Dairy Free Cauliflower Tabbouleh
This vibrant, herb-forward salad takes everything you love about classic tabbouleh and swaps the bulgur for finely riced cauliflower — making it naturally free of dairy without any substitutions or workarounds needed. The food processor does the heavy lifting, breaking the cauliflower down into tender, couscous-sized pieces that soak up the bright lemon and olive oil dressing beautifully. A generous handful of flat-leaf parsley and fresh mint keeps the flavor bold and unmistakably Middle Eastern, while diced cucumber and Roma tomatoes add crunch and juicy freshness in every bite. The dressing gets a warm, earthy depth from ground cumin and turmeric, which makes this feel like so much more than a simple salad. Pressing the moisture out of the riced cauliflower before tossing everything together is the key step — it keeps the texture light and prevents the whole bowl from turning watery. A scatter of pomegranate arils at the end adds little bursts of sweetness that play off the lemon beautifully. It's the kind of dish that works just as well as a weeknight side as it does on a mezze spread for a crowd.
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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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