Love all the ingredients!
Thank you, Mary Ann!
This tabouli salad looks gorgeous, Marissa! I love using bulgur in a salad base...especially summer salads. And as far as I'm concerned, you can just load that bad boy up with feta cheese! Feta is such an underappreciated cheese, and I love adding it to salads and pasta salads. I need this one on my picnic menu soon! 🙂
Thanks, David. I agree about feta! Perfect for so many things... Have a great week!