Quinoa Tabbouleh
Updated Aug 07, 2025
This quinoa tabbouleh recipe is made with all the classic ingredients, like mint, parsley, and tomatoes and uses white quinoa in a lemon dressing.
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Make a bowl of easy quinoa tabbouleh!
Every time I post my traditional Lebanese tabbouleh, someone asks if they can make it with quinoa instead of bulgur, and yep, it works. Quinoa isn’t traditional, but it’s easy to find and still gives you that hearty base to soak up all the lemony, herb flavor. I usually make this quinoa tabbouleh when I’m out of bulgur or just want something gluten-free. It’s still got a bunch of parsley, mint, tomatoes, and scallions, and the lemon and olive oil bring it all together, just like the classic.
Happy Cooking!
– Yumna
Quinoa Tabbouleh Ingredients
- Quinoa: White quinoa is what I use for this recipe.
- Water: I cook the quinoa in water here, but sometimes I use chicken stock for extra flavor. You can also make your own vegetable stock!
- Parsley: I use curly-leaf parsley in my tabbouleh recipes, but flat-leaf Italian parsley works, too.
- Mint leaves: If you can’t find it, you can skip it. If you have dried mint, ½ tablespoon will still add a bit of freshness.
- Green onions: I use both the green and white parts in this quinoa tabbouleh salad recipe to add a gentle onion-y taste without overpowering the salad. You can also use diced white or red onion.
- Tomatoes: Seeded and chopped. You can also use halved cherry tomatoes.
- Dressing: Extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
How to Make Quinoa Tabbouleh
Make the Dressing
Cook the Quinoa and Assemble
Quinoa Tabbouleh Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- ½ cup quinoa
- ¾ cup water
- 3 bunches parsley finely chopped (3 cups)
- ¼ cup fresh mint finely chopped
- 4 green onions very finely chopped
- 2 tomatoes finely chopped
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Heat a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the quinoa to a dry pan and toast it, stirring frequently until it begins to pop, turns somewhat golden brown, and smells nutty, about 5 minutes.
- Add water and bring it to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cover. Cook until the quinoa is tender, about 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the quinoa rest for 5 minutes. Uncover, fluff with a fork, and let it cool to room temperature.
- While the quinoa cools, make the dressing by stirring together olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper in a bowl.
- In a large bowl, place the chopped parsley, chopped mint leaves, green onions, and tomatoes. Add the cooled quinoa and pour the dressing over the top. Stir gently to combine. Taste and add more salt and pepper if you like. Serve at room temperature or chilled.
Equipment
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
Recipe Variations
- Boost the protein. Add crumbled feta cheese, roasted chickpeas, or shredded chicken to make the salad a heartier main.
- Brighten it up with pomegranate seeds. The juicy arils add a sweet burst of flavor and a ruby-red pop of color. Here’s a tutorial on how to cut a pomegranate.
- Stuff it in a pita pocket. Turn quinoa tabbouleh into a more substantial lunch by serving it in pita bread.
Recipe Tips
- Finely chop the parsley by hand. I recommend you chop the parsley yourself for the best texture. A food processor can wilt the parsley and ruin the texture.
- Prep the parsley ahead of time. I like to wash the parsley a day or two before chopping so it can fully dry and not make the tabbouleh soggy.
- Fluff your quinoa. After your quinoa finishes cooking and resting, fluff it with a fork so it doesn’t clump in the salad.
- Chill the ingredients for 30 minutes before tossing. This helps keep the salad crisp, fresh, and vibrant.
- Don’t mix the salad until you’re ready to serve. Like all salads, I recommend tossing the dressing right before serving. This is especially true for quinoa tabbouleh, because the parsley can get soggy if it soaks in the dressing for too long.
Serving Ideas
- Appetizers: Vegetarian Stuffed Grape Leaves, Stuffed Dates, Roasted Chickpeas
- Mains: Grilled Lemon Chicken, Lebanese Crispy Falafel, Steak Gyros
- Sides: Homemade Pita Bread, Mediterranean Potato Salad, Vegetarian Stuffed Mushrooms
FAQs
Store leftovers in an airtight container. They will last about 2–3 days in the fridge, but the parsley may start to retain water after the first day. Before serving leftovers, stir the salad to redistribute the flavors and adjust the seasonings as needed.
Yes! I recommend storing the salad ingredients and the dressing separately, then tossing them all together right before serving.
If your quinoa is too mushy, you might have used too much water or cooked it for too long. If your quinoa is too crunchy, you might not have used enough water or cooked it for long enough.
Tabbouleh relies on fresh ingredients for flavor. If it tastes bland, try adding a little more lemon juice, olive oil, salt, or fresh herbs. Adjust according to your taste preference.
More Mediterranean Salad Recipes
- Lebanese Tabbouleh Salad
- Kale Tabbouleh Salad
- Cauliflower Tabbouleh Salad
- Mediterranean Pasta Salad
- Quinoa Salad in Avocado Bowls
- Caprese Pasta Salad
- Lebanese Fattoush Salad
- Cucumber Tomato Avocado Salad
- Lebanese Cabbage Salad
- Chicken Shawarma Salad
This quinoa tabbouleh salad recipe was originally published January 8, 2019 and has been recently updated with new photography and step-by-step image collages to help make the recipe. The recipe remains the same with clearer instructions.
Comments
It was sooo yummy!!!
I feel like having it every day 🙂
Aww, so glad you loved it! Thank you!!
Too much lemon used for recipe
So sorry you felt that it was too much lemon, Fidha. You can absolutely reduce the amount next time to your flavor preferences.
Are the nutritional facts per serving, or for the entire bowl? What is a “serving size?” Thank you!
Yes, the nutritional info is for 1 serving! There are 4 servings in the recipe. The serving size will vary slightly depending on the ingredients but it should be around 1 cup. Hope that helps!
Fabulous recipe and a great starting point for variations! I omitted the onion and tomato, but added edamame, pumpkin seeds, and a small amount chopped kale. So delicious. The dressing ratio is perfect.
Love your tweaks! Thanks so much, Alex! Glad you liked it!!
Delish! It tastes like traditional tabbouleh, but healthier – even for my guests who can eat gluten. I just wanted enough for me for dinner, so I eyeballed the ingredients, so it looked like your picture. The important thing about the dressing is the ratio of olive oil to lemon juice, which was perfect. With dressing, I always like to start out with what I think is the minimum. You can add more, but you can’t take it away. Also, it gives me a chance to adjust the ratio and the seasoning, if necessary. But in this case my first pass turned out to be perfect. I am looking forward to serving it to friends, soon. Thanks.
p.s. It turned out to be more than I can eat. I bet it will be great tomorrow, too.
Aww, so happy you liked it!! Thank you, Vicki!
I felt that the ratio of dressing to Quinoa was too much and it made it too wet and sloppy, I had to drain it off. I also added some seeded and chopped cucumber to give it some crunch!
So sorry to hear that, thank you for the feedback.
Can I substitute kale for parsley?
How about adding some golden raisins?
Definitely! It will taste less like tabbouleh and more like an earthy kale quinoa salad but I think it sounds delicious. Enjoy!!
Good recipe thank you 💯
Happy you enjoyed it!
Great recipe! I accidentally purchased Italian parsley rather than regular parsley, and I think that’s why the dressing became soup-y. Had I used the curly stuff, I think the dressing amounts would’ve gone a lot further. Next time!
Yes, it does usually provide much more volume!
I was comparing this with your bulgur version. Why does that one use 3 bunches of parsley and this one only 2?
Good question! I actually recently retested and redeveloped this to fine tune it with different measurements (more parsley and more dressing) and I’m republishing it in April. Would you like me to email you the updated recipe?
This was a labor of love. I chopped all the ingredients by hand, theraputic cooking LOL! It was delish! I looked for authentic recipes so I could make my own Chicken Schwarma bowls(feel good foodie recipe as well) It was SO GOOD!
Yay, so glad you loved this! I know what you mean about the labor of love, but doing it by hand makes all the difference.
This dish is so amazingly delicious! My husband was afraid the parsley would be overpowering but it wasn’t at all. It was a perfect balance of the ingredients. I followed the instructions completely. Thank you!
Thank you so much! That’s perfect. This makes me so happy to hear!
This salad is delicious especially with summer picnics etc. Anyway, hopefully, we will get to have some. I am gluten intolerant but was hungry for Tabbouleh so tried this recipe. Sent rest of it home with college-age granddaughter. She loved it as did her Mother. I will send the recipe to each one of them. Keep up the good work.
I’m glad you all liked it! Thank you so much for spreading the word about it!
Could I use some couscous in place of some of the quinoa
Yes absolutely!
Would you use curly leaf parsley or Italian?
I always use curly leaf parsley in my tabbouleh recipes. However, flat leaf Italian parsley works perfectly still!
This sounds Amazing!! I think my Mom is going to make this for me ?. Your recipes always look & sound Great ???
Thanks so much Rose! You’re always so sweet!