This traditional Greek Salad recipe, known to the locals as Horiatiki, is one of our summertime favorites!
Crisp cucumbers, sweet cherry tomatoes, red onions, briny olives and capers, creamy feta, and a simple herb dressing. That’s all it takes. And the results are top notch.
The next time those fresh salad cravings hit, go the Greek way… the Horiatiki way!
The temperatures are starting to rise, and that means all of those summertime veggies are ready to peak. And that means it’s salad season!
From simple Caesar to unique salads from far off lands like Indonesian Gado Gado and Middle Eastern Balela, they’re all so good and so fresh.
Now I’m sure you’ve all come across something described as “Greek Salad” in restaurants a million times. But today, we’re getting a bit more authentic…
What is Horiatiki?
Horiatiki is a popular salad in Greece, with the primary ingredients being tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, onions and feta cheese. Other common add ins are capers and bell peppers.
Unlike the Greek salads sold in North America, traditional horiatiki does not contain lettuce.
It is sometimes called “peasant’s salad”, as it’s considered a typical breakfast or lunch for farmers. That being said, horiatiki is a common salad all over the country, with some variations here and there.
Ingredients
- Cucumbers – A staple in Greek cuisine. We recommend seedless English cucumbers for this Greek salad.
- Tomatoes – Our favorite for salads are campari tomatoes. They are nice and sweet. Other good options are nice cherry tomatoes or heirloom. The tomatoes really shine in this recipe, so don’t go for the budget varieties.
- Red onion
- Olives – Kalamata, or a mix if you prefer.
- Feta cheese – There’s just no substitute here.
- Capers – Optional, but we love them here.
- Dressing – Extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, dried oregano, salt and pepper.
Authentic Greek Salad Recipe
Horiatiki comes together in three easy steps:
1. Make the dressing: Whisk together all of the salad dressing ingredients until everything emulsifies (blends together without separating).
2. Chop and slice: Cut the tomatoes into bite sized pieces, the cucumbers into half rounds, and slice the onions.
3. Assemble the salad: Toss together the veggies and olives. Top with feta cheese and capers. Drizzle on dressing, then serve.
Tips for the BEST Greek Salad
- Use good ingredients. The produce should be nice and fresh, and the olive oil and feta good quality.
- The cucumbers and tomatoes should not be too finely chopped. Horiatiki is meant to be a chunkier salad.
- Don’t overdress the salad. Allow the veggies and feta to shine.
- Don’t add the dressing till ready to serve, so the veggies don’t become soggy.
- Serve chilled. Horiatiki tastes best cold, so keep it in the refrigerator until ready to use.
What to Serve with Greek Salad
Being a Greek salad, naturally horiatiki goes great with Greek mains like Moussaka, Souvlaki, or Keftedes Meatballs.
If you love the soup & salad combo for a lunch or light dinner, Avgolemono and Fasolada are two Greek soups that go well with Greek salad. Add a loaf of our easy No Knead Bread to round out the meal.
You can also serve it as part of a mezze platter with pita bread and Greek dips such as Tzatziki, Melitzanosalata, and Tyrokafteri.
Some other foods from around the Mediterranean that go well with Greek salad are Falafel, Mediterranean Flatbread, Chicken Shawarma, and our Mediterranean Chicken Skillet.
Greek Salad Variations
- Traditionally, horiatiki is served with large pieces of feta cheese. That being said, sometimes we like to crumble it up and mix it with the rest of the salad, especially if serving a crowd.
- Many versions use only olive oil, salt and oregano as a dressing. We like the slight tang from vinegar, but sometimes we keep it simple.
- You can always serve Greek salad in American style and add lettuce into the mix.
- Add in some chopped bell peppers. They add color and crunch. Green is most common, but use any of your favorite colors.
- Give it some kick with sliced pepperoncini.
- Add fresh herbs like parsley, dill or oregano.
- How about Greek pasta salad? Yum! Toss with your favorite short pastas like bowties, rotini, or even tortellini.
- Top it with grilled shrimp, chicken or fish for a healthy, low carb dinner.
Storing Leftover Horiatiki
You can refrigerate leftovers for 4-5 days in an airtight container. If you make a big batch with the intention of saving some for leftovers, we recommend only tossing the portion to be immediately used with dressing, so the leftovers don’t become soggy.
Give this easy and delicious Greek salad a try. It’s the absolute perfect side for any of you favorite Mediterranean mains, and we even love it as a lunch or light dinner. How will you serve it first?
Greek Salad, AKA Horiatiki, on our Gypsy Plate… enjoy!
Try these other great salad recipes!
Antipasto Salad
Cowboy Caviar
Spanish Pipirrana
Israeli Couscous Salad
Asian Cucumber Salad
Mexican Elote Salad
Vietnamese Chicken Salad
Cucumber Tomato Pesto Salad
Zucchini Carrot Salad
Authentic Greek Salad (Horiatiki)
This authentic Greek Salad recipe, known locally as Horiatiki, features chunky cut veggies with salty feta, briny capers and olives, and a great homemade dressing.
Ingredients
Dressing
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Greek salad
- 1 seedless cucumber, cut into half rounds
- 1 pint campari tomatoes, or cherry tomatoes
- 1 cup kalamata olives
- 1/2 cup red onions, sliced
- 8oz block feta cheese
- 2 Tbsp capers
Instructions
- Whisk together all dressing ingredients in a small bowl.
- In a salad bowl, toss together cucumber, tomatoes, kalamata olives and red onion.
- Place the block of feta on top (we first cut it in half). Sprinkle on capers.
- If serving immediately, drizzle on dressing in the amount desired. Otherwise, refrigerate covered in cling wrap, then add dressing when ready to eat.
Nutrition Information
Yield 6 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 246Total Fat 22gSaturated Fat 8gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 14gCholesterol 34mgSodium 749mgCarbohydrates 7gFiber 2gSugar 4gProtein 6g
Nutrition information calculated by Nutritionix.
Welcome to GypsyPlate! I'm Alpana, former wordwide tour manager and professional caterer, now full time blogger. I love exploring cuisines from around the world, and my recipes have been featured on sites such as MSN, Parade, Brit + Co, CNET and AOL. You can explore my entire collection of sortable recipes in my Recipe Index or learn more about me here.
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