Fattoush Salad, drenched in a tangy, homemade dressing, is a warm weather favorite. It's perfect as a side dish for falafel sandwich, but it’s also hearty enough to enjoy as a light lunch or dinner on its own. This easy recipe is vegan.
Fattoush Salad
Many years ago, Dennis and I discovered a hole-in-the wall restaurant that served Middle-Eastern food. They served falafels, and they had several vegan items on the menu, so we found ourselves eating there often. One of our favorite dishes was the Fattoush Salad, which was loaded with fresh garden veggies and topped off with crunch pita chips. Somehow we had eaten at dozens of Middle-Eastern restaurants and hadn’t heard of Fattoush Salad before.
Sadly, that little restaurant is no longer there. We sometimes pick up a Fattoush Salad to go from one of local take out places now, but they’re never made quite right – they’re either drenched in too much dressing, the veggies aren’t fresh, or – gasp! – there are no pita chips. To remedy this, I’ve started making it myself.
What Is Fattoush Salad?
Fattoush is a Lebanese bread salad made with toasted or fried pieces of pita combined with mixed greens and other vegetables, such as tomatoes and radishes. It belongs to the family of dishes known as fattat, which use stale flat bread as a base.
How to Make Fattoush Salad
This salad is so easy to make!
- First you toss the pita pieces with the oil and spices.
- Then you bake them for about 10 minutes, making sure you keep an eye on them so they don't burn.
- Next you whisk together the dressing ingredients.
- Then you toss the salad ingredients together.
- Finally, you mix the dressing in with the salad and top it with the pita chips.
If you're not eating your salad right away, store the pita chips separately and add them when you're ready to eat. They'll get soggy if you add them to the salad too early.
What is Sumac?
Sumac is a common spice in Middle Eastern cooking. It has a tart, lemony flavor. If can't find it, use paprika in its place and add ½ teaspoon of lemon zest to the dressing.
How to Customize Your Fattoush Salad
It's easy to make this recipe your own!
- If you follow a gluten-free diet, you can use roasted chickpeas instead of pita.
- Tofu feta can be tossed in to give your salad a little zing.
- Olives can also be tossed into your salad.
- You an add chopped cabbage or baby spinach leaves to your salad along with the romaine.
- Flatbread can be used, if you can't find pita bread.
- Chickpeas or falafel balls can be add to the salad, for a little boost of protein.
Fattoush Salad
Ingredients
- 2 8-inch whole wheat pitas torn into bite-sized pieces
- 3 tablespoon olive oil divided
- 2 teaspoons sumac divided
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 large head romaine lettuce coarsely chopped (approximately 6 cups)
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes cut half
- ½ cucumber quartered and chopped (approximately 1 cup)
- 2 radishes thinly sliced (approximately ½ cup)
- ½ red onion thinly sliced (approximately ½ cup)
- 1 cup parsley coarsely chopped
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat your oven to 350°.
- In a medium bowl, toss the pita pieces with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, 1 teaspoon of the sumac, and the salt and pepper. Toss to coat.
- Spread the pita pieces on the lined baking sheet, and bake for 10 minutes, flipping them after 5 minutes. Keep an eye on them, as they can burn pretty quickly.
- While the pitas are cooking, whisk together the remaining olive oil and sumac with the lemon juice, white wine vinegar and garlic in a small bowl.
- In a large bowl, toss together the lettuce, tomato, cucumber, radishes, onion, and parsley. Add the dressing and tingly toss to combine. Top with the toasted pita pieces.
More salads you might enjoy include:
- Tahini and Tofu Kale Salad
- Spinach Salad with Strawberries and Tofu Feta
- White Bean and Cucumber Salad
- Cauliflower Tabbouleh
Cadry
I always like to use every last bit of bread - either dried out pita or leftover sourdough. Baking it into crisps or croutons is a wonderful way of repurposing, and it makes a salad a lot more fun. I used to regularly get fattoush salad at a place in Pasadena. Your recipe sounds very much like something I'd enjoy.
Becky Striepe
Salad with bread in it sounds like my perfect salad!
Jenn
Sounds so good! Love those crunchy pita bites. And all those red radishes - my fave! Yum!
Mel | avirtualvegan.com
This looks great! I love my salads with a bit of a crunch and the crispy sumac pita chips sound delicious in there.
Dianne
Thank you, Mel!
Dianne
Thank you, Jenn!
Dianne
I agree! 🙂
Dianne
I have a tendency to put old bread outside for the squirrels, but I should try to make my own crisps and croutons more often.
Amy Katz from Veggies Save The Day
I love Fattoush salad! There's just something about sumac. I should really use it in more dishes.
Dianne
I should use it more, too!
Melissa @ Vegan Huggs
Wow! This Fattoush Salad looks incredibly delicious! I love the blend of textures and flavors 🙂
Sophia | Veggies Don't Bite
Never heard of this before but it looks delicious! Love all the flavors going on!
Vanessa @ VeganFamilyRecipes
This looks exactly like what I want/need for lunch today. Love when my salads have a nice crunch and great seasoning to them 😉 Thanks for sharing!
Dianne
Thank you, Melissa!
Dianne
Thank you, Vanessa. Enjoy! 🙂
Dianne
Thank you, Sophia!
Sarah
This looks delicious! The weather here can't decide whether it is fall or not, so we've had some warmer days. Gotta grab the ingredients for this and make it this week!
Dianne
Thank you, Sarah! I hope you enjoy it!