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Easy Lebanese Salad, also known as Lebanese Salata, is a salad mixing chopped tomatoes, bell pepper, onion, cucumber, green onion and parsley topped with a lemony-mint dressing. This is light and the prefect addition to any meal or add grilled chicken or salmon to make it a meal itself.
This Easy Lebanese Salad, known as Lebanese Salata, comes together in 15 minutes with tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, onion, and parsley tossed in a bright lemon-sumac dressing. It is light, crisp, and works as a side dish or a base for grilled chicken, salmon, or falafel.
Growing up with Lebanese roots, this salad has been on our table more times than I can count. It is the kind of recipe my family reaches for constantly because it pairs with almost everything, Chicken Shawarma Bowls, Beef Kafta, hummus plates, or a simple piece of Mediterranean Baked Salmon. The dressing is the real star here: olive oil, fresh lemon juice, garlic, dried mint, and sumac combine into something tangy and herby that you will want to put on everything. I always make a double batch. This Lebanese Salad is a classic I make alongside my Fattoush Recipe and Traditional Tabbouleh Salad.
Why This Recipe Works
The vegetables stay crisp because they are chopped in similar-size pieces and dressed right before serving, not in advance. The sumac in the dressing adds a fruity, citrusy depth that brightens every bite without adding extra lemon juice. And because this salad uses no lettuce in its base form, it holds up much better in the fridge than a traditional green salad, making it a solid meal prep option.
Recipe Ingredients
These simple pantry staples are all you need. See the recipe card below for exact amounts and printable instructions.
- Tomatoes: use any fresh tomatoes you have on hand. I tend to like beefsteak tomatoes or roma tomatoes and remove the seeds and dice them.
- Green Pepper: crispy green bell pepper is diced and added to this salad. You can also add red bell pepper.
- Cucumber: I find english cucumber to be a great addition to add. I like how crisp it is. You also can use a regular cucumber or Persian cucumbers if that is what you have on hand.
- Green Onions: use the green and white parts of the green onion for more flavor.
- Sweet Onion: use a sweet onion for bite but you also can use shallot or red onions.
- Parsley: freshly chopped curly parsley adds a great herby flavor. You also can use Italian parsley.
- Lemon Sumac Dressing: the lemony sumac dressing is tangy and one of my favorite Mediterranean dressings to make.
Ways to Modify this Lebanese Salata
- Protein: Add grilled chicken, beef, shrimp, falafel or salmon to this salad.
- Beans: Beans will help add protein and bulk up the Lebanese salad recipe. I especially like chickpeas, white beans and black beans.
- Dressing: Switch up the dressing by adding pomegranate molasses, balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar or Greek yogurt.
- Cheese: If you like cheese I think that feta cheese works really well in this salad. I suggest using crumbled feta cheese.
- Vegetables: Additional vegetables are always good in this salad. I like to add avocado, artichokes, roasted red peppers, red onion, cherry tomatoes, carrots, radish, celery or jalapeños.
- Grains: Mix in cooked quinoa, bulgur wheat, couscous, brown rice or farro.
- Herbs: Other than parsley you can mix in fresh basil, dill, fresh mint or oregano.
- Pickled Vegetables: I love adding pickled vegetables to my salads like pickled red onions and pickled vegetables.
How to Make Lebanese Salad
Step 1: Mix Salad Ingredients: In a large bowl mix the tomatoes, bell pepper, cucumber, green onions, parsley and onion.
Step 2: Create Dressing: In a mason jar combine the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic cloves, mint, salt and pepper. Seal the mason jar and shake the dressing until combined {or use a small bowl and whisk the dressing}.
Step 3: Dress Salad: Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to combine. Taste and adjust mint, salt and pepper. In the bowl with the salad add the romaine lettuce {optional} and toss to combine. Alternatively you can lay a bed of romaine in a bowl and add the Lebanese Salad on top. Serve as a side dish alongside a meal or use as a main dish with grilled fish or salmon.
Storage Tips
- Store leftover Lebanese salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. If possible, store the dressing separately and add it right before serving to keep the vegetables crisp.
- If the salad is already dressed, it will still keep for up to 2 days but the tomatoes and cucumbers will release liquid and soften over time. Give it a quick toss before serving and add a little extra lemon juice or olive oil to freshen it up
- The dressing on its own keeps well for up to 5 days in a sealed jar in the refrigerator. The olive oil may solidify when chilled, just let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes and shake well before using.
Recipe FAQ
Lebanese salata (this recipe) is a simple chopped salad of tomatoes, cucumber, onion, and parsley with a lemon-garlic dressing. Fattoush is a variation that includes crispy toasted pita bread and often uses pomegranate molasses in the dressing. Both are common in Lebanese cooking, but salata is the everyday version served alongside almost every meal.
Yes. Chop all the vegetables and store them in an airtight container for up to 24 hours. Keep the dressing separate and toss just before serving so the vegetables stay crisp. If you dress the full batch, it will keep for up to 3 days but the texture will soften.
Lebanese salata is bright, fresh, and tangy. The crisp cucumbers and tomatoes give it a light, juicy texture while the lemon-garlic dressing adds a sharp citrusy bite. Dried mint and sumac round it out with an herby, slightly earthy flavor that is distinctly Mediterranean. It is much lighter than a dressed green salad and refreshing enough to eat alongside rich, spiced dishes like shawarma or kafta.
This salad pairs well with almost anything in a Lebanese or Mediterranean spread. Serve it alongside Greek Chicken, Salmon Bowls or Easy Blackened Cod. It also works tucked into a pita with falafel or grilled chicken, or spooned over a grain bowl with bulgur or quinoa. On busy weeknights, it is the side dish I reach for most because it is ready in 15 minutes and goes with whatever is on the grill or in the air fryer.
More Mediterranean Recipes
Vegetarian
Mediterranean Naan Pizza
Mediterranean
Mediterranean Flatbread
Vegetarian
Mediterranean Hummus Toast with Za’atar
Mediterranean
Easy Arabic Salad
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Easy Lebanese Salad
Ingredients
- 3 medium tomatoes, diced {about 2 cups}
- 1 green bell pepper, seeds removed, chopped
- 1/2 English cucumber, seeds removed, chopped
- 5 green onions, white and green parts chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 small onion, chopped
- Romaine lettuce, chopped
For the dressing:
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried mint
- 1 teaspoon of your favorite spice {I like to use sumac or za'atar}
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, {more to taste}
- Black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a large bowl mix the tomatoes, bell pepper, cucumber, green onions, parsley and onion.
- In a mason jar combine the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic cloves, mint, salt and pepper. Seal the mason jar and shake the dressing until combined {or use a small bowl and whisk the dressing}.
- Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to combine. Taste and adjust mint, salt and pepper.
- In the bowl with the salad add the romaine lettuce {optional} and toss to combine. Alternatively you can lay a bed of romaine in a bowl and add the Lebanese Salad on top.
- Serve as a side dish alongside a meal or use as a main dish with grilled fish or salmon.
Notes
- Store leftover Lebanese salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. If possible, store the dressing separately and add it right before serving to keep the vegetables crisp.
- If the salad is already dressed, it will still keep for up to 2 days but the tomatoes and cucumbers will release liquid and soften over time. Give it a quick toss before serving and add a little extra lemon juice or olive oil to freshen it up
- The dressing on its own keeps well for up to 5 days in a sealed jar in the refrigerator. The olive oil may solidify when chilled, just let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes and shake well before using.
- To add more flavor, stir 1 teaspoon of sumac or za’atar into the dressing. Both are worth keeping in your pantry if you cook Mediterranean food regularly.
- This salad works as a side dish or a light main. Add grilled chicken, salmon, falafel, or chickpeas to make it a full meal.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This recipe is fresh, flavorful and easy to put together. I made the recipe as it is and two days later I made it again and the only change I made was I doubled it! I will definitely be trying more of your recipes!
So glad you enjoyed it!
What a great recipe for the summer!
I managed to find all the ingredients for this salad. It tasted great. Thank you ?
Glad that you enjoyed it!
She looks beautiful, is she good for dieters?
Yes!
Thank you for this refreshing and very tasty Mediterranean salad. Fattoush is one of my favorite Lebanese dishes.
I am sure that anyone who tries this recipe will love it.
Thanks Julia.
Your explanations are amazing…easy too
Thanks alot
Mmm, I love crunchy salad. This looks really delicious.
Thanks! I love crunchy salads too. I hope you try it and enjoy it.
I love how refreshing this salad is with the mint and lemon juice. It was a little too lemony for us so I will use a little less next time. Maybe adding the sumac helps but I didn’t have any. I also used cilantro instead of parsley because I forgot to pick up more. It was still very good!
Thanks for the feedback. I can see how it can be too lemony. I do think when the sumac is added, the lemon brings out the flavors of the sumac. I am glad you liked it! Love the idea of cilantro too.
I’m glad you mentioned ground sumac when you were talking about additional spices because I use ground sumac ALL of the time and I can clearly see in your photos that ground sumac is on the salad but wasn’t listed in the recipe 🙂
Yes I didn’t include it in the recipe–I should probably add it as optional. I usually add sumac or za’atar to the dressing but it isn’t necessary!