Lebanese Salad with Parsley, Authentic Tabbouleh Recipe

Summer is officially here, which means BBQs, picnics, and outdoor gatherings galore. This also means that it's the perfect time to bust out some of your favorite salads for sharing. And this Authentic Tabbouleh Salad Recipe, a Traditional Lebanese salad with parsley, is definitely one of my faves! It's light, refreshing, and perfect for satisfying any palate. So read on for the how-to on making this deliciousness yourself!

This Tabbouleh Salad is a Lebanese salad with parsley that is fresh, tangy, light, and full of flavor.

The ingredients are easy to get and are put together in minutes. A true Summer Recipe Winner!

This Tabouli salad is a Middle Eastern year-round salad and a staple of Lebanese food. We often have falafel nights, which always includes this fresh dish. But during summertime, we make it countless times, as it is the kind of light salad that we munch for brunch or as a takeaway for a beach day.

We love having this tabouli recipe with Crispy Falafels, Homemade Hummus (or Pumpkin Hummus), Roasted Red Bell Pepper Dip (Muhammara), and Silky Eggplant Babaganoush available on this site for an entire Middle-inspired dinner or brunch.

Jump to:

• 🧾 Tabbouleh ingredients
• 🔪 Instructions
• 🍶 Substitutions
• 📖 Variations
• 🍽 Equipment
• 🥡 Storage
• ❓ FAQ
• 💡 Top tips
• 🥗 More healthy salads
• 🇱🇧 More Middle-Eastern Recipes
• 📋 Recipe
• 🗓️ Calories in tabbouleh
• 💬 Reviews and Comments

🧾 Tabbouleh ingredients

Below are the Tabbouleh ingredients to make it perfect

• Curly Parsley: The star of the dish, curly parsley brings a fresh, slightly peppery taste and is packed with vitamins, though flat-leaf can also be used for a slightly different texture and a more intense flavor.
• Extra Fine Bulgur Wheat: This traditional grain adds a subtle, nutty flavor and a delightful chewiness to the salad; coarse bulgur or couscous can stand in, but the texture will vary.
• Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice: Its zesty tang enlivens the other ingredients, contributing to the salad's overall freshness and aiding in the absorption of iron from the parsley.
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Quality matters here as the rich, fruity flavor of a good olive oil binds all the ingredients together and adds a smooth mouthfeel.
• Firm Plum Tomatoes: They provide a juicy, acidic contrast to the grains and herbs, and their firmness helps maintain the salad's texture.
• Green Onions: The green parts add a mild, crunchy bite that complements the bright herbs and lemon juice.
• Fresh Mint: It offers a cool, refreshing undertone that is essential to the salad's signature flavor profile.
• Cucumber: While not traditional, it can be included for an extra crunch and hydration, but its addition is a modern twist on the classic recipe.

See the recipe card for quantities.

🔪 Instructions

Hint: If you use a food processor to accelerate the process, keep in mind that it may make the green mix a little watery, and you will need to pass it through a colander or a salad spinner to get rid of the excess juice. Otherwise, your salad recipe can turn out soggy and miss the right tabouli texture.

🍶 Substitutions

To make the Lebanese tabbouleh salad healthy (even more), or if you follow a Whole Food Plant-Based, Oil-Free, or Salt-free diet, feel free to omit the olive oil and salt.

This Lebanese salad with parsley and mint is packed with flavor and tastes just as good.

• Fresh parsley: Traditional Lebanese tabouleh is made with curly parsley, but Italian parsley works well too. I have also tried using arugula in place of half of the parsley since arugula has a peppery, fresh flavor that can emulate parsley to a certain extent.
• Cucumber: To make it entirely traditional Lebanese, omit the cucumber. If you love cucumbers, try our spicy Korean cucumber salad, a great side dish for any meal.
• Bulgur wheat (cracked wheat): If you only find coarse burghul, you can use it, but you will need to add ¼ cup of boiling water to the olive oil and lemon juice mix so it softens enough. Allow an extra 10 minutes to soak. Test for hardness before mixing with the greens and veggies.
• Couscous: You can use couscous if you can't find bulgur wheat, although it isn't traditional. Just add two parts of boiling water for every part of the couscous and soak it for 15 minutes, along with the olive oil and lemon juice. Cooked quinoa is another common replacement for bulgar wheat to make tabbouleh recipes gluten-free.
• Fresh mint leaves: Some people omit fresh mint, which is completely fine, but I think it is a true differentiator. In my opinion, that would take away a lot of this tabouli salad's freshness.
• Olive oil: Try to get your hands around some good quality extra-virgin olive oil. It will make all the difference. I wouldn't use any other kind of oil on an authentic tabouli recipe.
• Lemons: It is hard to find lemons in some countries, and limes are more common; go for it! The taste will change with lime juice, but the acidity we are looking for will be there. Just make sure to use half of the amount of lemon juice, as limes are more acidic.
• Tomatoes: The parsley/tomato ratio should be noticeable; don't overdo the tomatoes and/or cucumber since the flavor profile may vary substantially. The parsley is the king here!

📖 Variations

You could add more burghul if you like, but the traditional Tabbouleh Salad only has a tiny amount. Sometimes, when I feel like having a little bit more carbs in my salad, I go crazy and double or triple the amount of burghul or couscous, which will also increase the volume.

This comes in handy if you are catering to many people.

Spicy

Add chili pepper flakes.

Flavor Strength

If you like more robust onion flavors, you could also use the white parts of the green onion and/or add a minced garlic clove.

You could also use finely chopped sweet onion or red onion.

On the contrary, as suggested above, you could place the chopped green tops and soak them in water before adding them to the mix. This will make the flavor less intense.

Texture

At times, I like using coarse burghul wheat on my tabouli salad, so when I have an extra 10 minutes, I use that one, which is also easier to find. The texture of coarse burghul sort of "bite you back." And I love textures!

More Texture

Add almonds, walnuts, or sunflower seeds on top right before serving. This will add some rich, healthy, fatty oils to your dish.

Kids friendly

Add extra burghul wheat (or couscous); the parsley flavor is less prominent. You can add riced cauliflower or cooked tiny pasta.

You could also add romaine lettuce leaves to reduce the intensity of flavors.

🍽 Equipment

Simple equipment here; you need a cutting board, a colander, and a good knife. Add a peeler if using the cucumber.

If you want to save some time or dislike chopping too much, you can use a food processor to chop the parsley together with the mint leaves.

🥡 Storage

This tabouli salad stands well in the refrigerator and is stored in an airtight container for 2-3 days.

Actually, we love next-day Tabbouleh, as the flavors are more consolidated.

The ingredients of this Lebanese salad with parsley don't stand up well to freezing, as parsley tends to get mushy.

❓ FAQ

💡 Top tips

Only use fresh ingredients.

Make sure to remove any excess juice from the tomatoes, cucumber, and chopped greens. The salad should not be soggy.

You could make this fine bulgur salad the day before or a couple of hours before serving, completely settling the flavors.

Don't throw the parsley stems; they are great for juices, salads, and pestos.

🥗 More healthy salads

Classis Greek Salad

Couscous Warm Salad with sprouted lentils.

Carrot Greens Pesto pasta salad

🇱🇧 More Middle-Eastern Recipes

Try out our Crispy falafels, Traditional Hummus Recipe, Eggplant Babaganoush, Muhammara Dip, spiced onions, or other yummy versions of hummus such as our roasted pumpkin, roasted pepper, or beetroot version.

Don't forget to check out our simple Lebanese seven spices to make stuffed zucchini or any stew taste like an authentic Lebanese dish!

⭐ If you try this recipe, let us know! 💬 Leave a comment, rate it, and don't forget to tag us @ourplantbasedworld on Instagram. Cheers!

📋 Recipe

🗓️ Calories in tabbouleh