Crunchy pita chips, fresh veggies and a delicious zesty dressing come together in a bowl to create this Middle Eastern Fattoush salad. Also called Fatoosh, this salad comes together in just 10 minutes, and is a riot of flavors and textures.
It's perfect to serve as a side dish, but you can also enjoy it as a light lunch. If you're looking for something simpler and more effortless, try my 5 minute Sumac cucumber salad recipe.
I've recently been experimenting a lot of Middle Eastern recipes, particularly light lunches. My Halabessa (spicy chickpea soup) and Egyptian fried boiled egg salad recipe received so much love.
I actually ended up making them so often for a quick weekday lunch, and that's kind of what inspired me to try another light salad recipe.
Quick Look: Fatoosh Salad
- 🔪Prep time: 10 minutes.
- ⏲️Cook time: 0 minutes.
- 👪 Servings: 2 servings.
- 📋Main ingredients: Lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, onions, radishes, bell pepper, Sumac, garlic, Sumac, pita chips, lemon juice, pomegranate molasses, olive oil.
- ♨️Cooking method: Prepare salad dressing 🡢 chop veggies 🡢 combine with salad dressing 🡢 toss and serve.
- ⭐Difficulty: Easy.
- 🥣Serving ideas: Serve it as a side to go with some Sumac chicken and lemon dill rice.
Jump to:
What's So Great About the Recipe?
- It's incredibly simple and easy to make. All you need is a few simple ingredients and 10 minutes of kitchen time.
- The salad ingredients are easy to source, and I almost always have most of them in my refrigerator. Plus, I can also tweak and play around with the ingredients based on what I have at hand.
- Just like my Sumac onion salad, this salad is super versatile. I can pair it with my grilled meats, my curries and even enjoy it as a meal in itself.
Recipe Ingredients
Veggies: I used a mix of tomatoes, Persian cucumbers, fresh lettuce, onions, bell peppers and some radish.
Pita Chips: I've used homemade pita chips seasoned in my favorite Dukkah blend. You can also choose to use a store-bought version if that's what you have at hand.
Sumac: Sumac is a beautiful blend of tart berries, and its flavor is hard to replicate. You can get it from your local food specialty store for just a few bucks.
Olive oil: Use the best quality extra virgin olive oil you can get your hands on- it really makes a difference. You can also use some lemon infused olive oil for extra flavor.
Mint leaves: Fresh mint leaves when chopped and added to the salad dressing can lend it an incredible amount of freshness. You can use dried mint too!
Garlic: Fresh minced garlic can really lift the flavors of the salad. This one's an absolute must.
Pomegranate molasses: Pomegranate molasses, teamed up with the Sumac, really brightens up the salad dressing and lends it a nice tart flavor.
Pomegranate arils: I had some fresh pomegranate at hand, so I went ahead and threw some arils into the salad too, for those small bursts of flavor and juiciness.
Lemon juice: Just a little dash of lemon juice can lend the Fattoush salad some nice tangy flavor.
Seasonings: I've used a simple seasoning mix of salt and pepper. You can add in other seasonings if you want to.
See recipe card for quantities.
Substitutions & Variations
- If you don't have fresh garlic, you can use some garlic flakes or garlic powder to add that little pungent flavor. I like to take it up a notch and use air fried garlic to lend the Fattoush salad a smoky aroma.
- Don't have fresh lemon juice but still want that tanginess? A dash of apple cider vinegar (or even just regular vinegar) should do the trick. You can also use strawberry vinegar or blueberry vinegar for a fruity kick.
- If you don't have mint leaves that the recipe calls for, throw in some chopped parsley to bring in some freshness. I like using my Air Fryer dried parsley whenever I have it at hand.
How to Make the Fatoosh Salad
Step 1: Combine the minced garlic, pomegranate molasses, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a small bowl.
Step 2: Add the tomatoes, cucumber, onion, radish, lettuce, bell peppers, pita chips and chopped mint in a large bowl.
Step 3: Drizzle the salad dressing into the bowl and toss well.
Step 4: Sprinkle pomegranate arils and sumac over the salad and serve.
💭Top Tip
If you don't have Sumac spice, use a simple mix of Italian herbs like oregano, basil and rosemary and a dash of cayenne pepper to lend some flavor and a pop of color to the salad dressing.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Pita chips add a nice element of crunch to the salad, but if you don't have pita chips, you can easily make them from some leftover pita bread that you may have.
- To make pita chips, cut pita bread into squares, toss them in a mixture of olive oil, salt and pepper and bake them in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown and crisp.
- You can actually make these pita chips ahead of time and store them in an airtight container too. These can be added to any other salad as well!
- Experiment with other veggies and mix-ins. I like adding my leftover molasses marinated olives into the mix to lend a nice briny flavor to the salad.
- Crumbled feta or goat cheese can also be a great addition to the Fatoosh salad and can be a beautiful creamy element that can balance out the other flavors.
- Sometimes, when I have some of my spinach and feta crisps leftover, I like to break them up roughly and add them into the salad too!
Serving Ideas & Suggestions
This crunchy Fatoosh salad can be enjoyed on its own as a light meal. If I'm hosting, I like to team it up with my favorite Turkish cheese rolls, some crunchy Sumac spiced nuts, a creamy Turkish yogurt dip and of course, some spicy Turkish salsa as well.
I absolutely love teaming this salad up with some homemade hummus and pita. The creaminess of the hummus and the soft pita complement the crunchy, fresh flavors of the salad, making it an absolute ride for your taste buds.
Troubleshooting & FAQs
This salad, like most other fresh salads, tastes best when you make it and serve it immediately.
If you want to prep the salad ahead of time, I would recommend preparing the salad mix, the toasted pita chips and the dressing separately. Then, all you need to do is toss everything together in a large bowl when you want to serve it.
More Middle Eastern Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
If you tried this Fattoush salad or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Fatoosh (Fattoush Salad)
Ingredients
- 1 Romaine lettuce
- 2 tomatoes diced
- 1 cucumber cut into ¼-inch
- 2-3 radishes cut into ¼-inch
- 1 onions sliced
- ¼ cup bell pepper diced
- 2-3 tablespoon fresh chopped mint leaves
- 1 teaspoon sumac
- Pita bread chips as needed
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 garlic cloves grated or knife minced
- 2 tablespoon pomegranate molasses
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Coarsely ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Combine the minced garlic, pomegranate molasses, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a small bowl.
- Add the tomatoes, cucumber, onion, radish, lettuce, bell peppers, pita chips and chopped mint in a large bowl.
- Drizzle the salad dressing into the bowl and toss well.
- Sprinkle pomegranate arils and Sumac over the salad and serve.
Notes
- Pita chips add a nice element of crunch to the salad, but if you don't have pita chips, you can easily make them from some leftover pita bread that you may have.
- To make pita chips, cut pita bread into squares, toss them in a mixture of olive oil, salt and pepper and bake them in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown and crisp.
- You can actually make these pita chips ahead of time and store them in an airtight container too. These can be added to any other salad as well!
- Crumbled feta or goat cheese can also be a great addition to the Fatoosh salad and can be a beautiful creamy element that can balance out the other flavors.
