Fattoush is a Middle Eastern bread salad made with crispy pita, fresh vegetables like radish, romaine, tomatoes, and cucumbers, and then tossed together with a zezsty lemon vinaigrette.
Fattoush, a vibrant and refreshing Middle Eastern Salad, is a family favorite around my house. If you were to order a basic fattoush salad at a local restaurant, you would likely find: cucumbers, tomatoes, purslane leaves (or lettuce), radish, and green onions. Fresh herbs like parsley or mint, or both.
For my recipe, I skip the purslane because it can be difficult to find, but I still have loads of crunchy vegetables, fresh herbs, crispy pita, and a simple, zesty lemon sumac vinaigrette to give it a distinctive, tangy, and aromatic flavor. It’s a great way to use up lefto over pita and make the most of summer vegetables.
Make it for lunch, or serve it as a side with grilled meats like lamb chops or chicken or your favorite vegetarian meal like this chickpea stuffed eggplant.
Table of contents
What is Fattoush
Fattoush is essentially a “bread salad,” said to have originated in Northern Lebanon, where people repurposed leftover pita scraps by frying them in olive oil. Then they’d throw in whatever in-season vegetables and herbs they had on hand. For this reason, the ingredient list may vary, and you will find different versions of fattoush throughout the Middle East. My version follows the “classic fattoush” that you’d get in most Middle Eastern restaurants.
In the Middle East, the pursuit of fresh-out-of-the-oven pita is real, but that doesn’t mean leftover pieces go to waste! There are many creative ways people of the Middle East utilize pita scraps. In fact, day-old pita inspired an entire food genre known as “Fatta,” or “Fatteh.” In fatteh dishes, like this Lebanese Chicken Fatteh, fattoush salad, this Fatteh Chickpea recipe, leftover pita is given a second chance as a main ingredient.
What You Need to Make This Fattoush Salad Recipe
For the Salad
- Pita: Homemade is a special treat, but store-bought pita can work here too. Just don’t swap in store bought pita chips, as the freshly toasted bread is fattoush salad’s main appeal.
- Romaine: Adds a lovely crunch. You can also add more herbs or other greens such as arugula, which is not traditional to fattoush but wonderful!
- English cucumber: Or use Persian cucumber. If you need to substitute with a standard slicing cucumber, peel off the waxy skin.
- Roma tomatoes: Or use firm flavorful varieties like cherry, grape, or a great in-season heirloom.
- Green onion: Adds a mild oniony flavor without overwhelming the salad. If you must substitute, use red onion or shallot.
- Radishes: Adds a peppery crunch.
- Herbs: Parsley and mint bring a strong refreshing quality that makes fattoush so addictive. Don’t skip them!
For the Fattoush Salad Dressing
- Lemon: Or use lime.
- Extra virgin olive oil: Remember, olive oils that are simply labeled “pure” have usually been heat-treated and refined by mechanical means and, consequently, lack character and flavor. Use the best quality extra virgin olive oil you can find. Its peppery, fruity taste is essential here (I recommend our rich and fruity Early Harvest Greek EVOO with this recipe).
- Pomegranate molasses (optional): Though optional, this sweet-tart Mediterranean pantry staple really does make fattoush extra special! You can make your own with fresh pomegranate juice, find it at Middle Eastern Markets, or find my favorite all natural pomegranate molasses at our shop.
- Sumac: This essential Mediterranean spice brings a tart, tannic quality that’s a crucial flavor in fattoush salad–don’t skip it!
- READ MORE: What is Sumac? It’s the Secret to Bold and Bright Mediterranean Flavor!
- TRY IT: Find all natural sumac at our shop.
- Cinnamon: Brings an unexpected warming flavor to the salad.
- Allspice: Builds on the sweet warming quality with peppery and earthy notes.
- Kosher salt and black pepper enhance the flavor.
Tips for Making Fattoush Salad
As with any fresh salad, fattoush is the sum of its parts. So here are just a few tips:
- Select the best produce you can find, ripe tomatoes, freshly-picked herbs, etc.
- Don’t use store-bought pita chips! There is certainly a place for those, but not in fattoush salad. Take the time to toast and fry your pita at home, making sure you season them well.
- Please try not to skip the sumac. It is a special spice from ground sumac berries, and its tart flavor is difficult to replicate.
- Lastly, remember, this is a “basic” fattoush recipe. If you like, try your own variation by adding in-season vegetables like colorful heirloom tomatoes or green peppers. Add more herbs or crushed garlic. And if it’s available to you, jazz up the vinaigrette with 1 Tablespoon pomegranate molasses. Enjoy!
What to Serve with Fattoush Salad
With its zippy lemon dressing and freshly toasted pita chips, fattoush has so much texture and flavor that you can keep it easy with the mains. Grilled Chicken Breast and Pan Seared Salmon both come to mind. Or, to build out a Lebanese feast, try our authentic Grilled Shish Tawook with Whipped Toum (4-Ingredient Garlic Sauce).
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Fattoush Salad
Ingredients
- 2 pitas
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons sumac, divided, more as needed
- 1 Heart of Romaine lettuce, chopped
- 1 English cucumber, cut in half, seeds scraped, then chopped or sliced into half moons
- 5 Roma tomatoes, chopped
- 5 green onions, both white and green parts, chopped
- 5 radishes, stems removed, thinly sliced
- 2 cups chopped fresh parsley leaves stems removed
- 1 cup chopped fresh mint leaves, optional
For the Fattoush Dressing
- 1 lemon, juiced (or 1 1/2 limes)
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses, optional
- kosher salt
- black pepper
- 1 teaspoon sumac
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
Instructions
- Crisp the pita: Line a plate with a paper towel and set aside. Break the pita bread into small bite-sized pieces. Let a large skillet over medium heat, and add 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Once the oil is shimmering, add the pita bread. Fry briefly until browned, tossing frequently. Using a pair of tongs, transfer the fried pita chips to the paper-towel-lined plate to drain. Season with salt, pepper, and sumac.
- Combine the vegetables: In a large mixing bowl, combine the chopped lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, green onions, radish, parsley, and mint, if you're using it.
- Make the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together lemon juice, olive oil, pomegranate molasses (if using), a pinch of salt and pepper, sumac, cinnamon, and allspice.
- Put it all together: Pour the dressing over the vegetables and toss lightly. Add the crispy pita piece, and taste. Add more sumac, if you like, and toss one more time. Serve and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Variations: Fattoush salad dressing often includes pomegranate molasses. If that’s available to you, add 1 Tablespoon to the dressing, it really does make it extra special. For the salad, you can also add more herbs or other greens such as arugula (not traditional to fattoush but wonderful!)
- To bake the pita chips instead, follow baking instructions in my homemade pita chip recipe and season with kosher salt and sumac when ready.
- Shop this recipe: Visit our shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients including the olive oil, allspice, sumac, and pomegranate molasses used in this recipe.
Nutrition
*This post has recently been updated with new information for the readers’ benefit.
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Bring the vibrant seasonings of the Mediterranean to your kitchen with Sumac, Aleppo pepper, Ras el Hanout, and Baharat.
We are on the Mediterranean Diet, and I finally made this recipe! Oh my gosh! It’s amazing! We served it with chicken. I did add more molasses (we only have cane sugar molasses available, so that probably affected the flavor a bit), but besides that, perfect!
So glad you loved it, Christian! We actually now sell Pomegranate Molasses in our online shop, if you’re having trouble finding it.
No garlic?
Hi, Susan. You can absolutely add garlic to this if you prefer. Enjoy!
Looks great and can’t wait to try. However I’d like to verify I’m understanding it well.
Can you report parsley and mint in grams, as most people around the world have no idea how tightly you intend to pack herbs into a cup?
Also can you please show the parsley you’re referring to as this refers to different things depending on location?
Hi, Franco. I’m so sorry we don’t have the metric weights for the parsley and mint for this recipe. I just did a quick internet search and it looks like 2 cups of parsley is roughly 120 grams, and 1 cup of mint is about 30 grams. This recipe is very forgiving, so there’s no need to be super precise with these particular ingredients. You can add more or less to suit your taste. Regarding parsley, Suzy most often uses Italian/Flat Leaf parsley in her recipes.
I was in Jordan in April and was served this and absolutly loved it. Your recipe takes me right back to that wonderful holiday. I have made it several times and always serve it to my friends when they come over for supper. They all love it. Thank you..
I wasn’t able to read all of the comments, but I really want to try this salad and I am a beginner with the Mediterranean Diet and I wanted to know if there is a substitute for the sumac?
Hi, Cara. Not really a great one. Sumac is a pretty unique spice.
Absolutely Delish!!! I was sketchy about the dressing tasting it on its own, but with the salad it was perfection! Such a nice simple salad to have with anything. Looking forward to making in the summer when all the veg are local and fresh picked.
Would this be okay for a few days in the fridge once it’s made? I’m wondering if I could make it ahead to use for work lunches.
Hi, Chantal. You can make it ahead, but I would keep the dressing and pita separate from each other and the rest of the salad until it’s time to eat so things don’t get soggy :).
My husband ate the entire bowl. Apparently he likes it.
Yay! So glad to hear!
Hello from Canada,
I love your recipes! I wonder if you might make your products available for sale in Canada. Thanks, Eileen
Hello, Eileen! That is something we have been looking into. There is just a lot to work out, unfortunately, due to the international shipping issue. Hope to find a solution in the near future. We’ll keep ya posted!
Always excited to try a new, healthy salad dressing!!! Very excited to give this a try!
Really thankful how many of your recipes can be adapted for allergens. We are dairy, gluten, egg, mostly corn 🌽 and mostly conventional sugar free. 🤣 it’s very exciting for us to be able to expand our repertoire with delicious, healthy food!!! 😀
Thank you so much for the kind words, Liv :).
I LOVE this Fattoush Salad! And Suzy’s right…. don’t skip the homemade pita chips!!
This was BEYOND delicious! My husband and I loved the multitude of flavors and textures, I didn’t have the pomegranate molasses when I made it, but just received it in the mail. It will be hard to improve on perfection, but I am willing to give the molasses a try. Once again, a stellar recipe!
Thank you so much, Nilha!
I have now made this recipe 4 or 5 times. It is really great! We typically try to do everything according to the recipe, but have been successful with some omissions. I sometimes switched the lime for lemon if that is all I have. Anyway this is a great recipe, thanks for sharing!
So glad you have enjoyed this one!
Delicious salad!! Was a hit with the family – healthy and tasty.
It is good.
Fattoush. I like that word. Sounds like a king’s name. King Fattoush! Anyhoo, the salad was good but found the dressing a little bitter, so I added honey. I also used a French baguette for the croutons, since that is what I had on hand. It turned out delicious, Thans for another winner:)
Thanks for sharing, Ellen 🙂
I have not yet had the opportunity to make this salad, but I wanted to say that I have had trouble finding the videos that go along with some of the recipes, e.g., besides the Fattoush Salad, also Tabouli Salad. Even the when the tab VIDEO is pressed is does not being me to a video. Am I crazy or what?
It may be something with a setting on your computer. Sometimes, the videos are blocked for some reason.
I first had this in Baghdad Iraq at a Lebanese restaurant on Camp Slayer in 2010. I loved it. Then I redeployed and completely forgot the name of it. Flash forward to right now and I come across it on your website. THANK YOU for reintroducing me to this salad. I was looking for a good Salmon recipe and then this popped up with it. I saw the word “fattoush” and all the memories came flooding back in.
I hope you enjoy the recipe! Thank you so much for your service!!