This colorful Lebanese Fattoush salad is a staple for me whenever we go out for Mediterranean food! It’s a bright and refreshing garden salad with lots of texture and flavor from the veggies! I always order beef Kefta or Koobideh from the menu, and a bright, zesty salad is exactly what I need to cut through the richness of kebobs. But the true pièce de résistance in a Fattoush salad is the fried pocket pita bread that adds so much crunch! And the zesty lemon and sumac dressing ties the whole thing together into a deliciously irresistible package.
What is Fattoush salad?
Fattoush salad is made with leafy greens. Typically it is tossed with Persian cucumbers, ripe tomatoes, thinly sliced onions. The most iconic thing about a Fattoush salad is the fried pita bread croutons added to the salad.
How is Fattoush different from Tabbouleh?
The vegetables are chopped more finely in a tabbouleh salad than for Fattoush. Fattoush salad has a leafy green lettuce base and also contains fried pita bread as a topping. In contrast, tabbouleh has cracked barley and parsley as the base ingredients.
Ingredients in a Fattoush salad:
Seasonings: You’ll need a few unusual ingredients here, like sumac and za’atar. Sumac has a lemony taste that will add the best flavor to the dressing. Za’atar is a seasoning made with sesame seeds and dried thyme, as well as several other ingredients. I like to think of it as the ‘Italian seasoning’ of the Middle East – a good all-purpose seasoning blend. You’ll also need a big pinch of dried mint for the dressing. Don’t worry; if you’re not a big mint fan, it just adds a refreshing taste to the dressing without it being overpowering at all!Olive oil: good quality olive oil will make all the difference here. We’re using olive oil in the dressing as well as to fry the pita croutons.Lemon juice: lemon juice is the acid used in the sumac dressingGarlic cloves: pressed or finely grated garlic adds just a hint of flavor to the salad dressing. I highly suggest pressing it so that it just dissolves into the dressing, and you don’t end up getting a harsh, garlicky bite!Pomegranate molasses: can be a difficult ingredient to find. If you have a middle eastern store near you, I suggest checking there. It’s also easily available online here. You can also make your own pomegranate molasses if you can’t find any in stores. There are tons of recipes available online.Honey: a drizzle of honey goes into the dressing to add a little bit of sweetness. It’s not something that you typically see listed in the ingredients for a fattoush salad dressing, but I like to add a squeeze to help balance the tart flavors from the lemon and ground sumac.Pocket Pita: A large flat pita pocket is ideal for this – the kind that they wrap shawarma in at authentic middle eastern restaurants. If you can’t find the large kind, feel free to use 1 ½ of the regular-sized pocket pitas from the grocery stores. It’s important to use a ‘pocket pita’ because you get thin, extra crispy chips for your salad!Veggies: I like to use an array of veggies! Other than romaine lettuce, I use tomatoes, bell peppers, red onions, radishes, and Persian cucumbers.
How to make Fattoush Salad at home:
Tips for making the best Fattoush Salad:
If you like this recipe, you might also like:
Most Delicious Homemade Shawarma Seasoning Beef Shawarma Bowls with Persian RiceEasy Persian Chicken KebabsLentil Rice Pilaf (Mujadara)Frozen Mint Lemonade (Limonana)
This Fattoush recipe was originally shared in Aug. 2016, updated with new images, minor recipe tweaks, and easier instructions in June 2021.
This makes some extra dressing, depending on your preference you may or may not need all of it. You can add in diced or shredded rotisserie or cooked chicken to make this salad more of a heartier meal. If serving as a main if you up the lettuce to 2 1/2 or even 3 hearts of romaine, it will feed about 3-4 people. You can also add in sliced radishes which are often used in a fattoush salad.
