This Lebanese fattoush salad recipe is loaded with veggies, pomegranate seeds, and a tangy pomegranate molasses dressing. The recipe makes enough to feed a crowd, but can be scaled down if needed. Serve fattoush salad with beef kofta kebabs.
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Fattoush is a popular Lebanese salad that is enjoyed throughout the Middle East. Unlike Lebanese tabbouleh, fattoush is topped with fried or baked pita chips.
A tangy, pomegranate syrup and sumac-based dressing gives this salad its unique, tangy flavor. I like to serve it on the side with Lahm Bi Ajeen (Middle Eastern pizza)
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Lebanese fattoush salad is a refreshing salad and a great option for taking to potlucks and barbecues!
- This recipe is enough for at least 10 servings, but can be sized down if necessary.
- Most of the ingredients are easy to find, besides the pomegranate molasses and sumac powder, which can both be found at most Middle Eastern markets or on Amazon.
- If you don't feel like baking homemade Middle Eastern pita bread or frying pita bread, just use Stacey's Pita Chips instead.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Lettuce: Romaine lettuce is my favorite lettuce option. If you need to, you can use iceberg lettuce or a spring mix.
- Tomatoes: Cherry tomatoes or other firm tomatoes can be used.
- Cucumbers: I added 1 English cucumber. If you have Persian cucumbers or Armenian cucumbers, even better!
- Pomegranate: You'll need the seeds from one pomegranate.
- Onion: You can use red onion, green onions, or a combination of the two.
- Herbs: My sister's original recipe included fresh mint leaves, Italian parsley, and cilantro. You can add all three or leave out what you don't like.
- Dressing: For the dressing, you'll need lime and lemon juice, pomegranate molasses, sumac powder, red wine vinegar, fresh garlic, sugar, salt, black pepper, and extra virgin olive oil.
- Pita Chips: Pita chips are added last and preferably right before serving so that they don't get soggy from the salad dressing.
- Optional Ingredients: Feel free to add bell pepper, purslane leaves, black olives, and feta cheese.
* See the recipe card for exact ingredients and measurements.
How to Make Lebanese Fattoush Salad
Step 1: To make the dressing, whisk salad dressing ingredients until emulsified and set aside until needed.
Step 2: Tear the lettuce into bite-sized chunks and add to a large salad bowl. Chop/slice the remaining vegetables and toss them with the lettuce.
Step 3: Sprinkle pomegranate seeds on the salad. Just prior to serving, drizzle the salad with the pomegranate dressing and top with pita chips.
Pro Tip: If you don't want to deal with the hassle of deseeding the pomegranate, Poms Wonderful has pomegranate seeds in a cup, making it so convenient. You'll need approximately 1 cup.
Recipe FAQs
Fattoush dressing has citrus juice, pomegranate molasses, vinegar, and sumac powder, which makes the dressing very tangy and slightly sweet.
Fattoush salad contains approximately 230 calories per serving. It's loaded with nutritious veggies and fiber, making it a great option for a healthy side dish. To reduce the calories further, don't add the pita chips and go easy on the salad dressing.
The name fattoush (فتوش) is derived from the Arabic word "fatteh" which means "crumbs." Bread crumbs, in the form of fried pita chips, are added to fattoush salad and drenched in a tangy pomegranate molasses dressing.
Pro Tips
- Sometimes purslane is also added to the salad. Purslane is an edible weed that's loaded with health benefits!
- Radishes are also a popular addition to this yummy salad.
- The salad and dressing can be made ahead of time and refrigerated until ready to serve.
- Once the dressing and pita chips are added to the salad, it needs to be consumed right away. The salad and pita chips will degrade and is no longer suitable for storing.
- If you are not serving a large crowd, you may want to halve the recipe so you don't waste the ingredients.
- If you have the time, bake fresh pita bread, then season and fry the pita bread to make your own pita chips.
More Salad Recipes
If you enjoy this fattoush recipe, try these other delicious salads!
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Recipe
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Ingredients
Method
- To make the dressing, whisk salad dressing ingredients until emulsified and set aside until needed.
- Tear the lettuce into bite-sized chunks and add to a large salad bowl. Chop/slice the remaining vegetables and toss them with the lettuce.
- Sprinkle pomegranate seeds on the salad. Just prior to serving, drizzle the salad with the pomegranate dressing and top with pita chips.
Nutrition
Notes
- Sometimes purslane is also added to the salad. Purslane is an edible weed that's loaded with health benefits!
- Radishes are also a popular addition to this yummy salad.
- The salad and dressing can be made ahead of time and refrigerated until ready to serve.
- Once the dressing and pita chips are added to the salad it needs to be consumed right away. The salad and pita chips will degrade and is no longer suitable for storing.
- If you are not serving a large crowd, you may want to halve the recipe so you don't waste the ingredients.
- If you don't want to deal with the hassle of deseeding the pomegranate, Poms Wonderful has pomegranate seeds in a cup, making it so convenient. You'll need approximately 1 cup.
Josephine Peera-Moreno says
Im Assyrian, I grew up in Baghdad, came to the states at age 11.
But remember it very well. My mom used to make fattoush and taboule but I preferred fattoush. Your recipe is almost exactly like hers. I love your website, you have so many recipes I don’t need to look elsewhere. Most of your recipes are so close to my moms it’s uncanny. I do have cousins in San Diego, Turlock and Chicago. I wonder if your mom knew mine, mom knew everybody.
Hilda Sterner says
Hi Josephine, I'm glad you found my blog, and thank you for your sweet comments! It sounds like your mom was an amazing cook, like mine. I came to the states at age 10, so I guess we have that in common too! What was your mom's name? I can ask my oldest sister, she's more familiar with who my mom knew. Although, her best fried was Lucy Peera.