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

  • Can u substitute couscous for bulgur

    • Sure, I think that would work well.

  • This salad is great to have on hand year-round. It’s delicious! I sometimes reduce the oil, but otherwise stick to instructions. Love this as my go-to for lunch main or as side with soup. Also perfect to bring to cookouts as a nice non-mayo salad.

  • I have made this salad several times over the summer and served it with grilled foods. We have it as a side dish for dinner and then I take it for lunch to work. All the ingredients work so well together and the dressing is so bright and flavorful. I will make this year round.

  • Made this dish for main course of rotisserie chicken from Costco. I also cut the cumin & sugar down to 3/4 tsp. This dish was AMAZINGLY!!!! As you know the Costco chicken can taste very rich. The lemony fresh herby taste of this salad was complimentary to the chicken. The textures were so satisfying. I was concerned about the amount of dill, but it worked really well. My husband isn’t a fan of lemony salads, but per all of the ‘once upon a Chef’s’ recipes, it was so well balanced & fresh tasting. Cooking the bulgur as directed was the EASIEST part of the recipe. While I chopped everything up, the bulgur was absorbing the water. When I was done measuring all the rest of the ingredients, the bulgur was ready to add. The main difference I made in following the directions was making the dressing in a separate bowl with olive oil, lemon juice, cumin, pepper, sugar, salt & garlic. This way I was able to ensure even distribution when I added it to the rest of the ingredients. This is a very filling side dish. Any leftovers can be lunch the next day. Really excited about making this one. I’m happy I get to review this for a chance to win the book. That’s why I made the dish!!! Easy to make, flavorful & fresh. Definitely a winner.

  • This is such a tasty salad! I serve this (I made no adjustments to recipe) with the Middle Eastern Chicken Kebabs and some warm naan with homemade hummus and the hubby always raves! 🙂

  • Use scallions (green onion), not red onion
    No chickpeas
    No cumin
    No bell pepper
    No sugar
    !/2 of the lemon juice
    1/2 half of the dill

    Now this is more traditional

    • Really, Greg? All “traditions” were new at one point! Try this recipe as written–it is excellent and now a permanent addition to my salad repertoire. I agree, don’t throw out the old, but recognize that variations are the spice of life.

  • Yum! This was so good! To be honest, I forgot to buy the fresh dill so I just skipped it, but it was still great without. I put feta cheese and fresh sliced avocado on top. Perfect lunch to take to work!

    • Any cucumber substitution recommendations? This salad looks awesome but I don’t like cucumbers. I would love to have a green vegetable in the salad and thinking of trying asparagus. Any recommendations appreciated.

      • — Raina Alexander
      • Reply
      • Raina, asparagus (that has been blanched to soften it a bit) would be great. Other options that come to mind are celery and/or green pepper. Hope you enjoy!

  • Hi Jenn! I’m new to your website but so delighted I stumbled across it. I made this salad last week to bring to the cottage and it was amazing. I could not believe I made something so good. I made everyone try it and they all loved it. I cannot wait to try more of your recipes. This was honestly one of the tastiest dishes I have ever made. My cousin is a vegetarian and my mother always stresses about what she will make for him when he comes to dinner, but now I have the perfect dish to bring to keep him happy! Thank you so very much for sharing!

  • Refreshing recipe! Even my carnivore husband enjoyed it, that’s how delicious it was. Followed the recipes to a T, no need to change a thing.

  • Can this be made a day ahead?

    • Definitely! Hope you enjoy.

      • Thank you

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