Traditional Greek Salad (Horiatiki) Recipe

Name: Traditional Greek Salad (Horiatiki)
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Greek, Mediterranean
Ingredients: 3 Medium Ripe Tomatoes, cut into chunky wedges; 0.5 Cucumber, cut into thick half-moons; 0.5 Red Onion, thinly sliced; 1 Green Pepper, deseeded and sliced into rings; 80 g Kalamata Olives, pitted or whole - traditionally whole; 150 g Feta Cheese; 3 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil; 1 tsp Dried Oregano; Salt and Black Pepper, to taste

Horiatiki - the authentic Greek village salad - is one of the simplest and most satisfying dishes in the entire Mediterranean repertoire. Chunky tomatoes, cool cucumber, sweet red onion, fleshy Kalamata olives, and a generous slab of creamy feta cheese, dressed with nothing more than good extra virgin olive oil, dried oregano, and a little salt. No lettuce, no vinegar, no fuss.

This is the salad that arrives on every taverna table across Greece - and for good reason. When the ingredients are good, nothing else is needed. The key is using ripe, flavourful tomatoes and a decent block of feta rather than the pre-crumbled variety, which lacks the creaminess that makes horiatiki so satisfying.

Ready in just 10 minutes with zero cooking required, it works as a light lunch, a side dish alongside grilled meats, or as part of a Greek mezze spread. It pairs brilliantly with chicken souvlaki, lamb kleftiko, and Greek lemon chicken, and is equally good eaten with nothing more than warm pitta bread to mop up the olive oil and tomato juices at the bottom of the bowl.

Ingredients

3 Medium Ripe Tomatoes , cut into chunky wedges
0.5 Cucumber , cut into thick half-moons
0.5 Red Onion , thinly sliced
1 Green Pepper , deseeded and sliced into rings
80 g Kalamata Olives , pitted or whole - traditionally whole
150 g Feta Cheese
3 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tsp Dried Oregano
Salt and Black Pepper , to taste

Method

Arrange the tomato wedges, cucumber, red onion, and green pepper in a wide shallow serving bowl or on a large plate - don't toss, just layer them casually. This is a rustic salad, not a dressed one.

Tip: Use the ripest, most flavourful tomatoes you can find - this salad has nowhere to hide. In summer, vine tomatoes or heritage varieties are ideal. In winter, baby plum tomatoes tend to have the best flavour.
Scatter the Kalamata olives over the top.
Place the block of feta whole on top of the salad - do not crumble it. This is the traditional Greek way, and it stays fresher and creamier served as a slab.
Drizzle the extra virgin olive oil generously over everything, then sprinkle over the dried oregano and a pinch of salt and black pepper.
Serve immediately with warm pitta or crusty bread to mop up the juices. The salad should not be dressed until just before serving.

Tip: Authentic horiatiki contains no lettuce and no vinegar - resist the urge to add them. The olive oil and tomato juices create a natural dressing as the salad sits.

Alternatives & Variations

Reduce the olive oil to 1½ tbsp - it still coats everything well and cuts the calorie count noticeably; extra virgin olive oil is healthy but calorie-dense
Use reduced-fat feta if available - some supermarkets stock lighter versions that still have good flavour and hold their shape
Use pitted olives to make the salad easier to eat and reduce the temptation to add extra

Replace the feta with a good quality vegan feta-style cheese - Violife Greek White Block is widely available and holds its shape well as a slab on top of the salad. All other ingredients are already plant-based. The result is very close to the original in appearance and flavour.

This recipe is naturally gluten free. All ingredients - tomatoes, cucumber, pepper, olives, feta, olive oil, and oregano - contain no gluten. If serving with bread or pitta on the side, use a gluten free alternative. Check your feta packaging if you have a severe intolerance, as some cheeses are produced in facilities that handle gluten.

FAQs

ust 10 minutes - it's entirely no-cook and requires nothing more than chopping and arranging. It's one of the quickest recipes on the site.

Rated Easy. There's no technique involved beyond chopping vegetables and arranging them in a bowl. The only skill is sourcing good ingredients - particularly ripe tomatoes and quality feta.

You can prep the vegetables a few hours in advance and keep them covered in the fridge, but don't dress the salad or add the feta until just before serving - once dressed, the tomatoes release liquid and the salad becomes watery. It's best assembled and served immediately.

No - freezing is not suitable for this salad. The fresh vegetables and feta don't survive freezing and would become unpleasantly watery and soft on thawing. This is a make-and-eat dish.

It's the perfect side dish for chicken souvlaki, lamb kleftiko, Greek lemon chicken and potatoes, or keftedes. It also works brilliantly as part of a full Greek mezze spread alongside dolmades, tzatziki, hummus, and warm pitta. As a light lunch, serve with nothing more than good crusty bread to mop up the olive oil and tomato juices.

Authentic horiatiki - the Greek village salad - contains no lettuce. It's a common addition in Westernised versions, but in Greece the salad is built around tomatoes, cucumber, and feta, with the olive oil and tomato juices forming a natural dressing. Keeping it lettuce-free gives it a much more satisfying, substantial character.