This Greek salad recipe is so easy and delicious we eat it all year long, not just in the summer months! With just 8 ingredients (one of which is a 'secret flavor bomb' add-on) plus a simple homemade Greek dressing, this healthy salad recipe ticks off all the right boxes and only takes 15 minutes to make.
Without fail, we eat some type of salad with almost every meal because for us it's impossible to have too many salad recipes (and we like to make sure we're getting enough greens). Sometimes we enjoy a simple side salad (with a splash of lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, and salt) or a hearty grain salad.
Often, though, we'll dive headfirst into a huge bowl of this easy Greek salad recipe as a main meal!
This high-protein salad, packed with peak-season vegetable,s fills you up without weighing you down and only has 8 ingredients, plus an easy Greek salad dressing recipe to brighten it all up.
The best part -- it can be eaten as a mini Greek side salad or main meal and doesn't require turning on the stove or heating up the kitchen. And in case you're wondering, this makes an excellent Greek chicken salad too!
Greek Salad Ingredients
Classic or traditional Greek salad includescucumbers, tomatoes, red onion, green bell pepper, olives, and feta cheese tossed in Greek salad dressing. For this recipe, I've opted to use the following ingredients and I've included easy substitutions for you as well:
- Vine-ripened tomatoes: (sub sweet grape or cherry tomatoes, especially if you're making this salad in the fall and winter months)
- Garden-fresh cucumbers: (sub Persian cucumbers, which have much less water than other varieties, or an English cucumber with the middle scooped out).
- Cured black Kalamata olives with pits: (sub pitted black Kalamata olives which are much easier to eat, but usually have less flavor than oil-cured olives). Kalamata olives are often used in Greek recipes and pair really well with the feta and complement the Greek dressing.
- Green Italian Cerignola olives with pits: (sub an equal amount of pitted black olives if desired) Cerignola olives are very large super meaty olives we like to add for their delicious briny flavor and visual appeal.
- Red onions: (sub thinly sliced shallots) I like to slice the onions paper-thin so they melt into the rest of the salad, rendering them less sharp when you bite into them.
- PDO Greek feta cheese: (sub a fake non-Greek feta cheese if that's all you can find). I use 100% real feta cheese made in Greece because it's delicious. Real feta has a Protected Designation of Origin (aka DOP) that requires it to be made in a specific (traditional) way with only traditional ingredients (goat and sheeps milk). So when you buy a DOP feta, you're getting a premium product that tastes better and makes a better Greek salad. I like to cut cubes of feta as opposed to crumbling it, so everyone can see what they're eating.
- Fresh mint: (If you're not a fan of mint, simply leave it out)
- Secret Greek Salad Ingredient: (Grated Grana Padano Cheese) Grated cheeses like Parmigiano-Reggiano, American Parmesan, and Grana Padano add so much extra flavor to homemade salad recipes. And a little goes a long way (I've only added 1 tablespoon in this recipe). While this is not a traditional Greek salad ingredient, it is a SUPER delicious add-on that I highly recommend!
- Homemade Easy Greek salad dressing: (sub your favorite bottled Greek dressing) This zesty dressing is SO easy and is ready in 5 minutes flat! I use a combination of both fresh oregano (from my window box garden) and dried oregano for an even better overall flavor.
*Want to make a vegan Greek salad? Omit the feta cheese and add vegan feta cheese or substitute the feta with firm tofu, or chickpeas.
Greek Salad Dressing (Ingredients)
My easy Greek salad dressing uses 7 basic pantry ingredients (plus salt and pepper): extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, freshly squeezed lemon juice (to brighten it up), Dijon mustard, garlic, dried oregano, and fresh oregano for even more flavor).
If you don't have fresh oregano on hand, just leave it out! This healthy salad dressing will still taste amazing!
I use about 4 tablespoons (60g) of salad dressing for this entire salad, but you can use up to 5 tablespoons (75g) or more if desired.
How to Make Greek Salad Step-by-Step
This is probably one of the easiest salads you'll ever make. All it requires is chopping a few vegetables and whisking up a quick Greek vinaigrette.
Be sure to chop cucumbers, tomatoes, and feta in similar chunky sizes and slice the red onions paper thin.
Then drizzle on the homemade Greek dressing and toss everything to fully coat. I like to use a large mixing bow,l which makes it easier to toss it all together. Get the full recipe instructions and watch the video in the recipe card.
What to Serve With Greek Salad
I personally like to pair Greek salad with lean protein and fluffy bread to sop up all the juices. Try this grilled shrimp, easy 4-minute pan-seared shrimp, grilled chicken, pan-seared pork shoulder, hummus, this pizza fritta from Abruzzo, Italy, homemade thin-crust pizza, my healthy summer pizza, homemade fluffy naan, or whole wheat naan (see photos of each dish below).
Greek Salad With Lettuce
If you're trying to get more greens into your diet, you can use this Greek salad as a salad topper or condiment for other lettuce greens (see photo below).
Simply add your favorite greens (like Romaine, spring green mix, baby spinach, kale, arugula, or even iceberg lettuce) to a bowl, and top each portion with ½ to 1 cup of this Greek salad. Toss everything together and add more salad dressing or a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and enjoy!
Looking for More Easy Mediterranean Recipes?
Try these easy recipes if you love light and refreshing dishes as much as we do!
FAQ
Don't leave this salad unrefrigerated for longer than 2 hours (if the ambient temperature is below 90°F/32°C). If the temperature is above 90°F/32°C don't leave Greek salad out for more than 1 hour. This salad is best eaten after it's just been made. But you can place a bowl of ice under it to help keep it fresher for longer.
This salad tastes best just after it's been tossed together. Add all of the chopped veggies, diced feta cheese, olives, and herbs each in their own separate mounds to an airtight container. Place it in the refrigerator for up to 1 day in advance. The ingredients will touch each other, but they shouldn't be tossed together because this helps them stay crisp. It also keeps the salad components from becoming watery before you're ready to eat it. Add the salad dressing just before time to serve it. Simply drizzle the dressing over the top of the ingredients and toss everything together.
Greek salad can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 4 days. However, it's best to eat it within a couple of days of making it. Over time vegetables will start to release their natural juices making the salad soggy.
Do not freeze Greek salad! Cucumbers become soggy, wet, and translucent (no matter how crunchy and crisp they were to start). Tomatoes become mushy, the onions become slimy, and mint and fresh oregano turn black. The olives and feta are about the only things in a Greek salad that can be frozen and retain a similar texture.
The best way to keep Greek salad from getting soggy is to use small firm cucumbers. They contain less water than large cucumbers with lots of seeds, or even English cucumbers. Persian cucumbers and smaller garden fresh cucumbers have the least amount of water which makes them perfect for this salad. If using English cucumbers, slice them in half lengthwise and remove the pulp and seeds before slicing them. Using grape tomatoes is a good option because they contain less water and they store well.
There are 2 things you can do to remove some of the sharpness from raw onion in a Greek salad. First, slice them paper-thin which means less pungent flavor attacking your taste buds all at once. When they're thin like this, they interact and melt into the Greek salad dressing which drastically reduces the sharpness. The second option is to soak the sliced onions in cool water for 30 minutes. Pat them completely dry before adding them to the salad.
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Print📖 Recipe
Easy Greek Salad
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 Entrée Portion Servings
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
This Greek salad (with Greek salad dressing) recipe is so easy and delicious that we eat it all year long, not just in the summer months! With just 8 ingredients (one of which is a 'secret flavor bomb' add-on) plus a simple homemade Greek dressing, this healthy protein-packed salad ticks off all the right boxes and only takes 15 minutes to make. Watch the how to make greek salad video below!
Ingredients
Salad Dressing
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil (60g)
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar (30g)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice, freshly squeezed (15g)
- 1 garlic clove, grated on Microplane (or finely minced)
- 1 tablespoon fresh oregano (leaves from about 4 sprigs) (optional but recommended)
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano (3g)
- ¼ teaspoon Dijon mustard (1.5g)
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt (1g), or more to taste
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
For the Salad
- 3 medium garden-fresh cucumbers, coarsely chopped (about 13 ounces) (375g) (sub Persian cucumbers or 1 seeded English cucumber)
- 1 large vine-ripened tomato, coarsely chopped (about 11 ounces) (300g) (sub 2 large Roma tomatoes or 2 cups halved cherry tomatoes)
- 6 ounces feta cheese, cubed or crumbled(200g)
- ½ cup cured Kalamata olives (85g)
- ½ cup green Italian Cerignola(85g) (sub Kalamata olives)
- ¼ cup red onions, sliced paper thin (15g)
- ¼ cup fresh mint leaves (7g)
- 1 tablespoon grated Grana Padano cheese (10g) (sub Parmesan or Parmigiano cheese)
*For a traditional Greek salad add 1 coarsely chopped green bell pepper and omit the green olives and Grana Padano cheese.
Get Recipe Ingredients
Instructions
-
Make the dressing: In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the extra virgin oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, dried and fresh oregano, mustard, salt, and pepper.
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Assemble the salad: Add the cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, and olives to a large mixing bowl and 4 tablespoons of the dressing (or more as desired) and gently toss to combine. Add the feta cheese and mint and gently toss to combine (adding the feta last like this keeps the cheese from totally falling apart as you combine the ingredients). Add the salad to a serving platter, sprinkle with a sprig of fresh oregano or extra mint, and Enjoy!
Notes
- Greek salad can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 4 days
- Do not leave this salad unrefrigerated for longer than 2 hours ( if the ambient temperature is below 90°F/32°C). If the temperature is above 90°F/32°C don't leave Greek salad out for more than 1 hour.
- My favorite way to meal prep this salad in advance and keep it 100% crispy and never soggy: Add all of the chopped veggies, diced feta cheese, olives, and herbs each in their own separate mounds to an airtight container, and place it in the refrigerator up to 1 day in advance. The ingredients will touch each other, but they shouldn't be tossed together because this helps them stay crisp and keeps the salad components from becoming watery before you're ready to toss and eat. If you're taking the salad somewhere, bring the salad dressing in a small jar, and just before time to serve it, drizzle the dressing over the top of the ingredients and toss everything together.
- 2 ways to remove some of the sharpness from raw onion: First, slice them paper-thin which means less pungent flavor attacking your taste buds all at once. When they're thin like this, they interact and melt into the Greek salad dressing which drastically reduces the sharpness. The second thing you can do is soak the sliced onions in cool water for 30 minutes before adding them to the salad. Just be sure to pat them completely dry before adding them. I never have to soak them in water as long as I slice them paper thin, but do what you need to.
- Do not freeze Greek salad! If you do, the cucumbers become soggy, wet, and translucent (no matter how crunchy and crisp they were to start) and inedible. The tomatoes become mushy, the onions become slimy, and mint and fresh oregano become black. The olives and feta are about the only thing in a Greek salad that can be frozen and thawed and retain a similar texture.
- Make it a vegan Greek salad by substituting vegan feta cheese, or omitting the feta altogether and adding chickpeas or tofu.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Category: Salads
- Method: Mix & Stir
- Cuisine: Greek
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 cups
- Calories: 365
- Sugar: 5g
- Sodium: 890mg
- Fat: 29g
- Saturated Fat: 9g
- Unsaturated Fat: 15g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 12g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 9g
- Cholesterol: 45mg
Maureen says
A perfect summer salad recipe! I love this greek salad so much I've made it and topped it with grilled chicken breast and shrimp. The dressing is my favorite part (I will be using this for pasta salad this summer as well)..It's not overly vinegary like some are - it's perfect and fresh!