Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad Recipe

Quinoa tabbouleh with chickpeas in a bowl.

5 from 8 votes

Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad Recipe

This quinoa tabbouleh salad is fresh, lemony, and packed with parsley, mint, tomatoes, chickpeas,and fluffy quinoa. It’s a gluten-free, protein-rich twist on classic tabbouleh that works as a light main dish, side salad, or meal-prep lunch — with optional avocado for extra creaminess.

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Course: Main Course, Salad

Cuisine: American

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegetarian

Servings: servings

Calories: 442kcal

Author: MaryAnne

Ingredients

1 cup quinoa, uncooked
½ teaspoon salt
juice of 2 lemons (about 2 Tablespoons)
zest of ½ lemon
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
5 scallions, thinly sliced
3 cups flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
½ cup mint, finely chopped
1 avocado, sliced lengthwise (optional)

Instructions

Rinse 1 cup of quinoa and add to a saucepan. Add 2 cups of water and ½ teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for around 20 minutes, or until all of the liquid is absorbed. Transfer to a medium-sized bowl to cool.
In a small bowl, whisk together lemon juice, lemon zest, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
Add tomatoes, chickpeas, scallions, parsley, and mint to bowl with cooled quinoa and toss to combine. Add dressing and toss once more. Top with avocado slices, if using, right before serving.
Serves 4 main-dish servings or 6 side servings.

Video

Notes

Store leftover tabbouleh in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. For the best texture, add avocado right before serving instead of mixing it into the full batch.
Cool the quinoa before mixing. Warm quinoa can wilt the herbs and make the salad taste heavy instead of fresh.
Use fresh lemon juice. Lemon is one of the main flavors here, so bottled lemon juice will fall flat.
Drain juicy tomatoes. If your tomatoes release a lot of liquid after chopping, drain them briefly so the salad doesn’t become watery. This keeps the quinoa fluffy and prevents the dressing from tasting watered down.

Nutrition