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

  • Added good feta (in brine) and toasted slivered almonds as garnish…served with cantaloupe, Just delicious. Cooking for only one and I will eat happily until gone. Finding good bulgar was a challenge until I found a wonderful international market. Thanks Jenn for another winner

    • — Carol on September 3, 2023
    • Reply
  • This salad is legit! Easy to make (except all the chopping is a bit time consuming if you’re slow in the kitchen like me), healthy, and flavorful. I added a lot more garlic than called for, but that’a just a personal preference. Make it! You won’t regret it.

    • — SK on August 28, 2023
    • Reply
  • Emergency substitute when no parsley on hand (and short on time), I used chimichurri. A different time I was low on bulgar and used quinoa. This is a very adaptable recipe for a flavorful, filling meal.

    • — Corita on August 26, 2023
    • Reply
  • Really yummy. We have made this a couple times now. It’s a very forgiving/accommodating recipe. Once I only had a tsp of dried dill- still delicious. The other time I added seeded, diced tomatoes and hearts of palm, still delicious.

    • — Shannon C on July 29, 2023
    • Reply
  • This was so amazing! Instead of soaking the bulgur I cooked it in vegetable broth and some green onions. I happened to have grilled bell pepper so I used those. I added feta because I saw it in the comments. I could (and possibly will) eat this every day forever.

    • — Mary on July 17, 2023
    • Reply
  • Just loved it. Found some mini cukes that I just diced up, peel and all, virtually no seeds. Added the feta as some suggested, but will leave it out next time. I think that it took away from the flavor of the salad, Thanks Jenn for another winner
    five stars for sure

    • — Carol on July 14, 2023
    • Reply
  • AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS!!
    Made this last night because we love Tabbouleh and was looking for an alternative. WOW! My spouse and I each had a huge helping. I was surprised he ate as much a he did because I usually have to “hide” cucumbers to get him to eat them. This paired well with grilled Montreal seasoned chicken tenders along with Pita bread.
    Thank you for this great recipe as well as others we have prepared and enjoyed.

    • — Mary Feldhahn on June 28, 2023
    • Reply
    • This was a wonderful easy delicious salad. Thanks so much for your great recipes!!

      • — Anne on August 3, 2023
      • Reply
  • This is an easy ,yummy salad! I make it all the time.

    • — Erica on June 18, 2023
    • Reply
    • Can I use barley Instead or quinoa. Don’t have barley on hand

      • — Cynthia Porcaro on July 16, 2023
      • Reply
      • Sure!

        • — Jenn on July 17, 2023
        • Reply
  • Added toasted pistachios and feta. Turned out fantastic! Very fresh and summery and delicious.

    • — Ana on May 8, 2023
    • Reply
  • Please specify the kind of bulghur? There are many and they have different cooking times.

    • — Joseph Gregory on April 5, 2023
    • Reply
    • Hi Joseph, haven’t made this recipe in a while, but I believe I used #2 which is medium. 🙂

      • — Jenn on April 5, 2023
      • Reply
    • Joseph she has it right in the recipe:
      #2.

      Lisa

      • — Lisa on July 9, 2023
      • Reply

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