Quinoa Tabbouleh | Tabouli Salad

Quinoa Tabbouleh / Tabouli Salad is an excellent Middle Eastern recipe that can be made in less than 20 minutes. It can also be stuffed in a pita with falafel and hummus or eaten just as a salad for a meal.

I first learned about this Quinoa Tabouli recipe in a workshop at our local library here, called Cooking with whole grains. In that workshop, the presenter was a chef who now totally practices cooking with whole grain only.

He had made this Quinoa Tabbouleh salad for us to taste during the workshop and it was simply superb. He also gave us the recipe to make this Tabouli salad and I have been following this recipe ever since.

What is Tabbouleh / Tabouli?

Tabouli also known as Tabbouleh or Tabbouli is a vegan and quick salad made with Bulgur, parley, tomatoes, cucumber, and a simple dressing.

So what is Quinoa doing in a Tabbouleh?

Here I am just replacing the bulgur and using quinoa instead to make this delicious salad. This is a great recipe to start using Quinoa if you are new to this super seed which is loaded with protein.

Quinoa provides a good dose of protein in a vegan meal and this salad is just great to eat as is or stuffed inside a pita sandwich along with falafel and hummus.

This is a wonderful recipe to use in the garden with fresh cherry tomatoes. It is still too early on our part for fresh tomatoes but we have our seedlings growing.

Cooking Quinoa in Instant Pot

I have been using the traditional stove top cooking method until Instant Pot came into my life. Since then I have been using Instant Pot to cook all my grains and Quinoa is no exception. Quinoa cooks really quickly and it is very convenient to use the Instant Pot.

All it needs is a couple of minutes of cooking time and I do a quick release in 5 minutes. Then I let it sit for a few minutes and then fluff with a fork and use it in any recipe. I also make a batch of Quinoa for a week and refrigerate it to use later for different recipes like this Baked Quinoa Cutlet or this Broccoli Quinoa and Bean fritter.

Ingredients and Substitutes

Check the recipe card at the bottom of the page for exact measurements and printable detailed recipes.

Quinoa - We are using quinoa in the Tabbouleh recipe instead of bulgur. If you are looking to make a traditional bulgur Tabouli, just replace the quinoa with bulgur. Note that the cooking time for Bulgur varies and it takes longer to cook than Quinoa.

Vegetables - I normally use, English cucumber, cherry tomatoes, flat-leaf parsley, fresh mint, and scallions in my Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad. We could use regular cucumber instead of English cucumber and also regular chopped tomatoes can be used instead of cherry tomatoes.

Dressing - The dressing for this salad is very simple. I use lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic, and extra virgin olive oil along with salt and pepper. Whisk them all together and the dressing is ready.

Step-by-step process to make Quinoa Tabbouleh

• Wash and rinse the quinoa a couple of times. Drain the water.

• Stove Top Cooking Method - In a saucepan, bring quinoa, ½ teaspoon salt, and 1 ¼ cups of water to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover, and cook the quinoa until it is tender (could take about 10-12 mins). Remove from heat, let it stand for 5 more minutes and then fluff with a fork and allow it to cool down.

• Instant Pot Cooking method - I cook it using the pot-in-pot method. Add the rinsed quinoa to a bowl and add 1 ¼ cups of water. Add a pinch of salt and place it inside the Instant Pot (make sure that the inner pot has about 2 cups of water in the base). Place the bowl of quinoa on the trivet and cover the instant pot. Set it on pressure cook at high pressure and low cook mode for 2 minutes. Once the cooking time is up, release the pressure after 5 minutes. Let the quinoa sit for about 10 minutes and then fluff it with a for and use it in the recipe.

• Meanwhile to make the dressing, whisk the lemon juice, lemon zest, and garlic in a small bowl. Gradually whisk in the olive oil. Season the dressing with salt and pepper.

• Transfer the quinoa to a wide bowl. Mix in ¼ cup of the dressing.

• Now add the tomatoes, cucumber, scallion, parsley, and mint leaves to the quinoa. Toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper and add the remaining dressing.

• Mix well and chill for at least an hour.

• Serve with pita and hummus as a salad or as a main course.

Expert Tips

• Cook the quinoa and let it rest for at least 10 minutes for all the liquid to evaporate.
• Use freshly chopped vegetables and herbs for more flavor.
• Adding a bit of dressing to the quinoa helps it to absorb the flavors better.
• Cook the quinoa with a bit of salt to absorb it better.
• Lemon zest is optional in the dressing but it adds a lot of citrus flavor and I would highly recommend it.

Frequently asked questions

More Quinoa Recipes

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