Fattoush (Middle Eastern Bread Salad)
Jul 30, 2025 12:57 AM
With crisp pita, loads of fresh herbs and veggies, and a zippy lemon dressing, this fattoush salad is full of bold flavor and crunch.
Fattoush is a classic Middle Eastern salad whose name comes from the Arabic word fatt, meaning “crushed” or “crumbled”—a nod to the crispy pita chips that give the salad its signature crunch alongside the greens, veggies and herbs. Like other traditional salads that make use of day-old bread, such as Italian panzanella, fattoush was originally created as a way to use up leftover pita.
What really makes it shine is the punchy dressing—a simple mix of lemon juice, olive oil, and garlic—and many traditional versions also include sumac and pomegranate molasses for extra tang and depth. Since those ingredients aren’t pantry staples for most people, I give you the option to include them or skip them—the salad is fantastic either way.
You can make your own pita chips by baking pita bread with a little olive oil and salt, or just use store-bought chips to keep things easy. Either way, it works! Fattoush is perfect as a side or a light main, and it pairs nicely with other Middle Eastern dishes, like hummus, labneh, grilled fish, chicken kabobs, or kofta.
Ingredients:
For the Dressing
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice, from 2 lemons
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons chopped shallots, from 1 small shallot
- 1 small clove garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 teaspoon sumac (optional)
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cumin
- Scant ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
For the Salad
- 4 cups mixed greens (romaine, watercress, arugula, mesclun, or any combination)
- ½ cup loosely packed fresh mint, very roughly chopped
- ½ cup loosely packed fresh parsley, very roughly chopped
- 1 cup (6 oz) cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 English/hothouse cucumber, halved, seeded, and thinly sliced
- 1 orange, yellow, or red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 3 radishes, trimmed and thinly sliced
- 2 cups pita chips
Prep Time:
20 minutes
Total Time:
20 minutes
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