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Quinoa tabouleh

Quinoa Tabbouleh salad with fresh parsley and mint, hemp hearts, tomato, and cucumber is full of color and flavor and can be served as a side or light meal!

side angle view of a white bowl with serving of healthy quinoa tabbouleh with hemp hearts.

Tabbouleh – also known as tabouli or tabouleh – is a popular traditional Middle Eastern side dish. The key ingredient for tabouli is finely chopped parsley, and lots of it adds wonderful freshness and bright flavor.

Traditionally, tabbouleh is made with bulgur wheat, but here, we’ll use gluten-free quinoa instead. Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) is full of protein and fiber and is a perfect replacement for bulgar wheat. We’ll also be adding hemp hearts for extra nutrients and healthy omegas!

Quick and easy to make, quinoa tabbouleh is light, fresh, and delicious! The fresh parsley and mint are a winning combination, leaving a fresh, clean taste bite after bite. The cucumber is refreshing, and the tomatoes add juiciness, while the lemon is lively and zesty.

Serve tabbouleh salad on its own as a side, or in a pita for a light lunch or dinner. It’s ready in 30 minutes, and you’ll most likely have leftovers that taste even better after chilling in the refrigerator!

I can easily make this tabbouleh salad and graze on it throughout the day. It’s so light and refreshing, perfect for when you want something healthy and fast. I think you’ll love it, too!

top down view of ingredients for quinoa tabbouleh displayed on wooden plate

Quinoa Tabbouleh Ingredients

The ingredient list for quinoa tabbouleh is simple, and the ingredients come together to create pleasure for all your senses—visually, texturally, and flavor-wise. Not to mention, the smell is fresh and delicious, too!

Here is everything you will need, including substitution ideas:

  • Quinoa – use white or tri-color
  • Garlic powder – can sub with 1 or 2 minced garlic cloves
  • Parsley 
  • Mint
  • Cucumber – regular, English, or Persian
  • Red onion – can sub with shallots
  • Cherry/grape tomatoes
  • Hemp hearts – can be optional
  • Good extra virgin olive oil – can be optional
  • Lemons
  • Mineral salt & cracked pepper
top down view of prepared ingredients for quinoa tabbouleh added to a large mixing bowl.

How To Make Quinoa Tabbouleh

  • Quinoa. Start by making the quinoa. Bring quinoa, water & garlic powder to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and let simmer on low for 15 minutes. Remove the cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Perfect quinoa every time!
  • Herbs. While the quinoa is cooking, finely chop your parsley and mint.
  • Veggies. Prepare the cucumber and onion. Be sure to finely dice them as well; you want them on the small side. The cherry tomatoes can be halved or quartered if they are on the larger side.
  • Assemble. To assemble the tabbouleh salad, combine the quinoa with the parsley, mint, cucumber, onion, tomatoes, and hemp hearts, add a drizzle of olive oil and the juice of your lemons, and add salt & pepper to taste.

Simple, clean, and healthy, quinoa tabbouleh is good any day. Now, all you have to do is eat and enjoy!

top down view quinoa tabbouleh freshly mixed in a large mixing bowl with serving utensils.

How To Store

Leftover quinoa tabbouleh will keep for 5 – 6 days in the refrigerator, stored in a covered container. I don’t recommend freezing this tabbouleh since the cucumber may become mushy once thawed.

Serving Suggestions

Serve tabbouleh at room temperature or chilled with an extra squeeze of lemon juice. I prefer to let it chill for about an hour before eating, but either way is delicious!

Quinoa tabbouleh makes a great side dish, light lunch, or dinner and can easily be made into a hearty meal by adding a can of cooked chickpeas. It’s perfect for meal prep, too!

up close, side angle view of healthy quinoa tabbouleh in a large mixing bowl with serving utensils.

More Easy Quinoa Recipes!

side angle view of a white bowl with serving of healthy quinoa tabbouleh with hemp hearts and avocado.

If you try this quinoa tabbouleh recipe, I’d love to hear from you! Have you made tabbouleh before? What ingredients did you use? Share any tips you might have in the comments below!

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QUINOA TABBOULEH

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5 from 14 reviews

Healthy Quinoa Tabbouleh recipe with hemp hearts comes together creating pleasure for all your senses – visually, texturally and flavor wise!

  • Author: Julie | The Simple Veganista
  • Prep Time: 15 min
  • Cook Time: 15 min
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: Serves 4 – 6 1x
  • Category: Side
  • Method: simmer, mix
  • Cuisine: Mediterranean
  • Diet: Vegan

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 cup quinoa (I used tri-color)
  • 1 3/4 cups water
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 bunch parsley (about 2 cups lightly packed), stems removed
  • 1 small bunch mint (about 1 cup lightly packed), stems removed
  • 1 small English cucumber (skin on), diced
  • 1 small red onion, diced or 3 green onions, thinly sliced
  • 1 1/2 cups cherry/grape tomatoes, halved or quartered depending on size
  • 1/4 cup hemp hearts (shelled hemp seeds)
  • drizzle of good extra virgin olive oil
  • juice of 2 large lemons
  • mineral salt & cracked pepper to taste

Instructions

Quinoa: Rinse your quinoa in a fine mesh strainer to remove any dust (sometimes I do this, sometimes I don’t). In a medium size pot, bring water, quinoa and garlic powder to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer on low for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, remove cover and let set for 10 – 15 minutes, fluff with fork.

Prep: In the meantime, finely chop your parsley and mint. Dice your cucumber, tomato and onion.

Assemble: Once quinoa is ready, add in the parsley, mint, cucumber, onion, tomatoes, hemp hearts, drizzle of olive oil and the juice of your lemons, salt & pepper to taste, gently mix together.

Serve with a few whole mint and/or parsley leaves and lemon wedges.

Serves 4 – 6

Store: Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for 5 – 6 days, in a covered container.

Notes

Make this a light lunch or dinner by adding a can of chickpeas.

Omit the oil to make oil-free.

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19 Comments

  1. Added canned chickpeas instead of hemp hearts which I sautéed for a couple of minutes with minced garlic, salt and pepper.
    Also used a small food processor to chop the veggies really fine which resembles an authentic Middle Eastern tabbouleh.






  2. Made this for a birthday supper. A big hit-absolutely delicious. Didn’t have any mint but it tasted great even without it.






  3. Catherine L. says:

    The perfect vegan quinoa! Couldn’t love this recipe more, and it was ridiculously easy to make. It’ll be a regular in my rotation.






  4. I’m so excited to make this recipe! Tabouli is one of my favorite recipes ever. Can anyone tell me what a serving size is, tho? I see a serving size on the label is 293 calories. But what is the serving size? Lol any help is greatly appreciated!

    1. Julie | The Simple Veganista says:

      It is delicious! I would say a serving is about 3/4 to 1 cup, depending on how big you chop the veggies. I hope that helps. Enjoy the quinoa tabbouleh, Maggie!

  5. This turned out great. I didn’t do hemp hearts because I couldn’t afford them, and I’d use shallot instead of red onion. I added kidney beans and it really helped add some bulk and texture. 10/10 would make again






  6. Can I sub basil for the mint? I know the flavour will be different, but will it taste good? I have a garden full of basil

    1. Julie | The Simple Veganista says:

      Great question, Maureen! I think basil will taste great. Enjoy! :)

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