🥗 

Easy Greek Salad Recipe

Crisp cucumbers, juicy tomatoes, red onion, briny olives, creamy feta, and fragrant oregano come together in this fresh and colorful Greek Salad.

This classic Mediterranean-inspired salad is simple enough for a quick lunch but flavorful enough to serve alongside a full dinner. It comes together without much cooking, making it especially wonderful during warm weather when you would rather be outside than standing over a stove.

Serve it with warm pita, crusty bread, grilled vegetables, roasted potatoes, beans, or your favorite Mediterranean-inspired meal.

Greek Salad

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Chill Time: 15 to 30 minutes, optional
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients

For the Salad

• 1 large cucumber, diced or cut into half-moons
• 2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
• ½ small red onion, thinly sliced
• ½ cup Kalamata olives, pitted
• 4 ounces feta cheese, cut into cubes or crumbled
• ½ green bell pepper, sliced, optional
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped, optional
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

For the Greek-Style Dressing

• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1 small garlic clove, finely minced
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• ¼ teaspoon salt, or to taste
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

How to Make Greek Salad

1. Prepare the Vegetables

Wash and dry the vegetables thoroughly.

Cut the cucumber into bite-sized pieces.

Halve the tomatoes.

Thinly slice the red onion.

Slice the bell pepper if using.

Add the vegetables to a large bowl.

2. Add the Olives and Feta

Add the Kalamata olives and feta cheese.

For a more traditional presentation, cut the feta into large cubes and place it over the top rather than completely mixing it into the vegetables.

Sprinkle the salad with oregano and freshly ground black pepper.

3. Make the Dressing

Add the olive oil, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, garlic, oregano, salt, and black pepper to a small jar or bowl.

Whisk or shake until combined.

Taste and adjust as needed.

If you prefer a brighter dressing, add another splash of lemon juice.

For a more mellow dressing, add a little extra olive oil.

4. Dress the Salad

Pour the dressing over the vegetables.

Gently toss to coat.

If you've kept the feta in larger pieces, toss the vegetables first and then arrange the feta over the top.

Let the salad rest for about 15 minutes before serving if you have time.

This gives the flavors a chance to mingle.

What Makes a Greek Salad So Good?

The magic is in the contrast.

You get:

Crisp: Cucumber and onion

Juicy: Fresh tomatoes

Briny: Kalamata olives

Creamy and salty: Feta

Bright: Lemon and vinegar

Herbaceous: Oregano

Rich: Extra-virgin olive oil

It's a very simple combination, but every ingredient has a job.

Choosing the Best Ingredients

Use Ripe Tomatoes

Fresh, ripe tomatoes make a huge difference.

During tomato season, use garden tomatoes if you have them.

Cherry and grape tomatoes work beautifully because they are easy to prepare and tend to hold their shape well.

Choose a Crisp Cucumber

English cucumbers, Persian cucumbers, or garden cucumbers all work well.

If your cucumber has a particularly thick or bitter skin, peel it partially or completely.

Don't Skip the Red Onion

Red onion provides a sharp bite that balances the creamy feta and rich olive oil.

If raw onion is too strong for you, soak the sliced onion in cold water for about 10 minutes, then drain well.

This mellows the flavor while keeping the crunch.

Use Good Olives

Kalamata olives are a classic choice.

If you don't have them, use another flavorful brined olive you enjoy.

Green olives can also be delicious in this salad.

Feta Matters

For the best flavor and texture, use a good-quality feta.

Feta packed in brine tends to have a creamy, crumbly texture and plenty of flavor.

Greek Salad Serving Ideas

This salad can easily become part of a larger meal.

Serve it with:

• Warm pita bread
• Hummus
• Falafel
• Grilled vegetables
• Roasted potatoes
• Lentils
• White beans
• Chickpeas
• Grilled tofu
• Rice
• Quinoa
• Mediterranean-style pasta
• Grilled chicken
• Shrimp
• Fish

For a simple vegetarian lunch, serve a large bowl of Greek salad with warm pita and hummus.

For a heartier dinner, add roasted potatoes and chickpeas.

Turn Greek Salad Into a Complete Meal

The salad itself is light, so you can easily add ingredients to make it more substantial.

Greek Chickpea Salad

Add 1 to 2 cups of drained and rinsed chickpeas.

The chickpeas add fiber and plant-based protein while making the salad much more filling.

Greek Quinoa Bowl

Serve the salad over cooked quinoa.

Add chickpeas and a spoonful of hummus for an easy Mediterranean-inspired grain bowl.

Greek Pasta Salad

Add cooked pasta and a little extra dressing.

Try rotini, penne, bow-tie pasta, or another short pasta that holds the dressing well.

Greek White Bean Salad

Add cannellini beans or another creamy white bean.

The mild beans pair beautifully with feta, olives, tomato, and oregano.

Greek Avocado Salad

Add diced avocado just before serving.

The creamy avocado works surprisingly well with the salty feta and briny olives.

Fresh Herb Variations

Oregano is the classic herb, but you can add other fresh herbs for a garden-inspired version.

Try:

• Fresh parsley
• Dill
• Mint
• Basil
• Chives

A combination of parsley and dill is especially fresh and summery.

Add More Vegetables

There is plenty of room to play with this salad.

Try adding:

• Bell peppers
• Radishes
• Arugula
• Romaine lettuce
• Artichoke hearts
• Banana peppers
• Roasted red peppers
• Shredded carrots
• Fresh herbs

For a more traditional-style Greek salad, keep the ingredients simple.

For an everyday garden salad, use whatever fresh produce you have.

A Little Pickled Goodness

If you love tangy foods, add:

• Pickled red onions
• Pepperoncini
• Pickled banana peppers
• Pickled cucumbers

The acidity works beautifully with the richness of the feta and olive oil.

Make It Ahead

You can prepare most of the salad several hours ahead.

For the freshest texture, keep the dressing separate until shortly before serving.

If making it for meal prep, store the dressing separately and add the feta and delicate ingredients just before eating.

Tomatoes and cucumbers release water as they sit, so a salad that is perfectly crisp at lunch can become quite juicy by dinner.

That's perfectly normal.

If needed, drain excess liquid before serving and add a little fresh dressing.

Tips for the Best Greek Salad

Use room-temperature vegetables when possible.
Tomatoes often have better flavor when they aren't ice cold.

Don't drown the salad in dressing.
Start with part of the dressing and add more as needed.

Let it rest briefly.
A short resting time allows the flavors to mingle.

Season gradually.
Feta and olives are already salty, so taste before adding much additional salt.

Use fresh lemon juice.
It makes a noticeable difference in the finished dressing.

Don't overmix the feta.
Keeping some larger pieces gives the salad better texture.

Add fresh herbs at the end.
This helps preserve their flavor and color.

What to Serve With Greek Salad

For a simple summer spread, create a Mediterranean-inspired table with:

• Greek salad
• Hummus
• Warm pita
• Roasted vegetables
• Chickpeas
• Olives
• Fresh fruit
• Grilled corn
• Lemon potatoes

You can even turn it into a casual backyard lunch where everyone builds their own plate.

Garden Fresh Greek Salad

This recipe is particularly wonderful during garden season.

A backyard garden can provide many of the ingredients:

• Tomatoes
• Cucumbers
• Bell peppers
• Red onions
• Fresh herbs

Even if you don't grow everything yourself, using a few homegrown ingredients can completely change the character of a simple salad.

A ripe tomato picked from the garden and eaten the same day is a very different creature from the sad tomato that has been sitting in the refrigerator for a week.

That is one of the little joys of growing food.

Can You Make Greek Salad Dairy Free?

Absolutely.

Simply leave out the feta or replace it with a plant-based feta-style cheese.

You can also add chickpeas, white beans, avocado, or toasted seeds to provide additional texture and richness.

Can You Make Greek Salad Gluten-Free?

Yes.

The basic salad and dressing are naturally gluten-free when made with gluten-free ingredients.

If serving it with pita, crackers, or another packaged food, check the ingredient label if gluten is a concern.

Recipe Variations for Every Season

Summer

Use fresh garden tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, basil, and oregano.

Autumn

Add roasted squash, chickpeas, kale, or roasted peppers.

Winter

Use greenhouse or store-bought tomatoes and add white beans, roasted vegetables, or hearty greens.

Spring

Add radishes, fresh herbs, peas, or tender greens.

The basic Greek-inspired flavor combination can follow you through the entire year.

Technical Recipe Note

The amount of dressing needed will vary depending on the size and juiciness of the vegetables. Start with about two-thirds of the dressing and add more as needed. Because feta and olives can vary considerably in saltiness, taste the salad before adding additional salt.