Bulgur Pilaf

You can not talk about Turkish cuisine and not mention Bulgur Pilaf. If you have ever been there (or any other Middle Eastern or Mediterranean Country), you know this easy vegan side dish is a staple that we serve with almost all our meat dishes.

In this post I will show you how to make Bulgur pilaf (as we call Bulgur Pilavi) in two different ways. First, the classic Tomato Bulgur Pilaf and then second the version of it made with Bulgur Pilaf with Vermicelli.

Before I continue talking about this Turkish bulgur dish, I recommend that you check out my post on What is Bulgur Wheat where I covered everything you need to know about different types of bulgur, where to purchase it, and how it is different from crack wheat.

And if you’d rather cook bulgur in a more basic way, feel free to check out the post I wrote on How To Prepare and Cook Bulgur like rice to learn how different types of bulgur are cooked differently (and why) along with other bulgur recipes to help you incorporate it in your daily cooking.

What Is Bulgur Pilaf?

Bulgur pilaf is a Turkish vegetarian (or vegan) side dish made by cooking bulgur with various vegetables, and water (or stock) on the stove top. With that being said, it is a staple in many other Middle Eastern countries including Lebanon and Syria.

In some circles, what we call bulgur pilaf is referred to as Turkish bulgur rice pilaf recipe as the method of cooking is very similar to cooking rice.

Ingredients:

To make this Turkish Bulgur Pilaf recipe, you will need:

• Coarse Bulgur Wheat #3: While I used coarse bulgur wheat to make this recipe, both medium coarse #2 and extra coarse #4 would work in the recipe.
• Tomato & Tomato Paste: One medium size tomato cut into small cubes should be fine. You can also use a cup of canned diced tomatoes.
• Onion: Chopped
• Green pepper: Seeded jalapeno or green (or any other color) bell peppers would both work.
• Chickpeas: I used a can of chickpeas to add in a bit more plant-protein into the recipe.
• Cooking Liquid: You can use both water or vegetable stock.
• Spices: I used ground cumin with salt and pepper

How To Prepare Bulgur for Making Pilaf? Should I rinse it before cooking?

While there is nothing special that you need to do to prepare it for cooking, most people wonder whether or not to rinse bulgur wheat before cooking. 

You cannot go wrong either way. It is a personal preference.

Growing up my mother always rinsed bulgur before cooking. Nowadays, if I am buying packaged bulgur I usually skip rinsing it. 

The only time I rinse bulgur before cooking is if I am buying it from the bulk bin section of our grocery store as they might get dusty easily.

How To Rinse Bulgur Wheat?

If you decide to rinse it, simply place it in a fine mesh strainer, rinse under cold running water for 30-45 seconds, and drain it before adding into the pot.

How To Cook It in Turkish Style?

This Mediterranean Bulgur Wheat Pilaf recipe is truly easy and quick to make. Here is how you cook it:

1. Saute onion and tomato paste: Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add in onion, green pepper, and saute until translucent, 3-4 minutes. Add in tomato paste and stir constantly for a minute or so.

2. Add in the rest of the ingredients: Add in ground cumin, bulgur, tomatoes, chickpeas, and water (or stock). Season with salt and pepper.

3. Stir & Bring it to a boil: Give it a stir, bring it to a boil, put the lid on, turn down the heat to low. Let it simmer for 10-12 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed.
4. Let it rest & serve: Off the heat, allow it to rest for 10 minutes (with the lid on), fluff it with a fork. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley and serve.

If you can’t find coarse bulgur in your local supermarket, you can buy it on Amazon. This Turkish brand coarse bulgur (affiliate link) is the one I use and recommend.

Bulgur With Vermicelli – Mom’s Version

Bulgur pilaf with vermicelli was one of my mom’s signature dishes. While the bulgur pilaf made with tomato sauce is more of a traditional way of serving it, you can also make a more basic version with vermicelli. 

To cook Bulgur Pilaf with Vermicelli:

1. Heat oil (or butter): You can use any oil but as it is usually the case, butter makes this pilaf taste better. Heat it in medium heat.
2. Saute vermicelli: Add in the vermicelli and saute until it is golden brown. It should feel like it is almost burning. 
3. Add in the coarse bulgur wheat: Add in bulgur and saute for 4-5 minutes while constantly stirring.
4. Add in the liquid & bring it to a boil: Add in your cooking liquid (water, stock or a combination), salt and pepper and any vegetables (like I used in the recipe above) if you like. Give it a stir. Bring it to a boil, put the lid on, turn down the heat, and let it simmer for 12-15 minutes.

Don’t have vermicelli on hand? You can use orzo instead. No need to make any changes to the recipe or the way that it is cooked.

What Kind of Bulgur Wheat is Best? Can I cook this pilaf with other types of bulgur wheat?

Growing up, my mom always used coarse bulgur wheat (#3 or #4 & also known as pilavlik bulgur) to make this bulgur pilaf recipe. However, you can certainly make this dish using other types of bulgur, like fine bulgur (#1), red bulgur, or medium-coarse bulgur (#2).

The only difference would be the cooking time as listed below:

• Fine bulgur – shorten cooking time by 3-4 minutes
• Medium coarse bulgur – shorten cooking time by 2-3 minutes
• Red Bulgur – treat it like it is medium-coarse bulgur and shorten cooking time by 2-3 minutes.

Helpful Tips from My Mom’s Recipe Book:

My mom used to refer to these tips as “the secret to making the best bulgur pilaf recipe.” 

1. Use butter: Even though you can certainly make bulgur pilaf with only vegetable oil, my mom thought that using butter was the key to a good-tasting pilaf. She used 2 tablespoons of butter per 1-cup of bulgur.
   With that being said, if you want to make a vegan version of this bulgur pilaf recipe, you can omit the butter and use only vegetable oil instead.
2. Use boiling water and/or homemade stock: Instead of using cold (or room temperature) water, she would use boiling water to make the cooking process faster. Also, if we had it available, she would substitute 1 cup of the 2 cups of liquid with chicken or vegetable stock.
3. Let it rest: This was another big step. Once all the liquid was absorbed, she would remove the lid, cover it with a paper towel, and put the lid back on to rest for at least 5-10 minutes before serving. Then she would fluff it with a fork, taste it for seasoning, and add more if necessary.

How To Freeze?

To freeze this bulgur pilaf recipe simply bring it to room temperature, place it in an airtight container, and freeze up to 2 months.

Thaw it a day in advance in the fridge and warm it up on the stove before you are ready to serve it.

What To Serve It With?

Traditionally, we serve this bulgur pilaf recipe as a side dish with chicken and meat dishes. However, below I do have some serving suggestions for those of you who are following a vegetarian diet as well.

As A Side Dish with Meat Dishes:

• Beef Stew
• Instant Pot Pot Roast
• Ina Garten’s Pot Roast
• Turkish Meatball recipe
• Orange Chicken with Fennel
• Meatball Potato Casserole

As A Vegetarian Dish With:

• Tzatziki Sauce – A bowl of it on the side would be perfect
• Yogurt Dressing – A drizzle of my yogurt salad dressing on top would be great
• Cauliflower Curry – I use this simple bulgur pilaf recipe as a bedding for my favorite vegan recipe like this cauliflower curry recipe.

Other Recipes with Bulgur Wheat:

• Tabbouleh Salad
• Chicken with Bulgur
• Middle Eastern Stuffed Peppers
• Bulgur Wheat Butternut Squash Salad
• Vegan Chili – This recipe uses coarse bulgur to mimic the meat texture

Other Turkish recipes you might like:

• Tahini Yogurt Dressing
• Mediterranean Green Beans
• Turkish Simit Recipe
• Mediterranean Hummus Recipe
• Turkish Borek
• Turkish Coffee

This post was originally published in September 2015 and updated with additional helpful information in March 2020.