This tasty vegan quinoa tabbouleh is always a hit and so easy to make! This speedy side dish doubles as an appetizer and snack, and is gloriously vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free.
I have a weird foodie faux pas to fess up to.
Until fairly recently, I had no clue what bulgur was. Myyyy bad! I’ve been obsessed with Mediterranean food for ages and have eaten my weight in tabbouleh, yet had no flipping clue what I was actually scarfing!
How embarrassing.
I’ve always just assumed it was quinoa or cous cous or some random unidentified balls of garlic in my parsley. I really should pay better attention to what I put in my mouth.
Anywho! I decided that if I purchased bulgur, no matter how versatile a whole grain it is, it would wind up in the back of the pantry with the olives, millet, and the alluring-yet-intimidating black rice I purchased after an article promised it’s basically the best grain ever.
It’s like Narnia back there. I’m pretty sure there’s a secret door behind the cous cous that leads to an alternate dimension. I bet they have a Whole Foods there.
I, unfortunately, don’t have a Whole Foods within a 3 hour radius of my house.
I do, however, have a costco-sized bag of quinoa and a giant pile of parsley.
Let’s party.
Quinoa Tabbouleh
Make a little… or a lot! This mediterranean quinoa is quick, easy, and totally delicious!
Ingredients Needed
- quinoa
- tomatoes
- cucumber
- parsley (flat or curly)
- scallions
- olive oil
- lime (or lemon!)
- salt and pepper
The ingredients are super simple and the flavors absolutely shine here. I love pairing this fluffy quinoa tabouli salad with falafel, hummus, and a hearty dollop of tzatziki sauce. Delish!
You can also pair it with fluffy pita bread, pita chips, and/or crackers and you can even serve it on top of your favorite store bought hummus. It also makes a fabulous Greek salad topper and is great as a filling for gyros.
Tabbouleh is a great way to use up extra parsley if you bought a giant bunch only to use a teeny bit in a recipe and equally a fantastic use for leftover quinoa!
Quinoa Tabbouleh
Ingredients
- ½ cup dry quinoa
- ¾ cup water
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 3 ripe roma tomatoes , finely diced (approx. 1.5 cups)
- ½ English/seedless cucumber , peeled and finely diced
- ¾ cup finely chopped fresh parsley
- ½ cup thinly sliced scallions (both green and white parts)
- 3 TBSP quality olive oil
- 1 lime , juiced
Instructions
- First rinse and drain your quinoa using a mesh strainer or sieve. Bring a small pot to medium heat and lightly toast the quinoa to remove any excess water, stirring often. This step is optional but really adds to the nuttiness and fluff factor of the quinoa! Next add your water, set burner to high, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to low and simmer, covered with the lid slightly ajar, for 12-13 minutes or until quinoa is fluffy and the liquid has been absorbed.
- Once your quinoa is ready, fluff with a fork and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Transfer to a medium bowl to cool.
- While your quinoa cooks, prep your parsley and veggies. The key here is to dice everything super small/fine.
- Combine cooled + seasoned quinoa with finely chopped parsley, tomatoes, cucumber, scallions, olive oil, and freshly squeezed lime juice.
- Mix, taste, reseason with salt and pepper and add more of your favorite ingredients, if desired! That's it!
- Need make-ahead or meal prep instructions? Simply prepare as written, cover, and refrigerate for up to 4 days. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
If you get a chance to try this Quinoa Tabbouleh, let me know! You can leave me a comment here (LOVE checking those daily!) or tag @PEASandCRAYONS on Instagram so I can happy dance over your creations. I can’t wait to see what you whip up!
Questions & Reviews
Delicious recipe ! We use Bulgur quite often in South-Africa, but I haven’t made anything recently. We love Tabbouleh and will add your recipe to our menu (with Mint!)
Thank you Linda!
It’s been ages since I’ve had tabbouleh and now that’s all I’m wanting! 😀 I’ve made it with cous cous before but never with quinoa. This looks fantastic!
Funny! I used bulgur for the first time this week to make a salad. I got mine at Publix. I too have the enormous bag of quinoa from Costco…LOL! I actually like quinoa or farro better than bulgur, but I am proud of myself for branching out.
YUM! This looks easy and tasty, holding on to this one for the summer 🙂
yum! Looks so good! I don’t have a whole foods either but we do have a Costco…. I’ll be looking for quinoa the next time I go!
Yay! Parsley is SUPER easy to grow at home — even in a windowsill! it can stand up to neglect too – Mine froze during the winter this year but its slowly starting to regrow and revive itself these past few days!
yum yum yum!
I have me a giant bag of quinoa from Costco too – now if only they sold parsley there!
Looks awesome! I just love your photos, no matter what the food is, it always looks good 🙂
haha shut up! great minds think alike! I had oodles of parsley left over from a salmon cake recipe and couldn’t resist trying my hand at tabbouleh! Love it so!
Like Narnia huh?! I’m pretty sure that’s where my coconut flour hangs out too. Oh and my fancy red quinoa because gah, it’s red. Imagine how pretty that’ll come out. Actually maybe you can come take the photos for me because it’s sure to be a success then.
I just finished off my Costco sized bag of oats, and I easily when through two jars of marinated artichokes making my Stuffed Artichoke Soup. Those artichoke jars really aren’t big enough. 🙂
Girl, I don’t know what bulgar is either. But I like that you made tabbouleh with quinoa! Hooray keeeeeenwah. This looks great and something I know I’ll definitely be making in the forseeable future 🙂
Haha – I posted almost this exact recipe in August, except I used cucumber. I’d read about how good parsley is for you and ate it like a mad woman.
yummm i want this NOW! xo jillian – cornflake dreams
Well quinoa is a fun switch-up! If you do decide to purchase some bulgur…I put some in my vegetarian chili and it’s fab. 🙂
Yum, deliciousness. I always get a big plate of tabbouleh when I go to an oriental restaurant and I love taking home the leftovers for healthy snacking or as a side to my lunches. Making it yourself isn’t that hard, I know. But it takes soooo much chopping 😀 though, I think I might do it just to try adding quinoa. Sounds fabulous!