Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad

Why This Quinoa Tabbouleh Will Be Your New Summer Staple

This quinoa tabbouleh salad is the quintessential summer salad: light, fresh, bright, and packed with herbs and veggies! Here’s a rundown of why I love it so much (and why you will too!).

• Fresh and flavorful. Lemon, mint, and parsley add lots of Mediterranean flair.
• Protein-packed. Swapping the usual bulgur for quinoa adds plant protein and fiber.
• Perfect for meal prep. In my opinion, this recipe is actually better the next day, so it’s definitely a make-ahead kind of dish!

What You’ll Need

This quinoa tabbouleh salad is made with fresh, simple ingredients. It’s the kind of recipe perfect for planning during farmers’ market season! Scroll down to the recipe card for exact measurements.

• Quinoa – You can use any color you like or have on hand.
• Water – To cook the quinoa. Vegetable or chicken broth can be used instead if you’d like.
• Cherry tomatoes – I like using these more than the traditional full-size tomatoes because they release less liquid into the salad.
• English cucumber – If you have garden cucumbers to use, you can swap those in. Just be sure to scoop out the pulpy seeds first.
• Bell pepper – I use red and orange bell pepper, but yellow also works, as it has a similar sweet flavor.
• Parsley and mint – Tabbouleh is made with lots of fresh herbs. Be sure to use flat-leaf (Italian) parsley, which is more flavorful than the curly kind.
• Garlic – The flavor of the garlic mellows thanks to the acidity of the lemon juice.
• Lemon juice – Use fresh lemon juice, not bottled. It truly makes a difference!
• Olive oil – This is a recipe where it’s worth grabbing the good extra-virgin olive oil in your pantry, rather than the bottle you use for cooking.
• Salt and pepper – Freshly ground black pepper adds a little warmth.

How to Make Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad

This salad comes together in just a few easy steps.

• Cook the quinoa. Add quinoa and water to a medium saucepan. Cover, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the water is absorbed.
• Fluff the quinoa. Remove from heat and let it sit covered for 5 minutes. Use a fork to fluff the quinoa.
• Combine the ingredients. Add the cooked quinoa to a large bowl along with the veggies, herbs, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper.
• Toss everything together. Mix until evenly combined.
• Serve. Enjoy immediately or chill before serving for even more flavor.

Recipe Variations

If you want to put your own spin on this quinoa tabbouleh recipe, here are some ideas.

• Up the herb factor. A traditional tabbouleh has more herbs than bulgur. My family likes a higher grain-to-herb ratio, but feel free to add more herbs and less quinoa if you’d like.
• Add more protein. Fold in a can of rinsed and drained chickpeas for even more plant protein in your tabbouleh.
• Make it a meal. Serve the tabbouleh in a bowl with sliced grilled chicken on top.

Serving Suggestions

This salad works well with Middle Eastern foods, but that’s not all! Here are some perfect pairings.

• Honey Mustard Baked Salmon
• Garlic Herb Roasted Shrimp
• Glazed Honey Garlic Beer Can Chicken
• Roasted Vegetable Hummus Wraps

Storage

Refrigerate leftover quinoa tabbouleh in an airtight container for up to 4 days. The flavors continue to develop in the fridge, making it even better the next day. If it dries out a bit, just add a squeeze of lemon juice and olive oil and it comes back to life instantly!

More Fresh Salad Recipes

• Mediterranean Salad
• Creamy Cucumber Salad
• Easy Greek Pasta Salad
• Ramen Noodle Salad