My take on the traditional Lebanese Tabbouli salad, this fresh and flavorful salad is the perfect meal for summer (or anytime to be honest)! It’s packed with fresh herbs + spices for a pop of flavor that really highlights this gluten free, dairy free, and vegan Tabouli Salad. It’s light and refreshing as a main meal or side dish and is easily adaptable.
And just to note, you may also recognize the alternative spelling of tabouli as Tabbouleh. So don’t be confused if you see variations of the spelling for this delicious Tabbouleh Salad!
And if you’re looking for more savory meal options, two of my favorite are these Vegetarian Spicy Tahini Rice Noodles or this Thai Coconut Curry Shrimp Noodles Recipe!
What is Tabouli?
Tabouli, also known as Tabbouleh, is a vegan salad that originated in Lebanon and Syria, quickly becoming a staple in Middle Eastern cuisine. And as a fun fact, Tabbouleh is so well loved in Lebanon that they even have an entire day dedicated to celebrate it. Now that’s when you *know* a dish is great! To learn more about this delicious dish, jump over here.
Tabouli Salad Ingredients
Steel Cut Oats – While not an ingredient added in traditional Tabbouli Salad, I added to this recipe because it adds a great chewy texture that blends well with the parsley, and is packed with loads of fiber! But you can also sub with another grain of your choice such as quinoa, brown rice, farro, etc. For a tutorial on making savory steel cut oats, head to this post on How to Cook Savory Steel Cut Oats.
Olive Oil – Since this pairs with the lemon juice and lemon zest as the dressing for the tabouli salad, I try to use a high quality olive oil.
Water or Vegetable Broth – Needed to cook the steel cut oats, water works fine or if able, Vegetable Broth adds extra flavor. Adjust liquid if making quinoa instead: increase to 1 cup of liquid and decrease cooking time to 15 minutes.
Curly Parsley – Acts as the base (alongside bulgur) in traditional Lebanese Tabbouleh Salad.
Green Onion – Adds fresh flavor and color to the finished dish!
Fresh Mint – Is a burst of flavor and adds color to the salad.
Chickpeas – Adds texture, fiber, and protein to this vegan Tabouli Salad.
English Cucumber – The perfect vegetable to add a light and crisp bite.
Cherry Tomatoes – Bursting with flavor, cherry tomatoes are a must!
Lemon Juice & Zest – Enhances the bright flavors of the dish and helps keep the ingredients colorful.
How to Make Tabouli Salad
- Start by preparing your savory steel cut oats. Add all ingredients to a non-stick 2 qt. lidded pot and cover. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, simmer while covered for 20 minutes. Turn off heat and let rest covered for 10 minutes, then fluff with a fork. Set aside to cool.
- While oats are cooking, prepare your Tabbouleh filling. Remove the thick stems of your parsley, and rough chop remaining parsley/stems until fine. Add to a large bowl.
- Add chopped mint and thinly sliced green onion to bowl and season with ½ tsp salt, stirring again. Add 2 tbsp olive oil and stir again. This helps ensure that the greens stay bright in color!
- In a small bowl add the chickpeas, cucumber, and cherry tomato. Season with salt (~¼ tsp), stir, and add to the large bowl with chopped parsley, mint, and green onion.
- Finish tabbouleh by stirring in cooled savory steel cut oats, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Season with fresh ground black pepper, and additional salt if needed.
What if I Want to Make Quinoa Tabouli?
While I personally love the chewy texture of the savory steel cut oats, if you don’t have them on hand, quinoa is another great gluten free substitute. So go ahead and experiment with a quinoa Tabouli Salad if that works better for you!
All you have to do is follow the above instructions for the steel cut oats except for the liquid, increase to 1 cup of water or vegetable broth (instead of 2/3 cup), and decrease the cooking time from 20 minutes to 15 minutes. It’s easy and surly just as delicious!
Recipe Substitutions
Savory Steel Cut Oats – You can sub with quinoa for a great gluten free alternative or for a more traditional Lebanese Tabbouleh Salad, sub for bulgur.
Olive Oil – You can sub for any neutral oil.
Garlic – Fresh garlic gives the best flavor but if needed, sub with 1/8 tsp garlic powder or 1/4 tsp granulated garlic.
Water/Vegetable Broth – If you do not have vegetable broth, use water. If you’d still like the flavor from a broth, feel free to use any other broth but *note* it will no longer be vegan.
Curly Parsley – I prefer the texture of curley parsley but you can sub with flat leaf parsley and it will still be just as delicious!
Chickpeas – If you’re not a fan of chickpeas, simply leave them out! You could also sub for any other canned bean such as cannellini, fava, black bean, etc.
Is Tabouli Gluten Free?
Traditionally, Tabouli is made with a bulgur base but this recipe with savory steel cut oats is in fact, gluten free! And if you sub with quinoa, it’s still gluten free. So no worries there 🙂
Tips for Making Gluten Free Tabouli Salad
- Make you to dry your herbs after properly rinsing them. This will ensure there’s no excess water in the recipe!
- Do not use a food processor for the parsley, mint, or green onions! This will smash the herbs and so it’s best to finely chop them with a knife.
- Make sure to use fresh lemon juice and zest, as well as a high quality olive oil. These act as the dressing for the salad so this is important! ~ To learn more about what to look for in a high quality olive oil, check out this article!
- Rinse then pat dry your canned beans.
- Letting the finished recipe sit for at least 30 minutes before serving allows all the flavors to really come together!
Why You Should Make This Tabouli Recipe
Well first things first, it’s absolutely delicious! I mean who doesn’t love a fresh and flavorful summer salad?! And besides that, I don’t know about you, but at the start of May I stocked up on all my non-perishable food items, aka grains and beans. This Tabouli Salad recipe is a great way to use up any that you still have around!
Watch this Video! How to make Tabouli Salad
What to Serve with Tabouli Salad
One option is to serve it as a side dish, my favorite local mediterranean resttaurant does this! Otherwise, I love it with hummus, falafel, and some fresh pita!
And if you’re looking for any other savory, gluten free, and vegan side dishes, try this Whole30 Cauliflower Fried Rice recipe or for a warmer flavor, this Maple Roasted Squash Salad.
If you try this recipe, please let me know by leaving a comment and rating in the boxes below! I always love to hear from you, and it also helps other people find this recipe when they search online for the BEST EVER Tabouli (or Tabbouleh) Salad 🙂
Ingredients
Savory Steel Cut Oats
- ½ cup steel cut oats
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 clove garlic minced
- ⅔ cup water or vegetable broth
- ¼ tsp salt
Tabouli
- 3 bunches curly parsley chopped super fine
- 2 stalks green onion sliced thin
- 2 containers fresh mint chopped fine, ~½ cup packed
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ½ cup chickpeas rinsed and drained
- 6 inch piece english cucumber peeled & quartered
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes quartered
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice ~1-2 lemons
- 1 tbsp lemon zest ~1-2 lemons
Instructions
Savory Steel Cut Oats
- Start by preparing your savory steel cut oats. Add all ingredients to a non-stick 2 qt. lidded pot and cover. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, simmer covered for 20 minutes. Turn off heat and let rest covered for 10 minutes, then fluff with a fork. Set aside to cool.
Tabouli Salad
- While oats are cooking, prepare your tabbouleh filling. Remove the thick stems of your parsley, and rough chop remaining parsley/stems until fine. Add to a large bowl.
- Add chopped mint and thinly sliced green onion to bowl and season with ½ tsp salt, stirring again. Add 2 tbsp olive oil and stir again.
- In a small bowl add the chickpeas, cucumber, and cherry tomato. Season with salt (~¼ tsp), stir, and add to the large bowl with chopped parsley, mint, and green onion.
- Finish tabbouleh by stirring in cooled savory steel cut oats, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Season with fresh ground black pepper, and additional salt if needed.
Notes
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