Quinoa Tabbouleh
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Last updated on May 15, 2025
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This quinoa tabbouleh salad is made with protein-rich quinoa instead of bulgur wheat. It’s gluten-free, vegan, easy to whip up and makes for a great healthy side dish!
Do you like tabbouleh? Yeah? Me too! It’s delicious and such an easy recipe to play around with. I actually already have a few tabbouleh recipes on the blog like this grain-free cauliflower tabbouleh, hemp tabbouleh and classic tabbouleh, but today I’m sharing a quinoa tabbouleh variation for my quinoa lovers!
Like traditional tabbouleh, this quinoa version is loaded with fresh veggies and herby goodness. It’s a light salad that’s absolutely perfect on a warm spring/summer day. Any way you serve it, this tabbouleh is absolutely delicious and crazy easy to whip up.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad
This salad is light, refreshing, and so easy to love. Here’s why it’ll become a staple:
- Naturally gluten-free – Perfect for anyone looking for a lighter, allergy-friendly option.
- Packed with fresh herbs – Tons of flavor from parsley, mint, and lemon without needing heavy dressings.
- Great for meal prep – It tastes even better after the flavors sit and meld together in the fridge.
- Versatile – Serve it as a side, stuff it into pita pockets, or top it with grilled protein for a full meal.
- Simple, real ingredients – Nothing fancy here—just fresh, wholesome ingredients that come together easily.
Ingredients Needed
- quinoa – this is the base of the recipe and you can use any type of quinoa you like from white, black, red to tri-color. Any variety will work for this recipe.
- flat leaf parsley – the star of the show! Flat leaf parsley and curly parsley both work well in this recipe. Make sure your bunch of parsley is washed and dried well before chopping it!
- fresh mint leaves – I love adding additional fresh herbs for more flavor.
- cucumber and red onion – these fresh veggies add a nice crunch.
- cherry tomatoes – these little guys add such great flavor to the salad. Grape tomatoes will also work!
- dressing – for a super simple light dressing we’re just using fresh lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil and sea salt. Easy peasy!
Notes & Substitutions
- Quinoa: Don’t have quinoa on hand? Make this bulgur wheat tabbouleh salad, couscous salad, cauliflower tabbouleh or hemp tabbouleh instead!
- Mix-ins: Feel free to switch up your mix-ins for this tabbouleh… I often do! Sometimes I change up the veggies based on what I have on hand (I love adding green onions) and add extra herbs like fresh dill (so good!). Feel free to get creative and make this your own!
- Feta: Adding feta cheese to this tabbouleh would be a great addition if you don’t need it to be dairy free.
- Avocado: Want to add a little creaminess and healthy fats to your tabbouleh? Add in some chopped avocado!
- Protein: Quinoa is already packed with plant-based protein, but if you want to amp up the protein in this salad I love adding chickpeas or white beans!
How to Make
This quinoa tabbouleh salad is super simple to throw together. Here’s how to make it:
Step 1: Rinse the quinoa well, then bring it and 2 cups of water to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 10–15 minutes, until the quinoa is tender and the water is absorbed. Let it sit covered for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork and let cool completely.
Step 2: Once the quinoa is cool, transfer it to a large bowl. Add the chopped parsley, mint, tomatoes, cucumber, and red onion. Toss to combine.
Step 3: In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, sea salt, and pepper. Pour over the salad and toss again until everything is coated.
Step 4: Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Portion onto plates and enjoy!
Pro tip!
- If you are making this quinoa tabbouleh for meal prep you might want to add a little more olive oil and/or lemon juice before serving because as the quinoa sits it will soak up some of the dressing.
How to Eat Tabbouleh
This is actually a super versatile dish! Traditionally, it is served with hummus, pita bread and falafel. I also love adding chickpeas or black beans and eating on it’s own for a light meal. I’ve also served it as more of a finger food with pita chips at a get-together and it was a hit!
Prepping and Storing Quinoa Tabbouleh
While this is best served immediately after making, it’s also awesome for weekend meal prep. Make a batch on Sunday and store in an airtight container for up to a week to use the dish for quick lunches throughout the week. I would not freeze this dish as it’s all fresh ingredients and the consistency will change when you freeze and thaw.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Traditional tabbouleh is made with bulgur wheat, but using quinoa keeps this version naturally gluten-free.
Absolutely. Any variety of quinoa works for this recipe. White quinoa will give a lighter texture, while red or tri-color quinoa adds a bit more bite and color.
Quinoa is a great choice because it’s naturally gluten-free, making it a good option for those with gluten sensitivities. It’s also a complete protein and offers about twice as much protein per cup compared to bulgur wheat. Plus, quinoa is slightly more nutrient-dense, giving you an extra boost of vitamins and minerals in every bite.
More Quinoa Salad Recipes
- Quinoa Chickpea Salad
- Spinach Quinoa Salad
- Southwest Quinoa Salad
- Carrot Quinoa Salad
- Quinoa Salad with Corn and Avocado
- Sweet Potato Kale Quinoa Salad
Be sure to check out my full collection of salad recipes on EBF!
If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below.
Quinoa Tabbouleh
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed and drained
- 2 cups flat leaf parsley, chopped
- ½ cup fresh mint leaves, chopped
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, diced
- ½ cup cucumber, diced
- 1 cup red onion, finely chopped
- juice from 1 lemon
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Bring quinoa and 2 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until quinoa is tender, about 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Let quinoa cool completely.
- Once quinoa is cool, transfer to a large bowl. Add parsley, mint, tomatoes, cucumber and red onion and toss to combine.
- Add fresh lemon juice, olive oil and salt and stir to combine.
- Portion onto plates and enjoy!
Notes
- Storage: This salad will stay fresh for about 4-5 days. Give it a quick toss before serving, and you can always add an extra squeeze of lemon to brighten it back up if it’s been sitting for a day or two.
- Quinoa Swap: Don’t have quinoa on hand? Make this bulgur wheat tabbouleh salad, couscous salad, cauliflower tabbouleh or hemp tabbouleh instead!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I am so glad I found your site! It’s my go to for all my meals. Thank you!
Aw this makes me so happy to hear, glad you’re loving my recipes!
Yummm, delicious flavours. Too hungry to let the quinoa cool off. Still delicious!!
YUM! Love this so much, Patty. Glad you are enjoying this recipe and it turned out great for you. Thank you for your review & star rating, I really appreciate it!
We just started working on our Plant Based Diet – I spent all weekend shopping and prepping ingredients to have all my planned menu items disappear from the app. Ack! I searched for recipes with the ingredients I had and that’s how I found you. This quick and easy recipe saved my lunch today. It is super easy – and so bright and delicious. I added some pumpkin seeds for a little more crunch and some protein. And – I have enough leftover to have a side-dish with dinner. Thanks. This is wonderful.
Hi Liesl, I’m so glad you found my site and were able to try and enjoy this recipe. I love the addition of the pumpkin seeds!
Too much oil. I use veggie broth instead.