Bulgur

No E-numberFlour treatment agentsOrigin: Plant

Get a personal answer

Pick your family’s diets in the bar above.

Every diet

VeganYes

Bulgur is wheat.

Gluten-freeNo

Bulgur is wheat and contains gluten.

HalalYes

KosherYes

KetoNo

Bulgur is a wheat product.

Low-FODMAPNo

Bulgur is high in fructans.

The short answer

Bulgur is cracked, precooked wheat. Bulgur fails a gluten-free diet, a keto diet and a low-FODMAP diet. It is vegan. Fine bulgur soaks in cold water. Coarse bulgur wants a simmer.

86/100

Generally safe

Fine for most people at normal amounts.

E-numberNone

Comes fromPlant

What it doesFlour treatment agents

Glycemic index—

Daily limitNot set

Also calledBulgur, Bulgur wheat

Rules by country

🇺🇸 US FDANot evaluated as an additive

🇪🇺 European UnionNot evaluated as an additive

🇨🇦 Health CanadaNot evaluated as an additive

CaliforniaNo extra rules

Bulgur is a wheat food, not an E-number. Parboiling does not remove gluten or fructans. A tabbouleh recipe that calls for bulgur is a wheat recipe.

Daily limit: Experts haven’t set a number because normal food amounts are far below any level of concern.

What is it?

The tradition is to boil the wheat, dry it in the sun, then crack it and sift it into grades. Factory bulgur follows the same order with dryers. The grades run from fine, for salads, to coarse, for pilaf.

Where it comes from: Bulgur is wheat that has been parboiled, dried and cracked. The parboil drives some of the bran nutrients into the grain before the outer layers are rubbed off. It is still wheat.

Why it’s in food

Soaks into tabbouleh
Pilafs beside rice
Fills kibbeh
Stretches ground meat

Often found in

TabboulehKibbehPilafStuffed vegetablesSaladsBreakfast porridges

Also listed as: Bulgur, Bulgur wheat, Burghul, Bulghur

Health & gut impact

Precooked, still wheatConcern

The boil happens before the grain is dried and cracked. Gluten survives that cook. A gluten-free tabbouleh uses a different grain.

Identity of bulgur wheat

Grades change the cook, not the grainBenefit

Fine, medium and coarse bulgur are the same wheat at different crack sizes. The salad grade hydrates without a pot.

Milling grades of bulgur

What can I use instead?

Farro

Ratio: A whole wheat berry if you want more chew

Best for: Soups

Rice flour

Ratio: Not a substitute in tabbouleh, but a gluten-free starch when wheat is out

Best for: Baking

More flour treatment agents:

Almond flourAlmond flour is ground almonds. Almond flour is vegan, and the nut itself contains no gluten. It is one of the few baking flours that fits a keto pattern. Large servings are high FODMAP because almonds are.Generally safe Alpha-amylaseAlpha-amylase is the enzyme that clips starch so bread can rise and brown. Baked goods often list it only as enzymes. Fungal amylase is gluten-free. Amylase from barley malt is not.Generally safe Azodicarbonamide (ADA) E927aAzodicarbonamide (ADA, E927a) is a dough conditioner that's banned in the EU but still legal in US bread. Baking turns some of it into semicarbazide, a possible carcinogen, so it's one to avoid.Best to avoid BarleyBarley is a gluten grain with a low glycemic index when it is eaten as the whole or pearled berry. The barley berry fails a gluten-free diet, a keto diet and a low-FODMAP diet. It is vegan. Sprouted barley is the start of malt, which is a different ingredient line.Generally safe

Common questions

Is bulgur gluten-free?

No. It is wheat. Quinoa and certified gluten-free buckwheat are the usual stand-ins in a salad.

Is bulgur the same as cracked wheat?

Cracked wheat is raw wheat, cracked. Bulgur is parboiled first, then dried and cracked. They cook differently.

Is Bulgur safe?

Generally safe (86/100). Bulgur is a wheat food, not an E-number. Parboiling does not remove gluten or fructans. A tabbouleh recipe that calls for bulgur is a wheat recipe.

Is Bulgur vegan?

Yes. Bulgur is wheat.

Is Bulgur gluten-free?

No. Bulgur is wheat and contains gluten.

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Scientific sources & regulatory citations

Identity of bulgur wheat
Milling grades of bulgur