Step 1 of 8
**Prewash the parsley the night before, discard most of the stems and lay flat on a towel or paper towels in small bunches, turning once, to fully dry.
You'll need
- 4 bunches curly parsley
Behind the recipe
The story, tips & photos
Why authentic Lebanese tabbouleh is different
I know what you’re thinking…this is NOT what Tabbouleh looks like at your local grocery store. I agree. Let me explain.
Fresh & Light Authentic Lebanese Tabbouleh is a lemony, fresh herb salad with juicy tomatoes and nutritious bulgur (fine cracked wheat). Yes, I promise it really is as refreshing as it sounds, unlike the soggy couscous version you normally stumble upon while grocery shopping. The traditional recipe uses bulgur (not couscous) as a garnish → not the main ingredient.
So may I quickly announce: if it doesn’t look like the pictures in this post, it’s not real Tabbouleh, people!
And yes, I get it, maybe you don’t care and you just love the westernized version! You might even enjoy adding avocados in there too…(Christine cringes for eternity).
I’m all for being creative and altering recipes, but when it comes to this salad?! Call me old-fashioned, but no one should mess with Tabbouleh! The real deal is so juicy, refreshing and flavorful. Summer is just not complete without it.
Ingredients for Lebanese tabbouleh
Here’s all you need to make a Fresh & Light Authentic Lebanese Tabbouleh:
Parsley: I like to use curly parsley. I wash it the night before, cut out most of the stems and lay it flat on a towel or paper towels in small bunches as pictured above, turning once, to fully dry. The next day, I finely and gently chop the dry parsley.
Mint: A small bunch adds a refreshing smell and taste. I also like to prewash it and let it dry, then remove the stems before gently slicing.
Green Onion: Sliced ever so thinly, green onions add a nice fresh flavor.
Onion: I like to add red onion as well for a burst of color, slight sweetness and more onion goodness.
Tomato: Large, really ripe tomatoes make this salad juicy and full of flavor.
Bulgur: Fine bulgur cracked wheat soaks in water while you prepare the rest of the salad. Then drain it well before adding.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Lemon Juice, Salt & Pepper: This is all you need for the dressing.
And there you have it! The end result is a perfectly balanced Fresh & Light Authentic Lebanese Tabbouleh. Juicy, flavorful and refreshing. Perfect for hot summer days or any other day!
Better than soggy couscous, right?
We seem to think so, at least! We licked the bowl clean!
Let me know how you like it!
One piece of advice, though: check your teeth after eating this salad. We always knew when Mom had taste-tested the Tabbouleh before serving. A parsley leaf always found its perfect resting place between her front teeth! 😛
Fresh & Light Authentic Lebanese Tabbouleh
Questions & comments 39
Leave a commentGreat recipe … except for a couple puzzling things.
() 4 bunches of curly parsley? that can’t be right. I used 2, and it was *plenty.
(*) 1/3 cup of bulgur? that can’t be right. There’s almost no point in adding any bulgur at all if you’re only going to use 1/3 cup. Frankly, I’d go with at least 1 cup of (dry) bulgur for this recipe. It wouldn’t be an error to use 1.5 cups of dry bulgur.
Three large tomatoes is good, but it wouldn’t be a mistake to use five.
An issue with the recipe as I’ve suggested is that it would generate a gigantic amount of tabouleh, so you might want to divide everything by two.
Hey 🙂 I am not a fan so much of mint . Do you think using cilantro would be good ?
Hey, Christine- Thanks for sharing what looks to be a divine meal! Some of my family is gluten free, so do you have any idea what could work as a substitute for the wheat? I get the texture could be different… ?Thanks!
Hey Virginia! You can use quinoa! Works wonderfully 🙂 let me know how it turns out!!!
Weell made !
And if i may add an important note:
To get an original taste – just add a hint of CUMIN.
This is how we eat it here in the Middle-East.
All the best from Israel
And bon appetit!!!
Toola
Thanks, Toola! Never had cumin in it growing up in Lebanon but I LOVE cumin. I will have to try that next time.
This recipe is, by far, the absolute best for authentic Lebanese tabbouleh. It’s easy, very flavorful and I love that the bulghur is an add-in, not a main ingredient! The combination of the mint, lemon and onion is delicious and bright. Today is the 4th time I’ve made it in the past 2 months. Thanks so much for sharing!
PS. Using Campari tomatoes works just as well for flavor if summer tomato season is waning.
Thanks, Judy! I’m so happy you like the recipe! I used to be very intimidated by Tabbouleh and when I finally got it down, I was so excited! Made sure to make it very visual in this post and I love the combination of flavors too! You’re welcome and that’s a great idea to use Campari tomatoes.
I just made this today and it is so darn good! I ate a third of it in one sitting, so I guess I’ll be grocery shopping again before I know it. This is already a summer favorite!
Thank you for the feedback! I’m so glad you enjoyed my recipe. It’s perfect for summer. Enjoy!!!
We LOVE this recipe!!! Found it a few months ago and we make it all the time now. I love fresh herbs and this recipe does it for me! Making a double batch tonight so we have enough for everyone! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks, Tara for your comment! I’m so happy your family loves this recipe as much as mine does! Leftovers are always scarce with this one in our home!
You have a really annoying writing style.
? I guess no one is "perfect" in everyone’s eyes! But did you try my tabbouleh??!!?! ?
To Shawn : You’re rude.
LOL Annie. Shawn made me laugh and re-read my post 😀
Are you here to learn new recipes or to be annoying person to everyone SHAWN!,
YEAH SHAWN!
Oh. My. Goodness! I made this tonight, and it is delicious! Im.so excited to add a new recipe to my repertoire of vegan goodness.
Thanks, Tammy for your feedback! It’s definitely a great vegan summer salad to add 🙂
Can this be made ahead or right before serving?
Hi Debbie. I prefer making this right before eating to taste the freshness of all the ingredients. However, I know others prefer to eat tabbouleh the next day after all the flavors have mixed well. It’s a personal preference.
This recipe was sooooo good. I can’t wait to make it again.
Thanks Christina for trying my recipe! Glad you enjoyed it!
I like how you added mint. I don’t cook with a lot of mint so will have to try this in my next toubouleh experimenting recipe making:) Looks like it would go good!
(Also, I didn’t realize that mint was in it! Going to make some ????, I love toubouleh)
Hi Ana! Thanks for the comment! Did you every try to make the Tabbouleh? ☺
Great recipe I am Lebanese and always cringe when I see the other versions lol . But this is exactly how my grandma, mom and I make it ????????????????????????????????
Lol ain’t that the truth! Thanks for the comment Salma! I love our authentic recipe.
I stumbled apon this recipe and just want to say thank you for sharing. It is the first recipe that is the closest to my families recipe. I’m from a Lebanese family and our family recipe that my great great grandmother taught my mother and aunt adds garlic. That is the only difference.
Thanks, Amanda for your feedback! I’m so happy you liked this recipe!
Great website for beginners. Simple recipes but very very healthy and delicious. Thanks for bringing out such website. I like it very much. I visit this website weekly
Thank Christine
Thanks, Sabrina!
Tabbouleh is divine and I have loved every variation of this dish. This is one salad that I could make every week without becoming tired of its flavors. A big pro to this authentic variation is that it uses the entire bundle so that there isn’t any leftover bundle of herbs – smart!
Thanks, Ruth! I make this weekly too. My family (hubby and 3 year old son) can never get tired of Tabbouleh 🙂
This look SO good! I love tabbouleh. It’s so packed with flavor! Yours sounds delicious 🙂
Thanks, Liz! 🙂
This looks soooo good! Thanks for breaking it down into a manageable recipe. It’s not as complicated as I thought. I may try this myself!
Thanks, Debbie!! I’m a visual person and seeing a recipe broken down in pictures helps me tons. I’m glad this simplified it for you. Hope you try it! 🙂