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This fresh and easy bulgur salad recipe is packed with wholesome ingredients like bulgur wheat, chickpeas, crunchy veggies, and fresh herbs. Tossed with a bright lemon vinaigrette, it’s the perfect make-ahead salad for lunch, meal prep, or as a nutritious side dish.
Have you seen the latest viral food trend, the Jennifer Aniston salad? Lots of people claim this fresh bulgur salad recipe is what Jen and Friends ate on the set of the beloved sitcom for 10 years straight. Others say this is a similar salad but that it originated from a social media post in 2015, where the star shared a picture of her favorite salad. I’m thinking it was probably this amazing tabbouleh salad! It had to be.
Either way, this one is a keeper! It’s SO GOOD! You could definitely enjoy this bulgur salad for a whole decade as they did – it’s fresh, flavorful, and filling. With mild bulgur wheat, meaty garbanzo beans, the punch of freshly chopped herbs, pistachios, and red onion, it’s got everything you could want in a hearty salad. Toss in some chicken bites or salmon bites, and you’ve got a full meal.
Ingredients You’ll Need
The simple ingredients for this favorite and easy bulgur salad include a short and ultra-flavorful list. This salad not only tastes great, but it’s also nourishing and quick to make.
For the Salad
- Bulgur: This recipe starts with a cup of uncooked bulgur. If you’d like to double that and make more, go for it!
- Cucumber: Dice up an English Cucumber.
- Garbanzo Beans: Also known as chickpeas, these are what hummus is made with. Rinse and drain before using.
- Fresh Herbs: Chopped fresh parsley and mint add loads of herbal flavor.
- Pistachios: Chopped pistachios add color and crunch, along with a rich, nutty flavor.
- Red Onion: Not everyone loves raw onion in salad, so you can definitely leave this out if you prefer, or replace it with a less pungent veggie like bell pepper or celery.
- Feta Cheese: A handful of crumbles adds a tangy, creamy note to the salad. Goat cheese or cotija cheese would also be great.
For the Lemon Dressing
- Olive Oil: Extra virgin olive oil has the strongest, boldest flavor. Look for bottles marked “first cold pressed” for the best quality.
- Lemon Juice: Fresh juice is extra-bright and yummy, but bottled juice will work just fine, as well.
- Salt and Black Pepper: To taste.
How to Make Bulgur Salad
The instructions for my take on Jennifer Aniston’s salad recipe are so easy that they are almost unnecessary to write. Cook the bulgur, chop the veggies and herbs, and then combine everything in a bowl. Stir, and you’re done!
- Cook the Bulgur Wheat. First, follow the directions on the bulgur package and cook it accordingly. Drain it and cool it. I like to spread mine out in a thin layer on a baking sheet to cool more quickly.
- Combine the Salad Ingredients. Once the bulgur has cooled, place it in a big bowl along with the diced cucumbers, garbanzo beans, parsley, pistachios, red onions, and mint.
- Make the Dressing. In a smaller mixing bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
- Dress the Salad and Serve. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss gently to combine. Taste a bite for salt and pepper, and adjust those if needed. Right before serving, sprinkle the crumbled feta on top. I love scooping up the salad with cheesy zucchini breadsticks or crispy wonton chips, especially if you’re serving it as a starter.
Recipe Tips
If you need to make this bulgur salad recipe now, you’re not alone! Just writing about it makes me want another big serving – it’s that good. But before you start cooking, take a second to look over these easy tips for success.
- Using Other Grains. This recipe is so flexible and you could use almost any grain that you love here – maybe a wild rice blend, some quinoa, farro, buckwheat groats… anything you love!
- Cooking Bulgur. Bulgur wheat comes in different size grains, from fine to coarse. The coarser grains should be boiled, but the finer ones can be boiled or simply soaked in hot water. Definitely check your package directions to make sure you’re preparing it right!
- Cucumbers Options. Persian cucumbers and English cucumbers are recommended for salads, but you could also use regular cucumbers (also known as pickling cucumbers), or use mini cucumbers. If your cucumber seems to have a tough or waxy peel, you may want to peel the cucumber before adding it to the salad.
- Rinse the Garbanzo Beans. As convenient as canned beans can be, they sometimes have a slight “canned” taste to them. I suggest to rinse the beans well with cool water and drain them.
- Soak the Onions. To take some of the edge off the raw red onion, you can soak it for 10 minutes or so in cold water. This can “wash away” some of the onion juices and leave them tasting milder.
Serving Suggestions
With its combination of wholesome ingredients, this easy bulgur salad recipe is definitely a complete meal in a bowl, but you can also pair it with fresh, flavorful side dishes.
There’s nothing quite like soup with salad, and this one would be perfect alongside a bowl of roasted tomato soup, Thai chicken soup, or any other soup you love! For a light protein boost, try serving the salad with these easy chicken skewers or my favorite air fryer mustard salmon.
To enjoy it with veggies, I highly recommend this grilled eggplant with garlic vinaigrette.
Storing Leftovers
This salad will last in the fridge for about 2 to 3 days, stored in an airtight container.
Meal Prep
To prepare this salad ahead of time, portion the ingredients into separate containers. It can last for four days or more. To keep their crunch, store the cucumbers and pistachios separately and add them to the salad when you’re ready to serve it.
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Bulgur Salad
Ingredients
FOR THE SALAD
- 1 cup uncooked bulgur
- 1 English Cucumber, diced
- 2 cups canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- ½ cup chopped fresh parsley
- ½ cup chopped pistachios
- ⅓ cup diced red onion
- ¼ cup chopped fresh mint
FOR THE DRESSING
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- Juice of 1 whole lemon
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
FOR GARNISH
- ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
Instructions
- Prepare the bulgur. Cook the bulgur according to the package directions, then set it aside to cool. To speed things up, spread it out in a single layer on a baking sheet.
- Combine the bulgur with the remaining add-ins. Once cooled, put the bulgur in a large salad bowl. Add the diced cucumbers, chickpeas, parsley, pistachios, red onions, and mint to the salad bowl; set aside.
- Make the dressing. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper until well combined.
- Finish and serve. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss gently to combine. Taste the bulgur salad for salt and pepper and adjust accordingly. Add crumbled feta cheese and serve.
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
Delicious salad! Will eat it often!
That’s great to hear! I’m glad you enjoyed it. Eating it often sounds like a delicious plan! Thank YOU! 🙂
I have made this recipe 3 times in the last two weeks. Let’s just say that I could eat it 3 times a day and not get tired of it. It is that good.
That’s great! I’m very glad you enjoyed it! Thank YOU! 🙂
There are different size of buoulgur, which one must be used for the salad? I am assuming it is #3 ,because #1 can just be soaked for 2 minutes and can be added to the salad.
Hi!
I almost always use the one that says that is best for tabbouleh and grain bowls. As I stated in the recipe, any can be used, but just follow the directions on the package about how to prepare that particular bulgur.