Traditional Greek Salad

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This traditional Greek salad is a simple mix of ripe tomatoes, cucumber, green pepper, red onion, olives and feta, finished with olive oil, oregano, salt and pepper. It is fresh, crunchy and ready in about 10 minutes.

It makes a great side for grilled meats, especially in summer, but it is also filling enough for a light lunch when served with some bread.

I love how easy this salad is. There is no heavy dressing to prepare. Just good vegetables, feta, olives and a little seasoning.

How to make traditional Greek salad

Get a bowl first. It is better to use a larger bowl than a small one so you can toss everything easily without the vegetables falling out.

Rinse the vegetables. Cut the tomatoes and cucumber into bite-size pieces. Remove the seeds and veins from the green pepper, then slice or chop it. Add thinly sliced red onion, olives and feta.

I like slicing the onion thin so it is not overpowering. If you are not a big fan of raw onion, use a little less.

For the cucumber, taste the skin first. If it tastes bitter or the cucumber skin is too tough, peel it. Otherwise, you can leave it on.

Use any sweet green pepper you like. It adds a nice crunch and is one of the ingredients that makes this salad taste so fresh.

What makes it traditional?

Traditional Greek salad is all about simple, fresh ingredients. Tomatoes, cucumber, green pepper, red onion, olives, feta, olive oil and oregano are enough. It is usually made without lettuce, which keeps the focus on the crunchy vegetables, salty feta and olives.

By the way, you might find restaurants in Greece that serve Greek salad with a whole block of feta on top so you can crumble it yourself. I love that way of serving it, but crumbled or cubed feta also works well at home.

Kalamata olives are the classic choice for Greek salad. If you can’t find them, black olives are fine too. That is what I used here.

Greek salad dressing

I keep the dressing simple: olive oil, oregano, salt and pepper. Sometimes I also add a drizzle of lemon juice.

That is really all you need. The vegetables release some juices as the salad sits, and they mix with the olive oil and oregano in the bowl. Just make sure to season the salad well so it does not taste bland.

What to serve with Greek salad

Greek salad is a great side dish for grilled meat, especially during summer. Try it with grilled boneless chicken thighs, honey lemon grilled chicken or beef koftas.

It also goes well with fish, pita bread, roasted potatoes or simple summer dinners when you want something fresh on the side.

If you like easy summer salads, you might also enjoy creamy cucumber tomato salad or watermelon feta salad.

Can you make Greek salad ahead?

I personally would not make Greek salad the day before. For me, it should taste as fresh as possible, with crunchy vegetables and juicy tomatoes.

You can prepare it a few hours ahead if needed, but I would not go over 2 to 3 hours. Keep it covered in the fridge, then add the feta, olive oil and oregano closer to serving.

If the salad releases extra juices while sitting, give it a gentle toss and taste it before serving. You might need a little more salt, pepper or oregano.

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