This easy Greek salad recipe is our new favorite summer side dish! Just 7 ingredients + a simple Greek salad dressing make it refreshing & delicious.
I love a good green salad – mixed greens, romaine, and kale are some of my favorite starting points for fresh, healthy meals. But summer is a time when all vegetables are at their peak. Sweet, juicy tomatoes, snappy bell peppers, and crisp cucumbers abound. This Greek salad recipe showcases these veggies, without any greens to get in the way.
And the best past? Because the vegetables are in their prime, this Greek salad recipe is flavorful and refreshing with just a few ingredients. You only need 7 ingredients +Â an easy homemade Greek salad dressing to make it! It’s been a hit at our family gatherings over the last few weeks – my mom even added it to her regular recipe rotation. I hope you love it as much as we do!
Greek Salad Ingredients
A traditional Greek salad consists of sliced cucumbers, tomatoes, green bell pepper, red onion, olives, and feta cheese. This classic combination is delicious, so I stick to it, just adding a handful of mint leaves for a fresh finishing touch.
My olives of choice are Kalamata olives. Commonly used in Greek food, their salty, briny flavor is delectable alongside the feta and crisp veggies. Instead of slicing large tomatoes, I use cherry tomatoes because they release less water into the salad than larger tomatoes would. I also seed my cucumber to avoid making my salad watery.
A great salad will have a yummy jumble of veggies, olives, and cheese in each bite, so be sure to cut your ingredients into similar-sized pieces. I like to buy pitted Kalamata olives and leave them whole, and I chop the feta into 1/2-inch cubes instead of crumbling it. I aim for 1-inch squares for the bell pepper, cut the cucumber into thin half-moons, and simply halve the cherry tomatoes.
My Greek Salad Dressing
I toss the veggies, olives, and feta cheese in an easy homemade Greek salad dressing. With just 5 ingredients + salt and pepper, it’s super simple to whisk together, and it gives this easy Greek salad recipe a bright, zingy flavor. It’s a simple mix of olive oil, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, garlic, and dried oregano.Â
In addition to using them in the dressing, I like to sprinkle my salad with generous pinches of oregano and black pepper for a fresh, peppery garnish.
Greek Salad Serving Suggestions
Because this salad doesn’t have any tender greens, it’s a good one to make ahead for gatherings. If I’m prepping it ahead, I like to save a few fresh mint leaves to add right before serving. It’s also an excellent dinner side. Enjoy it with a summer pizza like this one or this one, pesto pasta, roasted vegetable pasta, or a big veggie lasagna.
If you want to vary this salad recipe, try using use a mix of red, green, and yellow bell peppers, adding some fresh oregano or parsley, or stirring in cooked or roasted chickpeas to make it a full meal. To make it vegan, skip the cheese and add 3/4 cup cooked chickpeas and 1 tablespoon capers in its place.
If you love this Greek salad recipe…
Try my easy pasta salad, broccoli salad, potato salad, or watermelon salad next, or see this post for more of my best summer salad recipes!
Greek Salad
Ingredients
Dressing
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano, more for sprinkling
- ¼ teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
For the salad
- 1 English cucumber, cut lengthwise, seeded, and sliced ¼-inch thick
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped into 1-inch pieces
- 2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
- 5 ounces feta cheese, cut into ½ inch cubes*
- â…“ cup thinly sliced red onion
- â…“ cup pitted Kalamata olives
- â…“ cup fresh mint leaves
Instructions
- Make the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, garlic, oregano, mustard, salt, and several grinds of pepper.
- On a large platter, arrange the cucumber, green pepper, cherry tomatoes, feta cheese, red onions, and olives. Drizzle with the dressing and very gently toss. Sprinkle with a few generous pinches of oregano and top with the mint leaves. Season to taste and serve.
Notes
Quick helllp? I’m making this geek salad now it looks amazing . My question should I wait to put the dressing on or do it now and let it marinate? I’m going on 3 hours to eat. Will 3 hours of Martina to g make everything mushy?
Thank you lisa
Hi Lisa, I’d put it on close to the time you’re serving.
How much black pepper do I use?
a few grinds off the pepper mill (or a few pinches), doesn’t need to be exact.
Can I add balsamic vinegar instead of red wine vinegar?
yep, you can.
If this is big enough for 4 servings, how big are the servings? Thanks!
Hi Krista, it’s 4 servings as a side dish. I’m not sure of a total cup measurement.
I absolutely love this Greek salad! I don’t miss the lettuce or greens at all. This is very filling and beautiful. The dressing is perfect. Wouldn’t change a thing. Can’t wait to make your version of the broccoli salad 🙂 Blessings.
Super yummy! I made my vegan with the easy swap of Violife’s vegan feta cheese (delicious)!
This is just a wonderful, wonderful salad! One of our family’s new favourites. I really don’t want to mess too much with it, and I don’t want to ruin it by just going ahead, but do you think it would be okay to add raw broccoli florets? Thank you!
Hi Cyndi, I’m so glad your family has been loving it! I think raw broccoli would be a little dry in here… but have you tried our raw broccoli salad? It’s a favorite: https://www.loveandlemons.com/broccoli-salad/
Thank you so much, Jeanine! I was toying with the idea, but when I saw how awful the broccoli was that week at my local grocery stores, and also heeding your advice, I decided against it. This Greek salad is perfect all on its own.
I did make your broccoli salad and I’m heading there next to rate it and comment!
I left out the Dijon and only added 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar and subbed a little romaine for the bell pepper and this was delicious! I’ll definitely be making this one again!
Can this be made a day ahead without going mushy?
Excelent Mediterranean flavor.
I found this recipe really easy to prepare at home. Thank you for this easy delicious and healthy recipe.?
Great recipes. My favorite is the Greek Sala. I can have it every single day ?
Your salad recipe looks awesome. I had tasted a delicious Greek Salad from El Greco. My husband brought me there last week and I can’t believe that I have finished the whole salad bowl all by myself. It was indeed tasty and really good.
Really tasty and easy!
thanks bestie!!
Very good salad!
This was a fantastic salad! I took it to a brunch with friends, and they loved it and said how well seasoned it was. Definitely a keeper. Thanks so much for the recipe!
I forgot to leave a rating- definitely 5 stars!
Hi Naomi, I’m so glad everyone loved it!
Awesome recipe for a novice like me. I’m generally clueless and I lack confidence when it comes to making salads. This week, I needed something simple but elegant to entertain some friends who live on a restricted diet. The recipie worked a treat. Served it with grilled salmon. Everyone loved it. Going foward, this will now be a staple in my home. The ingredients are few, affordable and are readily available at my local grocery shop. Prep time is also great. Thanks so much for sharing.
Hi Sandra, I’m so happy the salad was a big hit!
Absolutely LOVE this salad!! So easy to make. My husband and 3 year old son loved it so much it was gone in an hour. Went back to get more ingredients and doubled it.
Hi Sarah, I’m so glad you all loved it so much!
Much like pretty much ALL your recipes, this was perfection. Loved the flavor combination. I combined it with roasted chickpeas. I think next time will probably try it tossed with a cold pasta. Thanks for another winner to add to our rotation — 95% of which are Love & Lemons recipes. Ha!
Aww, I’m so glad you loved it so much!!
I’ve made a version of this for years, but not with mint, what a nice touch, thank you for this recipe
I love the idea of serving this authentic Greek salad with the zucchini pizza. That was the first pizza that came to mind BEFORE I clicked on the link. I will probably make my Greek salad inauthentic because neither my husband nor I care much for green bell peppers (he doesn’t like any raw bell peppers), so I might use kohlrabi or jicama in its place.
I always love those crunchy veggies – let me know if you give the salad a go!
I did and it was a hit! Loved it, myself and will repeat!!