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

  • Made this salad today and oh my gosh it tastes amazing – so refreshing and tangy. We loved it !

  • Hi. I made this recipe as prescribed except I added my own dressing which was made of olive oil and lemon juice plus garlic and dijon mustard. The herbs I added were what I had on hand, green onions, cilantro and dried dill. Came out great! I served it with a rack of lamb seasoned with Moroccan spice. success!

  • Very good. Makes a good amount. Very adaptable. I added parsley, mint, and some feta. As always, great recipe.

  • I made this today to go with some yummy gyros my son and I made. It turned out delicious! I did omit the red bell peppers as we didn’t have any and substituted honey for sugar as we just don’t like to keep sugar on hand. I definitely recommend this to anyone who loves tabbouleh!

  • I love the texture of this salad! Crunchy, fresh, and delicious.

  • Just made this and it turned out amazing! Didn’t have fresh dill but made it work with dried. Added just a touch of sesame oil for a little nutty flavor, a dash of tumeric, and some crushed red pepper. Definitely making this again.

  • Hi there!
    I just found your site today and a quiche (made from your recipe) is in the oven 🙂
    Regarding this recipe, I sadly do not have bulgur on hand. Do you think I could make it with quinoa, farro, or amaranth (all of which I have in the pantry)? Thanks!

    • Hi Nicole, Welcome to the site! I think quinoa would work well here. I’d love to know how the recipes turn out. 🙂

      • I just made this, with bulgur, and oh man!!! This is such an amazing dish..it’s like a party in your mouth! Love, love, love!

      • Hi Jenn! I’ve made this recipe many times and it is excellent like all your recipes!!! This time I substituted Quinoa for the Bulgar to make it Gluten Free for my sister. It was absolutely excellent! I’m not sure which way is better. They are both favorites of mine! Thank you for all your great recipes and your book!

        • — Denise Ksen Smith
        • Reply
        • You’re so welcome! 🙂

  • Very very yummy!

  • This salad has so much more flavor than I expected. Both my wife and I were stunned by this one. I replaced the chickpeas with about a cup of Asiago Pressato cubed to the same size as the cucumbers. I also drizzled some pomegranate molasses over it when serving. This is going into my regular rotation. Thank you for the great recipe.

  • I did not think it will be so tasty. I was making it for a first time and used green pepper instead of red, added mint, basil. Made some with cumin and rest without. Salt and lemon to my taste. Healthy and tasty. I definitely will make this salad again!

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