Easy Greek Salad with Feta and Homemade Dressing
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This easy Greek salad combines crisp cucumber, juicy cherry tomatoes, red onion, olives, and feta cheese with a homemade lemon-and-red-wine-vinegar dressing. It takes just 10 minutes to prepare, and there’s no cooking required.
With no lettuce to wash or pasta to boil, this is a simple side dish for busy nights. Serve it with grilled chicken, fish, or warm pita bread. You can enjoy it right after tossing or refrigerate it for 30 minutes to let the vegetables soak up more of the dressing.
Why you’ll love this Greek salad
- Ready in 10 minutes: Chop, shake, and toss.
- No cooking required: No need to turn on the oven.
- Plenty of texture: Crisp cucumber, juicy tomatoes, and creamy feta.
- Homemade dressing: Made with olive oil, lemon, garlic, and dried herbs.
- Easy to serve: Pair it with dinner or add chicken or chickpeas for lunch.
Greek salad ingredients
The ingredients are simple, so fresh vegetables make a difference. Choose firm cucumber and ripe tomatoes, and drain the olives before adding them.
| Ingredient | What to know |
|---|---|
| Cherry tomatoes | Halve them so they’re easy to eat and catch some dressing. |
| Cucumber | Quarter lengthwise, then slice. Remove large, watery seeds if needed. |
| Red onion | Dice for smaller bites or cut into chunks for more crunch. |
| Green and black olives | Use pitted olives and drain well. |
| Feta cheese | Crumble a block yourself for larger, softer pieces, or use pre-crumbled feta. |
A note about the feta: This recipe uses a full 8 ounces, so you’ll get plenty of cheese throughout the salad. Fold it in gently to keep some of those crumbles intact.
Of course, you can reduce that amount if you prefer.
Homemade Greek salad dressing
Olive oil forms the base of this dressing. Red wine vinegar and fresh lemon juice add tang, while oregano, parsley, and minced garlic give it flavor.
Shake everything together in a mason jar or whisk it in a measuring cup. Taste before adding much salt. The olives and feta already contribute saltiness.
How to make Greek salad
The full, printable recipe is at the bottom of this post.
- Prepare the vegetables.
Halve the cherry tomatoes. Quarter the cucumber lengthwise, then slice it into bite-size pieces. Dice or roughly chop the red onion.
- Combine the salad.
Place the tomatoes, cucumber, onion, drained olives, and crumbled feta in a large bowl.
- Mix the dressing.
Whisk the olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, oregano, parsley, garlic, salt, and pepper together. If using a jar, secure the lid and shake well.
- Toss and serve.
Pour the dressing over the salad and gently toss until coated. Serve immediately or refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving.
Tips for the best texture and flavor
| Tip | Why it helps |
|---|---|
| Dry the vegetables after washing | Keeps excess water out of the dressing. |
| Drain the olives well | Prevents extra brine from making the salad too salty. |
| Soak strong red onion in cold water for 10 minutes, then drain and dry | Softens its sharp flavor. |
| Fold in the feta gently | Keeps the salad from becoming a creamy mixture. |
| Taste before adding salt | Feta and olives may provide enough. |
| Toss again before serving | Redistributes dressing that settles at the bottom. |
Prefer a lightly dressed salad? Start with about two-thirds of the dressing, toss, and add more as needed.
Does Greek salad have lettuce?
Traditional Greek village salad, called horiatiki, centers on tomatoes, cucumber, onion, olives, feta, olive oil, and oregano, without lettuce. This recipe is a Greek-style variation with cherry tomatoes, crumbled feta, two kinds of olives, and a lemon-garlic dressing. visitgreece.gr
Substitutions and additions
Keep the base recipe as written, or make these simple changes:
- Kalamata olives: Replace the black olives for a different olive flavor.
- Grape tomatoes: Use in place of cherry tomatoes.
- Green bell pepper: Add chopped pepper for extra crunch.
- Chickpeas: Drain and rinse before adding for a more filling salad.
- Cooked chicken: Add sliced or diced chicken to make it a meal.
- Fresh parsley: Replace the ½ teaspoon dried parsley with about 1½ teaspoons finely chopped fresh parsley.
If you add a substantial amount of extra ingredients, you may need additional dressing.
What to serve with Greek salad
Serve this cucumber and tomato salad with grilled chicken, baked fish, shrimp, chicken skewers, or warm pita bread. Its tangy dressing also pairs well with roasted potatoes.
For a coordinated dinner, serve it alongside my Greek Chicken Skillet with Olives. If you’d like a similar pasta salad, try my Pesto Caprese Pasta Salad or Zesty Greek Pasta Salad.
Make-ahead and storage tips
For the best texture, prepare the vegetables and dressing separately earlier the same day. Keep them covered in the refrigerator, then add the feta and dressing shortly before serving.
Refrigerate leftover salad in an airtight container and enjoy within 1–2 days for the best texture. The tomatoes and cucumber release liquid as they sit, so toss again before serving and use a slotted spoon if needed.
Freezing isn’t recommended because the fresh vegetables lose their crisp texture.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Leave out the feta or use a dairy-free alternative. Taste the finished salad and adjust the seasoning because removing feta changes its saltiness and flavor.
Yes. For the crispest vegetables, keep the dressing separate until shortly before serving. You can also toss the salad and refrigerate it for 30 minutes as directed.
An English cucumber is convenient because its skin is thin and its seeds are small. A regular cucumber works, too. Peel it if the skin is tough and remove large seeds if needed.
Yes. Use 1 cup total of your preferred pitted olives in place of the green and black olive combination.
Tomatoes and cucumber naturally release moisture, especially after being salted and dressed. Dry the vegetables well, remove large cucumber seeds, and dress close to serving to reduce excess liquid.
Greek Salad
Items in blue & underlined below can be clicked for more detail or to purchase.
Ingredients
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 medium cucumber quartered
- ½ medium red onion diced or chunk
- ½ medium green olives pitted
- ½ medium black olives pitted
- 8 ounces feta crumbled
Salad Dressing
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon oregano dried
- ½ teaspoon parsley dried
- 2 medium garlic cloves minced
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- To a large bowl, add all of the ingredients for the Greek Salad.1 cup cherry tomatoes, 1 medium cucumber, ½ medium red onion, ½ medium green olives, ½ medium black olives, 8 ounces feta
- In a measuring cup or mason jar, add all of the ingredients for the salad dressing.⅓ cup olive oil, 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, ½ teaspoon oregano, ½ teaspoon parsley, 2 medium garlic cloves, Salt and pepper to taste
- Pour the salad dressing over the top of the salad and gently toss until well coated.
- You can enjoy immediately or allow to marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes for the flavors to marry.
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