Blueberry Quinoa Tabbouleh
We use fresh blueberries and quinoa here for a fun, gluten-free variation on tabouli. This recipe has tons of fresh mint and parsley, plus a generous amount of zippy lemon garlic dressing. It’s just the thing to bring to a potluck or to serve to company this blueberry season!
Table of contents
Why We Love This Recipe For Blueberry Quinoa Tabbouleh
This Blueberry Quinoa Tabbouleh omits bulgur, which is cracked wheat and is a traditional tabbouleh ingredient. Instead we opt for quinoa, which has a similar texture but keeps it gluten-free. (You can find more than 30 quinoa recipes here.) If you want a recipe that goes more by the traditional playbook, check out my classic tabbouleh.
Recipe Highlights
- Fresh, light side dish
- Versatile and crowd pleasing for summer parties and barbecues
- The dressing is tossed with the quinoa while it’s hot so it soaks up lots of flavor
- An unexpected way to use fresh summer blueberries
- Gluten free and vegan
Key Ingredients to Make Gluten-Free Quinoa Blueberry Tabbouleh
- Quinoa: A lot of quinoa comes pre-rinsed these days, but if it’s not, put it in a fine mesh sieve and rinse it. Any color of quinoa will work here.
- Blueberries: Use fresh berries, not frozen.
- Parsley: I like curly parsley for tabouli. Wash it and dry it well before chopping.
- Mint
- Apple Cider Vinegar: Apple cider vinegar is not a classic ingredient in tabbouli. We used it here to mellow out the more acidic lemon juice and balance with the sweet and tart blueberries.
- Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
- Lemon Juice
- Garlic: One small clove, grated with a rasp-style grater.
- Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- Water
How to Make This Blueberry Tabbouleh Recipe
Step 1: Cook Quinoa
Bring a pot of water and ¼ teaspoon salt to a boil. Add quinoa and return the contents of your saucepan to a simmer. Cover, and then reduce the heat to medium-low to maintain a simmer. Cook until the germ of the quinoa has burst and the water is absorbed. This should take about 20 to 30 minutes in total.
Tip: If you ever lose track of time and more of the water has evaporated than you realized, and the quinoa is starting to stick to the pot (but isn’t burnt yet) take it off the heat but leave the lid on. The steam will soften the quinoa that’s stuck to the sides, and it will release in less than 5 minutes!
Step 2: Make Dressing
Meanwhile, whisk together the oil, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, garlic, pepper, and the remaining 1 teaspoon salt.
Step 3: Combine All Ingredients
Stir the hot quinoa into the dressing and then let it cool. To speed cooling, spread the quinoa out in a large baking dish and refrigerate it for 20 minutes. Once cool, return the quinoa mixture to the bowl and stir in parsley, mint, and blueberries. Serve immediately or chill.
FAQs and Expert Tips
Cook quinoa and toss with dressing. Keep other prepped ingredients separate. Refrigerate in airtight containers for up to a day. Toss together when you’re ready to serve.
Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Additional Recipes To Try With Your Tabbouleh
- Grilled Lamb Kofta Kebabs are a simple, grain-free entree option to pair with your tabbouleh!
- Try pairing Roasted Garlic Hummus with some pita and veggies as an addition to your meal.
- Tzatziki with Za’atar Pita Chips includes mint, so it’ll complement the tabbouleh perfectly.
- Enjoy it with these simple Vegetarian Grilled Summer Squash Boats for a light summer meal.
- Garlic Herb Chicken is such a simple and flavorful way to include protein.
- This quick 15 Minute Greek Cucumber Salad would be great with tabbouleh on a spread of summer salads.
At Healthy Seasonal Recipes, we specialize in cooking with fresh veggies and creating weeknight meals. Sign up HERE to get more produce-forward dinner ideas for FREE! If you make this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review. I would love to hear what you thought! Happy Cooking! ~Katie
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Blueberry Quinoa Tabbouleh
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 8 cups 1x
Description
We use fresh blueberries and quinoa here for a fun, gluten-free variation on tabouli. This recipe has tons of fresh mint and parsley, plus a generous amount of zippy lemon garlic dressing. It’s just the thing to bring to a potluck or to serve to company this blueberry season!
Ingredients
- 2 cups water
- 1 1/4 teaspoon salt, divided
- 1 cup quinoa, rinsed
- 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 4 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 small clove garlic, grated with a rasp style grater
- 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
- 1 pint blueberries
- 1 small bunch curly parsley, washed, spun dry and roughly chopped (about 2 1/2 cups)
- 1 cup roughly chopped mint leaves
Instructions
- Bring water and ¼ teaspoon salt to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add quinoa and return to a simmer. Cover, reduce heat to medium low to maintain a simmer, and cook until the germ of the quinoa has burst and the water is absorbed, 20 to 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, whisk together oil, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, garlic, pepper and the remaining 1 teaspoon salt.
- Stir the hot quinoa into the dressing. Let cool. To speed cooling, spread out in a large baking dish and refrigerate 20 minutes. Return the quinoa mixture to the bowl and stir in parsley, mint and blueberries. Serve immediately or chill.
Notes
To wash your quinoa, just pour the dry raw quinoa into a fine mesh sieve and hold it under cold running water for a minute or two until the water no longer foams as it runs through. Then you’re ready to add it to your boiling pot of water!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: side dish
- Method: stove top
- Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 185 cal
- Sodium: 375 mg
- Fat: 10.5 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 17.5 g
- Fiber: 2.9 g
- Protein: 3.6 g
Amazing! Hands down, a great dish!
This looks so refreshing! Love the mint – it’s so underrated in savory recipes. I wonder if this would work with cauliflower rice instead of quinoa?
Such a refreshing and delicious tabbouleh! I served it alongside some chicken and it was perfect.
That sounds like a great meal. I’m happy you liked it!
Thank you! This is a healthy and delicious salad, Katie. On the recipe card, please add the olive oil to the ingredients in the step for mixing the dressing.
Done! Thanks for catching that. I am so glad you liked it! Have a great week.
This looks amazing. Appreciate the explanation on why we rinse quinoa too. I’ve always done it but I never knew why ha!
Thanks Hayley. Glad you found that tip interesting. And thanks for coming by. Have a great weekend.
Absolutely gorgeous salad Katie! I make tabbouleh with quinoa too {and I ALWAYS rinse mine :-)}, but I’ve never added blueberries to it~this looks incredible! Love those pretty flowers too!!
Thank you very much EA. Glad you are on team quinoa too!
The colors alone make me want to make this, and it’s going to be amazing with our grilled lamb this weekend!
This would be so good with grilled lamb! I hope you enjoy it Susan. Have a great weekend.
I love healthy recipes and this is simple and so pretty I would love to be eating this right now.
That’s so great to hear Claudia. Thank you very much.
What a gorgeous salad. And so simple. Love it.
Thanks so much Linda. I am glad you love it. Thanks for coming by.
Could you use frozen blueberries
You can use frozen, but they will stain the salad. It would taste good though as the juice would contribute flavor to the dressing. Let me know if you try it Marly.