Fattoush is a Middle Eastern salad made with fresh veggies, herbs, and crispy pita bread. Tossed in a zesty sumac dressing, it's bright and delicious.
This fattoush salad recipe is the perfect side dish for a summer meal. A Middle Eastern staple, fattoush is fresh and bright, featuring seasonal vegetables like tomatoes, cucumbers, radishes, and lettuce, plus a hefty dose of parsley and mint. But, as tasty as tomatoes are in August, the star ingredient in fattoush isn’t a vegetable. It’s bread!
That’s right—crispy pita bread adds crunch to this salad, making it pretty darn irresistible for just about anyone. (Salad skeptics, I’m looking at you.) I hope you try this recipe. I think you’ll love it!
What is fattoush?
Fattoush is a Middle Eastern chopped salad that features seasoned or fried pita bread.
Now popular throughout the Middle East, fattoush first originated in Lebanon as a way to repurpose leftover bread. The fresh ingredients can vary, but they commonly include lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, radishes, and herbs like parsley or mint. Red and green onions are frequent additions as well. A tangy dressing, often made with sumac and/or pomegranate molasses, ties the salad together.
Fattoush Salad Recipe Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this fattoush salad recipe:
- Pita bread, of course! We’ll toast it up with olive oil and salt to make croutons for the salad. Leftover homemade pita is great here, but store-bought works well too.
- Romaine lettuce – It creates the salad’s crisp, fresh base.
- Persian cucumbers – I love them here because they have thin skin and nearly undetectable seeds. If you can’t find them, English cucumber is a good substitute. Otherwise, peeled, seeded regular cucumber works too.
- Cherry tomatoes – They add sweetness, acidity, and juicy texture.
- Red radishes – For peppery crunch!
- Red onion – It gives the salad a savory bite. Thinly slice it to avoid overwhelming the other flavors.
- Fresh mint and parsley leaves – Don’t skip them! They add cooling, aromatic depth to this simple recipe.
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
Fattoush Dressing
You’ll also need a few ingredients to make the zesty fattoush dressing. Most are pantry staples—olive oil, lemon juice, honey, garlic, and salt. But there are two other ingredients you might not have on hand:
- Sumac – This bright red spice can be found in Middle Eastern markets, spice shops, and online. It has a tart, lemony flavor that really makes this salad pop!
- Pomegranate molasses – Pomegranate molasses is very concentrated pomegranate juice. It has a syrupy consistency and intense sweet/sour taste. Its tangy flavor really sets this dressing apart from a basic lemon vinaigrette, so it’s worth investing in a bottle.
- Substitution: Replace with additional lemon juice. Add more honey to taste to balance the dressing’s flavor.
- Other uses: Make this muhammara recipe!
How to Make Fattoush Salad
The first step in this fattoush salad recipe is toasting the pita. The pita in a fattoush salad might be toasted, fried, or just stale. I like to bake mine in the oven because I love the crispy texture, and I find it easier than frying.
Preheat the oven to 425°F, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Tear the pita into 1-inch pieces, and season it with olive oil and salt. Spread the bread in a single layer on the pan, and bake for 13 to 20 minutes, or until crisp and golden brown. Toss the pita halfway through the baking time so that it crisps evenly.
Meanwhile, make the dressing. In a medium bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, pomegranate molasses, honey, sumac, garlic, and salt.
Finally, assemble the salad. Place the veggies in a large bowl with half the pita chips and half the fresh herbs. Toss with half the dressing and season to taste, adding more dressing as desired.
Top with the remaining pita chips, parsley, and mint. Sprinkle with sumac, and enjoy!
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
Tips for Making The Recipe
- Seasonal vegetables make it shine. Because this recipe is so simple, the quality of the fresh vegetables you use counts. I recommend making it when tomatoes and cucumbers are in peak season—generally summer in Canada and the US—for the best results. Use locally grown produce when possible.
- Get ahead. Make the dressing up to 2 days in advance, and store it in an airtight container in the fridge. You can also toast the pita up to a day ahead. Store it, loosely covered, at room temperature.
- Keep the pita separate until the last minute. I like this salad best when the bread is still a little crunchy. To help it maintain its crisp texture, wait to add it to the salad until you’re about to eat.
- Make it your own. This fattoush recipe is flexible! Toss in other seasonal veggies like chopped bell peppers, or sprinkle in another herb, such as fresh thyme. Heartier add-ins like crumbled feta cheese, crispy roasted chickpeas, and olives are also delicious. Let me know what variations you try!
More Favorite Salad Recipes
If you love this fattoush salad, try one of these fresh salad recipes next:
- Tabbouleh
- Panzanella
- Tomato Salad
- Chickpea Salad
- Lentil Salad
- Cherry Tomato Couscous Salad
- Greek Salad
- Or any of these 51 Best Salad Recipes!
Fattoush Salad
Ingredients
- 2 pita breads, torn into 1-inch pieces
- Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
- Sea salt, for sprinkling
- 1 small head romaine lettuce, chopped
- 2 Persian cucumbers, thinly sliced
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 4 red radishes, thinly sliced
- ⅓ cup thinly sliced red onion
- ½ cup fresh mint leaves
- ⅓ cup chopped fresh parsley
Dressing
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons pomegranate molasses
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 teaspoon ground sumac, plus more for sprinkling
- 1 garlic clove, grated
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Place the pita on the baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt. Toss to coat and spread evenly on the baking sheet. Bake for 13 to 20 minutes, or until crisp, tossing halfway through.
- Meanwhile, make the dressing: In a medium bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, pomegranate molasses, honey, sumac, garlic, and salt.
- Assemble the salad. In a large bowl, place the romaine, cucumbers, tomatoes, radishes, onion, half the toasted pita, and half the mint and parsley. Pour on half the dressing and toss. Season to taste, adding more dressing as desired, and top with the remaining pita, mint, and parsley. Sprinkle with sumac and serve immediately.
I didn’t have sumac in the house when I made this but I had za’atar which has sumac in it and wow, the dressing was absolutely amazing! Definitely will be making this salad often.
I made this salad tonight and it was delicious. It’s crazy hot here in Dallas so I didn’t want to turn on the oven. Instead I used a vortex air fryer to toast the pita. It toasted in just a few minutes so that’s my recommended hack. Thank you for this delicious recipe and another way to use the pomegranate molasses. I got it for your delicious muhammara dip.
Hi Jen, Thanks for your comment! I’m so glad you loved the salad (and the muhammara!).