How Long Does Greek Salad Last At Room Temperature?

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.

Can You Make Greek Salad in Advance?

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.

How Long Can You Keep Greek Salad in the Fridge?

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.

Can You Freeze Greek Salad?

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, feta, and greek salad dressing are about the only things in a Greek salad that can be frozen and retain a similar texture.

How Do You Keep Greek Salad From Getting Soggy?

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.

How Do You Tame the Raw Onion Flavor in a Greek Salad?

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.

Greek Salad Recipe (Easy, Make-Ahead +Video)

Name: Greek Salad with Homemade Greek Salad Dressing
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Cuisine: Greek
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar (30g); 1 tablespoon lemon juice, freshly squeezed (15g); 1 garlic clove, grated on Microplane (or finely minced or pressed into a paste); 1 tablespoon fresh oregano (leaves from about 4 sprigs) (optional but recommended); 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano (3g); 1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard (1.5g); 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste; 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil (60g); 1/4 teaspoon sea salt (1g), or more to taste; 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 sweet grape or cherry tomatoes); 6 ounces feta cheese, cubed or crumbled (200g); 1/2 cup cured Kalamata olives (85g); 1/2 cup green Italian Cerignola (85g) (sub Kalamata olives); 1/4 cup red onions, sliced paper thin (15g); 1/4 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.

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

Units

Salad Dressing

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar (30g)
1 tablespoon lemon juice, freshly squeezed (15g)
1 garlic clove, grated on Microplane (or finely minced or pressed into a paste)
1 tablespoon fresh oregano (leaves from about 4 sprigs) (optional but recommended)
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano (3g)
1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard (1.5g)
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
1/4 ;cup extra-virgin olive oil (60g)
1/4 teaspoon sea salt (1g), or more 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 sweet grape or cherry tomatoes)
6 ;ounces feta cheese, cubed or crumbled (200g)
1/2 cup cured Kalamata olives (85g)
1/2 cup green Italian Cerignola (85g) (sub Kalamata olives)
1/4 cup red onions, sliced paper thin (15g)
1/4 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.

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Instructions

Make the dressing: In a small mixing bowl, whisk all of the ingredients except the extra virgin olive oil and salt together until combined. Slowly drizzle the extra virgin oil in a steady stream while simultaneously whisking to emulsify it. Add salt to taste.
Assemble the salad: In a large mixing bowl, add the cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, and olives along with 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
Picnics and BBQs: Greek salad shouldn’t sit out of the fridge or cooler for more than 2 hours. On hot days above 90°F/32°C, cut that time to just 1 hour.
Make-ahead meal prep: My favorite way to meal prep this salad and keep it crisp, never soggy, is to put the chopped vegetables, diced feta, olives, and herbs in their own separate mounds in an airtight container and refrigerate it for up to 1 day. It’s fine if the mounds touch; just don’t toss them together. Keeping them apart keeps everything crisp and stops the salad from getting watery before you’re ready to eat. If you’re taking the salad somewhere, bring the dressing in a small jar, then drizzle it over the top and toss everything together just before serving.

2 ways to take the sharpness out of raw onion: First, slice it paper-thin. Thin slices hit your taste buds with less pungent flavor at once, and they soften into the Greek salad dressing, which tames the sharpness a lot. Second, soak the sliced onion in cool water for 30 minutes, then pat it completely dry before adding it to the salad. I never need to soak mine as long as I slice it paper-thin, but do whatever works for you.
Do not freeze Greek salad! No, don’t freeze it. However crisp the cucumbers start out, freezing turns them soggy, wet, translucent, and inedible. The tomatoes turn mushy, the onions go slimy, and the mint and fresh oregano turn black. The olives and feta are about the only ingredients in a Greek salad that hold a similar texture after freezing and thawing.
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: Dinner, Lunch, Salads
Method: No-Cook
Cuisine: Greek, Mediterranean

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