This quinoa tabbouleh salad recipe is light, fresh, and makes the perfect side dish for any family get together! It is also both vegan and gluten free and takes only 20 minutes to make!
This recipe was originally published in April 2019, but has been updated as of August 29, 2019.
I’m one of those weird people who actually loves salads but hate ones that leave my stomach growling within 30 minutes of eating it. Anyone else?? I’ve come to find that all good salads need some protein (like this Mediterranean Chickpea Salad) and healthy fats to keep you full. That’s where this quinoa tabbouleh salad recipe comes in handy!
It’s light and fresh, but packed with protein and healthy fats to keep you satiated. Traditional tabbouleh has bulgur, but I wanted to keep it gluten free, so we’re using quinoa. There are also no chickpeas in traditional tabbouleh, but hey, we need this salad to be filling!
What is tabbouleh salad made of?
Tabbouleh only requires a few simple ingredients. Bulgur and parsley are usually the main ingredients, but for this gluten free version of traditional tabbouleh we’ll be using:
- Parsley
- Quinoa
- Chickpeas
- Onion
- Red Pepper
- Olive Oil
- Lemon
- Cucumber
- And some seasonings for the dressing!
To make this salad, you’ll start by prepping your quinoa. I’ve made a mushy pot of quinoa one too many times, so I finally made a detailed posts explaining how to cook quinoa perfectly. Follow this for the best fluffy quinoa! While that’s cooking, prep all the other ingredients.
When everything is done, combine all ingredients together and mix with the dressing and enjoy!
Health benefits of parsley
Parsley is practically a superfood! Just two tablespoons of parsley supplies over 100% of your daily value of vitamin K, and almost 20% of your daily value of vitamin C (source).
It’s also an amazing herb to support liver detoxification, which makes it one of my favorites for supporting clear skin! Parsley also improves kidney health and helps to filter your blood (source). This gluten free quinoa tabbouleh salad is the perfect way to get some of this mighty herb into your diet!
A few notes on this quinoa tabbouleh salad recipe
- Once prepared, this salad will keep in the fridge for about 5 days. Store it in an air tight container for best results.
- You can use any kind of onion in this recipe, but I prefer white onion. However, red adds a pop of color and extra flavor!
- Traditional tabbouleh does contain gluten because of the bulgur, but this recipe is entirely gluten free with the quinoa.
Looking for more tasty salads? Try these
- Strawberry Spinach Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing
- Chickpea ‘Tuna’ Salad
- Kale Salad with Maple Tahini Dressing
- Mexican Three Bean Salad
Lastly, if you want more recipes straight to your inbox, be sure to subscribe to my email list. As always, tag me on instagram if you make this recipe so I can see your creation!
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This gluten free quinoa tabbouleh salad recipe is light, fresh, and makes the perfect side dish for any party!
Ingredients
- 2 bunches of parsley, stems removed (4 cups chopped)
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa
- 1 small red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 cup chopped onion (white or red)
- 1/2 large cucumber, diced
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 tsp maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 3–4 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp dijon mustard
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- Optional: 1/2 cup fresh mint, chopped
Instructions
- Cook the quinoa. (Follow this guide)
- Remove the stems of the parsley and chop into very small pieces.
- Add to a large mixing bowl with the drained and rinsed chickpeas, bell pepper, cucumber, onion, and mint if using.
- Let the quinoa cool, and prepare the dressing in the meantime.
- Mix the olive oil, garlic, maple syrup, salt, lemon juice, dijon mustard, and black pepper together in a small bowl.
- Add the cooled quinoa and dressing to the salad and mix until well incorporated.
- Top with additional salt and pepper if desired.
Notes
This tabouleh salad will store in the fridge for about 5 days in an air tight container.
I used curly parsley for this recipe, but flat leaf parsley also works.
You can sub the bell pepper for chopped tomatoes if desired.
Keywords: quinoa Tabbouleh salad, Tabbouleh salad, Tabbouleh salad recipe, salad for a party
I made this for a small dinner party and it was such a hit!
★★★★★
So happy to hear that!