Low Sugar Gluten Free Quinoa Tabbouleh
This bright, herb-forward salad is a refreshing take on a classic Middle Eastern dish, swapping traditional bulgur for fluffy quinoa to keep things naturally gluten free. Every ingredient here is clean and whole — parsley, mint, cucumber, tomato, scallion, lemon juice, and olive oil — so there's genuinely nothing sneaky hiding in the bowl. The dressing is just a simple whisk of citrus and good olive oil, which means you get bold, tangy flavor without a drop of added sweetener. That's actually harder to find than you'd think, since many bottled dressings and store-bought grain salads quietly include sugar to balance acidity. Here, the lemon does all that work on its own, and it does it beautifully. Spreading the cooked quinoa out to cool before tossing is a small step that makes a real difference, keeping the texture light and each grain distinct rather than clumped. Serve it right away for maximum freshness, or let it chill briefly so the herbs and dressing can meld into something even more vibrant.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
For the quinoa
- ½ cup white quinoa
- 1 cup water
- ¼ tsp salt
For the salad
- 2 cups fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped (about 2 large bunches)
- ¼ cup fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
- 2 medium tomatoes, seeded and finely diced
- 1 medium english cucumber, finely diced
- 4 scallions (green tops only), thinly sliced
For the dressing
- 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice (from about 1 large lemon)
- 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
Instructions
- 1
Rinse the quinoa in a fine-mesh strainer under cold running water for 30 seconds, then drain well. Combine the rinsed quinoa, 1 cup water, and 1/4 tsp salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the water is fully absorbed and the quinoa tails have unfurled, about 12–14 minutes.
- 2
Remove the saucepan from the heat, uncover, and fluff the quinoa with a fork. Spread it in a thin layer on a large plate or sheet pan and let it cool to room temperature, about 20–30 minutes.
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