Vegan Cauliflower Tabbouleh
This vibrant, herb-forward salad takes everything you love about classic tabbouleh and builds it around riced cauliflower instead of bulgur wheat, making it naturally plant-based without any substitutions or compromises. The cauliflower gets pulsed in a food processor until it mimics the texture of couscous, then salted and pressed to remove excess moisture — a small but crucial step that keeps the whole dish from turning watery. Two full cups of fresh flat-leaf parsley and a generous handful of mint do the heavy lifting here, delivering that signature bright, grassy flavor that makes tabbouleh so irresistible. Crisp cucumber, juicy Roma tomatoes, and sliced scallion greens round out the texture, while a punchy dressing of lemon juice, olive oil, cumin, and turmeric ties everything together with a warm, citrusy depth. The optional pomegranate arils scattered on top add little bursts of sweetness and a pop of color that make this dish genuinely stunning on a table. Every single ingredient is whole, fresh, and entirely plant-derived, so there's nothing to second-guess or swap out. It works beautifully as a light lunch, a side dish alongside grilled vegetables, or something to meal-prep and pull from the fridge all week.
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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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