Refreshing, herby, and crisp, this vibrant Easy Lebanese Fattoush Salad is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser! This flavorful salad uses chopped vegetables, fried pita, pomegranates, and a citrusy sumac dressing. Serve it as a side with falafel, hummus, or kebab.
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This zesty Northern Lebanese salad deserves a spot on your dinner table. It combines fresh vegetables, pomegranates, sumac, and pita croutons to make a memorable salad. The fried pita, sumac, and pomegranates are my favorite ingredients in this salad. The pita is chewy and delicious, the pomegranates add sweetness to every bite, and the sumac adds so much delicious flavor!
If you like this recipe, you will love this Lebanese tabbouleh recipe, Halloumi Salad Bowl with Pomegranates, Authentic Lebanese Falafel Recipe and Homemade Chicken Doner Kebab.
Why You Should Try This Recipe
- It is easy to make this salad.
- Make it in 15 minutes!
- The addition of fried pita makes it filling.
- It is a great side option.
- This salad is vegan.
Easy Lebanese Fattoush Salad Ingredients
- Romaine: This is the lettuce of choice for this recipe. It is crisp and has a mild sweet flavor.
- Tomatoes: Select fresh ripe tomatoes. Use roma or vine tomatoes. If you can't find these tomatoes, then you can swap them with what is available.
- Cucumbers: I used English cucumbers for this recipe. However, you can also use Persian cucumbers.
- Yellow capsicum pepper: Select ripe, unbruised yellow capsicum peppers for the best flavor.
- Radishes: Use vibrant, unbruised radishes. Remove the stem and chop them thinly.
- Green onions: Select fresh green onions for the best taste.
- Parsley: Pick parsley with fresh, vibrant leaves.
- Mint leaves: Select fresh, unbruised mint leaves.
- Pita bread: Chop the pita into equal-sized pieces before frying.
- Olive oil: Use good quality olive oil or extra virgin to fry the pita and for the dressing.
- Sumac: For flavor.
- Pomegranate: Add fresh pomegranate seeds to the salad or add molasses to the dressing.
Tips and Substitutions
- Ingredients: Select fresh ingredients for the best texture and flavor. Avoid bruised and unripe vegetables.
- Pita: Add the pita to the salad just before serving. If you add it beforehand, it will become soggy.
- Dressing: Feel free to add less or more dressing ingredients to suit your taste.
- Chopping: For this recipe, I prefer to chop the ingredients quite thinly, but you can chop them medium-sized or large, depending on your preference.
- Dressing: Like most recipes, fattoush salad can be made differently. I added pomegranate seeds for extra crunch, but you could also add pomegranate molasses to the dressing instead.
- Add-ins: To make this salad a meaty main, chop a chicken fillet, season with salt and pepper, and cook on both sides for 5-7 minutes or until done. Add the chicken chunks to the salad to make chicken fattoush. For a vegetarian option, add cooked chickpeas instead. Both dishes can be served as mains.
How to Make Easy Lebanese Fattoush Salad
- Combine ⅓ cup of olive oil, juice from one lemon, 1 teaspoon of sumac, salt to taste, black pepper to taste and one grated garlic clove in a bowl or food processor. Mix well to emulsify. Set aside for later.
2. Wash all of the vegetables and set aside to dry.
3. In the meantime, chop three pita bread into equal-sized pieces. Then, heat olive oil in a pan. Add pita to a pan, season with salt and pepper to taste, and fry pita on both sides for 2-3 minutes on low to medium or until golden. Once the pita is done, set aside on paper towels to soak up excess oil for later.
4. Remove the stems from the romaine lettuce, radishes, green onions, parsley, and mint. Chop them and add them to a bowl. Remove the stems from the yellow capsicum peppers and deseed. Chop and add to the salad bowl.
5. Chop tomatoes and remove seeds and liquid to prevent the salad from becoming soggy. Add to the salad bowl.
6. Cut the pomegranate in half and remove the seeds. Add the pomegranate to the salad bowl, pour the dressing over it, and toss until well combined.
7. Add fried pita when serving or on a plate on the side. Serve this glorious easy Lebanese Fattoush Salad with easy creamy hummus, crispy fried falafel or Easy Chicken Kebabs in the Oven.
Recipe FAQs
Most fatoush salads include cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce, radish, green onions, parsley, mint, and pomegranates tossed in a zesty sumac dressing topped with fried pita when serving. There are many variations, as people like to swap or add different ingredients depending on their preferences.
Tabbouleh and fattoush are popular Lebanese salads served as sides. They are made with some of the same ingredients, but they are not the same. Tabbouleh includes bulgur wheat, mint, parsley, cucumber, tomatoes, green onions, olive oil, salt, pepper, and lemon juice. Fattoush is made with cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce, radish, green onions, parsley, mint, pomegranates, a zesty sumac dressing, and fried pita.
It is refreshing, herby, and zesty. It includes pita croutons, fresh vegetables, and a sumac dressing, which adds a hint of sweetness and floral notes to the salad.
Fattoush is derived from the Arabic word "fatteh" which means crumbs. The crumbs refer to the fried pita bread which is one of the key ingredients in this salad.
More Refreshing Salad Recipes
Easy Lebanese Fattoush Salad
Equipment
- Frying pan
- Chefs knife
- chopping board
- Salad bowl
Ingredients
- 1-2 Romaine lettuce
- 4 tomatoes
- 1 cucumbers
- 1 yellow capsicum pepper
- 7 radishes chopped
- 5 green onions
- 1 cup parsley
- ½ cup mint leaves
- 3 pitta bread
- olive oil
- 2-3 tsp sumac
- 1 pomegranate
Dressing
- 1 lemon
- Salt to taste
- pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon sumac
- olive oil
- 1 garlic clove
Instructions
- Combine olive oil, lemon juice, sumac, salt to taste, black pepper to taste and one grated garlic clove to a bowl or food processor. Mix well to emulsify. Set aside for later.
- Wash all of the vegetables and set aside to dry.
- Meanwhile, chop pita bread into equal-sized pieces, then heat olive oil in a pan. Add pita to a pan, season with salt and pepper to taste and fry pita on both sides for 2-3 minutes on low to medium or until golden. Once the pita is done, set aside on paper towels to soak up excess oil for later.
- Remove the stem from the romaine lettuce, radishes, green onions, parsley and mint. Then, chop and add the veggies to a large salad bowl.
- Chop tomatoes, remove seeds and liquid. Add to the salad bowl. Remove stem from yellow capsicum peppers and deseed. Chop and add to the salad bowl.
- Slice a pomegranate in half, and remove the seeds. Do not throw away the seeds. Add them to the salad bowl. Do not add the fried pita yet. Pour the dressing on top of the salad and toss until well combined.
- Add fried pita when serving or on a plate on the side. Serve with hummus, falafel or kebab.
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Camille
I just made your vibrant and refreshing salad and wow, what a treat! The combo of fresh veggies, crunchy pita, and that tangy sumac-infused dressing is just fantastic. And those pops of pomegranate? Perfection! Can't wait to share this at my next BBQ. Thanks for the recipe! xx