A bright, fresh, classic Greek Salad recipe with a homemade Greek Salad Dressing. Made properly – which means no lettuce leaves and a simple, beautiful red wine vinegar dressing!
Greek Salad
Aussies love Greek Salad. If the local fish and chip shop sells one fresh salad, it’s probably a Greek Salad. That’s how much we love it.
Did you know……Greek Salad as most people know it (and the way I make it) is not actually the real-deal authentic Greek way. The way the Greeks make it, feta is served in a block on top of the salad rather than chopped into cubes, and the salad is dressed with just plain extra virgin olive oil (Greek olive oil of course!), not a vinaigrette. I learned on this when I saw this Perfect Greek Salad from my friend Helen at Scrummy Lane (who is obsessed with all things Greek).
Crucify me if you wish, but I prefer Greek Salad made the more common way – with feta cut into cubes (easier to eat) and with a vinaigrette rather than just olive oil (I find just olive oil too rich). But I have no doubt that if (when!!!) I get to Greece, I will be converted to the traditional way.
Though perhaps I stray from the strictly authentic Greek salad, I am a stickler for a few other “rules” that I believe in to make a classic Greek Salad:
No lettuce – by all means, throw lettuce in if you want, but a traditional Greek salad does not have either lettuce in it;
Best produce you can get – of course it goes without saying, especially for simple recipes like this, please get the best quality produce you can afford; and
Plump juicy black Kalamata olives with a deep almost black colour – jarred is fine, but if you go jarred, please get a good quality one! I made a Greek salad while I was in LA in May, and I made my friend Meggan from Culinary Hill drive me to 3 grocery stores before I finally found olives I was happy with!! Not kidding! I finally found these Delallo Kalamata Olives from Ralph’s. 🙂
Though this is not a strictly authentic Greek Salad recipe, it is the way it is served at restaurants in Western countries.
Arguably one of the brightest and fresh salads around, it also happens to be one of the fastest to make because there’s no tedious chopping – I love that everything is cut into big chunks!! – Nagi x
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Greek Salad with Homemade Greek Salad Dressing
Ingredients
Salad
- 3 tomatoes (size of a tennis ball)
- 4 Lebanese / Persian cucumbers (about 8″/20cm long)
- 1/2 small red onion (size of a tennis ball)
- 1 small green capsicum / bell pepper
- 8 oz / 250 g feta block
- 5.5 oz / 125g black kalamata olives (Note 2)
- 1 tsp dried oregano
Greek Salad Dressing
- 1 garlic clove , minced (about 1/2 tsp minced garlic)
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1/4 tsp salt (or 1/2 tsp Kosher salt)
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (preferably Greek!)
Instructions
- Place Greek Salad Dressing ingredients in a jar and shake until well combined. Set aside for 20 minutes to let the flavours infuse.
- Tomatoes: Cut each tomato into 6 wedges, then cut each wedge into 3 or 4 pieces. If the tomato is watery, scoop out the watery seeds inside with a teaspoon.
- Cucumbers: Slice the cucumber into 1/2cm / 1/5″ thick slices. Or if they are thick cucumbers, slice the cucumber in half vertically, then slice.
- Onion: Peel and finely slice the red onion. I keep it in rings – you could cut it in half then slice. (Note 2)
- Capsicum: Cut into short strips.
- Feta: Cut into 1cm / 2/5″ cubes.
- Place the tomato, cucumber, onion, feta and olives in a bowl, sprinkle with oregano then pour over dressing. Toss to combine. Serve immediately!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Make this Greek Feast!
Complete with Chicken Souvlaki with Tzatziki, Easy Soft Flatbreads (No Yeast), Greek Lemon Rice and this Greek Salad.
Made a Greek Salad for the first time tonight using this recipe. It was fabulous and everyone kept coming back for additional servings of it!
Hi Nagi, thanks again for your wonderful recipes. We have your cookbooks and always give them as gifts whenever we can.
I’m on a bit of a salt free drive, my wife has high blood pressure and I think we could all add less to our cooking, as much of our processed foods is full of it.
In the last month I have not added any salt to my cooking and believe the Food still holds its own as we build a tolerance with the more we add and our taste budds become more sensitive the less we have.
I have noticed that many celebrity chefs and restaurants add lots of salt and I think we could do without so much and a recipe should be still great without salt being the standout.
I still use salt for bread making and curing my olives etc, just don’t
Add any to my cooking unless absolutely necessary.
For example I did not add the 1/4tsp to this salad and found the olives and feta provide enough salt.
Since cutting down, I have found that I can taste the individual ingredients so much more.
Sorry for the rant, but I hope everyone gives it a try (for at least a month) your taste buds and your cardiologist will thank you!
I made this for dinner tonight and it was so delicious! It was the perfect side salad on a hot summer night that was so quick to whip up. I reduced the red wine vinegar to 1tbsp as I didn’t want it to be too acidic and it was perfect. Would recommend and definitely would make again. Thank you!!
After I made the dressing I tasted it to see if I needed to adjust the seasoning. I found the vinegar very overpowering! But after I let it sit for a while and added it to the salad, it was amazing!
I live in canada, in winter use cherry tomatoes, way more flavour
I needed to clear out veggies, so I added shredded carrots, green onions, serranos, and the white inner parts of celery, since I only had one cucumber. Maybe it wasn’t “greek” anymore, but I was surprised how good it was with hummus and Nagi’s flatbread. I really like the veggie mix!
Great recipe I’ve made it a few times. We find the red wine vinegar too harsh, so substitute for lemon juice and I leave out the garlic as well.
So good. Makes a big salad. It tastes even better the next day!
PERFECT
AMAZING!! 🤩
Hi Nagi
i like everything about it
Where do you manage to find red onions and tomatoes the size of tennis balls?
Yum! So fresh, tasty and filling. I don’t think I want to give up the red wine vinegar in the dressing, but I did serve the feta as a block on top and broke it at the table – fun!
Made your chicken gyros recipe … I’m no Nagi, but tasted really good!
Hi Nagi…come to your page without a second thought when looking for a recipe.I am in India..can I substitute paneer (cottage cheese)in the salad?
YES! As long as it’s firm enough and I would sprinkle with a little salt 🙂 N x
Hey Nagi,
Im doing charcoal bbq and wanted this as side dish along with roast potato and rice salad.
how much should i do per person
This is such a delicious, simple recipe. If you get the right tomatoes and cut them into wedges as suggested, it all stays together beautifully. The dressing is also easy and goes perfectly. A light salad that was enjoyed by all at Christmas lunch today!
This is so simple, no secret ingredients, but my mind is BLOWN at how good it is. I could literally sit here and lick the bowl.
New staple for work lunches!
i do this dish all the time but from an recipe that I picked up on one of the Greek island about 25 years ago – and the (admittedly slightly cranky) old Greek lady that gave it to said on no account should a Greek salad ever have capsicum in it – though perhaps that was just how they made in the islands. She also insisted the feta be crumbly so that’s how I still make it to this day. This is my “go to” salad – never ever get sick of it.
Hi Nagi
I have fresh oregano growing. Can I use that instead of dried oregano or is the flavour wrong.