The Best Greek Salad with Homemade Dressing (American Style)

This is the best American-style Greek salad you’ll ever make! It’s loaded with shredded romaine lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, red onions, kalamata olives, and feta cheese. Then, it’s served with a super easy homemade Greek dressing.

This isn’t the horiatiki salad served in Greece but American-style Greek salad, like the ones served at Greek diners and pizza joints in the US.

Horiatiki isn’t served over lettuce in Greece. Greek American restaurants introduced the lettuce-based version to appeal to the American palette. 

I can’t get enough of it.

I could eat Greek salad every single day. If I’m lazy, I’ll use bottled Olive Garden Italian dressing instead of homemade. But seriously, Greek dressing is super easy to make, and I recommend it!

I love making a double batch of chicken souvlaki, homemade hummus, and tzatziki. Then, prepping all the fixings for this Greek salad. I buy some premade pita from the store, and we make assorted Mediterranean platters all week. So, so good.

Greek salad is always my go-to when we want something good for you, but we aren’t trying to eat bland, boring diet food. It’s packed with veggies and extra virgin olive oil but tastes like a million bucks. There’s so much flavor, and it’s such a satisfying salad. Pair it with Greek chicken souvlaki for a fantastic, well-rounded meal! 

This American-style Greek salad can be served as a dinner salad, a side salad, or an appetizer. It can be part of any Mediterranean-style meal. Greek salad is great with pizza or wings. You can also serve it like house salad with about anything.

Ingredients

A bed of crunchy romaine lettuce separates American-style Greek salad from traditional Greek horiatiki.

Cucumbers, tomatoes, and red onions add a flavorful veggie layer and create varying textures. I love using large heirloom tomatoes in the summer. If you can’t get them, Roma tomatoes work well. I prefer to use crisp, thin-skinned cucumbers like English or Persian cucumbers. If the cucumber skin is tough, you can peel it.

Crumbled feta cheese is mild, creamy, and salty. It’s an essential component. Buy a block of feta and crumble it yourself for the best quality cheese.

Pitted whole kalamata olives are bursting with salty, briny flavor. They complete this salad. Please, I beg you, don’t skip the olives!

Make a quick and easy Greek vinaigrette dressing with extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper.

Pickled pepperoncini peppers on the side add a mildly spicy and sour flavor to the salad.

How to Make it

Prep the veggies

Wash the romaine hearts. Then, lay them flat on a cutting board and cut it in half vertically, leaving the root end intact. Then, starting at the top, thinly slice it.

Discard the core.

Peel the red onion, then cut it in half and remove the root and stem. Then, cut it in half again and thinly slice it.

Core the tomato and cut it into quarters. Then, slice it.

Veggies are ready!

Arrange the salad

Place the shredded romaine in bowls or on a large platter.

Then, arrange the sliced tomatoes, cucumbers, and onions on top.

Add the crumbled feta and pitted kalamata olives. Then, sprinkle it with oregano.

Make the dressing

Put the red wine vinegar, garlic powder, oregano, salt, and pepper in a jar. Then, whisk to combine it. Slowly whisk in the extra virgin olive oil until a smooth dressing forms.

Dress the salad

Shake or whisk the Greek vinaigrette immediately before dressing the salad. It may separate after sitting.

Add the pepperoncini peppers to the side of the salad, then dress it with the Greek dressing.

Serve and enjoy!

Make Ahead or Feed a Crowd

You can scale this recipe for Greek salad. Make sure you have a big enough bowl or platter! Use the handy dandy button in the recipe card to double or triple the recipe.

You can assemble and refrigerate the salad for a few hours before serving. Make sure to whisk the dressing before using it.

Serving Tips

• Serve it as an appetizer or starter course.
• Pair Greek salad with pizza or wings.
• Serve it as a side with sandwiches.
• Add is as a side with 3 cheese baked ziti.
• For a light and nutritious lunch or dinner, serve this Greek salad with homemade dressing as an entree-sized salad. Add grilled chicken for extra protein.
• Make a dinner plate with chicken souvlaki, rice pilaf, tzatziki, Greek salad, and pita.
• Make a Mediterranean-style platter with Greek salad, hummus, tzatziki, chopped veggies, lemon wedges, and pita.

More Mediterranean Recipes

• Tzatziki Sauce
• Easy Homemade Hummus
• Mediterranean Veggie Wraps
• Grilled Chicken Souvlaki

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