Greek Salad Recipe (VIDEO)
Fresh Greek Salad is a must try and one of the healthiest salads around. This is chock-full of cucumber, tomato, avocado with tangy-salty bites of olives and feta cheese.
The Greek salad dressing is so easy and flavorful – you will want it on all of your salads! You might recognize it from some of our most popular recipes like Chicken Avocado Salad, this Cucumber Avocado Salad, or healthy Tuna Salad.
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What is Greek Salad?
Greek Salad typically combines fresh ingredients like crisp cucumbers, tomatoes, sweet bell peppers and red onion, kalamata olives and feta cheese. The simple lemon, olive oil and garlic dressing makes every bite memorable. This salad is a staple not only in Greece but in the Mediterranean region.
One of my readers, Ella Z. shared this recipe with us years ago and I’m so glad she did. Here is her story of how this salad was born is:
“The person that taught us this recipe was here on a visit from Israel, we kept cooking different kinds of dishes and he said “please stop cooking for me and take me to the market” lol He bought all these ingredients and made this salad and we have never been the same since!”
Is this a Make-Ahead Salad?
Whether you are assembling this Greek salad for meal prep, to-go lunches or planning for a party, these tips will keep your green salads vibrant and fresh:
- For crisp lettuce, rinse your romaine lettuce in cold water, then use a salad spinner (Amazon affiliate link) to dry completely. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- Prep and refrigerate most of your salad up to a week in advance except for tomatoes and avocados which are best added fresh.
- Add dressing just before serving. The salt in the dressing can cause the salad to wilt.
Greek Salad Dressing:
The ingredients for Greek dressing are so simple but each ingredient is important so be sure to use:
- Freshly squeezed lemon juice (not concentrate)
- A good extra virgin olive oil
- Fresh garlic (not powder or pre-chopped garlic)
Our Favorite Greek Recipes:
If you love fresh Mediterranean flavors, these are a must try!
- Tzatziki Sauce – amazing with Moroccan Chicken
- Tomato Cucumber Feta Salad – easy and excellent
- Baklava – a classic Greek dessert
- Grilled Moroccan Vegetable Skewers
Watch How to Make Greek Salad:
I could eat this salad all day and not get tired of it. It kind of reminds me of the Olive Garden salad and dressing but it’s 100x better! Seriously folks, go to the grocery store soon for your Greek salad ingredients!
Greek Salad Recipe with Lemon Dressing
This greek salad is a must try! It is one of the healthiest salads around; full of fresh, raw veggies and served with a healthy lemon olive oil dressing. So delicious and guilt free!
Ingredients
Greek Salad Ingredients:
- 1 head romaine lettuce chopped
- 1/2 medium red onion thinly sliced
- 1/2 bell pepper (any color), chopped
- 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes halved (or slice heirlooms when in season)
- 1 English cucumber sliced
- 1 avocado peeled, pitted and sliced
- 1/2 cup kalamata olives sliced into thirds
- 4 oz feta cheese
Greek Dressing Ingredients:
- 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 3 Tbsp lemon juice (from 1 large lemon)
- 1 garlic clove pressed
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Instructions
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Rinse, chop and spin dry romaine lettuce and transfer to a large salad bowl.
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Add remaining salad ingredients to the bowl: sliced red onion, sliced bell peppers, halved tomatoes, diced cucumber, diced avocado, kalamata olives and feta cheese.
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Combine all Greek dressing ingredients in a mason jar and shake to combine. Just before serving, drizzle dressing over the salad to taste and toss to combine.
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
So good! My husband and son loved it too! Can you imagine yourself eating this? I want this in my mouth now!
natashaskitchen
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Greek salad is a classic staple food in my home! I always use olive oil and plenty of fresh oregano to garnish it, and I prefer chopped green onions over onions. However, I’ll use either one – it all depends on what I have on hand.
I love the idea of adding oregano. I will try that next time! Thank you for the tip!
Hello, love all your recipes. Can I use vinegar (apple cider vinegar) instead of lemon? I can’t eat lemon because of heart burn.
Thank u.
Hi Natalia, I haven’t tried apple cider vinegar but I think it would be worth experimenting. You might also love this dressing from our Chicken Mango Avocado salad over this Greek salad which has apple cider vinegar.
Thankyou for answering my question – I will try it! =)
Natasha,
What brand of feta do you use and I noticed it is in a block form – is that better then buying already crumbled?Thankyou! =)
Hi Theresa, I used a whole block of feta cheese and diced it for the salad. You can use crumbled if that is what you have on hand. I don’t have that packaging anymore but I want to say it was Athenos brand.
Hi natasha,
im so blessed to see ur blog…and i really thanks GOD for giving me chance to find and watch ur craving recipes…..im ur avid fan..
I love cooking sense b4..i wish i could study in culinary to enhance my cooking skills…yeah bcos u you miss Natasha i ready dream to bcome a Chef…😊
Im very xcited always to watch ur new recipe miss Natasha…its all craving and mouth watery ….f i just have a chance
to cook all your recipes,i will try it all…🤗😇…
More power mis natasha be blessed and your family circle.
Love ,
Lourdes😚
Hi Lourdes, I am so inspired reading this!! Thank you so much for the fantastic review and your encouraging words. I am smiling big reading your comment 🙂 Blessing to you and I hope all of your culinary dream come true!!
Natasha, I chopped all of the ingredients a bit smaller than I would for Greek Salad using your recipe. I cooked large pasta shells according to package directions, drained them and allowed to dry for a bit. Then I filled the shells with the Greek Salad. Squeeze the shells open and fill using small tongs. Result: Wonderful, tasty, delicious finger food appetizer.
That is a great idea, Sharon! Thank you for sharing that with me!
This was a huge hit!! My husband loved it!
Oh that’s awesome!! I’m so happy to hear that! 🙂
Greek salads are one of my favorites!! This looks delicious! I can’t wait to make it!
That’s so great! Thank you for the wonderful review!
This salad is delicious and so colorful!
Hi Julie! Thank you so much. It really is such a colorful and pretty salad. It looks amazing in the bowl at parties and it’s so healthy with the rainbow of colorful veggies.
So many great flavors and such an easy recipe!
Thank you Erin! It really is such an easy and flavorful recipe.
Great recipe, usually this salad is always my to go lunch salad and I do add chicken to it, but I don’t call it Greek salad 🙂 This salad for sure delicious. Sometimes I add on top balsamic vinegar, makes huge difference to it.
Extra virgin olive oil cold press makes a huge different to the salad as well. Taste much better.
By the way, I don’t recall Greek salad includes avocado, anywhere I go out to eat and when I order Greek salad it is always without avocado.
Oooh you have to try adding avocado – it just takes the salad over the top! I hope you love it and thanks for sharing the olive oil tip – is there a specific brand that you love?
This is the perfect salad! It’s my favorite!
Thank you Lauren! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
I’m so happy to hear that, Lauren! Thank you for that great review!
Hi! Where can I buy Kalamata olives?
We purchased them in a store called Rosauers. They should have them in the major grocery stores like FredMeyer, Albertsons. Maybe at Walmart. Which stores have you checked?
I made this on a recent trip with friends and everyone loved it! It was a side dish and people got seconds of only salad and asked me for the recipe. It’s sooo yummy. Didn’t change a thing. Thank you Natasha!
Awesome!!! I am happy to hear you loved it Ema! 🙂
Regards for helping out, excellent information.
Great salad i added honey and balsamic vinegar to the dressing and it was a hit!!
Thanks sis, I’m so happy you liked it! 🙂 How was your party?
Hello Miss Natasha, This recipe looks absolutely delicious and Its perfect for our weekend family dinner.. Thanks for the share and I must try this!
Hi Rog and thank you! I hope you love the salad. It’s a family favorite in our home 🙂
This salad is addicting. Bought all the ingredients yesterday to make it again and again. I made it 4 times last week. I can eat it nonstop! I am a big fan of a Greek salad, and this recipe is the best!
Inna, thank you for such a great review :). Reading your comment tells me that you are definitely addicted to it :D.
I’m eating a giant bowl of this salad as I am typing this up. 🙂
For the past year or so I’ve been making this salad per this recipe:
http://greek.food.com/recipe/kittencals-famous-greek-salad-66596
It’s pretty much identical to yours except for the dressing which includes a few more (probably in your pantry already) items that I feel like make the dressing even more flavorful!
Beautiful photos!..and I loved reading the blurb on the origin of this recipe as well.
If you haven’t tried this simple dressing, I hope you give it a chance. It’s amazing how a few simple ingredients make for one amazing dressing! Thanks for sharing the link; I love trying new things. And thanks for the compliment! I enjoyed photographing this salad 🙂
My husband and I had this salad for a late night dinner recently and loved every bite. I also added some shrimp sauteed with cayenne pepper, fresh squeezed lemon, salt, and a bit of pepper and this was an outstanding addition 🙂
Great recipe, Natasha!
Oh my goodness that sounds bomb with shrimp! I want that so bad now! Thanks alot! 😉
Btw, that was meant to be 5 stars, my fingerwork wasn’t very graceful 😉 LOL
Thanks Elina! 🙂
You can add it to the dressing i guess 🙂 i dont make mine as fancy as yours:) so i just cut and mix all the veggies…press garlic and pour dressing over: )
Thanks Kristina! I’ll try it for our next adults only gathering. My son yells “spicy!” When he tastes fresh garlic 🙂
Yep:) i make this salad all the time!!! Love it!! Try adding couple cloves of garlic:)) so so good! It could replace a meal:)
Do you add garlic into the dressing?
Just add some pressed garlic into the dressing it takes it to the next level.
Thanks Dina! 🙂
This looks delish! We love greek salads in our households 🙂 I like the avocado and bell pepper addition.
It was so nice. I’m so in love with avocados and the sweet bell peppers were a great compliment to this salad!
People from Israel differently know how to make Greek salads. I make exactly the same one that my husband taught me.:) THis looks divine and I love the colours and the blue bowl!
I need to try more recipes from that part of the world, both from Israel and Greek recipes. I think I just need to travel more 😉
Where do you buy your Kalamata olives? I cannot seem to find any here in Philly.
We purchased them in a store called Rosauers. They should have them in the major grocery stores like FredMeyer, Albertsons. Maybe at Walmart. Which stores have you checked?
Just Made this yummy salad for dinner today! It was amazing! Thank you so much for the recipe!! 🙂
You are quick and you’re so welcome. I love to share good things and I’m so glad Ella shared the recipe with me 🙂 Good things are meant to be shared!
Photos are gorgeous. I love Greek salad.
Norma, thank you so much 🙂 me too! It’s just a feel-good (and taste-good) food!
Norma, thank you so much 🙂 me too! It’s just a feel-good (and taste-good) food!
This salad looks like Summer! So bright and fresh! I love the simple vinaigrette and the story behind it!
Isn’t it a great story?! It totally makes me want to go to the market and eat salad for the rest of the week 😉
Ella always makes a bigger portion when I come over. Absolutely the best and healthiest salad ever!
You already know it’s good! 🙂 I’m so happy she shared this little treasure with us 😉
:))) Thanks Lena!
It is my favorite salad! I eat it all the time!
I just bought more ingredients for today again :).
I love Greek Salad from Panera. I think I would like this one too! Will give your recipe a try 😉
I haven’t tried theres; I don’t think we have a Panera around here 🙂 Maybe we will one day!