This healthy cauliflower tabbouleh is easy (takes just 15 minutes!) and loaded with vegetables. Surprise, surprise – cauliflower does it again to replace carbs in an unexpected way. Serve keto tabbouleh as a side dish with simple chicken breast, for a light and healthy meal. And yes, this salad is keto friendly, but like most of my keto salad recipes, you don’t have to be keto to enjoy it! I served this for my friends and it was the first thing on the table to disappear.
What Is Cauliflower Tabbouleh?
Tabbouleh is a Mediterranean salad featuring chopped parsley, tomatoes, cucumbers, mint, bulgur, and a lemon-y dressing. Sometimes I’ve seen it spelled tabouli or tabbouli, but tabbouleh is the most common spelling. This simple cauliflower tabbouleh keto recipe makes a couple easy swaps. We use a combination of riced cauliflower and hemp hearts instead of bulgur, which keeps it low carb and packs in extra veggies, plus healthy fats. You still get the same flavors!
How To Make Cauliflower Tabbouleh
This cauliflower rice tabbouleh salad comes together so quickly! Here’s how to make it:
Make cauliflower rice. Cook cauliflower rice according to instructions here. Set aside to cool.
Chop veggies. Finely chop the tomatoes, cucumbers, mint, and parsley. Slice the green onions and combine all of the vegetables in a large bowl.
Make dressing. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, garlic powder, sea salt, and black pepper.
Assemble. Toss together vegetables and dressing together. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Cover and chill for 30 minutes if possible, to bring out the flavors.
Tips For The Best Cauliflower Tabbouleh
Using a very sharp knife is important to prevent bruising your fresh herbs.
Why? Because if you go over the herbs multiple times, you can end up with a soggy tabbouleh.
To make it easier, cook a whole fresh head or entire 12-oz package of cauliflower rice.
The actual low carb tabbouleh recipe calls for 1 1/2 cups, but it’s more convenient to use up your whole head of cauliflower or whole package of frozen cauli rice. Just keep the leftovers for another meal. If you need ideas for how to use up your leftover cauliflower rice, lots of my keto cauliflower recipes call for it. One of my favorites that pairs well with the same meal is cauliflower hummus. You won’t tell the difference from the real thing, promise.
Adjust salt to your liking.
I recommend starting with 1/2 teaspoon in the dressing and adjust the salad to taste once it’s all mixed together. I ended up with 3/4 teaspoons salt total.
Is tabbouleh salad keto friendly?
Typically, tabbouleh salad is made with a grain called bulgur – so it’s not keto. Which is why we need our own cauliflower tabbouleh recipe. This one is perfectly keto friendly! (If you want a gluten-free version but don’t need it to be keto, try millet tabbouleh salad.)
How many carbs in tabbouleh salad?
Enjoying tabbouleh on the keto diet is possible with this version that is made with cauliflower rice instead of bulgur. It has just 4.1 grams net carbs per serving.
Why do you need to add hemp hearts?
You don’t have to. But I recommend that you do! The hemp hearts add a nutritious boost and healthy fats to balance out the macronutrients in this simple salad. And, they add some texture that resembles bulgur.
Keto Tabbouleh Salad Storage Instructions
Can you make cauliflower tabbouleh salad ahead?
Yes, you can make this salad ahead. It’s best to make it at least 30 minutes ahead to let the flavors come together, but because the salad is made with sturdier vegetables, you can also make it a couple days in advance.
How to store low carb tabbouleh
Store this low carb tabbouleh in the refrigerator for 1-3 days.
More Simple Mediterranean Recipes
If you like this keto tabbouleh salad recipe, you might also like some of these other low carb keto salad recipes:
Israeli Salad – Just 5 basic ingredients and a super simple dressing. This salad goes with everything and takes just 10 minutes to make. Lamb Kofta Kebab – The perfect pairing for your cauliflower tabbouli. Pair it with tzatziki sauce! Chopped Mediterranean Salad – The whole salad takes just 10 minutes to make. It’s packed with cucumbers, artichokes, tomatoes, onions, and more. Greek Dip – Use cauliflower hummus instead of regular to keep this low carb. Spinach Stuffed Mushrooms – These make cute little appetizers, but – who am I kidding? – I’ve totally had them as a meal with a salad.
Chef’s Knife – Using a sharp knife is important in this tabbouleh cauliflower salad recipe. This one has 5 stars and is only $30! Dressing Shaker – Add all of the dressing ingredients to this shaker and simply shake until emulsified. It’s great to have if you make your own dressings a lot. Mini Whisk – If you don’t have a dressing shaker, I love these little whisks for making smaller amounts of dressing.
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