Arabic Salad Recipe is a traditional Middle Eastern salad that is mixed with cucumber, tomatoes, parsley, olive oil and sumac spices. It is commonly serve as a side dish for main meals that has meat and rice dishes.

As a half Middle Eastern, I love Arabic food since their foods are flavorful and rich in spices. Furthermore, their foods are very healthy and delicious. For example, in Jordan and Levant, the locals love adding olive oil, vegetables, sumac, and other spices in their dish.
When I went to Jordan, the locals always serve salad during dinner and lunchtime. For example, when I visited my relatives in the local city, they were serving a traditional Jordanian chicken dish called Maqluba, and along with it, they serve the salad. When I lived in Kuwait, the locals always serve salad together with their rice and meat dishes.
They are many kinds of Middle Eastern Salad since some of them use a specific type of cheese or crispy pita bread. But in this post, I will be showing you a very simple yet a traditional Middle Eastern Arabic Salad Recipe.
Recipe Ingredient
There are several ingredients you need when making a delicious Arabic salad recipe. They are not really that much and it is even simple.
Firstly, these are the list of chopped vegetables I used for my salad:
- Lettuce
- Parsley
- Cucumber
- Tomatoes
In some middle eastern salads, they also add other vegetables such as carrots and onions. But I am not a fan of these vegetables, so I don't add them to my salad.
Secondly, I am using sumac spices and extra virgin olive oil in my salad. These are two important ingredients that will give you a rich sour flavor, and without them, you can make an Arab salad. The sumac spices are found in any middle eastern or Arabic grocery stores.
Lastly, I need salt and black pepper for seasoning the salad. These two ingredients must be done right before serving, or else the salad will be watery.
Note: The sumac spice gives a sour flavor of the salad. If you don't have sumac, you can just use lemon.
What do I serve with this salad recipe?
This Arabic Salad Recipe is a vegetarian side dish that is eaten and serves with other main course meals. This includes meat, seafood, and rice recipes.
Here are the list of Middle Eastern food recipes you can serve and eat with this Arab Salad:
- Majboos
- Chicken Maqluba
- Middle Eastern Rice Dishes
- Beef Kebab and other Middle Eastern Meat Dishes.
Note: You don't have to serve this salad with only Middle Eastern Food. Any foreign dish with meat, seafood, and rice is perfect. Also, this dish is a vegan friendly if you don't eat meat.
What can I add in my Arabic salad?
Aside from adding vegetables in this middle eastern salad, you can also add other toppings to make your salad delicious.
For example, in Lebanese and other Levantine cuisines, feta cheese or crispy pita bread are commonly added in this salad. The name of this salad recipe is called Fattoush Salad. I have eaten that salad several times which is one of the best salads I tried in my life.
Lastly, I love adding Yogurt Garlic Sauce as a dressing for my salad. The yogurt sauce blends perfectly with the salad which I highly recommend eating this using pita bread. Not only it tastes good, but it is very healthy.
Step by Step Instruction
The step to make an Arabic Salad is very easy and straight forward.
Step I Step II
Firstly, chop the cucumber, tomatoes, lettuce and parsley. Once you are done chopping the vegetables, transfer them into a large bowl.
Step III Step IV
Add olive oil and sumac, and give it a quick mix. Lastly, you add the salt and black pepper for taste. Serve them with any main course meal that has rice and meat and you are done.
For full instruction of the recipe here is the step below:
Arabic Salad Recipe
This is a traditional middle eastern salad which is mixed with cucumbers, tomatoes, parsley, lettuce, sumac spices and olive oil.
Ingredients
- 2 cup of chopped cucumber
- 1 cup of chopped tomatoes
- 1 cup of chopped lettuce
- ½ cup of chopped parsley
- 2 tablespoon of olive oil
- 2 teaspoon of sumac spices
- Salt and Black Pepper for taste
Instructions
- Chop the cucumber, tomatoes, lettuce and parsley
- Transfer them into a large bowl
- Add sumac spices and olive oil in that bowl. Mix them with the vegetable well.
- Add salt and black pepper for taste
- Serve it with any main course meal preferably meat and rice dish.
Notes
- You can add feta cheese or crispy pita bread if you like
- Other vegetables you can add include red onion, carrot or mints.
- If you don't have sumac spices, you can add 2 tablespoon of lemon or citrus juice.
Nutrition Information
Yield 4 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 89Total Fat 7gSaturated Fat 1gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 6gCholesterol 0mgSodium 133mgCarbohydrates 6gFiber 3gSugar 2gProtein 2g
This salad looks very unique and interesting! I'll definitely have to try it!
Love this side dish. So flavorful. Something new to try!
This salad sounds like it would go with everything!! I love the fresh healthy ingredients and I can't wait to give this a go, cheers!
Thanks Adrianne. Let me know if you already made it 🙂
I always order this in my favourite Lebanese recipe. I can't wait to try this.
It is a popular salad in Arab countries including Lebanon. Thanks for sharing your experience.
This is my favorite side and the sumac adds such a nice sour tangy note to it! A must for bbq season! Thanks
Thanks Marie. The sumac give a nice sourness of the salad. They blend really with bbq dishes.
Love sumac. I bet this salad is amazing!
I love sumac too and yes it is one of the best Middle Eastern salad. Thanks for the comment