Bulgur Wheat Salad with Chickpeas

Bulgur wheat salad with chickpeas, red onion and pine nuts is packed with flavor. It’s also fast and easy, making it a hit for weeknight dinners. This tasty dish is ready in less than 30 minutes. Chewy, roasted chickpeas and toasted pine nuts are tossed with bulgur or cracked wheat, sautéed with sweet red onions and finished with fresh herbs.

I’ll give you variations and substitutions where I can, plus helpful tips and tricks for success. Read on for this info as well as the recipe. If you’d like to skip straight to the recipe, use the jump to recipe button at the top of the post.

You may also be interested in my fregula with mushrooms and mango lime quinoa recipes. For ease of browsing, you can find all of my side dishes in one place.

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Warm bulgur wheat salad with chickpeas

This vegan side dish, or meatless main, uses pantry items like canned chickpeas to make this a quick and easy dish. It is also a great option for meal-prepping, as it will keep in the fridge for days.

I wanted to create something that was flexible as a side but hearty enough for a meatless meal. This ticked all the boxes – full of flavor, easy, fast, something different and easily customizable to different palates.

When I made this, it was a warm salad for grilled lamb loin chops. However, I would eat this on it’s own for a meat-free dinner. It filled me up without leaving me feeling “heavy”.

What you need to know

Bulgur is finer than cracked wheat. You may have eaten cracked wheat or bulgur in the form of tabbouleh – the Lebanese salad made with tomatoes, cucumbers and a hefty amount of fresh parsley.

The bulgur in this salad is medium, or #2 bulgur. It is available in any Middle Eastern market, or if your grocery store has a good “international foods” section, try there.

Use this recipe as is, or as a jumping off point. Try adding different vegetables and herbs to change up the flavor. The possibilities are almost endless, and it’s a great way to use up vegetables.

Ingredients

The beautiful golden color is helped along by a bit of turmeric, and the red onions and fresh herbs provide a nice bit of color in this dish making it really lovely.

• Bulgur – This is the exact bulgur wheat I used in the recipe. You want medium bulgur for this recipe. It is sometimes labeled as #2 medium.
  • Substitutions: You can swap cracked wheat, wheat berries, quinoa, barley, or farro. Cook according to package directions.
• Canned chickpeas – One 15 ounce can is what you’ll need for the recipe.
• Lemon – The recipe calls for just the juice, but I also like to add a bit of zest for extra zing.
• Red onion – Red onions are sweet and mild, and the give beautiful color to the salad.
• Olive oil, salt, turmeric, cumin, and paprika – These all give the bulgur salad flavor.
• Flat leaf parsley and mint – Fresh herbs brighten the flavor and give this salad freshness.

How to cook bulgur wheat

I wouldn’t even call it cooking, to be honest. Boiling water is combined with bulgur wheat, then tightly covered, as it soaks up the water in roughly 20 minutes. Give it a little fluff with a fork and you’re done. It could not be any easier, which makes it a great staple to have on hand when you need something quick.

How to make

Here’s a quick summary of how to make this bulgur salad. Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full recipe. 

1. Prep – Preheat oven to 400°F // 200°C. Combine the bulgur and boiling water, set aside.
2. Sauté – Cook the red onion, chickpeas, pine nuts and spices over medium high heat.
3. Roast – Transfer the pan to the oven and roast.
4. Combine – Add the bulgur to the pan and stir to combine, then add herbs.

Bulgur wheat salad FAQ’s

Variations and substitutions

• Spicy – Add in a pinch of Aleppo powder or a small spoonful of harissa to give it a spicy kick.
• To make this warm salad more filling, you can add diced/sliced cooked chicken breast or thighs, mini meatballs, or lamb.

Serving suggestions

If you are not serving a vegan dinner, these Mediterranean lamb meatballs would be a perfect option to serve with the bulgur wheat salad. Rosemary lemon chicken thighs would also pair nicely.

For a vegetable side, this sautéed broccolini goes well with almost everything. And a light dessert like my pavlova with raspberry coulis is great.

Helpful tools and equipment

To make the bulgur wheat, you’ll need a pot with a tight-fitting lid, like this small Dutch oven. And a large oven proof skillet to sauté the onions and chickpeas.

We had friends over for dinner and everyone loved this bulgur wheat salad. They were also in love with the purple Moroccan tea glasses that were on the table.

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Originally published: 4/2/18, most recent update: 1/17/25.