Fattoush is a Lebanese bread salad made with a combination of fresh lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, fresh herbs, and crunchy pita croutons in a lemony dressing.
Our fattoush salad recipe is easy and is one of our favorite Middle Eastern recipes from our childhood. We grew up in Barcelona in a Jewish Lebanese home where we ate a lot of recipes from the Middle East.
What is Fattoush?
Have you ever had a Fattoush Salad? If you haven't, you should definitely try it! This simple yet delicious fresh chopped salad is packed with fresh herbs, pita croutons, and a ton of flavor. When you taste it you'll wonder why it was hidden from your tastebuds for so long!
The Arabic word Fattoush is derived from Fatteh which translates to Crumbs. Fresh and warm pita bread is a beloved Mediterranean food staple, but that doesn't mean leftovers go to waste. We fry or bake our leftover pita bread to make crunchy pita chips, croutons, or crumbs!
How to Make the Pita Croutons for Fattoush
Fattoush is the Lebanese version of the Italian Panzanella salad. It was created to use leftover or 2-3 day old pita bread. Traditionally, the pita bread is cut into bite-size pieces and fried in abundant olive oil. We have opted for a lighter, healthier version by drizzling olive oil into the pita bread and baking it until crispy.
Perfectly toasted pita bread is the key ingredient of a good fattoush. You might be tempted to use store-bought pita chips, and you may, if you choose, but we encourage you to make your own. We love the flavor of homemade pita croutons and they are incredibly easy-to-make homemade pita croutons.
Drizzle the pita with olive oil and salt. Then bake your pita at 375º for 15 - 20 minutes. Let the pita cool (so it gets crunchier) and cut it into small bite-size pieces for your bread salad.
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How to Make the Best Fattoush
Make sure to dress the salad only right before serving so the pita croutons stay crunchy. You can prep all the vegetables and the pita croutons ahead of time. Store them separately in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 2 days.
- Bake the pita croutons or pita chips in the oven
- Chop or dice all the veggies into bite-sized pieces
- In a large salad bowl, combine the lettuce, veggies, herbs and spices.
- Toss with the pita croutons and dressing, and serve immediately.
Fattoush Salad Dressing
The fattoush dressing should be kept simple. Olive oil, lemon, and salt are all you need for this fabulous salad. Simply whisk the ingredients to make the dressing. No blender or food processor needed for this easy recipe! If you want something a little deeper, you can add a drizzle of pomegranate molasses to your salad dressing.
Fattoush Ingredients
Fattoush Salad will be the most bright and crisp when you use the freshest ingredients possible. Take your time choosing the best produce at your farmer's market or local grocery.
- Pita Pockets. Traditionally these are fried to make croutons, but we bake them. You can also use our homemade pita chips recipe. Trust us, it is worth the effort to make your own pita croutons for this Lebanese salad.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
- Romaine Lettuce Hearts. These add the best crunch and nutrition, but you can use iceberg lettuce in a pinch. We don't use other salad greens because they're not as crisp and hearty.
- Cucumber. English or Persian cucumbers
- Bell Peppers. Yellow, red, and orange add crunch and color to this beautiful dish
- Tomatoes. Look for the juiciest tomatoes that are in season. During the colder months you can use cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes or kumato tomatoes.
- Parsley and Mint. Always use fresh herbs for Fattoush. Dried herbs just don't cut it here.
- Sumac. It will give the salad that extra punch of flavor and tanginess. I've described sumac in greater detail below. If you are unfamiliar with sumac, you should know that it's what makes this a Lebanese salad and not just a regular chopped salad. It's worth the effort to find some.
- Dressing. Fattoush salad dressing should be kept simple to highlight all the vibrant textures and flavors. Olive oil, lemon juice, and salt is all you need.
FAQ
What is sumac?
Sumac is a tangy, lemony-tasting red spice made from grinding the berries of the non-poisonous sumac plant. It brings a unique, bright tangy flavor to Middle Eastern dishes and beyond. Lately, using sumac in recipes is becoming very popular among chefs and home cooks in the US.
The flavor of this spice melds with the dressing to make this dish amazing. Many people call it sumac dressing. I prefer to add the sumac directly to the salad. Sumac enhances the flavor of soups like our Cauliflower soup with sumac oil, to bring sweet potato fries to the next level, dusted on cauliflower steaks, and adds even more flavor to our Lebanese bread salad: Fattoush.
Where can I buy sumac?
In the U.S., sumac is becoming more common in local grocery stores. However, if you cannot find it - try looking at a Middle Eastern market in your nearest big city or purchase online.
Can I put the sumac and other spices directly in the dressing before adding them to the salad?
You certainly can use this method, and many great cooks do make a sumac dressing. However, I find that mixing the spices into the salad separately from the dressing mixture gives you a more even flavor. Spices tend to cling to the sides of the jar or mixing bowl when mixed with oil, and all of that flavor never makes it into the salad.
What else can I put in my Fattoush?
- green onions
- radishes
- scallions
- red onions
- crushed garlic
- feta cheese
- pomegranate molasses
What to Serve with Fattoush
Other Middle Eastern Recipes
Fattoush - Lebanese Bread Salad
- Total Time: 15 mins
- Yield: 8 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Fattoush is a Lebanese pita bread salad made with a combination of fresh lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, fresh herbs, and crunchy pita croutons in a lemony dressing.
Ingredients
- 2 pita pockets
- 6 tsp extra virgin olive oil to drizzle on the pita (1 ½ tsp per half pita)
- ⅛ tsp salt for the pita bread
- 2 romaine lettuce hearts, shredded
- 1 large English cucumber, diced or 4 Persian Cucumbers
- ½ large yellow bell pepper, diced
- ½ large red bell pepper, diced
- ½ large orange bell pepper, diced
- 2 medium tomatoes, diced, or 1-pint grape tomatoes, sliced in half
- 1 small bunch of parsley, chopped
- 1 small bunch of fresh mint, chopped (optional, since it is not always available)
- 2 tablespoon sumac
- ¼ cup olive oil or more to taste
- ⅓ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (or to taste)
- Salt to taste (we used 1 tsp)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven at 375F. Separate each pita pocket into 2 halves. Place them on a cookie sheet, drizzle 1 ½ teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil on each half, and season with ⅛ teaspoon of salt
- Bake for 15 or 20 minutes or until golden. One half of the pita bread is always thicker than the other half. Watch them closely so the thinner pieces don't burn. Set aside to cool ( the pita bread will get crunchier as it cools)
- In a large bowl, combine the lettuce, cucumber, peppers, tomatoes, parsley, and mint (if using), sumac and salt.
- Right before serving (it's important to wait until you're ready to serve), brake the toasted pita into small bite-size pieces and sprinkle them over the salad. Add the lemon and olive oil and toss well. Serve immediately
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 15
- Category: Salad
- Method: Raw
- Cuisine: Lebanese
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 ½ cups
- Calories: 174
- Sugar: 4.7
- Sodium: 392
- Fat: 10.6
- Saturated Fat: 1.5
- Unsaturated Fat: 9
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 18.5
- Fiber: 5.2
- Protein: 4.3
- Cholesterol: 0
thewindykitchen
this is one of my favorite salads!
mayihavethatrecipe
It's one of my favorites too. I love the crunchy pita croutons !
nursemartyne
What is sumac and where do I get that?
nursemartyne
What is sumac and where can I get that?
mayihavethatrecipe
Martyne,
Sumac is a middle eastern spice that is reddish and very sour. It gives this salad a great tangy flavor! If you click on the "Ingredients we like" tab on the home page you'll get a link to get it through Amazon.com.
Ezequiel
This looks delicious! Can't wait to try it 🙂
nursemartyne
Thanks...will do. Very excited to try this recipe(I try almost all of them...except the meat versions since we are vegetarians). Thanks!
mayihavethatrecipe
Thank you for following us! Hope you like this one, it's delicious!
Devora
This looks delicous! I have had it before in a middle esastern resturaunt but i am very excited to try it at home!! Keep posting great recipies!
cookbooksandpattycakes
I've never tried Fatoush before but yours looks delicious.
Your dad's reaction is very sweet! I've used one or two of my mum's recipes but she doesn't know I'm blogging yet, she'll probably spend all day refreshing it if I told her!
mayihavethatrecipe
Hahaha! Both our parents are so excited about it! And our mom is so proud we're using her recipes!
We hope you like this one. Definitely one of our favorites!
Mrs
Where's to mint?
Raquel
The crunchy pita in this salad brings it to a whole new level! I love the middle eastern flavor profile as well.
Vicky & Ruth
Thank you! Enjoy!
Kathy
So good! My family ate this up so happily. I'm glad you mentioned other veggies I could use as I went to cut my cucumber and it was bad! I added radishes, scallions and a yellow pepper. Next time I'll sprinkle some sumac on my pita bread too after toasting so they are prettier - like in your photo. Thanks for making our meals more interesting!
Vicky & Ruth
We are glad you were able to adapt the recipe. Thank you very much for your sweet comments!
Pamela
Thank you for this super delicious fattoush salad. The whole family enjoyed it!
Joelle
One of the best Fattoush Salads I've ever had!
Chiana
This recipe is fantastic!