Amaranth Tabbouleh with Chickpeas

This Amaranth Tabbouleh is a refreshing and colorful side dish inspired by the classic Lebanese salad. It’s easy to make with cooked amaranth, canned chickpeas, fresh herbs, and seasonal produce. Whether you need a simple gluten-free side dish or are looking to change up your usual grain-based dishes, this recipe has you covered!

It doesn’t matter if you have fresh summer produce to use up or if you need a delicious dish to gift to your gluten-free friends; there’s never a bad time for this Amaranth Tabbouleh recipe! 

This gluten-free twist on traditional Lebanese tabbouleh (also spelled tabouli) isn’t fully authentic. The true recipe tosses cooked extra-fine bulgur with fresh parsley and mint leaves, tomatoes, green onions, lemon juice, and olive oil. Some purists may be a little turned off by my version made with cooked amaranth instead of bulgur. But it’s colorful, chock-full of flavor, and super easy to make, so we’re going with it!

Are you new to amaranth recipes? This gluten-free ancient grain (also classified as a pseudocereal) is easy to cook, a fantastic source of fiber and plant protein, and comes with a million different uses! Making homemade tabbouleh with amaranth instead of bulgur is an easy way to start experimenting with it. I know you’ll be hooked on it once you reach the bottom of the bowl!

Why You’ll Love This Gluten-Free Tabbouleh Recipe

• Have you cooked with amaranth before? This small grain is naturally gluten-free and so, so easy to cook with!
• The addition of fiber-rich chickpeas bulks it up to feel more like a meal. If you’re serving as a side, it paris well with refreshing summer meals and Middle Eastern-inspired main dishes, like this Sweet Sumac Salmon.
• Made with fresh herbs, seasonal produce, bouncy grains, and chickpeas, there’s no shortage of vibrant flavors and fun textures in every spoonful.

Amaranth Tabbouleh Ingredients

• Amaranth. Traditional tabbouleh recipes are made with bulgur, but this gluten-free tabbouleh recipe uses amaranth instead. Look for whole seeds when shopping—amaranth flour will not work here!
• Water (for cooking the amaranth)
• Vegetables, like cucumber, red onion, and cherry tomatoes, make this side dish extra refreshing.
• Fresh parsley is a requirement in tabbouleh. Both flat-leaf Italian parsley and curly parsley will work well, but I recommend the latter to really bulk up the salad and keep it from getting soggy.
• Fresh mint brings a sweet brightness to the amaranth salad.
• Olive oil
• Lemon juice or fresh lemons
• Sea salt
• Chickpeas make the tabbouleh extra filling. Stick with canned beans to keep things quick and easy or cook dried chickpeas for extra flavor.

(full list of ingredients and quantities in the recipe card below)

Street Smart Nutrition Tip: This recipe calls for a ton of fresh herbs, more than I’m used to working with. Washing and drying them in a salad spinner helped me prep them much quicker and with less mess!

Swaps and Substitutions

You can put your own spin on this amaranth tabbouleh recipe using any of these suggestions:

• Substitute sliced green onions or scallions for the red onion if you prefer a more milder onion flavor.
• Any variety of firm and ripe tomatoes can be used here. If they’re really juicy, pat the chopped tomatoes dry with paper towels ahead of time, or else they might release too much liquid into the salad.
• Feel free to swap the large cucumbers for small Persian cucumbers if you want extra crunch.
• Add ¼ to ½ teaspoon of za’atar to the tabbouleh for warm, earthy notes.
• Garnish each serving with toasted pine nuts and/or crumbled feta cheese to take it over the top.

Street Smart Nutrition Tip: Don’t add too much liquid. If you’re itching for more lemon flavor, add lemon zest instead of more lemon juice. Since the amaranth is so small (and already cooked) it won’t soak up excess liquid like other grains will. You don’t want to end up with a soupy mess in the bottom of your bowl!

How to Make Amaranth Tabbouleh

Follow this step-by-step guide to learn how to transform cooked amaranth and fresh herbs into homemade tabbouleh:

1. Boil the water in a small saucepan over high heat, then add the amaranth and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover the pot and cook until all of the liquid is absorbed. Transfer the cooked amaranth to a baking sheet and spread it into a thin layer to help it cool quickly.
2. While you wait for the amaranth to cool, dice the cucumber and red onion, finely chop the fresh herbs, juice the lemon, and drain and rinse the chickpeas.
3. Combine all of the tabbouleh ingredients in a large bowl and toss to combine. Taste and add more salt, pepper, or other desired spices and seasonings as needed. Serve right away or chill it in the fridge for later.

Street Smart Nutrition Tip: I know it’s tempting to toss all of the ingredients into a food processor and have everything chopped after a couple pushes of a button but resist the urge! Chop everything with a sharpened chef’s knife instead. A food processor will bruise the fresh herbs more than the blade of a knife will. 

What to Serve With Amaranth Tabbouleh

Just like traditional tabbouleh, this version made with amaranth is a flavor-packed appetizer to pair with your spring and summer meals. Here’s how I like to use it:

• Served on the side of more never-boring summer salads, like this Pearled Couscous Salad and this Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad. 
• It’s always welcome at the barbecue, just like the plate of ribs, potato salad, veggie burgers, and chicken kebabs!
• On a mezze platter with homemade hummus, baba ganoush, pita, crackers, and fresh vegetables.

I won’t stop you if you want to eat it straight out of the bowl, too. Just make sure you have plenty of fresh pita to scoop it up!

Storing Leftover Tabbouleh

Leftover tabbouleh with amaranth can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. The herbs and vegetables will soften slightly, but the salad will still be good! 

Before serving, give the leftovers a good stir and add more olive oil, lemon juice, or salt to revive its flavors a bit, if needed.

Amaranth Tabbouleh FAQs

What is amaranth?

Amaranth is a teeny tiny grain that’s similar in shape and texture to quinoa. It’s cooked in a 1:1.g ratio of dry grain to liquid.

It doesn’t need to be drained after cooking (similar to rice and quinoa). The cooked grains have a porridge-like consistency and can be fluffed with a fork when cooled.

What is the best way to cook amaranth?

The best and easiest way to cook amaranth is by boiling it in water or broth until the grains have absorbed the liquid. Remember to stick with the 1:1.5 ratio of dry grain to liquid.

According to Martha Stewart, you can also pop amaranth like popcorn. Puffed amaranth is a delicious and crunchy add-in for baked goods, seeded bread, homemade chocolate bars, pan-fried seafood patties, and more.

How else can I eat amaranth?

Having leftover amaranth in your pantry is a good thing! There are a ton of recipes with amaranth out there, making it as flexible of a grain as quinoa, rice, and others. Here are some ways to use it:

• Once cooked, amaranth makes for a tasty breakfast porridge. Top each serving with fresh berries, nuts, apricots, and cinnamon, then enjoy!
• Amaranth in salad is a particularly easy way to put it to use because it’s so small and blends right into the greens and other salad ingredients. 
• Puffed amaranth seeds can also be added to homemade granola and muesli recipes. They add a little extra crunch and hold up well when served with milk. 

Can I make this ahead of time?

Yes, you can make the tabbouleh up to a day ahead of serving. Keep it in a covered container in the fridge overnight, then serve chilled or at room temperature the next day. 

I hope you enjoy this fun take on tabbouleh! If you’re looking for more easy grain salad recipes to try, be sure to check out my Vegan Quinoa Salad, Quinoa Black Bean Salad with Cumin Lime Vinaigrette, or Freekeh Salad with Summer Veggies and Basil next.

As always, thanks for stopping by the Street Smart Nutrition blog. Cheers to more fearlessly nourishing meals!

Disclosure: This post was originally published in August 2017. It has since been updated to improve the recipe, image quality, and cooking tips.SaveSave