Bulgur Salad with Cucumbers, Red Peppers, Chickpeas, Lemon & Dill

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With fresh herbs, chopped vegetables and chickpeas, this Middle Eastern-style bulgur salad is like a bulked-up tabbouleh.

Bowl of bulgur salad with cucumbers, red peppers, chickpeas, lemon, and dill.

Made with nutty bulgur, fresh herbs, chopped vegetables, and buttery chickpeas, this Middle Eastern-style salad is like a bulked-up tabbouleh. I like to make it over the weekend and keep it in the fridge all week long for healthy lunches.

What you’ll need to make bulgur salad

bulgur salad ingredients

Bulgur is a chewy and nutty-tasting grain made from whole wheat kernels that have been parboiled, dried and cracked. In addition to being delicious, it’s super healthy — high in fiber and protein, rich in vitamins and minerals, and low in fat and calories. You can find it in most supermarkets near the pasta, rice, or hot cereal, and many stores also carry it in the bulk bins.

Step-by-Step Instructions

To begin, in a medium bowl, combine the bulgur bowl and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

bulgur and salt

Pour 1-1/4 cups boiling water over top and cover the bowl with plastic wrap.

bowl covered with plastic wrap Let the bulgur steam for 30 minutes, or until all of the water is absorbed.

Glass bowl of steamed bulgur.

While the bulgur soaks, prepare the vegetables and herbs.

Chopped red onion, cucumber, red peppers, and more on a wooden cutting board.

I like to soak the red onions in cold water to remove the raw onion taste. This is totally optional — if you like raw onions, skip this step.

soaking red onion in water

Once the chopped onion has soaked, drain thoroughly.

Red onion draining in a sieve.

In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, lemon juice, garlic, cumin, sugar, pepper, and remaining 1 teaspoon salt.

Whisked dressing in a glass bowl.

Add the cooled bulgur, onion, bell pepper, cucumber, dill, parsley, and chick peas.

adding the bulgur and vegetables to the dressingToss well, then taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.

tossed bulgur saladChill until ready to serve or up to two days. Serve cold or room temperature.

Bowl of bulgur salad with cucumbers, red peppers, chickpeas, lemon, and dill.

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Bulgur Salad with Cucumbers, Red Peppers, Chick Peas, Lemon & Dill

With fresh herbs, chopped vegetables and chickpeas, this Middle Eastern-style bulgur salad is like a bulked-up tabbouleh.

Servings: 4 to 6 as a side dish (2 to 3 as a main course)
Total Time: 40 Minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 cup medium-grind (#2) bulgur
  • 1½ teaspoons salt, divided
  • ⅓ cup diced red onion
  • ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • ¼ cup fresh lemon juice, from 2 lemons
  • 1 large garlic clove, finely minced
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • 1 small English (or hothouse) cucumber, seeded and diced
  • ½ cup finely chopped fresh dill
  • ⅓ cup finely chopped fresh parsley
  • 1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

Instructions

  1. Bring a kettle of water to a boil. Place the bulgur in a large bowl with ½ teaspoon salt and 1¼ cups boiling water. Cover the bowl tightly with saran wrap and let sit for 15-30 minutes, or until all of the water is absorbed. Let cool, then fluff with a fork.
  2. Meanwhile, to soften the bite of the raw onions, place them in a small bowl and cover with cold water. Let sit for ten minutes, and then drain. (Feel free to skip this step if you don't mind the strong taste of raw onions.)
  3. In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, lemon juice, garlic, cumin, sugar, pepper, and remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Add the cooled bulgur, onion, bell pepper, cucumber, dill, parsley, and chick peas. Toss well, then taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Chill until ready to serve or up to two days. Serve cold or room temperature.

Pair with

Nutrition Information

Powered by Edamam

  • Per serving (4 servings)
  • Calories: 336
  • Fat: 15g
  • Saturated fat: 2g
  • Carbohydrates: 46g
  • Sugar: 7g
  • Fiber: 11g
  • Protein: 9g
  • Sodium: 1085mg
  • Cholesterol: 0mg

This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.

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Comments

  • OMG!! Perfection!! I made this for a BBQ party as a side dish on a very hot day. It was so unbelievably delicious!! It also is great for a party when it is sitting out for a while. Next time, I will use a little less olive oil – just my taste. Also, I could not find fresh dill so used dried (so used much less) and it was fine. Another recipe to add to my normal rotation. Excellent!

  • I love this salad during the summer and I love it even more during the winter dreaming of summer!!! I use farro instead of bulgur as I prefer the “chew” of farro. Easy to prepare and keeps well in the fridge! I make it on the weekend-serve it to my family with dinner-and then I snack on it all week! I will also add leftover cooked chicken to make it a quick and healthy lunch! Thanks Jenn!

    • Brilliant idea! Been making this salad for a long time and never thought of using farro, I will try that next time!

  • Absolutely loved this salad. Made a double batch so my daughter could bring some for lunch the next day.

  • Love the flavor of this salad! I’ve made it a few times with some variations. I used quinoa and it turned out great! I loved the leftovers, the flavor was even better the next day. I also served it over some greens the next day to make it go a little further, because everyone wanted the leftovers! I like to add a little sambal oelek (3/4 tsp) just to give it one more layer of flavor. Yummy!

  • What could be used in place of the bulgar to make this gluten free?

    • Hi Teres, you could replace the bulgur with brown rice or quinoa. Enjoy!

  • I made this a few times this summer and it was consistently good. I found that, for me, it didn’t keep well as a leftover. That won’t prevent me from making it again though, I’ll just cut the recipe in half next time 🙂

  • Hi Jenn!
    Thank you for all your lovely lovely recipes. Plan on making this and wanted to know if I can use ground dill spice cause I don’t have fresh. If so: how much should I use? Thanks!

    • Hi Sarah, Glad you like the recipes! Yes, you can use dried dill here- up to about 2.5 Tbsp. Hope you enjoy!

  • I love this salad. The dressing is very subtle. I make it with quinoa.

  • I strongly recommend doing an emulsion with those herbs, oil, and lemon. Didn’t even try the original instructions of just pouring everything in. Great results. Switched sugar to honey. Added cayenne. Finished with crunchy salt and/or capers.

  • It’s edible but definitely not a keeper. The taste of lemon and cumin is overpowering. Won’t be making it again.

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