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Lebanese · Levantine

Tabbouleh

Vegetarian

تبولة · tabbūla

A bright, lemony salad that is mostly finely chopped parsley, with mint, tomato, spring onion and just a little fine bulgur. A pillar of the Lebanese and Levantine meze table.

Tabbouleh is a Lebanese salad from Lebanon, ready in about 35 minutes and made with parsley and tomato. It serves 4 and is rated easy to cook.

Start cooking
Top view of a vibrant Lebanese tabbouleh salad with fresh ingredients and a lemon garnish.
Photo: Dextar Studio ™ / Pexels · Pexels License
Prep
25 min
Cook
0 min
Rest
10 min
Total
35 min
Serves
4
Level
Easy
Calories
188

Ingredients

4 servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Rinse the bulgur (opens in a new tab), drain well and mix with half the lemon juice (opens in a new tab). Leave to soften for 10 minutes while you chop.

  2. Step 2

    Wash the parsley (opens in a new tab) and mint (opens in a new tab) and dry them thoroughly, then chop very finely with a sharp knife — bruised, wet herbs turn the salad soggy.

    Fresh herbs being chopped
    How it looks · Photo: RDNE Stock project on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Combine the herbs, tomato (opens in a new tab), spring onion (opens in a new tab) and soaked bulgur (opens in a new tab). Dress with the remaining lemon juice (opens in a new tab), olive oil (opens in a new tab), salt and allspice (opens in a new tab), toss and taste — it should be sharp and lemony.

    • 3 min

  4. Step 4

    Serve soon, with lettuce (opens in a new tab) leaves to scoop it up.

    • 1 min
    A finished dish being plated
    How it looks · Photo: Willians Huerta on Pexels

About this dish

Origin
Levant, Lebanon · Commonly attributedAssociated with the mountains of Lebanon and Syria and eaten across the Levant.Also popular in Syria, Palestine, Jordan, IsraelMore food from Lebanon
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Salads · Appetizers & starters
Cooking method
Raw, No-cook
Taste
herby, citrusy, fresh
Diet
Vegan · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Low-carb
All labelsVegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Whole-food focused · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Mediterranean-style · Low-carb
With the listed swaps: No gluten ingredientsWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Everyday
Cook more with
Parsley · Tomato · Bulgur wheat · Lemon juice · Mint · Spring onion

Allergens

  • Contains, can be adapted: Wheatfrom bulgur wheat
  • Contains, can be adapted: Glutenfrom bulgur wheat

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

188 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 154 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 7%
  • Carbohydrate 29%
  • Fat 64%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy188 kcal122 kcal
Protein3.3 g2.1 g
Carbohydrate14.6 g9.5 g
Net carbohydrate10.7 g6.9 g
Sugars2.6 g1.7 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre3.9 g2.5 g
Fat14.3 g9.3 g
Saturated fat2 g1.3 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol0 mg0 mg
Sodium612 mg397 mg
Salt equivalent1.5 g1 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
461 mg
Calcium
81 mg
Iron
3.6 mg
Magnesium
48 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
199 µg
Vitamin C
67 mg
Vitamin D
0 µg
Vitamin B12
0 µg
Folate (DFE)
84 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: allspice, lettuce.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Use a sharp knife rather than a food processor so the parsley stays fluffy.

Common mistakes

  • Using too much bulgur — tabbouleh is a herb salad, not a grain salad.

Serve with

  • As part of a meze with hummus, baba ghanoush and grilled meats.

Storage

  • Best eaten the day it is made; the herbs wilt on standing.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Sauces, chutneys & dips for this dish

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 3, 4

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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