Tabbouleh is a parsley salad, so build it like one.
A true tabbouleh is mostly parsley, with a little bulgur and a lot of lemon. Lean it back that way and a serving drops from 178 to 102 kcal, with no loss of the fresh, sharp taste.
- 102 kcal a serving, down from 178 for the classic, with 4 g protein, 18 g carbs and 3 g fat
- 3 swaps, each with what it does to a serving, and 2 ways to add protein, up to 9 g a serving
- 6 servings, weighed at 1,000 g when finished, from 7 USDA FoodData Central entries in the library
Classic vs lighter, per serving.
The same tabbouleh, made two ways from the same library entries and the same 6 servings. The lighter version is the one built on the screens below.
| Per serving | Classic | Lighter | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| kcal | 178 | 102 | −76 |
| Protein g | 5 | 4 | −1 |
| Carbs g | 27 | 18 | −9 |
| Fat g | 7 | 3 | −4 |
| Saturated fat g | 1.0 | 0.4 | −0.6 |
Saturated fat comes from the same USDA entries; the recipe sheet itself shows calories, protein, carbs and fat. Calorie and macro figures are fitness estimates, not medical or dietary advice.
Swap by swap.
Each change in turn, from the classic to the lighter version, and what it does to one serving.
1. Dress it with 14 g of oil, not 40 g
−38 kcal, −4 g fat, −0.6 g saturated fat a serving
Oil is 884 kcal per 100 g, so 40 g is the largest calorie in the bowl. Lemon juice does the work of the dressing, and you save 38 kcal and 4 g of fat a serving.
2. Use 80 g of bulgur, not 160 g
−46 kcal, −2 g protein, −10 g carbs a serving
Tabbouleh is a herb salad with a little grain, not a grain salad with some herbs. Halving the bulgur is 46 kcal a serving.
3. Use twice the parsley
+8 kcal, +1 g protein, +1 g carbs a serving
Parsley is 36 kcal per 100 g, so doubling it adds 8 kcal a serving and fills the bowl with something that is mostly leaf.
More protein, if you need it.
Hitting a protein target is the hard part for most people. Each option is added to the lighter version on its own, with what it does to a serving of 4 g protein and 102 kcal. Save the one you like as its own recipe.
Add a can of chickpeas
+92 kcal, +5 g protein, +15 g carbs, +2 g fat, +0.2 g saturated fat a serving, making 9 g protein a serving
400 g of drained chickpeas adds 5 g of protein a serving for 92 kcal, with more fibre.
Serve it with Greek yogurt
+30 kcal, +5 g protein, +2 g carbs, +0.1 g saturated fat a serving, making 9 g protein a serving
300 g of nonfat Greek yogurt on the side adds 5 g of protein a serving for 30 kcal.
Oil and fat: the type changes the fat, the amount changes the calories.
The three oils below are each 884 kcal per 100 g, and ghee is within a few calories of them. Swapping one for another moves the saturated fat, not the calories; using less is what saves them. Butter is lower per gram only because part of it is water.
| Fat, per tablespoon, 14 g | kcal | Fat g | Sat fat g |
|---|---|---|---|
| Olive oil | 124 | 14 | 1.9 |
| Canola oil | 124 | 14 | 1.0 |
| Avocado oil | 124 | 14 | 1.6 |
| Ghee (butter oil) | 123 | 14 | 8.7 |
| Butter, salted | 100 | 11 | 7.2 |
The sample data
These are the amounts of the lighter version used on the screens below, with each figure taken from the library entry for that ingredient. They are sample figures for a pot or tray of this size, not a measurement of anyone's kitchen.
| Ingredient | Amount | kcal | Protein g | Carbs g | Fat g |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parsley, fresh | 240 g | 86 | 7 | 15 | 2 |
| Bulgur, dry | 80 g | 274 | 10 | 61 | 1 |
| Tomatoes, red, raw | 400 g | 72 | 4 | 16 | 1 |
| Onions, raw | 60 g | 24 | 1 | 6 | 0 |
| Spearmint, fresh | 20 g | 9 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Lemon juice | 93 g | 20 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Olive oil | 14 g | 124 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| Whole recipe | 907 g | 609 | 23 | 106 | 18 |
| Per serving (6) | 167 g | 102 | 4 | 18 | 3 |
Calorie and macro figures are fitness estimates, not medical or dietary advice. Ingredient values are from USDA FoodData Central, which is in the public domain.
Why this recipe
Tabbouleh is a good recipe to build because the bowl looks light and is not always: the bulgur and the oil are where the calories hide. Entering each ingredient by weight shows what a handful of herbs and a spoon of oil really add up to.
What to weigh
Weigh the bulgur dry, as the library entry describes it; it swells with water when it soaks. The sample finishes at about 1,000 g from 907 g of ingredients, because the bulgur takes up water. Water adds grams, not calories.
The full workflow, in four steps.
1. Open Create a recipe and search the library
Open Add food and choose Create a recipe, name it, then choose Add ingredient and search the library. Typing "parsley" lists the fresh herb entry, with its calories per 100 g.
2. Enter the amount you weighed
Switch the portion to grams and enter 240 g of parsley. The sheet shows 86 kcal for the parsley before you add the bulgur, which is the dry weight, not the soaked weight.
3. Add the rest, then set the servings and finished weight
Add the bulgur, tomatoes, onion, mint, lemon juice and 14 g of oil, then enter the 6 servings and the 1,000 g you weighed at the end. One serving comes to 102 kcal.
4. Save it and log a serving
Save the recipe and it becomes one of your own foods. The next screen is the normal Add food form, ready to log one serving or any weight of it.
Tips while you build it
- Weigh the oil on the scale rather than pouring it from the bottle. A glug can be three tablespoons, and it is the most calorie-dense thing in the bowl.
- Dry the parsley well after washing. Wet leaves dilute the dressing and add weight to the bowl that is not food.
- A serving is about 167 g, a generous side plate. Log by weight when you are measuring.
Go further
- Making the party version? Build it as a second recipe with 120 g of parsley, 160 g of bulgur and 40 g of oil, and log whichever one you served.
- Add finely chopped cucumber as another ingredient: more bowl, very few calories.
Each change is a second recipe with its own name, so the first stays as you built it.
Tabbouleh questions.
How many calories are in tabbouleh?
It depends on the bulgur and the oil. The sample comes to 102 kcal a serving made lighter, with 4 g protein, 18 g carbs and 3 g fat, against 178 kcal made the heavier way.
Does less bulgur change the taste?
It tastes fresher. The lemon, parsley and mint come forward, which is how the dish is made in many Lebanese kitchens.
Should I weigh the bulgur dry or soaked?
Dry, because the library entry is dry. Weigh the finished bowl once, after the bulgur has soaked, to enter the finished weight.
More example recipes.
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- Mujadara286 kcal a serving made lighter, down from 337 for the classic, with 13 g protein.
- Chicken shawarma (oven tray)309 kcal a serving made lighter, down from 444 for the classic, with 50 g protein.
- Kafta162 kcal a serving made lighter, down from 289 for the classic, with 22 g protein.
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- Dal tadka241 kcal a serving made lighter, down from 265 for the classic, with 14 g protein.
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- Spaghetti bolognese446 kcal a serving made lighter, down from 564 for the classic, with 31 g protein.
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- Homemade cheeseburgers363 kcal a serving made lighter, down from 500 for the classic, with 35 g protein.
- Chicken biryani464 kcal a serving made lighter, down from 617 for the classic, with 32 g protein.
- Rajma masala290 kcal a serving made lighter, down from 364 for the classic, with 17 g protein.
- Tandoori chicken357 kcal a serving made lighter, down from 617 for the classic, with 53 g protein.
- Chicken fajitas449 kcal a serving made lighter, down from 639 for the classic, with 46 g protein.
- Chicken burrito bowl613 kcal a serving made lighter, down from 767 for the classic, with 48 g protein.
- Chicken souvlaki329 kcal a serving made lighter, down from 605 for the classic, with 49 g protein.
- Chicken teriyaki559 kcal a serving made lighter, down from 774 for the classic, with 44 g protein.
- Beef and broccoli529 kcal a serving made lighter, down from 676 for the classic, with 46 g protein.
Keep going.
- Recipe builderWhat the builder does, and every example recipe in one place.
- Lebanese food caloriesPer 100 g tables for the dishes the food library finds.
- Nutrition and macro trackingBarcodes, label reading, targets that follow your weigh-ins.
- Help: scan, create and recipesThe same steps in the Help Center.
Cook it once. Log it for good.
Build a lighter version of your own lebanese favourite in Nutrition.