Jennifer Aniston Salad
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Published May 30, 2024, Updated Sep 09, 2024
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Here’s how to make the viral Jennifer Aniston salad with quinoa or bulgur, cucumber, fresh herbs, pistachios, chickpeas and feta all tossed in lemon juice and olive oil.
Given my love for salads, I just had to try Jennifer Aniston’s salad that went viral on TikTok!
Some sources say she ate the salad every day for 10 years while filming the show Friends, but after a little research I found that this is actually a salad she shared while doing an Instagram takeover for the Living Proof brand. It’s no longer on Instagram, but you can still find it on the Way Back Machine (aka the best site for looking up old content). This post was from 2015 and in the caption Aniston said the salad, with bulgur, cucumbers, parsley, mint, red onion, chickpeas, feta cheese and pistachios was her “perfect salad.”
According to an article in the Los Angeles Times, the salad she ate daily on the set of Friends was a spruced up Cobb salad with turkey bacon and chickpeas, which I recreated with my protein Cobb salad.
Either way, after trying Jen’s tabbouleh-inspired salad I can totally see why she (and the whole internet) is obsessed. It’s not only delicious and packed with SO much flavor, but it also has the perfect amount of protein, smart carbs, healthy fats, and veggies – all the components of a good meal-sized salad.
Jen’s original version of this salad calls for bulgur wheat as the base, but when I went to make this salad for the first time I couldn’t find bulgur wheat anywhere, so I decided to make it with quinoa. It worked great and this salad is easily becoming a new staple in our house.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It has all the components of a good meal-sized salad… protein, smart carbs, healthy fats, veggies and satisfaction factor!
- It’s light, flavorful and jam-packed with tons of fresh herbs!
- Quick and easy to whip up – you only need 10 ingredients (plus salt + pepper) and one bowl!
- It holds up well in the fridge so it’s the perfect meal prep recipe. Prep this over the weekend and have lunch ready to go for the entire week!
Ingredients Needed
- quinoa – instead of bulgur I used white quinoa as the base. Quinoa is a good source of protein, high in fiber, rich in vitamins and minerals and naturally gluten-free. It’s also a complete protein, which means it has all nine essential amino acids including lysine… a rare find when it comes to plant-based foods.
- cucumber – adds a nice crunch! I personally like using mini cucumbers because they don’t have large seeds.
- fresh parsley – flat-leaf parsley and curly parsley both work well in this recipe. Make sure your bunch of parsley is washed and dried well before chopping it!
- fresh mint – the addition of fresh mint adds so much flavor! Again, make sure your mint is washed and dried before chopping it.
- red onion – the perfect way to add a bit of flavor and more crunch. You can use yellow onion if needed.
- pistachios – roasted and salted. Adds some healthy fat and more protein to this salad.
- chickpeas – I used canned chickpeas (otherwise known as garbanzo beans) for ease, but of course, you can totally cook the chickpeas from scratch if desired. Freshly cooked beans are really delicious if you have the time.
- feta cheese – this adds some healthy fat and such a good flavor to the salad so I wouldn’t recommend omitting it.
Recipe Substitutions & Notes
- Quinoa – I love this salad with quinoa, but you can totally swap it with cooked bulgur wheat or farro instead.
- Cheese – I bet goat cheese would be delicious! You can also skip the cheese altogether or use a dairy-free feta cheese if you want the salad to be vegan.
- Avocado – Want to add a little more creaminess and healthy fat to your salad? Add in some chopped avocado.
- Pistachios – Feel free to swap the pistachios with another nut. I bet roasted and salted almonds would be delicious. If you need this salad to be nut-free, you can totally swap the nuts for roasted sunflower seeds.
- Protein – You can totally swap the chickpeas with a different type of protein or even add more protein to this salad. I love serving the salad alongside my apple cider vinegar chicken or air fryer chicken breast on top. It would also be delicious with baked tofu, grilled shrimp or air fryer salmon.
How to Make
Step 1: To start, cook your quinoa according to the package (you can also follow my full tutorial on how to cook quinoa) directions until it has softened. Drain out any excess water, if needed.
Step 2: In a large bowl, combine cooked quinoa, cucumbers, parsley, mint, red onion, pistachios, chickpeas, feta, lemon juice, olive oil, sea salt, and pepper. Taste and add more salt or pepper if necessary.
How to Store
I love meal prepping this salad for lunches throughout the week! It stores so well and even tastes better the next day as the ingredients have time to soak up more of the flavors. To store, place leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Everything You Need to Make the Jennifer Aniston Salad
Pyrex Smart Essentials 3-Piece Prepware Mixing Bowl Set
Buy Now →
Le Creuset Tri-Ply Stainless Steel 3 Quart Saucepan, Medium
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Salad Servers, 12-inch Spoon and Fork Set
Buy Now →More Salad Recipes
- Couscous Salad
- Mediterranean Salmon Salad
- Vegan Cobb Salad
- Sunflower Crunch Salad
- Roasted Broccoli Quinoa Salad
- Mayo Free Potato Salad
- Sonoma Chicken Salad
- Kale Crunch Salad
- Buffalo Chicken Salad
Be sure to check out all of my quinoa recipes as well as the full collection of salad recipes on EBF!
If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below.
Jennifer Aniston Salad
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa , or bulgar wheat
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup cucumber, chopped
- ½ cup parsley, chopped
- ½ cup mint, chopped
- ⅓ cup red onion, chopped
- ½ cup roasted and salted pistachios, chopped
- 1 15 ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 2 lemons, juiced (about 5-6 Tablespoons)
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- sea salt, to taste
- ground pepper, to taste
- ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
Instructions
- Rinse and drain quinoa. Add quinoa and water to a small pot and bring the water to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 15 minutes. Fluff with a fork and let cool for 5-10 minutes.
- In a medium bowl, stir together cooked quinoa, cucumber, parsley, mint, red onion, pistachios, chickpeas, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper and feta.
- Serve immediately or let the salad chill in the fridge a couple hours before serving.
- Store salad in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the fridge.
Notes
- Quinoa: Feel free to use bulgur if desired. Add bulgur and water to a small pot and bring the water to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 12 minutes. Drain off any access water. Fluff with a fork and let cool for 5-10 minutes.
- Cheese: Feel free to skip the feta altogether or use a dairy-free feta cheese if you want the salad to be vegan.
- Avocado: Want to add a little more creaminess and healthy fat to your salad? Add in some chopped avocado.
- Pistachios: Feel free to swap the pistachios with another nut. I bet roasted and salted almonds would be delicious. If you need this salad to be nut-free, you can totally swap the nuts for roasted sunflower seeds.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I chopped up roasted cauliflower instead of quinoa. It is wonderful!
Roasted cauliflower sounds like a great swap—love that idea! Thanks so much for making the recipe and coming back to leave a review. I really appreciate it.
Love this. I add chopped fennel instead of the onion based on preference, in case that helps anyone else that isn’t a fan of raw onion.
Good tip, Sheila! Thanks for sharing. I bet it’ll be helpful for others. Appreciate you coming back to leave a review. It means a lot to me!
I really like this salad! Can you suggest something to give it more of a crunch?
You could try adding some additional crunchy veggies like chopped bell pepper or carrots. I think either of these would be a great addition.
Awww, yes! Thank you. I have made it twice, and each time my husband and I have said “It would be so awesome if it had a little crunch.”.
Is the recipe (as written – 6 servings) for a side dish or a meal?
Hi Brett! Many people will eat this as a meal, but it is also a delicious side dish. I like adding some grilled shrimp, salmon or chicken to help boost the protein. Hope you enjoy this salad!
Hi there can you send how much protein carbs and fat in grams this recipe has please?
Hi Mona – The nutrition facts are always stated below the recipe card. Here they are for this salad: Serving: 1/6 recipe | Calories: 391kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 11mg | Sodium: 274mg | Potassium: 317mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 3g
I’ve made this once a week for the last month! My family (including my picky toddler) all love it! The only change we’ve made is using cilantro instead of parsley. Thanks!!
WOO! I am so glad you are loving this salad and it is a hit for the whole family. Thank you for sharing your review + star rating, I really appreciate it!
Delightful! This has such a fresh taste. I’ll be making this many more times!
Sounds amazing, Lori! I am so glad you are loving this salad and it turned out great for you. Thank you for sharing your review & star rating, I really appreciate it!
This salad is good but it’s not the Jennifer Aniston salad. There’s a video of her saying what’s in the salad and this isn’t even close. Her salad is a chopped salad consisting the following things: iceberg lettuce chickpeas, pecorino cheese, tomatoes, turkey bacon, chicken, salami and Italian dressing.
Hi Lindsey! Yes, that video came out quite a bit later, and I have also made a version of that one too, it’s delicious, you can find it here!
Love this salad! I only used half of the amount of quinoa the recipe calls for (which is probably about 1 cup of cooked quinoa) and then used the same ratio for everything else. So good! I want to try the southwest variation you have posted but can’t bring myself to do it, just because I am loving this one so much. Even my husband likes it! He’s not a picky eater, but “not a big tabbouleh” guy. Will be making more this weekend.
WOO! This makes me so happy to hear, Sarah. I am so glad you are loving this salad and it turned out great for you. Thank you for sharing your review & star rating, it means so much to me!
How big are the servings? Half cup? One cup? Thanks!
Hi Carrie! I actually need to make this again and measure out a serving size. It makes 6 servings so I would just measure if out equally into 6 servings and that should get you the proper serving amount. When I remake this, I will do it and add it to the recipe for you! Hope you enjoy!