Jennifer Aniston Salad

This Jennifer Aniston salad features bulgur, fresh veggies, chickpeas, crumbled feta, and roasted pistachios, tossed through the best dressing ever. I could eat this salad every day!

Love salad recipes? Try my avocado chicken salad, wedge salad, or 7 layer salad.

Like Kim Kardashian’s famous chia pudding or Gigi Hadid pasta, The Jennifer Aniston salad has also took the internet by storm (look at me calling her Jen already…).

Ever since the actor revealed her lunch salad to the world, the recipe has gone viral over the internet. And because it is so quick and easy to make, everyone is obsessed with it! 

If you aren’t aware of what this famous salad entails, it’s made up of bulgur, crunchy veggies, creamy feta, and a generous helping of pistachios and chickpeas. And because our beloved actress does not like sugar, the salad has no sweet elements.

Table of Contents

1. Why I love this recipe
2. Ingredients (and substitutions)
3. How to make a Jennifer Aniston salad
4. Recipe tips and variations
5. Storage instructions
6. More fresh salad recipes to try
7. Jennifer Aniston Salad (Recipe Card)

Why I love this recipe

• Light yet filling. This salad is a perfect lunch recipe, especially if you’re a vegetarian! You won’t feel stuffed, yet it’ll keep you full for a long time.
• Healthy and balanced. This salad is healthy and balanced with carbs from bulgur, healthy fats from pistachios, oil, and feta, proteins from chickpeas, vitamins, antioxidants, and veggie fibers.
• Simple. Like wedge salad and chicken salad with grapes, this salad doesn’t require complicated appliances, cooking techniques, or long preparation times. 
• Tasty. Despite a simple vinaigrette, this salad wins all the brownie points for a fantastic taste.
• Perfect for meal prep. You can simply prep the veggies and herbs and cook the wheat bulgur in advance. Once ready to eat, combine everything with the dressing and serve!

Ingredients (and substitutions)

Besides the chickpeas and bulgar, everything else involves simple pantry staples to make. Here is what you’ll need:

• Bulgur. It is parboiled cracked wheat, rife with nutrients. Start with uncooked bulgur. If you cannot find bulgur wheat, make this recipe with quinoa or even couscous.
• Water. To cook bulgur.
• Cucumber. Persian cucumbers add a nice crunch to the salad. Thinly slice your cucumber so it becomes evenly distributed.
• Chickpeas (garbanzo beans). You’ll need one can of cooked chickpeas. Remember to drain and rinse them, before use. You can also make chickpeas from scratch if you’d prefer that or use roasted chickpeas instead.
• Red onion. Finely diced. This adds a nice peppery element.
• Fresh herbs. I use fresh parsley and mint for this salad. Chop your herbs finely so that they distribute well.
• Pistachios. I like unsalted and roasted pistachios, but raw ones work just fine. Other nuts like almonds or seeds like sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds will work.
• Feta cheese. Every good salad needs a cheesy element, and this one uses feta. To keep this salad dairy-free, use a vegan feta.
• Lemon juice. For the tangy vinaigrette. Use freshly squeezed lemon juice if possible.
• Extra virgin olive oil. To make the oil lemon juice vinaigrette.
• Salt and black pepper. For the seasoning.

How to make a Jennifer Aniston salad

I’ve included step-by-step photos below to make this recipe easy to follow at home. For the full printable recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Step 1- Boil the bulgur. Add bulgur and water to a pot and allow it to boil. Simmer it covered for 10 minutes.

Step 2- Make the dressing. Whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.

Step 3- Toss the salad and serve. Mix all the veggies, chickpeas, and cooked and drained bulgur in a large bowl. Top it off with pistachios and cheese, and drizzle with lemon dressing.

Recipe tips and variations

• Cook your bulgur in broth. Use chicken or vegetable stock instead of good old plain water for cooking your bulgur.
• Customize it. This salad is easy to make, and also even easier to customize. Add your favorite veggies, seeds, nuts, legumes.
• Soak onions. Soak chopped onions in cold water to remove the sharp onion flavor.   
• Cool bulgur before combining. Let the bulgur cool down before mixing it with the rest of the ingredients. You don’t want a mushy, warm salad. 
• Add sweet elements. Add pomegranate or dried berries to the salad to balance off the savoriness. 
• Add more protein. While chickpeas are full of protein, feel free to increase the protein content by adding tofu pieces or your favorite meat (I love to quickly air fry some air fryer chicken breast, air fryer shrimp, or some air fryer steak!). For a flavor explosion, add some sliced smoked chicken breast.

Storage instructions

To store. This salad is excellent for meal prep. You can make it in bulk and portion it in airtight containers so that it lasts the whole week in the refrigerator!   

To freeze. I don’t recommend freezing this salad! Serve fresh and devour!

More fresh salad recipes to try

• Kani salad– The famous Japanese steakhouse-style salad with crisp and creamy elements.
• Steak salad– This is my family’s favorite dinner salad that is perfect during the warmer months.
• Hot German potato salad– Yes, it’s a warm salad, and yes, it’s fabulous.
• Asian chicken salad– Loaded with all the crispy and crunchy elements.