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Have you ever heard of Fattoush Salad? It’s a light, refreshing, and crunchy salad that’s perfect for summer. It’s also a good way to use up any vegetables you have kicking around in your fridge or on your counter plus is ready in just 15 minutes.
This stripped-down version of fattoush salad is seasoned only with lemon juice, olive oil, and salt and pepper which lets all the flavors of the fresh vegetables come through.
I’ve added some nectarine, though not really traditional, which adds a nice little hit of summertime sweetness.
If you’re craving more salads, try this Greek millet salad and this tasty vegan sweet potato salad.
Why This Recipe Works
- Quick and easy. Ready in less than 15 minutes.
- Perfect for summers with its light, fresh flavor.
- A healthy combination of ingredients. Loads of fresh veggies and healthy fats.
What is Fattoush?
Fattoush is a salad of chopped seasonal vegetables and toasted stale bread. It is similar in some ways to Panzanella salad.
The vegetables may vary depending on the season but often include tomatoes, cucumber, and radishes with chopped lettuce. It’s often flavored with herbs and a light dressing.
My recipe is inspired by the flavors of the Lebanese fattoush salad with a few changes from the authentic recipe. The results are a salad with the perfect balance of herbs and sweet and savory flavors.
What Goes Into This Recipe
This simple summer salad requires a handful of fresh ingredients along with some pantry staples.
- Veggies: Cucumber, tomato, and red onion! Traditional components in fattoush salad.
- Nectarine: A peach works too!
- Lemon juice: Definitely use fresh for the best flavor.
- Olive oil: The bright and light flavor of olive oil works the best for this salad.
- Herbs: A handful of parsley and fresh mint add fresh flavor to finish off the salad.
- Bread: Pita or naan bread are traditional though you can use thinly-sliced sandwich bread in a pinch. It’s even better if it’s a little stale.
How To Make Fattoush Salad
- 1) Combine the chopped cucumber, tomato, nectarine, and onion in a medium bowl.
- 2) Drizzle with the lemon juice and olive oil and toss to combine.
- 3) Add the parsley and mint and mix everything together well. Set aside until ready to serve.
- 4) Just before serving, toast the bread until it’s dry and crunchy. Break it up into irregular bite-sized pieces, and toss with the salad.
- 5) Season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve immediately.
Expert Tips and FAQs
- Prevent sogginess. Make sure to add the toasted bread right before you serve the salad. If you let it sit too long, the bread will get mushy and sort of dissolve.
- Chop the veggies. In similar-sized pieces.
- Change up the ingredients. Feel free to use other veggies or add in more to make your fattoush salad. Radish, bell pepper, crisp lettuce such as romaine, and green onions are sometimes used. But really, there are so many variations so feel free to use whatever vegetables you want!
You can chop the vegetables and mix up the dressing up to 24 hours in advance. But toasting the bread and mixing everything together should be done right before serving.
For vegans, you can pair fattoush with a wide range of dishes. This roasted red pepper soup and some falafel work well and are other dishes commonly served in the same region as fattoush. But really this light and bright salad go with a wide range of dishes. Serve it up as a side dish for crispy tofu, a tofu and pesto sandwich, and a vegan bagel sandwich.
Vegan Salad Recipes
- Vegan Broccoli Salad
- Colorful Farro Salad
- Strawberry Kale Salad
- Vegan Tofu Larb Salad
- Warm Soba Salad with Cucumbers
Photos by Alfonso Revilla
Fattoush Salad
Ingredients
- 1 medium cucumber diced
- 1 medium tomato diced
- 1 medium nectarine diced (a peach will work)
- ½ of a red onion diced
- juice of ½ lemon
- 2 teaspoons of olive oil
- small handful parsley chopped
- small handful mint chopped
- 1 ½ ounces of bread (pita, naan, thinly-sliced sandwich bread – whatever you have on hand), preferably a little stale
- kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Mix the cucumber, tomato, nectarine, and onion in a medium bowl. Add the lemon juice and olive oil and toss to combine. Add the parsley and mint, mix well, and set aside until ready to serve.
- Just before serving, toast the bread until dry and crunchy. Break into irregular bite-sized pieces, and toss with the salad. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve immediately.
Notes
- Prevent sogginess. Make sure to add the toasted bread right before you serve the salad. If you let it sit too long, the bread will get mushy and sort of dissolve.
- Chop the veggies. In similar-sized pieces.
- Change up the ingredients. Feel free to use other veggies or add in more to make your fattoush salad. Radish, bell pepper, crisp lettuce such as romaine, and green onions are sometimes used. But really, there are so many variations so feel free to use whatever vegetables you want!
Nutrition
Disclaimer: Although plantbasedonabudget.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, kindly note that these are only estimates. Nutritional information may be affected based on the product type, the brand that was purchased, and in other unforeseeable ways. Plantbasedonabudget.com will not be held liable for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information. If you need to follow a specific caloric regimen, please consult your doctor first.
This sounds amazing! Do you have any suggestions for making it oil-free?
You can try using veggie broth as a sub 🙂
This salad looks super delicious
My favorite is all the colors and textures!
I had never tried this type of salad before, SO good!
It’s definitely one of a kind!
I love the idea of adding nectarine and bread cubes to this salad! It’s brilliant! Cool and crunchy.
Agreed! Loved the variety of flavors!
So nutritious and tasty! And looks beautiful, too, with all that colors!
This fatoush is sooooo good! Thanks for this awesome recipe.
Agreed! It’s so refreshing and full of yummy flavors!
so healthy and nutritious! love it!