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Tabbouleh (Lebanese Parsley and Bulgur Salad)
A green salad of finely chopped parsley and mint with diced tomato, spring onion and just a sprinkle of fine bulgur, dressed sharply with lemon and olive oil.
Lebanese · easy · serves 4
prep 30 min · cook 0 min
~202 cal · 2g protein · 12g carbs · 17g fat · 3g fiber · 3g sugars · 2g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Lebanese tabbouleh is a herb salad, not a grain salad. The bowl is mostly parsley, chopped fine by hand with a sharp knife, with mint, small cubes of tomato and spring onion, and only a spoonful or two of fine wheat to catch the dressing of lemon juice and olive oil. Versions heavy with , common abroad, are closer to the Turkish kısır.
It comes from the mountain villages of Lebanon and Syria and is one of the fixed dishes of the Lebanese table, eaten with crisp leaves of romaine or cabbage used as scoops. It is taken seriously enough that Lebanon has a National Tabbouleh Day, held on the first Saturday of July since 2001.
The work is all in the chopping and the timing. The parsley and mint must be completely dry before they are cut, the tomatoes drained of their juice, and everything is mixed and dressed only at the last minute so the salad is bright, fresh and never soggy.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally vegetarian, vegan and dairy-, nut-, egg- and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 4
- 3 large bunches (about 150 g leaves) flat-leaf parsley
- 1 small bunch (about 20 g) fresh mint leaves
- 3 medium firm ripe tomatoes
- 3 (about 45 g) spring onions, or 1/2 small white onion
- 3 tbsp fine (#1)
- 1/3 cup (about 2 lemons) lemon juice
- 5 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tsp fine salt
- a pinch Lebanese seven-spice (baharat), optional
- 1 small head crisp romaine or cabbage leaves, to serve
Instructions
- 1Wash the parsley and mint well and dry them completely, spread on a towel or spun in a salad spinner. Pick the mint leaves and trim the thick parsley stalks.✎ Chef’s noteWet herbs bruise and turn the salad soggy. Dry them thoroughly before you chop.
- 2Gather the parsley into a tight bundle and chop it very finely with a sharp knife, then chop the mint the same way. Do not use a food processor, which mashes the leaves.
- 3Dice the tomatoes into small cubes and leave them in a sieve to drain their juice. Thinly slice the spring onions.
- 4Rinse the bulgur, drain it and stir it into half the lemon juice with a pinch of salt. Leave it for 5 to 10 minutes to soften.
- 5Just before serving, mix the herbs, tomatoes, spring onions and bulgur, and dress with the olive oil, the rest of the lemon juice, the salt and a pinch of seven-spice. Taste for lemon and salt and serve with the lettuce leaves for scooping.
Lebanese mezze tradition.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Beirut. Morning in Beirut smells of manakish. Flatbread dough is stretched thin, spread with za'atar and olive oil or with cheese, and baked at the neighbourhood furn, then folded in half and eaten walking. The city sits between mountain and sea, which is why the same menu can carry mountain kishk and a plate of raw fish.
🗺️
Lebanon. Lebanese cooking is the generous heart of the Levant, famous for its mezze, dozens of small plates like hummus, tabbouleh, and kibbeh meant for sharing. Olive oil, lemon, garlic, and fresh herbs brighten a table where hospitality means abundance.
🌍
Asia. Fermentation is the thread that runs the whole way across: soy sauce and miso, Korean doenjang and kimchi, Southeast Asian fish sauces, the soured batter behind an idli. Chilli is the newcomer among them, arriving only after 1500 with Portuguese and Spanish traders, which makes the heat in Sichuan, Thai and Korean cooking far younger than the fermenting underneath it.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Lebanon
MujadaraLentils and rice under a deep pile of slow-caramelized onions, the Levant’s humble masterpiece.
Manakish Za'atarFlatbread baked with a fragrant za'atar-and-olive-oil topping, the Levantine morning staple.
FalafelCrisp herb-flecked chickpea fritters tucked into pita with tahini, pickles, and salad, a Levantine street classic.
Browse all Lebanon recipes →
Good to know
You’ll need: Food processor.
Storing it: Best assembled just before serving. Prep the components ahead and dress at the last moment so it stays crisp.
Make it a Lebanon meal
JallabDrink
KnafehDessert
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Cuisine
Diet
Frequently asked questions
What is Tabbouleh (Lebanese Parsley and Bulgur Salad)?
A green salad of finely chopped parsley and mint with diced tomato, spring onion and just a sprinkle of fine bulgur, dressed sharply with lemon and olive oil.
Where does Tabbouleh (Lebanese Parsley and Bulgur Salad) come from?
Tabbouleh (Lebanese Parsley and Bulgur Salad) is a Lebanese dish from Beirut, Lebanon.
Can Tabbouleh (Lebanese Parsley and Bulgur Salad) be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Tabbouleh (Lebanese Parsley and Bulgur Salad) recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions. Treat the substitutions as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Tabbouleh (Lebanese Parsley and Bulgur Salad) safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we still count coconut as a tree nut to be cautious, although the FDA stopped listing it as one in 2025), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Tabbouleh (Lebanese Parsley and Bulgur Salad) take to make?
About 30 minutes total (30 minutes prep, 0 minutes cooking), serving 4.
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