This authentic Lebanese tabbouleh salad recipe is made with fine bulgar wheat, Italian flat leaf parsley, fresh mint, tomatoes, onions, lemons, and lots of olive oil.

authentic Lebanese tabouli in a glass bowl

Tabouli, tabbouleh, tabboule are all the same words describing the most popular traditional Lebanese parsley salad. Tabbouleh differs from fattoush salad, although both are popular Lebanese dishes.

My family takes great pride in their tabbouleh salad recipe. Tabbouleh salad is an art, and it's very easy to get the ratios off. I hope this recipe post details all the tips and tricks for the best tabbouleh recipe.

Ingredient Notes

ingredients needed to make bulgar wheat tabouli

Italian parsley: Fresh flat leafed parsley (Italian parsley) is the main ingredient in tabouli. Italian parsley looks a lot like cilantro, so be careful when choosing which one to buy at the grocery store. If you can't find flat parsley, curly parsley will also work in taste, but the texture will be different.
Green onions: My father prefers to make his tabouli with green onions or white onions.
Ripe tomatoes: Fresh tomatoes on the vine or Roma tomatoes are great to use for tabouli. Use juicy tomatoes that are ripe and ready to eat.
Fine Bulgar Wheat #1: There are different sizes of bulgar wheat. It's important to get the fine bulgur wheat #1 size grain rather than coarse bulgur. The fine bulgar wheat softens quickly when you add water to it. Bulgur wheat is also known as cracked wheat, and it's used in baked kibbeh. You can find fine bulgur wheat at your local Mediterranean market or online. If you can't find bulgur wheat, use cooked quinoa as a substitute. Quinoa tabbouleh is gluten-free too!
Fresh mint (optional): Fresh mint is optional, but it really adds a lot to the salad.
Extra virgin olive oil: Use high-quality extra virgin olive oil for the best tabbouleh.
Lemons: Use ripe lemons to make fresh lemon juice.

How To Make Tabbouleh Salad

Add the dried fine bulgar wheat to a small bowl. Measure out cold water onto the bulgar wheat. Mix with your hands and set aside as the bulgar wheat softens.

Hint: To save some time, don't wash the Italian parsley until it's chopped. Cut the bottom portion of the parsley bunch to remove most of the stems. Finely chop the bunches of parsley using a sharp knife, almost like shredding a head of cabbage. Chop fresh mint leaves (if using).

Add the chopped parsley and mint to a strainer that fits inside a large bowl. Fill the bowl and strainer with water. Drain. Repeat until the water runs clear. Keep the parsley in the strainer until the excess water has drained completely.

Wash the green onion before chopping. Finely chop the green onions. Set aside.

Finely dice the tomatoes. Cut the tomato in half. Place the flat side down on the cutting board. Moving parallel to the cutting board, slice 2 to 3 layers about ¼" thick. Then, slice the tomato into ¼" strips longwise. Finally, rotate the tomato and chop it into ¼" cubes. The tomato should be cut into 3 directions for the smallest diced size.

adding the diced vegetables together in a big tabouli bowl.

Add the tomatoes, parsley, green onions, and mint to a large bowl.

add the softened bulgar wheat to the tabouli salad.

Add the soaked and strained bulgar wheat on top.

Squeeze the lemons, separating the seeds from the lemon juice.

Add the lemon juice and olive oil dressing to the tabouli. Mix the tabouli really well. Eat tabouli with pita bread, cabbage leaves, Romaine lettuce, or simply eat it as is. Serve with kabobs, grilled meats, or kibbeh.

Tips and Tricks

The biggest tip for making the best tabbouleh is the ratios, especially the dressing ratio of the lemons, olive oil, and salt. The recipe card at the bottom of the post includes measured quantities to give you a starting point on the ratios. Important: While adding the lemon juice, olive oil, and salt, continuously taste the salad and adjust. The ratios of the simple olive oil lemon dressing are key to authentic Lebanese tabbouleh salad.
Traditional Lebanese tabbouleh uses lots of fresh parsley. Some online recipes are made with diced cucumbers and high ratios of bulgur wheat, which is not really how my family makes it.
Soak the bulgar wheat using the juice of the tomatoes or the lemon juice. Add the freshly chopped tomatoes on top of the dry bulgar wheat instead of adding water. Alternatively, add some of the lemon juice instead of the water.

Variations and Substitutions

Substitute curly leaf for flat leaf (Italian) parsley.
For a gluten-free tabouli recipe, use quinoa instead of bulgar wheat.
Use white onion instead of green onion.

What To Serve with Tabbouleh

Tabouli is one of my favorite salads to have with grilled meats, like lamb kabobs, shish tawook, and beef shish kabobs. It's lemony, juicy, and textured.

📋 Recipe