Coconut Free Cauliflower Tabbouleh
This vibrant, herb-forward salad takes everything you love about classic tabbouleh and swaps in riced cauliflower for a lighter, grain-free twist that still delivers on texture and freshness. The trick is pulsing the florets in a food processor until they reach a couscous-like consistency, then pressing out the excess moisture so the final dish stays bright and never soggy. A generous handful of flat-leaf parsley and fresh mint does the heavy lifting here, while diced cucumber and seeded Roma tomatoes add juicy crunch in every bite. The dressing is a simple shake of olive oil, fresh lemon juice, cumin, and turmeric — warm, citrusy, and completely free of any coconut-derived oils or additives that can sneak into store-bought versions. Everything in this recipe is straightforwardly plant-based and whole, so there's no label-reading required. A scatter of pomegranate arils at the end is optional but genuinely worth it — the little jewel-like bursts of sweetness play beautifully against all that herby brightness. It's the kind of dish that looks impressive on a table but comes together with nothing more than a food processor and a good knife.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
- 1 small head cauliflower (about 1 ½ lb), cut into florets
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt, plus more to taste
- 2 cups fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves and tender stems, finely chopped
- ½ cup fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
- 1 english cucumber, finely diced
- 2 medium roma tomatoes, seeded and finely diced
- 3 scallions (green tops only), thinly sliced
For the dressing
- 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice (from about 1 ½ lemons)
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ¼ tsp ground turmeric
- ¼ tsp black pepper, freshly ground
For serving
- ¼ cup pomegranate arils (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Working in two batches, pulse the cauliflower florets in a food processor until broken down into pieces roughly the size of couscous, about 8–10 short pulses per batch. Do not over-process — stop when the pieces are uniform and no large chunks remain.
- 2
Transfer the riced cauliflower to a fine-mesh strainer or a clean kitchen towel. Sprinkle with 1/4 tsp salt, toss to combine, and let it drain for 10 minutes, then press or squeeze out as much moisture as possible. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.
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