This Greek Cucumber Salad is incredibly simple and packed with bright fresh flavors. It's great served as a light lunch or dinner or as a side. Try it with roasted fish, seafood, chicken, or any Greek dishes!
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Why This Recipe Works
- Simple and flavorful - This salad is the perfect example of the saying "less is more". It's made with just cucumber, tomatoes, bell peppers, feta, and olives. The dressing is incredibly simple too with olive oil, red wine vinegar, and fresh oregano. Despite the very few ingredients, the salad is packed with a ton of flavor and it's one of my all-time favorites!
- A classic - Greek salad is wildly popular and a great side for a ton of different dishes. I like serving it on its own as a light lunch but it's amazing served as a side with fish or seafood during the summer. I kept this salad very cucumber focused but a classic Greek salad also has red onion which I left out but you can totally add some for extra flavor and crunch!
- Summer favorite - Because this salad relies on the three vegetables for a lot of its flavor, it's going to taste the best in the summer when everything's in season. Juicy tomatoes and fresh ripe cucumbers and bell peppers really make this salad shine.
Ingredients
- Cucumber - English cucumber or smaller Persian cucumbers both work.
- Tomatoes - Big juicy summer tomatoes cut into slices are the best choice but any tomatoes will work! Cherry, heirloom, you name it!
- Bell pepper - Greek bell pepper is classic for this salad but you can use another color if that's all you have or skip it.
- Feta - Choose a block feta, not crumbled. A block of feta will always taste better and be of better quality. A classic Greek salad has feta cut into thick slabs but you can also crumble it if you prefer. Traditional feta is usually made with Sheep's or Goat's milk.
- Olives - Kalamata olives are always my go-to for any Greek dishes but you can use any olives you have and prefer.
- Extra virgin olive oil - The vinaigrette for this salad is super simple and made of only five ingredients (olive oil, vinegar, fresh oregano, sea salt, and pepper).
- Red wine vinegar - Lemon juice, champagne vinegar, or white wine vinegar also all work great in the vinaigrette. Add some lemon zest for an extra bright citrusy dressing.
- Fresh oregano - You can also use other fresh herbs like parsley, chives, or even basil but fresh oregano is what's used in a classic Greek salad. You can also use dried parsley in a pinch, just add less because it's much more concentrated.
Step-by-Step Instructions
This salad is incredibly simple. It's all about slicing all the vegetables into thin slices and layering them on a large platter or chopping everything into bite-sized pieces and tossing them together in a large bowl.
A classic Greek salad has usually everything cut into big chunks but I'm a big fan of really well-chopped salad so I usually cut everything into bite-sized pieces and crumble my feta.
To make the dressing, whisk together extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, finely chopped fresh oregano, sea salt, and pepper.
Drizzle the dressing over the salad and enjoy!
What to Serve it With
Serve the salad either on its own as a light lunch or dinner or as a side. You can also add protein to make it into a bigger meal. You can serve it with pasta, fish, seafood, chicken, or any other meat. Try serving it on the side of this Creme Fraiche Salmon Pasta.
FAQs
Yes, just use vegan feta!
It keeps in the fridge in an airtight container for about 2-3 days. The tomatoes release quite a bit of water as they sit with the dressing so the salad is the best on days 1-2.
Other Greek Recipes
If I had to choose only one cuisine to eat, it'd definitely be Mediterranean, especially Greek, which is why there are many Greek-inspired recipes on the site! If you're looking for more salads, head over to the Salads category. Out of the recipes below, the Mediterranean Potatoes are definitely my all-time favorite!
📖 Recipe
Greek Cucumber Salad
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 0 mins
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 3-6 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: No cook
- Cuisine: Greek
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
This Greek Cucumber Salad is incredibly simple and packed with bright fresh flavors. It's great served as a light lunch or dinner or as a side. Try it with roasted fish, seafood, chicken, or any Greek dishes!
Ingredients
- 1 English cucumber, thinly sliced or chopped
- 4-5 medium tomatoes, sliced or quartered
- 1-2 green bell peppers, seeds removed and chopped or sliced
- 1 cup whole or chopped pitted olives (kalamata or mixed)
- 400g block feta cheese, sliced into thin blocks or cubes
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 heaping tablespoon finely chopped fresh oregano (or 1-2 teaspoon dried oregano)
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper (or to taste)
Instructions
- You can either layer the salad on a large serving platter or mix everything together in a large salad bowl. Depending on how you serve it, chop your vegetables accordingly. I usually do slice everything if the salad is served layered on a plate and chop if it’s in a bowl.
- Layer the cucumber, tomatoes, bell peppers, olives, and feta cheese on a platter or add everything to a bowl.
- In a separate bowl or a jar, mix together olive oil, red wine vinegar, fresh oregano, and ground pepper. I don’t add salt to the dressing because both the olives and feta are quite salty.
- Pour the dressing over the salad and serve.
Notes
Storing: Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. The tomatoes will release quite a bit of juice but the salad will still be good to eat.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 415
- Sugar: 7.7 g
- Sodium: 1237.4 mg
- Fat: 35.2 g
- Saturated Fat: 16.9 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 12.2 g
- Fiber: 2.8 g
- Protein: 15.8 g
Gloria
Yup, this salad is calling my name. Perfect as the main event. I love the combination of olives and feta.
Bernice
Now this is how a Greek salad should be... so fresh and bright with huge pieces of feta cheese. I love how you cut all the vegetables into different sizes, it makes this salad much more interesting visually.
Sean
This is one of my favorite salads to make and your recipe was fantastic. I used the ingredients right from my garden.
Enri Lemoine
I was searching for a Greek salad, and your recipe popped up on Google. I love the way you sliced all the veggies. The proportions of each were simply perfect! Love it!
Kathryn
We make this dish at least once a week and we can't get enough! This salad is so light, refreshing and packed with our favorite ingredients!
Elaine
One of my favorite salads to make when I miss warmer days. It always reminds me of those times, you know... Anyway, this recipe is amazing!
Lori | The Kitchen Whisperer
I LOVE how light and refreshing this salad is! It's the perfect transition into Spring and warmer weather! And that vinaigrette is amazing!
Tammy
This just screams summer to me! Such a bright and refreshing side for spring meals. This is my kind of salad!
Dennis
What a perfect spring salad! It went so well with the grilled chicken breasts I made for dinner.
Moop Brown
This salad looks so colorful, tasty, and refreshing. I like the type of cheese you used as well.