Greek Salad

Greek Salad is a quick and simple salad that’s full of flavor and crunch from tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion, peppers, kalamata olives, feta cheese and more. It’s fresh ingredients are drizzled in a quick and easy vinaigrette dressing. Pair this salad with leftover rotisserie chicken or seafood for a delicious and healthy meal!

Are you looking for a healthy salad that isn’t loaded with tasteless kale or tons of spinach? This authentic Greek salad is just the thing! Salads like my bacon ranch pasta salad, lettuce frito salad or cashew chicken rotini are always tasty options, but let’s be honest — sometimes we need more veggies in our life.

I’m sure we all get really tired of eating greens every single day, so I am constantly looking for ways to up my veggie intake without having to eat all the greens. Due to soaring hot temperatures, salads are some of the best go to lunches and side dishes during the summer! It’s always fun to mix them up with different flavors and textures which this salad has in spades.

You’re going to love this flavorful, crunchy, and bold Greek salad recipe.

Why You’ll Love this Greek Salad Recipe

• This easy Greek salad calls for simple ingredients that you probably already have on hand. You may not even need to run to the grocery store!
• Easily double or triple this recipe to make an extra large salad for your next get together with friends and family. This is a great party salad!
• Make this recipe in 15 minutes or less. It’s perfect to be thrown together last minute for dinner.

Ingredients for this Greek Salad Recipe

For this salad, you’ll make both the dressing and prep all the veggies. Here’s everything you need to make the best Greek salad:

Ingredients for Greek Salad Dressing

• Garlic – For the best flavor, buy garlic cloves and mince them yourself. You can use that jarred garlic in a pinch, but I think fresh makes all the difference here.
• Extra virgin olive oil – This is the base of the salad dressing, so make sure you get the best quality olive oil you can find. 
• Red wine vinegar – This adds a lot of flavor and a slight tang to the salad. So yummy! 
• Dried oregano – Most of the time, dried oregano is just sprinkled on the salad but I added it to the dressing instead. This gives every bite some of that herby flavor. 
• Dijon mustard – Though not traditionally used in Greek salad dressings, I find Dijon mustard compliments the other ingredients extremely well. Trust me, it’s my secret ingredient!
• Salt and black pepper – Bring out the flavor of all of the other ingredients using a bit of salt and pepper.

Ingredients for Greek Salad

• Tomatoes – You can use whatever type of juicy tomatoes you want in this salad. I personally use Roma tomatoes cut into wedges to make this a more authentic Greek salad. Cherry tomatoes and grape tomatoes work too.
• Cucumbers – English cucumbers are my favorite since they are sweet and seedless. However, if you can’t find those, regular cucumbers will work just as well!  
• Red onion – The bold flavor of red onion is best for this type of salad.
• Green bell pepper – Dice up a green bell pepper to mix into this Greek salad. If you don’t have that red, orange, or yellow will work too!
• Kalamata olives – What can be more Greek than Kalamata olives! Try to find dark, almost black olives for the best quality and flavor. 
• Feta Cheese – The tangy flavor of feta cheese gives this salad that classic Greek flavor. I personally don’t recommend swapping it out, but if you really don’t like feta than you can use something else!

How to Make Greek Salad

Mix together all of the ingredients for the Greek salad dressing in a glass jar of glass bottle. Shake well to incorporate everything, then set aside.

In a large salad bowl, combine all the ingredients for Greek salad and gently toss. 

Drizzle the salad dressing on top and serve! It’s really that easy!

Can I make Greek salad ahead of time?

This salad doesn’t hold up well for long periods of time so don’t make it too far in advance of when you plan to serve it. I would recommend preparing this recipe no more than 2 hours before.

Since the tomatoes and cucumbers give off a good bit of liquid, Greek salad starts to get soggy pretty quickly. Personally, I will still eat the leftovers the next day because it’s just too yummy to resist. But if you are serving it for guests, it will look and taste better when prepared right before serving.

How to Store Leftover Greek Salad

Store Greek salad with the dressing in the refrigerator! Place leftovers in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

However, for best results, store the salad and the dressing separately to make sure it doesn’t become soggy! If stored separately, the dressing and salad can last in the fridge for up to 7 days. I do not recommend freezing any leftovers. 

What kind of cheese should I use?

Feta Cheese is the traditional choice! This cheese is sold as crumbles or a large chunk. I always choose the “chunk” version, you can crumble it yourself and it’s more affordable. The crumbles dry out faster too – chunk is the way to go!

What is a Traditional Greek Salad made with?

A traditional Greek salad is made with fresh tomatoes, crunchy cucumber, red onion, green bell pepper, kalamata olives, feta cheese crumbles and a few other classic ingredients.

My recipe has a few added ingredients because I love their flavor. But if you want to stay traditional, feel free to leave out the garlic, parsley, and dijon mustard! 

Why Doesn’t Greek Salad Use Lettuce?

This specific salad does not use lettuce because Greeks typically eat vegetables seasonally. In Greece, lettuce only grows during the winter months. Since Greek salads are primarily a summer dish, they do not contain lettuce. 

What to Serve with Greek Salad

During the summer we love serving this authentic Greek salad with grilled chicken in a Greek Marinade. It’s a very light and healthy meal! It would also be so tasty to bring on a summer picnic. So pair it with a simple tuna salad sandwich for an easy lunch.

Stuff this veggie salad in pita bread for a vegetarian sandwich or use a little bit to top off some gyros. Another great option is serving it alongside quick and easy Greek chicken kabobs. So many tasty ideas!

If you want another amazing summer salad you have to try my antipasto salad and watermelon salad, too. Enjoy!

More Salad Recipes You’ll Love!

• Broccoli Salad is a BBQ staple! Learn how to make the best one ever with this easy recipe.
• I’ll never get tired of a Chef Salad! This easy recipe is so tasty and is one of my favorite easy summer meals.
• Who says that salads have to be savory? Make Ambrosia Salad as a simple dessert.
• Pesto Pasta Salad is a crowd-pleaser! So much flavor, so easy to make and it goes with anything and everything.