Growing up in a Mediterranean country, tabbouleh, or kisir, was a staple in our house. It was my mom’s go-to spring and summer salad, which she paired with pretty much everything.
This version, made with protein-rich quinoa (a fantastic substitute for bulgur), is the latest addition to my Quinoa Salad recipes collection, and it’s just as delicious as the traditional recipe. If you love quinoa as much as I do, be sure to check out my Mediterranean Quinoa Salad for another fresh and vibrant option.
And if you’ve ever wondered about the different names and spellings—tabbouleh, tabouli—they’re simply variations of the same name, reflecting different versions of the Arabic word.
Recipe Ingredients:
This tabouli quinoa recipe is made with simple ingredients that make a bright and refreshing salad. The fresh herbs and crisp vegetables provide a delicious contrast to the fluffy quinoa, while the tangy lemon dressing ties everything together beautifully. You will need:
- Quinoa: This quinoa tabbouleh salad will work with any type of quinoa. Red, black, tricolor and white quinoa would all work. It is imperative to rinse quinoa before cooking if you want it to taste good.
- Cooking liquid: While water works just fine, I highly recommend cooking your quinoa in vegetable stock. It adds depth of flavor, ensuring that the base of your quinoa tabouli salad is tasty right from the start.
- Fresh lemon juice: Freshly squeezed lemon juice is my favorite acid for the dressing used in this recipe, but in a pinch, white wine vinegar can be used. The flavors would be slightly different but still be great.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Fresh herbs: A mix of fresh herbs is key to classic tabouli, and this quinoa version is no exception. I like to use a cup of fresh flat-leaf parsley, a cup of fresh dill, and half a cup of fresh mint leaves, but there’s no strict rule—adjust to your taste! You can stick to just parsley and dill or skip the dill altogether if it’s not your favorite.
- Fresh tomatoes: I prefer using colorful cherry tomatoes for their sweetness and vibrant look, but any variety will work—just be sure to chop them into small pieces for even distribution.
- Cucumber: I prefer Persian cucumbers as they are crunchy, but English cucumbers would also work.
- Scallions: Green onions provide a mild onion flavor that ties everything together. While it is not traditional, finely chopped red onion could be a good substitute in a pinch.
- Seasonings: I kept it simple with just kosher salt and pepper in this tabbouleh quinoa salad recipe, but you can add a touch of ground cumin, ground coriander, or a pinch of red pepper flakes to the dressing for extra depth of flavor.
Optional Add-Ins
While the recipe for quinoa tabouli I’m sharing stays close to the traditional version, you can easily customize it with a few extra ingredients. These aren’t traditional, but they add delicious new flavors:
- Feta Cheese: A handful of crumbled feta adds a creamy, salty contrast that pairs perfectly with the Mediterranean flavors.
- Kalamata Olives: Their briny, tangy taste enhances the salad and adds an extra punch of flavor.
- Garlic: The traditional tabbouleh salad recipe does not use garlic in the lemon dressing, but you can always add a minced garlic clove if you are a fan.
- Chickpeas: Again, the classic tabbouleh recipe does not use chickpeas, but sometimes I add a can of (drained and rinsed) chickpeas to make it even more satisfying.
How To Make Quinoa Tabbouleh?
Making this quinoa tabouli recipe is easy, and it comes together in just a few steps in under 20 minutes. Yes, there is a bit of chopping involved, but the result is a refreshing and wholesome dish that you’ll want to make on repeat.
- Cook the Quinoa: Place the rinsed quinoa in a medium saucepan along with your cooking liquid and salt. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for about 10-12 minutes until the liquid is absorbed. Let it rest for 10 minutes, then fluff with a fork and transfer it to a large bowl to cool.
- Make the Dressing: While the quinoa is cooking, prepare the dressing. In a small bowl, whisk lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and black pepper until fully combined.
- Chop the fresh herbs and veggies – Finely chop the fresh parsley, dill, and mint. Quarter the cherry tomatoes, dice the cucumbers and thinly slice the scallions. Add the chopped herbs, tomatoes, cucumbers, and scallions to the cooled quinoa.
- Assemble your tabouli quinoa salad – Drizzle the cooked quinoa and the veggies with the dressing and gently toss to combine.
- Serve – Taste for seasoning and add more salt, pepper, or lemon juice as needed. Serve immediately or refrigerate for later.
How To Make Ahead and Store Leftovers?
My favorite thing about this quinoa tabbouleh salad recipe is that it stores well. As a matter of fact, since the flavors meld together over time, it actually tastes even better the next day. Here is how I make-ahead and store leftovers:
- Make Ahead: If preparing in advance, cook and cool the quinoa, chop the veggies, and make the dressing a day or two in advance. Store them separately in airtight containers in the fridge. Toss everything together about an hour before serving for the best texture and flavor.
- Storing Leftovers: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Before serving, give it a quick stir, taste for seasoning, and refresh it with a squeeze of lemon and more seasoning if needed.
- Freezing: You can technically freeze this dish, but I do not recommend it as it will lose most of its fresh flavors when thawed.
Expert Tips:
This recipe is simple and easy to make, but to ensure the best quinoa tabbouleh, here are a few key tips to help you get it right on your first try:
- Chopping by hand vs. using a food processor: I like to chop the herbs by hand using a sharp chef’s knife as it gives me more control over the texture, ensuring evenly chopped herbs. Plus, there is no risk of over-processing, which can turn herbs into a paste. However, if you prefer a food processor, pulse in short bursts instead of running it continuously to prevent the herbs from turning into a paste.
- Herb stems: When it comes to herbs, you can chop the parsley and dill stems, as they are tender and flavorful. However, with mint, I prefer using only the leaves unless you’re growing your own and it’s super fresh.
- Are you short on time? You can prep the herbs and veggies a day in advance and store them in the fridge until you’re ready to put it all together.
- Let the quinoa cool a bit: You can mix everything together while the quinoa is still warm for a slightly different texture and flavor, but letting it cool first helps keep the herbs fresh and vibrant. I usually cook the quinoa a day in advance—not only does this save time, but it also ensures it’s perfectly cooled and ready to use.
- Cooking quinoa: While I opted to cook quinoa on the stovetop, you can cook quinoa in the microwave, in an instant pot, and a rice cooker. Feel free to pick the method that works best for you. Also, I usually cook a big batch and freeze some for later. If you have some cooked quinoa on hand, this quinoa tabbouleh comes together in minutes.
- Serve at room temperature: This tabouli recipe with quinoa tastes best when served at room temperature, allowing the flavors to fully develop. If you made it in advance, take it out of the fridge 15 minutes before serving for the best taste and texture.
Serving Suggestions:
You can serve this gluten-free tabbouleh salad with any protein or vegetarian main or just by itself for a light meal. Below are a few of my favorite pairings:
- As part of a meze platter: Serve it along with other Mediterranean/Middle Eastern favorites such as hummus, baba ganoush, borek, and pita bread as a part of a flavorful meze spread.
- With grilled meat and seafood: The freshness of parsley, dill, and mint, combined with the tangy lemon dressing, cuts through the bold spices and charred smokey flavors of dishes like Grilled Harissa Chicken, Grilled Shrimp, and Grilled Rack of Lamb.
- In a wrap or pita: Stuff it into a pita pocket with falafel, Yogurt-Marinated Chicken, or roasted vegetables for a delicious meal.
Other Quinoa Salads You Might Also Like
If you make this recipe for tabbouleh salad with quinoa, I would greatly appreciate it if you could take a minute to leave a star rating and a comment below. It is a great way to support this website and help those planning to make it. Also, if you took pictures, I’d love to see them. Share your creations on Instagram using #foolproofeats so I can share them with the Foolproof Living community.
This recipe was originally published in September 2018 and updated in March 2025 with new step-by-step photos and more helpful tips. The recipe itself remains the same, with only minor edits for clarification.
Quinoa Tabbouleh Recipe
Ingredients
For the Quinoa:
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
- 1 ¾ cups water, or vegetable stock
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
For The Dressing:
- 4 tablespoons lemon juice, freshly squeezed – plus more to taste
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste as needed
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
For the Tabbouleh:
- 1 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 cup fresh dill, chopped (optional)
- ½ cup fresh mint leaves, chopped
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
- 2 Persian cucumbers, peeled and chopped or 1 English cucumber
- 3-4 scallions, sliced thinly both white and green parts
Instructions
- Place 1 cup quinoa in a saucepan along with 1 ¾ cups of vegetable stock (or water) and a half teaspoon of kosher salt. Stir to combine, put the lid on, and bring it to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Once it comes to a boil, turn the heat down to low and cook for 10-12 minutes or until water is fully absorbed. Turn the heat off and let it rest for 10 minutes. Fluff it with a fork, transfer it to a large salad bowl, and let it cool while working on the rest of the ingredients.
- Meanwhile, prepare the dressing by whisking together 4 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice, ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper in a bowl. Set it aside.
- To assemble the quinoa tabbouleh, add 1 cup of chopped parsley, 1 cup of fresh dill, ½ cup fresh mint, 1 cup of quartered cherry tomatoes, 2 chopped Persian cucumbers, 3 thinly sliced green onions into the bowl with the quinoa.
- Drizzle it with the dressing. Give it a gentle toss.
- Taste for seasoning and serve immediately.
Video
Notes
- Yields: This recipe makes about 5 to 6 cups of tabbouleh, ideal for serving six adults as a side dish. The nutritional values below are per serving.
- Using dill: Most tabouli recipes are made with fresh parsley and mint, but my mom always added fresh dill, so I followed in her footsteps. If you are not a fan, you can omit using dill (and use more parsley or mint instead.)
- A quick note on chopping herbs: Traditional tabbouleh is made with finely chopped herbs for a light, delicate texture, but if you prefer a rougher chop, that works too! It all comes down to personal preference.
- Make Ahead: If preparing in advance, cook and cool the quinoa, chop the veggies, and make the dressing a day or two in advance. Store them separately in airtight containers in the fridge. Toss everything together about an hour before serving for the best texture and flavor.
- Storing Leftovers: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Before serving, taste for seasoning and add more lemon juice and salt and pepper if needed.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I was searching for a Tabouli/quinoa recipe- cuz I had leftover quinoa.
So… Made this today & served with my leftover over curried salmon. Delicious!!
I love this recipe, flavours are amazing, and as you said it tasted even better the next day. Will be making this often as a weekly meal. Thanks for this recipe
So happy to hear that you liked it Suna. It is a favorite in our house as well. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment. Cheers!
Lovely post and photos! Having made this quinoa tabbouleh, I know how good it is.
YAY! So glad to hear Darly. Thanks for letting me know.