Coconut Free Vegan Fresh Freekeh Cucumber Salad
Freekeh — the smoky, nutty grain made from young green wheat — is the kind of ingredient that makes a salad feel genuinely satisfying rather than just virtuous. Once it's cooked and cooled, it gets tossed with crisp English cucumber, juicy cherry tomatoes, scallion greens, and a generous handful of both parsley and mint, so every bite is bright and fresh. The dressing is a simple shake of olive oil, fresh lemon juice, lemon zest, cumin, salt, and pepper — nothing hidden, nothing processed, just clean pantry staples that come together fast. That cumin-lemon combination is quietly brilliant here, giving the whole bowl a warm, citrusy backbone that keeps you going back for another forkful. Because every ingredient is whole and plant-based, there's zero guesswork about what's in it — no sneaky dairy derivatives, no tropical oils, no surprises. A scatter of pomegranate seeds at the end adds a little jewel-like sweetness and crunch that takes it from weeknight dinner to something you'd proudly bring to a potluck. Serve it at room temperature or lightly chilled — either way, it holds up beautifully.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
For the freekeh
- 1 cup whole-grain freekeh, rinsed
- 2 cups water
- ¼ tsp salt
For the salad
- 1 english cucumber, diced (about 2 cups)
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 3 scallions (green tops only), thinly sliced
- ½ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
- ¼ cup fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped
For the dressing
- 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice (from about 1 ½ lemons)
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
For serving
- ¼ cup pomegranate seeds (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Combine the rinsed freekeh, water, and 1/4 tsp salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the freekeh is tender and has absorbed all the liquid, about 20–22 minutes.
- 2
Remove the pan from the heat and let the freekeh steam, covered, for 5 minutes. Spread it onto a large mixing bowl or sheet pan and let it cool for at least 10 minutes, until no longer steaming.
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