Quinoa Tabbouleh

This vegan tabbouleh (tabouli) with quinoa is refreshing, bright and also happens to be naturally gluten free! Ready in less than 30 minutes, it's the perfect make-ahead salad for meal prep, quick lunches and dinners.

Video tutorial

Why we love this recipe

• Quick and easy: cooking quinoa takes about 20 minutes, but otherwise this vegan tabbouleh comes together in about 5 minutes. Nothing fancy and no uncommon ingredients needed!
• Gluten free and vegan: traditional tabbouleh is made with bulgur wheat. Quinoa makes this refreshing parsley salad 100% gluten free, and it's naturally vegan.
• Perfect for meal prep: This quinoa tabbouleh actually tastes better after a day or two in the fridge, so it's the perfect make-ahead salad!
• So flavorful! This quinoa tabbouleh is super fresh, bright, and packed with flavor. You'll definitely go back for seconds.

Ingredients

Here are the key ingredients you'll need to make this easy vegan quinoa tabbouleh:

• Cooked quinoa
• Cucumber
• Tomatoes
• Parsley
• Mint
• Simple lemon vinaigrette

Ingredient Notes

• Quinoa is not traditional in tabbouleh (tabouli), but it's a great alternative for those that are gluten free. For a more traditional option, you can use bulgur wheat.
• Technically, you can use curly or flat leaf parsley for tabbouleh, but we prefer curly parsley for a light, voluminous salad. Flat leaf parsley is a bit more concentrated in flavor, but not quite as much texture.
• Scallions (green onion) are an optional addition. You can also sub with more parsley.
• No fresh mint? You can sub with 1 tablespoon of dried mint.

Directions

This quick and easy vegan tabbouleh comes together in just a few steps.

Cook quinoa

Add 1 cup of uncooked quinoa to a small saucepan with 2 cups of water, 1 tablespoon of olive oil and ¾ teaspoon of salt. You can also add the olive oil and salt once the quinoa is cooked – up to you.

Bring the quinoa to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover the pan with a lid and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until all of the liquid has been absorbed.

The cooked quinoa should be light, fluffy and easy to stir.

Transfer to a bowl and let cool slightly. You can put the bowl in the refrigerator or freezer to speed this process.

Assemble quinoa tabbouleh

While the quinoa is cooking, prep all of the other ingredients.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper for a quick dressing.

Finely dice the cucumber and tomatoes. The parsley, green onion and mint should be finely chopped; you don't want any huge pieces in the salad.

Add the cooked (and slightly cooled) quinoa to a large mixing bowl with all salad ingredients and toss in the dressing.

You can either serve right away or chill for an hour (or overnight) in the fridge.

Expert Tips and FAQs

• We suggest making this quinoa tabbouleh up to a day ahead of time. The longer the salad sits, the more the quinoa soaks up flavor. It's still perfectly delicious if you eat it right away, but this is our favorite way to serve this vegan tabbouleh.
• The ratio of parsley to grain (quinoa, here) differs widely amongst many tabbouleh recipes. For a more parsley-dominant salad, you can double the amount of parsley and cut back to 1 ½ cups of quinoa. Totally depends on your personal preferences!
• Storage: This quinoa tabbouleh lasts about 4-5 days in the refrigerator.

More grain salad recipes to try

Tried this recipe? Leave a comment with a star rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ below. You can also snap a photo and tag @crowded_kitchen on Instagram. We can't wait to see what you're cooking!

Quinoa Tabbouleh

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5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 4 reviews

• Author: Lexi
• Total Time: 20 minutes
• Yield: Serves 4
• Diet: Vegan

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Description

This vegan tabbouleh with quinoa is refreshing, bright and also happens to be naturally gluten free! Ready in less than 30 minutes, it's the perfect make-ahead salad for meal prep, quick lunches and dinners. 

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Ingredients

Scale ½x1x2x3x

Quinoa:

• 2 cups cooked quinoa (1 cup uncooked) 
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• ¾ tsp salt

Salad:

• 1 ½ cups diced cucumber
• 1 ½ cups quartered cherry tomatoes
• 1 cup curly parsley, finely chopped
• ⅓ cup green onion, finely diced
• 3 tbsp mint, finely chopped
• 1 ½ tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp fine kosher salt
• ½ tsp black pepper

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Instructions

1. Add 1 cup of dry quinoa to a saucepan with 2 cups of water, 1 tablespoon olive oil and ¾ teaspoon salt. Stir and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover with a lid and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until all of the liquid is absorbed. Transfer to a mixing bowl and set aside to cool slightly. 
2. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper.
3. Add cooled quinoa, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, parsley, green onion and mint to a large bowl. Pour dressing over the salad and toss well to combine. 

Notes

Technically, you can use curly or flat leaf parsley for tabbouleh, but we prefer curly parsley for a light, voluminous salad. Flat leaf parsley is a bit more concentrated in flavor, but not quite as much texture. 

No fresh mint? You can sub with 1 tablespoon of dried mint. 

Storage: This quinoa tabbouleh lasts about 4-5 days in the refrigerator.

We suggest making this quinoa tabbouleh up to a day ahead of time. The longer the salad sits, the more the quinoa soaks up flavor. It's still perfectly delicious if you eat it right away, but this is our favorite way to serve this vegan tabbouleh.

The ratio of parsley to grain (quinoa, here) differs widely amongst many tabbouleh recipes. For a more parsley-dominant salad, you can double the amount of parsley and cut back to 1 ½ cups of quinoa. Totally depends on your personal preferences!

• Prep Time: 25 minutes
• Cook Time: 5 minutes
• Category: Salad
• Method: Stovetop
• Cuisine: Middle Eastern

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 cup
• Calories: 226
• Sugar: 3.4 g
• Sodium: 329.5 mg
• Fat: 12.6 g
• Carbohydrates: 25.2 g
• Fiber: 4.2 g
• Protein: 5.4 g