Hands down the Best-Ever Tabouli Armenian Salad! I guarantee that once you try it, this is one of those salads you'll keep coming back to time and time again to accompany your favorite Armenian meal (or any kind of meal)!
Perfect proportions of vegetables and herbs vs. bulgur are part of what makes this recipe so great. My Aunt Rosemary O'Rullian, who made every one feel extra special when they were entertained at her house, documented this recipe for our family. In fact, I would describe this tabouli as a cheerful salad, which reminds me of Aunt Rosemary's sunny personality.
Although relatively simple, the fresh taste of parsley and mint, combined with an olive oil and lemon juice dressing is positively out-of-this world, or as my Aunt Rosemary would say, “simply scrumptious.”
What ingredients do I need to make Tabouli Armenian Salad?
- Fine bulgur wheat: Loved for its fluffy texture, bulgur wheat comes from hulled wheat berries that have been parboiled, dried, ground and sifted into a fine grain. Some brands sell this as Bulgur #1 (with the number referring to the size of the grain).
- Olive oil: Preferably extra-virgin olive oil, which not only tastes delicious but provides antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits.
- Lemon juice: Fresh lemons are definitely best, since the lemon flavor plays such a starring role in this recipe.
- Parsley: Fresh, curly parsley will help provide texture to the salad.
- Green onions: Also known as scallions, these onions provide just the right mild onion flavor for this recipe.
- Mint leaves: You guessed it! Fresh is best. If you're doing a lot of Armenian cooking, it may be time to consider growing your own mint. I recommend growing mint in a container, or else you may find it overtaking other parts of your herb garden.
- Tomatoes: Garden-ripe or vine-ripe tomatoes are ideal, since you'll want bright-colored, flavorful tomatoes diced up in your salad.
- Cucumbers: English cucumbers are well-suited to tabouli. Peel all of the skin or stripes of skin from the cucumbers to prevent tasting too much bitterness.
- Romaine lettuce: Tall, crisp green leaves provide a satisfying texture.
How do I make this salad?
Place bulgur in a bowl; cover with water. Bulgur will swell. Keep adding water for about 3 hours. Finally drain very well.
Make the dressing. Combine lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Mix all vegetables thoroughly.
Add the bulgur and toss with dressing.
Cover and chill at least 1 hour before serving.
📖 Recipe
Best Ever Tabouli Armenian Salad
Ingredients
- 1 cup fine bulgur
- Water to cover bulgur
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup lemon juice
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt
- black pepper to taste
- 1 ½ cup finely chopped parsley
- 1 cup chopped green onions
- ½ cup finely chopped mint leaves
- 2-4 large tomatoes diced fine
- 2 large cucumbers finely chopped
- Finely shredded romaine lettuce use a little more than ½ of a head of romaine
Instructions
- Place bulgur in a bowl; cover with water. Bulgur will swell. Keep adding water for about 3 hours. Finally drain very well.
- Make the dressing. Combine lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper.
- Mix all vegetables thoroughly. Pour dressing on top and mix together.
- Cover and chill at least 1 hour before serving.
Allison Brown says
"I was lucky enough to eat this very batch and it was the best I had ever had."
Tricia Davis says
I have eaten tabouli in an authentic Armenian restaurant since I was a small child, and I'm now almost 80. The recipe has been altered by Americans adding things that were not found in the delicious original recipe. Traditional tabouli has no cucumber or tomato juice or lettuce. It does have texture and taste. One cup of medium or course bulgur is used, and covered for 20 minutes with boiling water, then drained. Finely ground bulgur does not give it the intended texture and "chew." Two bunches of curly parsley is chopped, but NOT minced. Removing stems is optional, but I always do. Two to four tomatoes ( depending on size) are diced to small cubes, not chopped, and green onions are sliced thinly, not chopped. The dressing is fresh lemon juice, a little EVOO and sea salt, which will keep the parsley crisp for a few days in the fridge. The lemon juice makes vinegar unnecessary. Tabouli is a light salad, which will not be the same if too much oil is used. Good by itself or with crackers and homemade hummus tahini. If you want to serve a scoop of tabouli on a pretty lettuce leaf, that's no problem, but lettuce is not an ingredient in the mixture.
The Stuffed Grape Leaf says
Thank you so much for your perspective, Tricia! I shared the recipe that was handed down to me from the older generation in my family, but I have heard others say the same as you. Truly, I feel that you can't go wrong either way.
Andrea says
Your suggestions remind me of the exquisite Tabouli I was fortunate to have yesterday at the birthday party of an Armenian friend whose mom prepared the best Tabouli I ever tasted. I would say that it was a traditional Armenian Tabouli recipe. I have prepared it myself in the past twice of three times by boiling the bulgur and adding cucumbers which destroyed the fresh taste of Tabouli. In the Tabouli of my friend's mom, there were no cucumbers involved, or vinegar, and I don't know if she used sea salt or regular salt. I am hoping to persuade her to show me how to prepare her Tabouli. It was served on crisp romaine lettuce leaves and tasted heavenly!
Thank you for your post, Tricia!
Laura Stewart says
I made this salad for company and it was very reminiscent of the salad my grandmother used to make. I found the lemon/olive oil mixture super refreshing and not overpowering at all. I wonder if a previous reviewer's vegetables and portions were smaller than mine because this salad is perfection! Thanks for a great recipe. Perfect for summer!