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Traditional Greek Salad Recipe

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Today we stick with the classic. A truly traditional Greek salad recipe is meant to be of few ingredients. Uncomplicated and fresh; just as served on the islands and villages of Greece. Best part, this flavor-packed salad comes together in 10 minutes!

Traditional Greek Salad Recipe | The Mediterranean Dish. Simple, authentic Greek salad with juicy tomatoes, cucumbers, green peppers, creamy feta cheese and olives. Seasoned with oregano and dressed in extra virgin olive oil. A must try from TheMediterraneanDish.com 

I was lucky enough to visit the Greek island of Patmos and Kos back in 2006. Our group spent a good bit of time doing the touristy things and taking in the mix of Greek, Roman, and Ottoman landmarks. But the part I favored most was our visits to the smaller, off-the-beaten-path places. In particular the local shops and restaurants. I loved observing the Greek life and partaking of the simple, finger-licking Greek food.

It was at a small family owned restaurant in Kos that my eyes were first opened to the refreshing, uncomplicated, truly traditional Greek salad. Not the first time I ever had a Greek salad, but it was my first time having  the real deal Horiatiki, or villagers’ salad.

VIDEO TUTORIALS

See the video for How to make Traditional Greek Salad:


 

 

So, What goes in a traditional Greek salad?

Horiatiki, or traditional Greek salad, is served most often from early spring to the early part of fall. It features the season’s quality juicy tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, and green bell peppers. There are no red peppers, yellow peppers or any other pepper variety. And there is no lettuce, nor any other leafy greens or vegetables in traditional Greek salad. 

The seasoning is simple: a pinch of salt and dried oregano. And the dressing is a generous splash of olive oil. You may also add a little red wine vinegar.

Traditional Greek Salad Recipe | The Mediterranean Dish. Simple, authentic Greek salad with juicy tomatoes, cucumbers, green peppers, creamy feta cheese and olives. Seasoned with oregano and dressed in extra virgin olive oil. A must try from TheMediterraneanDish.com

 

Quality Greek kalamata olives and creamy feta cheese, made from sheep’a milk, are a must in a traditional Greek salad. And the cheese is never crumbled, but served in large chunks or blocks crowning the salad.

Traditional Greek Salad Recipe | The Mediterranean Dish. Simple, authentic Greek salad with juicy tomatoes, cucumbers, green peppers, creamy feta cheese and olives. Seasoned with oregano and dressed in extra virgin olive oil. A must try from TheMediterraneanDish.com

Simple.

Still there is no shortage of flavors in a traditional Greek salad. And the key to this salad is really in the quality of ingredients beginning with perfect ripe tomatoes. And be sure to serve this salad with your favorite crusty bread.

Traditional Greek Salad Recipe | The Mediterranean Dish. Simple, authentic Greek salad with juicy tomatoes, cucumbers, green peppers, creamy feta cheese and olives. Seasoned with oregano and dressed in extra virgin olive oil. A must try from TheMediterraneanDish.com

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Traditional Greek Salad Recipe | The Mediterranean Dish. Simple, authentic Greek salad with juicy tomatoes, cucumbers, green peppers, creamy feta cheese and olives. Seasoned with oregano and dressed in extra virgin olive oil. A must try from TheMediterraneanDish.com

Traditional Greek Salad Recipe

★★★★★

4.8 from 14 reviews
  • Author: The Mediterranean Dish
  • Prep Time: 10 mins
  • Total Time: 10 mins
  • Yield: 4
  • Category: Salad
  • Cuisine: Greek
Print Recipe

Ingredients

  • 4 Medium juicy tomatoes, preferably organic tomatoes
  • 1 Cucumber, or 3/4 English (hot house) cucumber preferred, partially peeled making a striped pattern
  • 1 green bell pepper, cored
  • 1 medium red onion
  • Greek pitted Kalamata olives
  • Salt, a pinch
  • 4 tbsp quality extra virgin olive oil
  • 1-2 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 8 oz or more creamy Greek feta cheese in blocks (do not crumble)
  • 1/2 tbsp quality dried oregano

Instructions

  1. Cut the tomatoes into wedges or large chunks (I sliced some and cut the rest in wedges).
  2. Cut the partially peeled cucumber in half length-wise, then slice into thick halves (at least 1/2″ in thickness)
  3. Thinly slice the bell pepper into rings.
  4. Cut the red onion in half and thinly slice into half moons.
  5. Place everything in a large salad dish. Add a good handful of the pitted kalamata olives.
  6. Season very lightly with salt (just a pinch). Pour the olive oil and red wine vinegar.
  7. Give everything a very gentle toss to mix; do NOT over mix, this salad is not meant to be handled too much.
  8. Now add the the feta blocks on top. Sprinkle the dried oregano.
  9. Serve with crusty bread!

 

Other Salad Recipes to Try:

Middle Eastern Fattoush Salad

Authentic Tabouli Salad 

Israeli Couscous Salad with Chickpeas and Artichokes

Shrimp and Zucchini Panzanella Salad Board

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  3. It looks like the Greek salad that I get most of the time here on Long Island NY. But one thing is missing. All the Greek restaurants here for whatever reason always place a few rice stuffed grape leaves (dolmas ) on top. 2 on a small salad 4 on a larger one.

    ★★★★

    Reply

    • Hi Steve, Glad you enjoyed it. Greek dolmas (stuffed grape leaves) are absolutely delicious. They would not be considered an ingredient of Greek salad here, but rather an added personal touch. We will be sharing a dolmas recipe separately here in the near future 🙂

      Reply

  4. I’ve read that in the making of a Greek salad it is important to allow time for the flavor of the dried oregano to come out by mixing the oregano with the olive oil. Put all the ingredients into a large bowl except the feta cheese and olives, then add the olive oil, red wine vinegar and oregano, toss lightly and place in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes.
    After 15 minutes, remove and add the feta cheese and olives. Toss lightly and serve.

    I find this really brings out the flavor. What do you think?

    ★★★★

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    • Sure, Billy. Both ways work great. Personally, when we make this salad, it does take us at least 15 minutes by the time we gather at the table for dinner. So the time is definitely built in that way 🙂

      Reply

  5. Absolutely wonderful! My friends asked for the recipe. My husband asked me to make it again!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  6. I’ve been To Greece a number of times and always love the Greek salad but i’m Fully aware that the same ingredients in New Jersey won’t taste the same because of the different in the terroir. That said, this is the perfect time of year to make this as the veggies are the best and freshest right now. I’m taking a long time to say that this salad was so delicious and refreshing on a hot and humid day in Jersey. We loved it I just made it today and we’re already planning on having it again this weekend. This is as good as it can be outside of Greece! Thank you for the recipe.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

    • Marojorie, thank you so much! I love hearing from folks who’ve had the real deal. You’re right, our ingredients here won’t taste 100% the same, but I’m glad to have something as close as possible.

      Reply

  7. Fantastic salad, reminds me of travels in Greece. what I remember is, most often lemon juice used instead of vinegar. But love it both ways. Authentic indeed! Carry on. Love your site.

    ★★★★★

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  8. I tried a number more times and now I see the correct video Don’t know why that was happening .
    Can’t wait to make this Greek salad .

    Reply

  9. This has been my favorite summer lunch since decades back when we spent weeks at a time backpacking through the Greek Islands having these rustic salads every single day for lunch, usually with glasses of local retsina.

    This recipe is as I remember it except that I am certain that I never encountered a single Kalamata olive that had had its pit removed. Whole Kalamata olives have a better and more intense intense flavor and are firmer than pitted Kalamatas which tend to get watery and bland. But beware of the pits! I once inadvertently crunched down on an olive pit and had to wait until I got home to get a tooth repaired.

    We tended to rate the quality of these salads largely by the number of olives, the size of the feta block and whether the maker topped the feta with oregano as many did not. The restaurant got bonus points if we could see the garden from which the vegetables were harvested from our table which was almost always outdoors and shaded. A few makers topped the feta with very finely chopped garlic and I do that when I remember.

    I always make individual salads so that each person gets the correct proportions of the ingredients and so that people can dress their salads as they like.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

    • Jim, thank you so much for sharing! I am glad to hear from you. You are correct, Kalamata olives are better with the pit intact. However, I mostly use pitted olives to avoid any accidents 🙂

      Reply

  10. Not sure if she would ever see this-but I’d love to respond to Cynthia if I may! In Greece there is a salad made with lettuce in the spring, dark leafy lettuce and it is mixed with fresh spring herbs such as mint and dill and has green onions in it, and often a lemon vinaigrette- the other popular salad of raw veg is the amazing one featured in this recipe. It is an Americanized version to add lettuce ( let alone iceberg) to the village salad. Thank you!;)

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  11. Delicious and easy and reminiscent of delicious meals from vacation in Athens and Santorini Greece.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  14. Help! All of these recipes look so delicious but I am allergic to raw tomatoes. I was told once to substitute red peppers in place of the tomatoes. Do you have any suggestions?

    Reply

    • Hi Darlene. Oh sorry to hear! In salads, it’s easy to omit tomatoes in favor of a vegetable like red peppers…it is not the same of course, but will add color and texture still. Enjoy!

      Reply

  19. Delish- it’s also good to serve with paximathia which is a twice baked bread from Crete. You can put the bread in the bottom and let the juices soak in for 30-40 mins or so. Or you can eat it super crunchy. Either way it’s amazing.

    ★★★★

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  22. We love Greek Salad, but have not had a lot of success making it at home. We buy the blocks of authentic Greek feta from a local Greek market. They come in a yellowish broth or brine. When we add them to our salad, they are so much saltier than the kind we get at our favorite Greek restaurant. Is there prep required for feta that I don’t know about?

    Reply

    • Hi Shannon. Great question! So really authentic Greek feta can be on the saltier side. If you don’t enjoy it that salty, I found a few steps for you that you can try (the following info from curdnerd.com, and my mom used to do some of this):

      Rinse just the amount of Feta you want to use under water and then allow to drain
      Put it into a container that is big enough for the cheese plus another 25% room for liquid
      Add fresh milk until it covers the cheese and put the lid on
      Refrigerate for 1-2 days – the milk will draw out some of the salt from the Feta
      Check the salt levels and if when you test the Feta it is still too salty, pour out the milk and then refill, leaving it for another 1-2 days before testing again.

      Reply

  23. I made this once and we loved it. We ate it all up in one meal. But I’m wondering, can I make it the day before? Will it keep fine? Or should I not put the dressing on till ready to serve?

    ★★★★★

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  25. Love this salad! The flavors are so wonderful and its made with pantry staples! I made it alongside with turkey zucchini burgers (from Jerusalem cookbook).

    Reply