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An authentic Greek salad is made up of simple chunks of tomatoes, cucumber, often red onion, olives, and chunks or a slab of feta. Lettuce is usually not part of the equation, though in various restaurants and diners, it has certainly worked its way in, but authentic, authentic Greek salads are actually lettuce free. The quintessential Israeli salad is quite similar, though minus the feta, and sometimes with bell peppers added in.
This would be great with Greek Roasted Chicken Thighs, Yogurt-Marinated Chicken, or Grilled NY Strip Steaks.
Table of Contents
This authentic Greek Tomato and Cucumber Salad (horiatiki) is a simple combo of tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, olives, and chunks of feta.
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Ingredients
This salad is perfect for making use of mid-summer produce! Also, try Tomato, Avocado, and Cucumber Salad.
- Cucumber – Use a seedless cucumber if possible (see Tips and Substitutions).
- Tomatoes – Make sure your tomatoes are ripe.
- Onion – You can use red, yellow, or white one (red is very pretty!).
- Extra-virgin olive oil – Use a good olive oil for this salad. It’s one of the key ingredients; you really taste it, and it can make all the difference.
- Lemon juice
- White wine vinegar
- Oregano – I like the combo of fresh and dried in this salad. Dried oregano gives the dressing the flavor of great-Greek-diner-Greek-salad. Fresh oregano gives it that great-high-end-restaurant-Greek-salad flavor. The best of both worlds!
- Kalamata olives – Add salty brininess!
- Feta – There are a number of feta cheeses available, such as Greek, Bulgarian, and French. Choose your favorite!
Tips and Substitutions
- If you don’t have seedless cucumbers, you can use regular cucumbers. Just peel them if the skin feels thick, cut them in half lengthwise, and scrape out the seeds before dicing them. Baby or Persian cucumbers are another option; use 3 or 4 of those.
- You can use pre-crumbled feta instead of cubing feta.
- If you just want to use fresh oregano, use about 1 ½ tablespoons. If you want to use just dried, use 1 ½ teaspoons.
How to Make Greek Tomato and Cucumber Salad
- Slice the cucumber: Cut the cucumber in half lengthwise, scrape out the seeds, then sliced again lengthwise through the middle, and slice into ¼-inch slices.
- Cube the tomatoes: Cut the tomatoes into one-inch pieces.
- Dice the onion.
- Make the dressing: Combine the dressing ingredients.
- Toss and add the feta: Add the cucumber, tomatoes, onion, and olives to the bowl and toss to coat well. Top with the feta cheese and serve.
FAQs
Traditional Greek salad, also known as Horiatiki, is usually made of tomatoes, cucumbers, feta, red onions, black olives, and sometimes bell peppers. The vegetables are usually cubed, and there is no lettuce added. It is very popular in Greece, eaten all throughout the country for meals throughout the day.
Absolutely! Jammed with fresh vegetables, this is a very healthy salad, as long as you don’t go overboard on the feta cheese or add too much dressing.
Storage
This salad can be made up to 2 days ahead of time. Add the dressing and toss (and top with feta) shortly before serving.
What to Serve With Greek Tomato and Cucumber Salad
Greek Turkey Burgers
Greek Lamb Kabobs
Panko Crusted Fish with Tzatziki
More Greek Salad Recipes
A few more Greek salad recipes, because I am very serious about my Greek salads:
- Classic Greek Salad – This one does have lettuce.
- Modern Greek Salad – This one is just plain sexy, with thin zucchini ribbons and roasted bits of lemon. A company-worthy Greek salad.
- Greek Chicken Pasta Salad – This one is a total main course. A great summer potluck dish. An alfresco entertaining go-to.
If you’ve read through until now then you are my people. I raise a glass of red wine vinegar to you.
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Greek Tomato and Cucumber Salad
Ingredients
- 1 seedless cucumber
- 2 large tomatoes
- ½ large red onion
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (divided)
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ to 1 teaspoon coarse or kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- ½ cup pitted kalamata olives (halved)
- ¼ pound feta (cut into cubes or slabs)
Instructions
- Cut the cucumber in half lengthwise, scrape out the seeds (see Note), then slice again lengthwise through the middle, and slice into ¼-inch slices. Cut the tomatoes into 1-inch pieces. Cut the onion into ½-inch dice (it will fall apart, that’s fine).
- In a large bowl mix together the olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, fresh oregano, dried oregano, salt, and pepper. Add the cucumber, tomatoes, onion, and olives to the bowl and toss to coat well. Top with the feta cheese and serve.
Notes
- Even “seedless” cucumbers have some seeds in them — scrape them out with a teaspoon, or if they don’t bother you, skip this step.
- If you don’t have seedless cucumbers, you can use regular cucumbers. Just peel them if the skin feels thick, cut them in half lengthwise, and scrape out the seeds before dicing them. Baby or Persian cucumbers are another option; use 3 or 4 of those.
- You can use pre-crumbled feta instead of cubing feta
- If you just want to use fresh oregano, use about 1 ½ tablespoons. If you want to use just dried, use 1 ½ teaspoons
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
