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Home » Vegan Lebanese Recipes

Easy Quinoa Taboula Salad (Gluten Free)

Published: Nov 11, 2019 · Modified: Aug 24, 2022· By: Janelle Hama

Jump to Recipe

An easy gluten-free quinoa taboula salad made with quinoa, freshly chopped parsley, tomato, onion, and cucumber in a light dressing. This Lebanese salad can easily be adapted to be without oil.

A white bowl with a glass spoon filled with quinoa and chopped vegetables

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Jump to:
  • 🥗What is Taboula?
  • 😋Why You’ll Love This Recipe
  • ✔️Ingredients You’ll Need
  • 🥗How To Make Quinoa Taboula Salad
  • ⭐ Pro Tips 
  • 🌿Variations
  • 🥄Serving Suggestions
  • ❓FAQ
  • 🍲Related Recipes
  • 📖 Recipe
  • 💬 Community

🥗What is Taboula?

Taboula, a Lebanese salad, is another name for tabouli, tabooli, or tabouleh. Taboula it is not the way it is typically written or pronounced. 

Taboula is made of parsley, mint leaves, tomato, and onion that have been finely diced and tossed with a little amount of cracked wheat called bulgur or in this case cooked quinoa.

This version is a quinoa taboula, catering for the gluten-free diet. It is a spin-off of traditional taboule and has been altered so the quinoa is increased and finely diced cucumber has been added.

Hence why I have called it taboula and not tabouli.

😋Why You’ll Love This Recipe

  • It’s light, fresh, and pairs well with many foods
  • Can be adjusted with additional ingredients, see suggested variations below
  • Dietary friendly - gluten-free, vegan, corn free, nut free, soy free and can be easily made oil free (I do this a lot)

✔️Ingredients You’ll Need

tomato, cucumber, quinoa, lemon, salt and parsley on a white background

Notes on some of the ingredients, the full list of ingredients and their measurements can be found in the recipe card below.

Quinoa can be any color. It will need to be rinsed, cooked and cooled before tossing with the rest of the ingredients.

Fresh flat-leaf parsley will need to be finely chopped after washing, and drying and the thicker stems cut off.

Tomatoes should be ripe but firm and chopped finely.

Onion usually white or brown onion is finely diced, however, feel free to use red onion if you like. I like to use whatever I have on hand.

Fresh mint leaves are so refreshing, these will need to be finely sliced. Do not include the stem.

Fresh lemon juice, is used to dress this salad. You can use as much as you like.

Lebanese cucumber (aka Persian cucumber or you can use telegraph cucumber) is not a traditional ingredient of tabouli, however as this is a quinoa taboula, it’s a refreshing ingredient to have in this salad. The cucumber will need to be finely diced.

Extra virgin olive oil, is also used to dress this Lebanese salad, however, you can also make it without the oil, simply leave it out and taste test to see if you’d like to add more lemon juice and salt.

🥗How To Make Quinoa Taboula Salad

Step 1 - Wash quinoa in running water in a sieve by gently massaging it with your hands. Then in a pot, add quinoa and water, bring to a boil on high heat, then turned down to low, and cook for 13 minutes. Turn heat off, allow the pot to stand with the lid on for another 10 minutes, then take off the lid, fluff the quinoa with a fork and allow it to cool down to room temperature. 

Step 2 - In a bowl, add quinoa and all the ingredients, and toss until well combined. Taste test and adjust salt, lemon and oil as needed. Serve cold.

a bunch of parsley with stems chopped off
tomato, parsley, onion, mint leaves and cucumber all finely chopped in white bowls
chopped parsley, onion, tomato and mint leaves in a glass bowl

⭐ Pro Tips 

All the ingredients can be adjusted to suit your taste. 

Save time and make the quinoa ahead, which can be kept in the fridge for up to 3-5 days. When ready to serve, cut up all the vegetables and herbs and toss them through the dressing along with the pre-cooked quinoa.

🌿Variations

This quinoa taboula can be made with or without oil. Both taste fabulous. You will need to adjust the amount of lemon and salt if no oil is being used.

Build up your salad further by adding some of the following suggestions;

  • Your favorite bean (I like mine with either chickpeas or white beans) I also like to sometimes make my chickpeas crunchy by using roasted chickpeas.
  • Pitted and chopped olives
  • Toasted nuts and seeds
  • Vegan nuggets - chop these up and toss them through
  • Other fresh vegetables and fruit such as chopped mushrooms or pomegranate kernels
  • Leafy greens such as lettuce, spinach or rocket (arugula)
  • Chopped up falafel.
quinoa taboula with white beans through it in a white plate
with added white beans

🥄Serving Suggestions

Quinoa taboula salad is great to enjoy as a side with;

  • kibbeh (a Lebanese bulgur loaf)
  • potato kibbeh
  • tofu skewers,
  • maklouba,
  • vegan ejjeh,
  • purslane pastries.

Or as above build out your salad and enjoy it as a meal on its own, see suggestions above in the variations section.

❓FAQ

How long can I store my quinoa taboula for?

Leftover quinoa taboula can be stored for 1 day in the fridge when sealed in an air-tight container. I don’t recommend storing any longer as the vegetables tend to wilt quickly and turn soggy.

Why can’t I use parsley stems in tabouli?

While edible, the hard stems of parsley are not recommended to be added to tabouli as they are hard and stringy, and unpleasant to eat in this salad. Only the soft stems are kept and chopped up finely so they blend in with the salad.

Can you freeze Taboula?

It is not recommended to freeze taboula, it is best eaten fresh or the next day as the vegetables will turn soggy if frozen.

How to pronounce Taboula?

Pronouncing tabouli is English is said as ta•boo•la.

a white bowl with quinoa salad in it

🍲Related Recipes

Looking for more vegan salad ideas?

  • Rocca salad - an Easy Lebanese salad made with (arugula/rocket)
  • Fattoush Salad - one of Lebanon's national salads
  • Maftoul Salad - Palestinian (inspired) couscous salad
  • Orange and Fennel Salad - So fresh, reminds me of summer
  • Vegan brown rice salad - Vibrant, filling and tasty, what's not to love
  • Arabic salad - commonly enjoyed at lunch or dinner time

Or if you're a fan of eating grains and want to try something new check out my bulgur pilav.

  • Sahlab Middle Eastern Sweetened Milk Drink (سحلب)
  • Tender Lebanese Squash With Burghul
  • Delicious Zucchini Insides Dip (Lib Koosa)
  • Easy Lentils and Pasta Soup (Rishta)

Did you enjoy making this vegan recipe? I would love to hear from you, leave me a comment below and give me a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating. This will help me sustain Plant Based Folk. 

Alternatively, did you happen to take a photo? Tag me @plantbasedfolk on Instagram to be featured via stories.

📖 Recipe

A white bowl with a glass spoon filled with quinoa and chopped vegetables

Easy Quinoa Taboula Salad (Gluten Free)

An easy gluten free quinoa taboula salad made with quinoa, freshly chopped parsley, tomato, onion and cucumber in a light dressing. Can easily be adapted to be without oil.
Print Pin Rate Save Recipe Saved Recipe
Course: Salad
Cuisine: Lebanese, Middle Eastern
Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan
Prep Time: 17 minutes
Cook Time: 13 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4 people
Author: Janelle Hama

Ingredients

Quinoa

  • 2 cups Water
  • 1 cup Quinoa washed

Salad

  • 1 cup Flat leaf parsley finely chopped
  • 2 medium Tomatoes finely diced
  • 2 medium Cucumber finely chopped
  • ¼ cup Mint leaves finely chopped
  • 1 medium Onion finely diced

Dressing

  • 2 medium Lemons juiced
  • 1½ teaspoon Salt or to taste
  • ¼ cup Olive oil extra virgin
Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

  • Using a sieve, wash quinoa through running water for about a minute to remove bitterness.
    In a pot, add quinoa and water, bring to a boil on high heat, then turned down to low and cook for 13 minutes. Turn heat off, allow pot to stand with lid on for another 10 minutes, then take off lid, fluff the quinoa with a fork and allow it to cool down to room temperature. 
    1 cup Quinoa, 2 cups Water
  • In a bowl, add quinoa and all the ingredients, toss until well combined. Taste test and adjust salt, lemon and oil as needed. Serve cold.
    1 cup Flat leaf parsley, 2 medium Tomatoes, 2 medium Cucumber, ¼ cup Mint leaves, 1 medium Onion, 2 medium Lemons, 1½ teaspoon Salt, ¼ cup Olive oil

Video

Notes

Yield is for 4-6 servings.
You can adjust the ingredients to suit your taste. Leave out the oil and adjust the lemon and salt to suit.
Save time and make the quinoa ahead, store it in the fridge until you are ready to toss the salad.
There are many variations listed above in the post, however, try tossing through some roasted chickpeas for some added crunch.
Quinoa taboula is a variation of traditional Lebanese tabouli.

Equipment

Bowl
pot

Nutrition

Calories: 333kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Sodium: 897mg | Potassium: 736mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 1986IU | Vitamin C: 63mg | Calcium: 92mg | Iron: 4mg

N.B., nutrition info is an estimate based on an online nutrition calculator. This will vary based on the specific ingredients you use.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Celine

    December 02, 2022 at 9:59 pm

    5 stars
    This recipe is perfect for me because I struggle to find cracked wheat in my supermarket. The quinoa is an excellent substitution! Yum - will make again!

    Reply
  2. Aria

    November 14, 2022 at 10:48 pm

    5 stars
    I love using quinoa in recipes. This salad was very good

    Reply
  3. Kara

    October 25, 2022 at 11:16 pm

    5 stars
    Loved this gluten free version of tabuli salad. I could it it every day!

    Reply
  4. Kris

    October 19, 2022 at 1:29 am

    5 stars
    This was a great way to use up the last of my fresh mint and parsley (had a lot of it). I followed the recipe exactly and it turned out wonderful!

    Reply
  5. Swathi

    August 30, 2022 at 1:59 pm

    5 stars
    I love taboulh salad this quinoa version was delicious, I made it for a family member who is GF and they gave it a thumbs up

    Reply
  6. Erika

    August 24, 2022 at 10:02 pm

    I'm so excited to try this gluten-free quinoa taboula salad.:) Loving the ingredients of it like parsley, mint leaves, tomato, and onion.:) Thanks!

    Reply
  7. leyla

    August 11, 2020 at 1:19 pm

    5 stars
    We had a family bbq and I made this tabouli, no one asked if I had swapped anything. The whole salad was eaten. I would say that is a good thing 🙂

    Reply
  8. VideotesttubeCom

    March 06, 2020 at 9:15 am

    This recipe is super simple and you need only 6 ingredients to make it: quinoa, tomatoes, spring onion (white or red onion are okay), mint, parsley and lemon juice. Feel free to add extra virgin olive oil, but I only add lemon juice and the salad tastes amazing.

    Reply

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Heya, I'm Janelle! I've been a messy but delicious cook for a couple of decades now.

In the last few years, I've converted to a vegan diet and have fallen in love with the flavors that can be created from plants.

I specialize in vegan Lebanese food and I'm excited to share these amazing recipes with you.

Let's cook together!

More about me →

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