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Keto Tabbouleh Salad

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Quick, Easy, and Refreshing Lebanese Keto Tabbouleh Salad with a Low Carb Twist done in 10 minutes will add lots of healthiness to your daily life. This Mediterranean Keto Tabouli Salad Recipe is entirely Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Low Carb, Vegetarian, and Diabetic Friendly swapping the Bulgur Wheat with Hemp Seeds

Lebanese Tabbouleh Salad in a bow.
Low Carb Tabbouleh Salad

Keto Salads

As keto salads are a big part of our lifestyle, there is always a reason to pick your favorite and transform them into fully keto deliciousness. 

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For example, I have swapped the potatoes for Turnip in our Mayonnaise Salad to get the perfect swap for our Christmas Dinner. Potato salad is a must on our Christmas table that I could not live without.

One of the most popular at the moment is TikTok Green Goddess Salad, which I make almost every week. 

Apart from those, I suggest you look at Avocado Egg Salad, Tuna Salad, Taco Salad, Broccoli Salad or Roasted Beet Spread, as we need some varieties.

Do you wonder how I came up with this Low Carb Tabbouleh Salad?

Since we moved from Dubai, I have always craved Tabbouleh salad. I never made it at home because the original one contained bulgur, which was not part of our low-carb pantry.

As I walked around the shop, I saw this massive bunch of parsley. They were beautifully placed in the basket, and they were so big that all I saw from half of the shop were those big parsley bunches. I had to have some. But I didn’t know what I could use so much.

While I remembered my life in Dubai and how we used to order Tabbouleh in every Arabic or Lebanese restaurant we went to, that second, I thought of replacing bulgur with some seeds. Why not? It would look similar, while it would taste almost the same, and in the end, I will have my lovely Tabbouleh back on the table. 

But this time, it is the best Low Carb Tabbouleh Salad.

Not surprisingly, I went with two bunches of parsley and straight into the kitchen to make some for me and all of you.

Tabouleh salad ready to eat
Tabbouleh salad keto

Why do we need Tabbouleh Salad?

Wonder why you would need Tabouli?

Apart from incredible health benefits, Low Carb Tabbouleh is:

  • Refreshing
  • Extra healthy
  • Delicious
  • Quick
  • Gluten-free
  • Vegetarian
Is Tabbouleh Keto?

Using the original recipe, I have to admit, Tabboulé is not keto. 
But with our recipe, replacing bulgur wheat with hemp hearts seeds will make our super refreshing salad fully Keto and Low Carb option for your meal plans.

What is Tabbouleh?

Tabbouleh is a very popular salad in the Middle East, which originated in the mountains of Lebanon and Syria. The base of the recipe is always lots of Parsley, Mint, and Bulgur. Different variations are then added, depending on the region.
If you are interested to learn more about Tabbouleh, check it out, as I find it interesting.

What is in Tabbouleh?

Tabbouleh, or Tabouli as some call it, contains only a handful of ingredients, but their combination gives you the most refreshing feeling you can imagine. 
Parsley as the main ingredient is combined with mint leaves for the freshness, tomatoes for the juiciness, lemon and olive oil for a perfect dressing, and bulgur or hemp seeds in our case for that perfect final touch. 

Ingredients for Tabbouleh

The must-have ingredients in Lebanese Tabbouleh are Parsley and Mint. 

Parsley

The main ingredient of the Tabbouleh Recipe is Parsley.

As parsley is used worldwide, I guess there is no need for me to explain further. 

It is a great herb to use daily, filled with antioxidants, flavonoids, and vitamins. With our recipe for Tabbouleh, you get as much parsley into your system as one can manage, as it is beneficial in:

  • urinary tract infections
  • kidney stones
  •  gastrointestinal  disorders
  • constipation
  • diabetes
  • cough
  • asthma
  • high blood pressure
  • and much, much more
Low carb Tabbouleh in a wooden bowl
Low Carb Tabouli salad

Mint

Mint or Mentha adds an amazingly fresh aroma to this tabbouleh salad which also:

  • Helps with digestions
  • Treats a headache, nausea, and dizziness
  • Helps with a blocked nose
  • It prevents Dandruff and Lice
  • Helps with Colic in babies
  • Helps with muscle pains
  • Improves blood circulation
  • Helps to treat Asthma
  • Aids in Weight loss
  • Strengthens our liver
  • Prevents memory loss
  • helps in treating depression

We all have planted Mint for that special day when we need it for Mojito (you can check a perfect Low Carb Vodka Mojito Recipe from a friend of mine, Tasha), but have realized it just grows and grows.

Keto Tabbouleh 

Low Carb Tabbouleh Salad is made with two beneficial ingredients we all need for our health. Only one bowl adds lots of vitamins one would not believe.

For our Low Carb Keto lifestyle and this lovely Low Carb Tabbouleh Salad, I have made a few changes and have replaced Bulgur with a special ingredient, which looks like Bulgur, and you would not realize it is missing in there. And it will undoubtedly add to the health instead of Bulgur.

Before you read further, try to guess what it is? Have you guessed right? Read more.

Most of the keto or low-carb tabouli recipes you find are made with cauliflower.

Although the cauliflower tabbouleh recipe is excellent and delicious, in my opinion, it does not add that texture as my replacement does. 

Tabbouleh salad in a yellow bowl
Green Lebanese salad

Hemp Seeds

Hemp is one of the fastest-growing plants on earth and is getting more popular in various ways. 

What are Hemp Seeds?

Nutty Hemp seeds are seeds picked from the hemp plant filled with protein, iron, omega fatty acids, vitamin D and E, magnesium, and zinc. 

Hemp Hearts Seeds are used primarily raw but can also be ground into one of the keto flour alternatives or made into a low-carb milk option

Hemp seeds are another wonder ingredient, which is excellent for:

  • reducing heart diseases
  • it benefits various skin disorders
  • are a great source of Protein
  • reduces the symptoms of PMS and Menopause
  • improves digestion
  • helps with arthritis and joint pain
  • beneficial for weight loss
  • strengthens our skin, hair, and nails

What kind of Hemp seeds to use?

Some companies call hemp seeds also hemp hearts. This is the same thing, so that you know.

Use raw hemp seeds – the way you bought them.

Do not use whole hemp seeds with shells. Although I like them with morning granola, they are too hard to add to the salad. And at the end, you want it to make this Low Carb Tabbouleh Salad as identical to the original as possible.

In our recipe for Tabbouleh, I have used hulled hemp seeds, which are seeds cleaned from the skin to give you that identical texture as bulgur does. 

Calories in Tabbouleh

Making this delicious and filling Lebanese Tabbouleh will motivate you even more after seeing the Nutritional value of Tabbouleh. 

A whole bowl, which is really plentiful contains only 136 calories, which gives you plenty of additional meals to have with. 

To add 5 grams of carbohydrates and 2 grams of fiber, this Gluten-Free Tabbouleh comes to a total of 3 grams of net carbs per portion. 

Tabbouleh salad on a silver antique plates
Parsley Salad

What Parsley is the best for Tabbouleh?

When you go around restaurants and try their authentic Tabbouleh Recipes, you might realize no particular type of parsley is used.

It depends on your taste. I personally love parsley and use whatever I have at home.

But to sum it up, Italian or Flat Parsley is less bitter than curly one. And as you need to use lots of it, pick the one you like the most. Or use the flat parsley for the salad and curly one for decoration. 

How To make Tabbouleh

Kitchen Gadgets needed:

  • Mixing bowl
  • Sharp knife
  • Spatula for mixing

Ingredients needed:

  • Parsley
  • Mint Leaves
  • Tomatoes
  • Lemon
  • Hemp Seeds
  • Olive Oil

*Exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below.

STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS FOR MAKING THE BEST KETO TABBOULEH SALAD

First step: Prepare Ingredients

Prepare and clean all of the ingredients for the salad.

Ingredients needed for Keto tabbouleh.
Keto Tabbouleh Salad Recipe

Second Step: Cut Parsley

With chopping knife, cut parsley to a smallest pieces you can manage. I normally start with cutting it into bigger bunches and then slowly smaller and smaller. You can have a look at the video for a better idea.

cutting parsley for tabbouleh salad

Third Step: Cut Tomatoes

Cut all of the tomatoes into small squares.

cutting tomatoes for salad

Fourth Step: Prepare Mint Leaves

Fist separate mint leaves from the stems. Make sure they are clean and same way as cutting parsley, use chopping knife to cut mint leaves into the smallest tiny pieces you can manage.

mint leaves prepared for salad

Fifth Step: Add Hemp Seeds

Place all of the ingredients into a medium size bowl and add Hemp seeds. Pick a bowl, which will be easy to mix everything in.

adding hemp seeds to the keto tabbouleh salad

Sixth Step: Add lemon

Take lemon and squeeze all the juice from it onto the bowl with all ingredients in.

ading lemon to low carb tabbouleh

Seventh Step: Add Olive Oil

Use the best Extra Virgin Olive oil you have. The taste is really different. Better the olive oil is, more spicy feeling it has. And adding the good quality olive oil to your salad goes way further.

adding olive oil to the low carb salad

Eight Step: Mix and serve

With a big spoon mix all of the ingredients together to have the best ever Low Carb Tabbouleh salad. Add dash of salt and pepper and taste.

If you still find it not sour enough, just add more lemon.

mix tabbouleh salad

Tips and Tricks:

  • Hemp Seeds Replacement – chopped nuts, cauliflower rice
  • Olive Oil replacement – avocado oil or hemp oil
  • Chopping – chop your parsley and mint as small possible as you can

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

What to serve with Keto Tabbouleh Salad?

Our Tabbouleh Salad Recipe is a must next to kafta kabob, but would go also with: 

You can even use this Tabouli salad to fill Fiber Tortillas or Flaxseed Keto Wraps

Keto Tabbouleh salad served on a dark brown plates
Keto Tabouleh Salad

How do you store Keto Tabbouleh Salad?

Once you make this delicious salad, you can store it in the fridge for 4-5 days. 

The lemon will preserve the salad a bit, and you will enjoy it even the next day. Once I make one, we use it as a side dish to all of the food I am making. My daughter loves it, so there is never a slight doubt of waste.

Can you freeze Tabouli Salad?

You can undoubtedly freeze tabouli salad, but I would prefer not to. It lasts in the fridge for a while and since it is made from fresh ingredients, once thawed, it will not have that same crunchiness and taste as a fresh tabbouleh does.

But if you insist, stored in one of your Mason Jars is a perfect idea. 

Other Keto Salad Recipes

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Low Carb Tabbouleh Salad in 4 different variations
Keto Tabouli salad Pin image

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Yield: 6

Low Carb Tabbouleh Salad

Lebanese Tabbouleh Salad in a bow.

Quick, Easy, and Refreshing Lebanese Keto Tabbouleh Salad with a Low Carb Twist done in 10 minutes will add lots of healthiness to your daily life. This Mediterranean Keto Tabouli Salad Recipe is entirely Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Low Carb, Vegetarian, and Diabetic Friendly swapping the Bulgur Wheat with Hemp Seeds.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • 150 grams (1 Big Bunch) Parsley
  • 50 grams Mint Leaves
  • 2 medium size Tomatoes
  • 0,5 Cup Hemp Seeds
  • 1 Lemon
  • 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

Instructions

  1. Prepare and clean all of the ingredients for the salad.
  2. With chopping knife, cut parsley to a smallest pieces you can manage.
  3. Cut all of the tomatoes into small squares.
  4. Separate mint leaves from the stems and using chopping knife, cut mint leaves into the smallest tiny pieces you can manage.
  5. Place all of the ingredients into a medium size bowl and add Hemp seeds.
  6. Take lemon and squeeze all the juice from it onto the bowl with all ingredients in.
  7. Use the best extra virgin Olive oil you have and add it in.
  8. With a big spoon mix all of the ingredients together to have the best ever Low Carb Tabbouleh salad. Add dash of salt and pepper and taste.

Notes

  • Hemp Seeds Replacement - chopped nuts, cauliflower rice
  • Olive Oil replacement - avocado oil or hemp oil
  • Chopping - chop your parsley and mint as small possible as you can

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Nutrition Information

Yield

6

Serving Size

1

Amount Per Serving Calories 136Total Fat 11gTrans Fat 0gCholesterol 0mgCarbohydrates 5gFiber 2gProtein 6g

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Last Updated: April 22, 2022

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By Zuzana Paar on August 29th, 2018
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About Zuzana Paar

Zuzana is the creative force behind this vibrant blog. With passion as a recipe developer, content creator, food writer, movie maker, and photographer, she poured her heart and soul into curating a space brimming with delightful keto and low carb recipes. Join her on this flavorful journey where quick, easy-to-make dishes take center stage, bringing joy and nourishment to your table.

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18 Comments on “Keto Tabbouleh Salad”

  1. I love this salad. I discovered Hemp Hearts a couple of years ago and love to eat it in the morning as cereal, or add it to my Choc Chia Pudding for a different crunch and more nutrition as a desert. The only thing I do differently is to add garlic to the salad. We love it!

    Reply
    • What an idea this is Jane. I would not even think of that, since we just follow the original Lebanese recipe since my daughter is in love with it. But I have to really try to add garlic next time. Thanks for the tip

      Reply
  2. I make a Greek “Tabbouleh” salad and use cauliflower rice. Add Kalamata olives and feta. Took it to a Low Carb dinner and NO ONE believed I did not use tabbouleh! Will have to try yours, now, too!

    Reply

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