Tabbouleh Salad with Barley
on Jun 27, 2016, Updated Feb 16, 2025
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Simply dressed with fresh lemon juice and olive oil, this tabbouleh salad recipe is inspired by the traditional Middle Eastern dish. This version is more of a grain salad than an herb salad because it has barley along with the usual parsley, mint, tomatoes and cucumbers. Each forkful delivers on texture and is full of flavor.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
This version goes a bit off script. If you are looking for a traditional tabbouleh (also spelled tabouli), this recipe isn’t it. With barley and halved cherry tomatoes, this one has more bite to it and is very filling since it is a grain salad
Whether you eat this salad right after you make it or as leftovers, it’s fantastic either way. I find that the flavors develop even more when they have time to sit in the fridge. You get all those lovely herbs and zesty citrus. It is also the perfect recipe for a potluck or cookout where food tends to sit out longer because it maintains its texture.
You can serve this salad as a main dish or a side dish. Parsley, lemon, tomatoes and cucumbers pair well with both Middle Eastern and Mediterranean recipes.
What is Tabbouleh?
This Lebanese salad doesn’t have any lettuce. It is very herby with chopped parsley and mint. It also has cucumbers, tomatoes, green onions and bulgur wheat and is tossed with olive oil and lemon juice. Tabbouleh is often served with other Middle Eastern dishes such as baba ganoush, hummus and falafel.
The Ingredients
This is what you need:
- Parsley is the main green in this salad. You can use Italian flat leaf parsley or curly parsley. Most of your prep time will be chopping the fresh herbs.
- Mint adds another layer to the flavors of the salad without being overly minty. Keep in mind that the recipe calls for 1 cup chopped parsley and a 1/4 cup chopped mint, so it has a nice balance between the two.
- Tomatoes: Instead of chopped tomatoes, I prefer either cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes. When you slice these small tomatoes in half, they hold their shape, so you get the fresh crispness of tomato skins with that juiciness in the middle.
- Cucumbers: Whenever I make a salad with cucumbers, I use English cucumbers or Persian cucumbers (also called mini cucumbers). That’s because they have more delicate skins and less seeds than regular ones.
- Barley: As mentioned, traditional tabbouleh salads have bulgur wheat which is very fine. I like Italian barley because the grains are much bigger. Also, pearl barley is something that I always have in my pantry.
- Scallions: These green onions have mild onion taste, and they add a light crispness to the salad.
- Garlic: I include 1 minced garlic clove in the recipe.
- Lemon: Always use fresh lemon juice and not bottled. This is a rule to follow whenever a recipe calls for citrus.
- Olive oil: Extra virgin olive oil has the best flavor.
- Kosher salt & black pepper season the salad.
Optional Additions
This vegan barley tabbouleh recipe is good as it is written, but you can make one or more of the following additions:
- Crumbled feta cheese
- Chickpeas
- Toasted walnuts or almonds, chopped
- Hard-boiled egg, chopped or sliced
How To Make A Tabbouleh Salad with Barley
1. Cook the barley. Combine the barley and water in a pot. Bring them to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until the grains are tender but chewy, about 12 minutes. Let stand for 2-3 minutes and fluff with a fork. Drain any excess water from the pot.
2. Whisk the lemon juice, oil, minced garlic, salt and pepper in a bowl. This is the dressing for the salad. Keep in mind that you will add the rest of the salad ingredients to it, so the bowl needs to be big enough to hold everything.
3. Stir the cooked barley into the dressing. This gives the grains a chance to soak in the lemon juice and oil.
4. Fold the tomatoes, cucumbers, parsley, mint and scallions into the barley.
Serving
Tabbouleh is a Middle Eastern salad that works with the ingredient combinations that are in Mediterranean recipes. You can serve with vegetarian main dishes such as barbecue tofu veggie skewers, grilled tofu shawarma, roasted mixed vegetables & halloumi, grilled halloumi & vegetables, or sheet pan baked feta with corn, tomatoes and zucchini.
Storage & Leftovers
You can keep the salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 4 days. Another thing I love about barley salads is that the leftovers really hold up. The grains don’t get mushy. The flavors of the herbs will get stronger the longer you store the salad. I usually will put it out 15 minutes before I am planning to eat it, so it loses some of that chill from the fridge.
Recipe Tips
This recipe tastes best during tomato season. Since it has raw tomatoes, it is important that they are ripe and flavorful. Off-season tomatoes won’t cut it.
Don’t overcook the barley. Beware of the recommended cook time on the package. I have found that instructions for pearl barley can say to simmer it for much longer than it needs. The grains should be chewy. Treat them like al dente pasta.
Recipe FAQs
Yes. I like bigger grains in this salad, but don’t let that be the reason why you don’t make it. You absolutely can use what’s in your pantry.
Yes. The salad will have more seeds, and the juices from the tomatoes will mix around more with the grains. No matter what, use ripe tomatoes.
More Barley Recipes
Wild Mushroom Barley
Baked Kale Barley Risotto
White Bean Barley with Arugula Pesto
Baked Butternut Squash Risotto
More Grain Salad Recipes
Roasted Vegetable Couscous Salad
Kale Quinoa Salad
Quinoa Chickpea Salad
Blueberry Salad with Grilled Corn
Lemon Herb Wild Rice Salad
If you’re a salad person, don’t miss my easy seasonal salad guide for inspiration all year long.
Tabbouleh Salad with Pearl Barley
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup pearl barley
- 1 1/2 cups water
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes, halved
- 1 cup diced cucumbers
- 1 cup chopped parsley leaves
- 1/4 cup chopped mint leaves
- 3 scallions, thinly sliced
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, combine the barley and water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 12 minutes until the grains are tender, but still chewy. Let stand for 2-3 minutes and fluff with a fork. Drain the remain water if necessary.
- In a large bowl, whisk the lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper.
- Stir the cooked barley into the lemon juice-oil mixture.
- Add the tomatoes, cucumbers, parsley, mint and scallions. Stir to combine the salad.
Notes
- Crumbled feta cheese
- Chickpeas
- Toasted walnuts or almonds, chopped
- Hard-boiled egg, chopped or sliced
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Really yummy! Had all the ingredients for tabbouleh except the bulgar. When I found barley in the pantry I looked up a recipe and found this one. It was so good. I might not go back to bulgar!
Love the pearl barley! Delicious!
love a great barley recipe!
I was looking at my bag of pearl barley in my pantry and was thinking of what to make besides just beef stew. I came across your recipe and made it for dinner for one of my friends and I. We both LOVED it! The barley added the perfect texture. Can’t wait to make it for upcoming potlucks and picnics.
I am so happy to hear you enjoyed it. Barley is one of my favorite bases for grain salads!