Make an authentic Greek salad, or Horiatiki, with this easy Greek salad recipe. Just a handful of fresh ingredients and a no-fuss dressing of good olive oil and a splash of vinegar is all you need!
I was lucky enough to visit the Greek islands of Patmos and Kos a few years ago, where I fell in love with the people, their local shops and hole-in-the-wall restaurants. In one of the small family-owned restaurants we visited, I enjoyed a fresh salad that opened my eyes to what a truly traditional and uncomplicated Greek salad should be! And, that's exactly what I have recreated for you.
This Greek salad recipe is a prime example of a simple salad that lets crunchy vegetables shine with no lettuce or other filler. Like Bulgarian Shopska or Italian Caprese, the classic table salad uses just a few humble ingredients, yet has become a totally iconic dish that’s beloved around the world.
In Greece, Horiatiki or Greek village salad, is served most often from early spring through summer and up until mid fall. It's truly the best use of the season's produce, like crunchy cucumbers, sweet tomatoes, and earthy green bell peppers. I know you’ll love it as much as I do.
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Ingredients for this Greek Salad (Horiatiki)
This Greek salad recipe uses just a handful of easy-to-source ingredients. To make it, grab:
- Tomatoes: Use Roma tomatoes or vine-ripe tomatoes. They stay somewhat firm when they’re ripe, which works well with the crunchy bell pepper and onion.
- Cucumber: I prefer English cucumbers as they tend to be sweeter. If standard slicing cucumbers are all that’s available, make sure to fully peel their bitter waxy skin.
- Onion: Red onion is sweet and mild enough serve raw. To further take the edge off, a quick soak in ice water and a dash of vinegar does the trick.
- Olives: Briny Kalamata olives are my favorite for a traditional Greek salad, but any high-quality olive you have on hand will work.
- Bell pepper: Choose a firm and smooth green bell pepper, which is the only bell pepper that’s used in an authentic Greek salad.
- Feta cheese: Use quality Greek sheep’s milk feta if it’s available to you. Opt for whole blocks of feta packed in brine, as it not only boasts a better flavor but allows you to serve the large chunks of feta that act as the centerpiece of a traditional Greek salad.
- Extra virgin olive oil: Use a full-flavor Greek olive oil, like our Private Reserve from Kyparissia.
- Red wine vinegar: Adds a dash of acidity to make an easy vinaigrette with no whisking necessary.
- Seasoning: This salad is seasoned simply with a sprinkle of kosher salt and dried oregano.
How to Make Greek Salad
This Greek salad recipe couldn’t be easier to make. Simply grab a serving bowl and get started:
- Shock the onion (optional). Halve and thinly slice one red onion into half moons. If you’d like to mellow its raw taste, fill a small bowl with ice water. Add about 1 teaspoon of red wine vinegar to the water, then add the onion slices. Set aside to soak for 10 minutes or so while you prep the veggies.
- Prep the veggies. Slice 4 medium tomatoes into bite-sized pieces. Partially peel a cucumber into a stripe pattern, then slice into half moons. Slice 1 green bell pepper into rings.
- Season. Place all the veggies in a large serving dish, along with a handful of pitted Kalamata olives. Remove the onions from the ice water and add to the platter with the rest of the veggies. Sprinkle on 1 ½ teaspoons of dried oregano and a pinch of kosher salt.
- Dress. Pour in ¼ cup of extra virgin olive oil and 1-2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar. Give everything a very gentle toss.
- Finish and serve. Break off or slice large pieces of feta and add to the top of the salad. Finish with a final sprinkle of ¼ tablespoon of oregano. Enjoy!
What to Serve with Greek Salad
This simple Greek salad recipe is popular, in part, because it’s so versatile: you can serve it as a first course or side dish to just about any entree.
That said, why not keep it in the family and go Greek? Try chicken gyros, chicken or pork souvlaki, whole roasted fish, or Kleftiko, a spiced lamb cooked in parchment paper. For a satisfying vegetarian dinner, serve with Gigantes Plaki (Greek Baked Beans).
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Our Signature Private Reserve and Early Harvest Extra Virgin Olive Oils, Sourced Directly from Family Farms in Greece.
Greek Salad (Traditional Horiatiki Recipe)
Ingredients
- 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced into half moons
- 4 medium juicy tomatoes, sliced into bite-sized pieces or wedges
- 1 English cucumber, partially peeled to make a striped pattern and sliced into half moons
- 1 green bell pepper, cored and sliced into rings
- 1 handful pitted Kalamata olives
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
- Kosher salt
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1-2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 (7 ounce) block Greek feta cheese in brine, torn into slabs
Instructions
- Shock the onion (optional). If you’d like to mellow the onion’s raw taste, fill a small bowl with ice water. Add about 1 teaspoon of red wine vinegar to the water, then add the sliced onion. Set aside to soak for 10 minutes or so.
- Combine the veggies. Place the tomato, cucumber, bell pepper, and olives in a large serving dish. Remove the onions from the water and add to the dish with the rest of the vegetables.
- Season. Sprinkle the vegetables with ¾ teaspoon of oregano and a pinch of kosher salt. Add the oil and vinegar (to your liking) then give everything a gentle toss.
- Finish and serve. Top the salad with slabs of feta and sprinkle with the remaining ¾ teaspoon of oregano and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Leftovers? Cover and refrigerate them for up to 2 days.
- For a punchier lemon and garlic flavor, try this salad with another classic Greek Salad dressing: Ladolemono.
- Visit our shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients including olive oils, honey, jams, and spices.
Nutrition
*This post appeared on The Mediterranean Dish in 2019 and has been recently updated with new information and media for readers benefit.
Recently I went to a greeg restaurant and the salad was delicious. So I going to start serving it at my home
Wonderful! Enjoy
I have been looking for a cod recipe for awhile and this is it! This is delicious! Thank you!
So glad to hear it!
im in charge of salad this year with a family party next week soim doing this so simple but elegant
Awesome! Enjoy!
Hi Suzy,
This salad is absolutely delicious! Had it with Baked Cod and Lebanese Rice yesterday, and some leftover today.
Used lemon juice in stead of vinegar, and sprinkled dry Basil over the tomatoes, which is the perfect herb in combination with tomato. Yummie!
Thank you for this easy and delicious recipe. We rented a sailboat in September and tried Greek salads in all the small villages we visited. My husband loved the salad and I am happy to get as close as possible with your recipe. I have tried many of your recipes and find them easy to follow and tasty! Thank you.
Linda, that is so great to hear. Thank you so much for taking the time to share!
This salad is awesome Suzy ... I have it for lunch everyday.
Wonderful, Mary! So glad!
Hi, your recipes are amazing! Do you show calorie counts anywhere? Thanks
Rachel, many of your recipes include full nutrition information below the recipe. We are making our way through older recipes and adding the information as we are able.
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.
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 🙂
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?
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 🙂
Absolutely wonderful! My friends asked for the recipe. My husband asked me to make it again!
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.
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.
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.
Thanks so much, Vel! Lemon juice is often used as well. So glad to hear you enjoyed it.
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 .
Awesome, Brenda! enjoy!
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.
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 🙂
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!;)
Maria, thank you so much for sharing! I've had the salad you're speaking of with the fresh herbs and dark lettuce. What is it called again?
Delicious and easy and reminiscent of delicious meals from vacation in Athens and Santorini Greece.
Wonderful, Bill! Thank you!