Greek Salad
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This is the Greek salad you’ll crave on repeat—crisp veggies, briny feta and olives, and a few smart twists that take it up a notch. It’s quick to throw together and pairs perfectly with grilled meats, seafood, or Mediterranean mains.
The classic Greek salad, or Horiatiki (“village salad”), is a colorful mix of tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, red onions, feta, and Kalamata olives, all tossed in a simple vinaigrette. Unlike American versions that include romaine, the authentic version has no lettuce. It pairs beautifully with everything from souvlaki to grilled chicken to lamb kofta—and it’s incredibly simple to prepare.
While the ingredients in my Greek salad recipe are similar to recipes you’ll find elsewhere, I’ve got a few tricks that make it really shine. For starters, I quick-pickle the red onions in a blend of red wine vinegar and water, a little trick that tames their sharpness, lends a gorgeous pink color, and introduces a delicious pickled crunch. Additionally, I toss in some fresh dill, which adds a lovely herby flavor. This is the Greek salad that will keep you coming back for more!
“This is the best salad that I’ve made in a very long time – full of flavor, fresh, visually beautiful, easy to make, and about as tasty as it gets!”
What You’ll Need To Make This Greek Salad REcipe
- Red Onion: Adds a sharp, tangy flavor and vibrant color to the salad.
- Red wine vinegar, honey, garlic, dill, oregano & olive oil: A simple dressing that balances tangy, sweet, and herbal notes. The vinegar gives acidity, honey softens it, garlic adds depth, and the dill and oregano give it that classic Greek flavor. A good extra-virgin olive oil is important—my favorite supermarket brands are Lucini and California Olive Ranch.
- English cucumber, bell peppers, and cherry tomatoes: These veggies add crispness, sweetness, and juicy bursts of flavor. Note: English cucumbers are also known as hothouse cucumbers; they do not need to be peeled, have fewer seeds, and a crunchier texture than regular cucumbers.
- Kalamata Olives and Feta Cheese: Add briny, tangy flavor and creamy, salty richness.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
How to Make Greek Salad
Step 1: Make the pickled onions. Place the sliced red onions in a small bowl and cover with the vinegar and water. Leave them to sit while you prepare the rest of the salad.
Step 2: Make the Greek dressing. Combine the vinegar, salt, pepper, honey, garlic, and oregano in a bowl. I like to use a large bowl so I can add the rest of the salad ingredients right into the dressing. Slowly pour the olive oil into the bowl while whisking vigorously. This will form an emulsion that holds the oil together with the other ingredients.
Step 3: Add the veggies. Add the cucumber, peppers, tomatoes, olives, and dill to the bowl with the dressing. Then drain the red onions and add them to the salad.
Step 4: Finish the salad. Add the feta to the bowl and toss all the ingredients together. Be sure to give it a taste and adjust the seasoning, if it’s needed. Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to 3 hours. Let the salad sit out at room temperature for about 30 minutes before serving.
What to serve with Greek Salad
In addition to the mains mentioned above, this salad pairs well with my Greek-style lamb burgers, chicken kabobs, or with this Greek shrimp saganaki.
For a lighter meal or easy brunch or lunch, it pairs perfectly with this spinach and feta polenta pie or a bowl of avgolemono soup.
You can also serve it with a variety of small dishes like hummus, tzatziki sauce, or whipped feta dip. For parties, this hummus board is always a crowdpleaser.
More Mediterranean Salads You May Like
Greek Salad
Want to make the best-ever Greek salad? A few simple tweaks to the classic recipe make this version second to none!
Ingredients
For the Pickled Red Onion
- ½ medium red onion, halved and thinly sliced
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- ¼ cup cold water
For the Dressing
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ¾ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
For the Salad
- 1 English or hothouse cucumber, seeded, cut into ¾-inch chunks
- 2 bell peppers (red, yellow, or orange), cut into ¾-inch chunks
- 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
- ¾ cup Kalamata olives
- 3 tablespoons fresh chopped dill
- 8 oz feta cheese, diced
Instructions
- Make the pickled onions: Place the red onions in a small bowl. Cover with the vinegar and water; let sit for 15 minutes while you prepare the rest of the salad.
- Make the dressing: In a bowl large enough to hold the salad, whisk together the vinegar, salt, pepper, honey, garlic, and oregano. Whisking vigorously, slowly pour in the olive oil to form an emulsion.
- Assemble the salad: To the dressing, add the cucumber, peppers, tomatoes, olives, and dill.
- Drain the red onions and add them to the salad along with the feta. Toss to combine, then taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary. Serve or refrigerate for up to 3 hours. Let the salad sit out at room temperature for about 30 minutes before serving.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (6 servings)
- Calories: 320
- Fat: 28 g
- Saturated fat: 8 g
- Carbohydrates: 11 g
- Sugar: 7 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 7 g
- Sodium: 609 mg
- Cholesterol: 34 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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Fast, easy and delicious!
This salad is absolutely delicious. I made it for a barbecue this past week and everyone loved it.
The pickled red onion gives it a sweet tangy flavor and the dressing is perfect. I will surely be making it again!
This is absolutely delicious. I’m actually making this again right now at the request of my daughter! We all love a fresh, crisp salad with a perfect dressing. The dressing is tart but sweet, in perfect proportion. Love the addition of oregano in the dressing!
I am a huge fan of Jenn’s recipes, but this one is a bit outside of my typical box, so I sat on making it for a while – that was my only regret about this salad. It was fantastic and so flavorful!! My entire family raved about it, from my ten-year-old daughter to my husband, none of whom love veggies. I served alongside steak and some crusty bread. I will most definitely be making this again, for my family and for company. Thanks for another amazing recipe!
This was so good and fresh! I made with the Souvlaki and they paired perfectly together. I can’t wait to make again for a yummy summer meal!
I made this and it is so good and fresh. I’m going to bring it to a BBQ. My question is, can I cut up the vegetables the day before or will they become too watery?
Hi Rae, Glad you liked it! Cutting the veggies in advance wouldn’t be my first choice but you can get away with it.
We had this for dinner tonight – just the salad with a baguette as that is plenty for us for a meal. It is probably the best Greek Salad I’ve ever had! The size of all the bits was perfect; the pickled onions are great; and the dressing was just right – some tang but not so tangy it overpowers the taste of the other ingredients. I made half for the two of us and have enough left over for a nice lunch tomorrow. Your recipes are always winners!
Excellent Greek salad. I like the idea of soaking the red onions in water and red wine vinegar. The dressing is delicious. I made it with your chicken souvlaki which was also excellent!
This is my all time favorite salad. Thank you so much, I can eat this every day.
This is about as close as you can get to a true Greek salad. Greeks rarely, if ever, use lettuce in their salads. I do like your addition of honey to the dressing. A+ on this one.
~Dorothea