Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad Recipe

This quinoa tabouleh recipe is a twist on the traditional Lebanese salad, using quinoa instead of bulgur. It’s filled with fresh parsley for a satisfying and healthy addition to any meal!

What is Tabbouleh Salad?

Tabbouleh (or tabouli) salad is traditionally made with finely chopped parsley, tomatoes, mint, and bulgur. It’s a Lebanese salad that is typically served as a side dish and parsley is really the star of the show. Bulger is a kind of wheat, but I know many of you probably don’t have bulgur in your pantry. So this non-traditional version of tabbouleh uses quinoa instead!

What is Quinoa?

Quinoa is technically a seed but it cooks like a grain. It has a slightly nutty flavor. You can usually find it at the grocery store near the rice. Quinoa is a fantastic ingredient to add to your diet, especially if you’re a vegetarian. It’s one of the few plant foods that contain all nine essential amino acids!

Quinoa Tabbouleh Ingredients

• Quinoa– This will replace the bulger used in traditional tabbouleh
• Fresh parsley– Parsley is really the main component of a tabbouleh salad so don’t substitute this! You can use flat or curly parsley.
• Fresh mint– A little fresh mint enhances the herbal flavor.
• Tomatoes– I used chopped cherry tomatoes but any kind of tomato can be chopped and used in this dish.
• Cucumber– While not traditionally used in a tabbouleh salad, I liked the added crunch they added to this recipe.
• Olive oil– I recommend a high-quality olive oil, which will have a light, slightly fruity flavor.
• Lemon juice– A squeeze of fresh lemon juice really brightens the salad.
• Salt & pepper– Don’t forget to season your salad to taste.

Tips for Perfect Quinoa Tabbouleh

• Make sure you rinse your quinoa before cooking. Quinoa can have a bitter flavor, and rinsing gets rid of some of the bitterness.
• After chopping the tomatoes, drain any liquid to avoid a soggy salad.
• You can make quinoa on the stovetop, as the instructions will typically suggest, but you can also make quinoa in an Instant Pot or you can cook quinoa in a rice cooker!
• Make sure you use fresh parsley! That’s essential for this recipe, so dried parsley won’t work in this case.

How to Store Leftovers

This quinoa tabbouleh will last 3-4 days in the fridge, stored in an airtight container. You can easily make this salad in advance, and I think the flavors are actually better after a couple of hours.

What to Serve with Quinoa Tabbouleh

This makes a great side dish for falafel or chickpea gyros. You could even turn this salad into a main dish if you added protein on top! To bulk up this dish, you can also serve it on a bed of mixed greens or chopped romaine.

More Quinoa Recipes

• Quinoa Taco Skillet
• Chickpea Quinoa Bowls
• Avocado & Quinoa Bowls

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