Toss together this speedy Greek salad in just 5 minutes! Enjoy bites of crisp cucumber, juicy cherry tomatoes, tangy feta and salty Kalamata olives in this Australian version, made just like your favourite chicken shop.
In This Post You’ll Learn
Quarter chicken ‘n’ chips and a small Greek salad please!
That’s Mum’s usual order if we’re getting chicken and chips for dinner, but now – we make our own salad! Why? No soggy salad or sandy tomatoes here – just the best quality ingredients – freshly made for a quarter of the price.
It’s ready in just 5 minutes, it’s the perfect quick side salad you make at short notice when your favourite person brings home surprise chicken and chips (or an Aussie burger with the lot).
Feel free to use our recipe below as a guide, then tweak it with our easy variation ideas to make it your own.
Related: Shopska Salad / Smashed Cucumber Salad / Self Saucing Salad
What is Greek Salad?
Also known as horiatiki or xoriatiki, this popular Greek salad has made its way into the hearts and homes of many throughout Australia. You’ll usually find a bowl on the table on a hot Summery night, complete with either the fixings of a homemade BBQ or where our Mum’s usually order it from – the local chicken shop.
Adapted over time, this is not the traditional Greek salad with a big whole slab of feta on top and red onion throughout, it’s definitely the Australian version, with the same big flavours but chopped up quick and easy.
Better Than Takeaway Salad
You know how it is – you order your chicken and chips (with extra chicken salt of course) and ask them to throw in a small Greek salad (gotta make it healthy!). You get home and tuck into dinner, finishing it off with a scoop of salad. Then the disappointment hits – the tomatoes are tasteless and sandy, the cucumber soggy and why is there more red onion than feta?
This recipe is Laura’s love letter to a quick, chuck-it-together Greek salad done right alongside your hot chippies. No more disappointment, just pure joy in every bite.
What You’ll Need
- Cucumber – We use crispy continental cucumbers, but if you want to use Lebanese cucumbers, use the whole cucumber as they are quite a bit smaller than continental cucumbers.
- Tomato – Cherry tomatoes are our favourite hack for this salad! They’re smaller and easier to slice in half into bite sized pieces. They’re also usually much more flavourful than a regular everyday tomato. You can use whatever type of tomato you have on hand. If you want to select the best tasting tomatoes – smell them! The better they smell (and usually the deeper their red colour), the better they’ll taste!
- Feta – Greek style feta (or Australian feta) is obviously perfect for this recipe – it’s crumbly, easy to cut and has a good tangy bite to it. We also love that it holds its shape quite nicely compared with soft Danish style feta.
- Kalamata Olives – Love them? Leave them in! Hate them? Leave them out – totally up to you!
- Oregano – Dried oregano is the secret to that classic Greek salad flavour you know and love. If you happen to have fresh oregano in the garden, throw some of that in too!
- Olive Oil – Go for quality extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) for any salad dressing, but especially in this one! It really does make all the difference when it comes to flavour.
Let’s get cooking!
First, gather your ingredients: See recipe card below for measurements.
- In a medium mixing bowl pour in your cucumber, cherry tomatoes, feta and Kalamata olives.
- Sprinkle over your dried oregano and a drizzle of olive oil.
- Next, grab a couple of spoons and toss together. Optional: Give a decent crack or two of salt and pepper over the top.
- Serve straight away or pop into the fridge to serve later.
Wandercook’s Tips
- Bite Size Pieces – Rather than having huge chunky wedges of tomato and tiny pieces of feta, we love to cut all the ingredients to roughly the same size, that way it makes it much easier to eat.
- Make Ahead of Time – This salad will be fine made the morning of or the day before – whenever you have 5 minutes to throw it together. The more time allows for the oregano to really marinate in the juices too!
Storage
Store in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. We do not recommend freezing.
FAQs
Yes, most Greek salad recipes have red onion in it, but ours doesn’t. This is mainly because Laura doesn’t like it (and we love a salad without the onion breath)!
Feel free to pop some in if you want to. We always encourage you to tweak and adapt recipes to suit your own tastes. It’s the most fun part of making your own food at home.
If you’re going Australian style, it’ll be between Mum’s potato bake and some cevapis, rissoles and homemade burgers from the BBQ. Or, alongside a hot charcoal chicken and chips from your local. You could even pair it as a light side dish to heavier meals like creamy chicken pasta bake or pasta al forno.
If you want to serve it alongside more traditional Greek dishes, pair it with heavier main dishes like moussaka, yiros (gyros) and spanakopita (similar to our spinach and cheese triangles). You can finish off the meal with a Greek dessert such as galatopita or karidopita.
Variations
- Olives – Add extra flavour by adding marinated olives instead such as chilli or garlic olives.
- Tweak the Flavour – Add a splash of fresh lemon juice or red wine vinegar.
- Make it Traditional – Make it more traditional by adding red onion slices and keeping the feta whole instead of chopped into cubes.
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★ Did you make this recipe? Please leave a comment and a star rating below!
Ingredients
- ½ cucumber sliced into chunks, 150 g / 5.29 oz
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes sliced in half, 150 g / 5.29 oz
- 100 g Greek style feta cut into cubes, 3.52 oz
- ½ cup Kalamata olives pitted, 60 g / 2.11 oz
- 1 tsp oregano dried
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Salt and pepper optional
Instructions
- In a medium mixing bowl pour in your chopped cucumber, cherry tomatoes, feta and Kalamata olives.½ cucumber, 1 cup cherry tomatoes, 100 g Greek style feta, ½ cup Kalamata olives
- Sprinkle over your dried oregano and a drizzle of olive oil, then grab a couple of spoons and toss together. Optional: Give a decent crack or two of salt and pepper over the top.1 tsp oregano, 1 tbsp olive oil, Salt and pepper
- Serve straight away or pop into the fridge to serve later.
Video
Recipe Notes
- Bite Size Pieces – Rather than having huge chunky wedges of tomato and tiny pieces of feta, we love to cut all the ingredients to roughly the same size, that way it makes it much easier to eat.
- Make Ahead of Time – This salad will be fine made the morning of or the day before – whenever you have 5 minutes to throw it together. The more time allows for the oregano to really marinate in the juices too!
- Storage – Store in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. We do not recommend freezing.
- Feta – If you aren’t a fan of the crumbly feta, swap it out for the creamy Danish style feta instead.
- Olives – Add extra flavour by adding marinated olives instead such as chilli or garlic olives.
- Tweak the Flavour – Add a splash of fresh lemon juice or red wine vinegar.
- Make it Traditional – Make it more traditional by adding red onion slices and keeping the feta whole instead of chopped into cubes.
Nutrition
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