A simple and delicious Greek salad made with tomatoes, cucumber and red onion tossed with a simple dressing of olive oil and red wine vinegar. Seasoned simply with Greek oregano and sea salt, this is humble Greek food which celebrates the beauty of fresh ingredients.

Tomato and cucumber salad in a bowl, surrounded by tomatoes, and bread.

When most people think about a Greek salad which includes tomatoes and cucumbers, they automatically think about the iconic Horiatiki, the Greek village salad that is made with tomatoes, cucumber, Kalamata olives, red onion and of course, feta. But did you know there is another tomato and cucumber salad that is a lot simpler, but also beautifully delicious? I am here to tell you that there is, and it is an absolutely amazing and easy tomato and cucumber Greek salad to add to your must try Greek salads.

This is a great salad to serve, especially when. you are feeding people who may have food intolerances or who are either vegan or fasting during lent. It contains no dairy, no eggs, no gluten and no meat so it is perfect for practically everyone!

Why you will love this recipe

Simple and straightforward

This easy tomato and cucumber Greek salad is simple and straightforward. It contains only a few ingredients and no special cooking skills or kitchen equipment are needed.

It is nutritious

Made with real ingredients, fresh vegetables and healthy Greek olive oil, this is a salad that you can feel comfortable eating serving after serving of!

It is vegan

The other nice thing about this salad is that it is vegan. Unlike many other Greek salads that contain cheese, this salad is perfect for vegans and for periods of Orthodox Lent when many abstain from eating eggs and dairy.

Key ingredients

Tomatoes In order for this salad to be the type of Greek salad you will be proud to serve, you have to use the best quality ripe tomatoes! When they are fresh off the vine, this is best! Also, you want juicy tomatoes. Most tomato varieties will do, but I would stay away from Roma tomatoes for example, which are not juicy.

Cucumbers Again, fresh and delicious cucumbers will make this salad. I like to use either small Lebanese cucumbers or English cucumbers. I tend to leave the peel on, especially if they have come from my garden. Even if they have not, a good scrubbing is all you need!

Red onion I love the mild flavour but also the vibrant colour of red onion. It adds great flavour to the salad!

Olive oil Of course, this tomato and cucumber Greek salad is dressed with Greek olive oil. Nothing compares to the flavour, and fragrance of this liquid gold!

Red wine vinegar Acidic, but not over-powering. I love red wine vinegar and find that it brings out the flavours of the tomatoes and the cucumber.

Greek oregano Nothing beats Greek oregano! This dried herb is so fragrant that every time I open the container that I keep it in, the entire kitchen smells like Greece!

Salt I season this salad with sea salt. A little goes a long way to enhance flavours and also to help the tomatoes release their gorgeous juices.

Ingredients for the Tomato and cucumber salad which include: Tomatoes, Red onion, Cucumbers, olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt and dry oregano.

How to make

Prepare your vegetables by cutting your tomatoes into wedges, your cucumbers into rounds or half rounds and your onion into slivers. Transfer to a bowl.

Pour in the olive oil, red wine vinegar, and add in the oregano and salt. Toss to combine and serve.

Recipe substitutions

Although I like to use regular sized tomatoes to make this salad, you can also use cherry tomatoes. Cut them in half to help release the juices.

Instead of red wine vinegar you can use white wine vinegar. You can also omit the vinegar all together.

Helpful hints

Never store your tomatoes in the refrigerator. They get quite mealy when refrigerated and they lose their amazing texture; even the flavour is impacted. Tomatoes want to be stored at room temperature. I like to arrange them on a pretty platter on my countertop, away from direct sun. The only time I will keep tomatoes in the refrigerator is if I know that I will be cooking with them and they are overly ripe.

I don’t typically remove the seeds from my cucumber when making this recipe but if your cucumber has very large seeds, then definitely scoop them out. I also leave the peel on most time. The only exception is if my cucumber has a very thick skin – then I will remove it.

This salad is best served soon after it is prepared and leftovers don’t keep very well. If you do find yourself with leftovers however, be inspired by my Greek salad egg scramble (Horiatiki strapatsada) to make a delicious new meal!

Frequently asked questions

What is a Greek salad?

There are many answers to this question, because there are many varieties of Greek salad! Typically though, when someone mentions a Greek salad they are referring to the iconic Greek village salad, or horiatiki. This is the salad that is almost always featured on menus, and which holds a place of honour on the Greek table. Still, be sure to discover all the other amazing Greek salads, like maroulosalata (a traditional Greek lettuce salad) or the Maniatiki, a potato, fennel and orange salad from the region of Mani.

How do I make an authentic Greek salad dressing?

Greek salad dressing is really easy to make. All you do is combine the ingredients in a bowl or a jar and whisk or stir to combine. In my Greek salad dressing recipe I add olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, oregano, garlic, mustard and salt and pepper. This salad dressing is great on most salads and can be used s a substitute to any dressing that is called for in a particular recipe. I also like to add this salad dressing to grilled vegetables, and I sometimes use it to marinate chicken or meat.

Recipe variations

If you want a dressed up version of this recipe then go ahead and make a traditional Greek village salad, or Horiatiki. That too has a base of tomato and cucumber, with red onion, but olives, sometimes green pepper and feta are added to it.

If you want to add some additional ingredients to this salad, then you can consider adding some avocado chunks, some canned tuna, or even some grilled chicken. Not necessarily traditional, but still delicious!

If you like the idea of simple and basic salads, and love cucumbers, you may want to try my Greek cucumber salad called agourosalata. It is fresh and light and full of flavour.

How to serve

Tomato and cucumber Greek salad is amazing served as part of a Greek meal. You can either serve it alongside a meat based main (Pork souvlaki would be great) or you can serve it with some seafood like Fried calamari. Add the most amazing Easy roasted potatoes to round out the meal.

You can also make this recipe part of a simple lunch. Serve it with some Tzatziki and fresh bread, perhaps add a bowl of Kalamata olives. Another great option would be to serve it with some Greek cheese topped bread.

If you love this salad then I am pretty sure you will also love these recipes:

Tomato fritters (Domatokeftedes) Famous in Santorini, these vegan tomato fritters are amazing and addictive.

Tomato and feta toast The simplest of breakfasts! Good bread, great tomatoes and Greek feta with some olive oil and oregano! Nothing more required!

Zucchini and cucumber ribbon salad with feta Such a simple and impressive salad. Gorgeous and fun to eat!

Grilled corn, cucumber and feta salad A hearty bowl of goodness! I love serving this salad with barbecue!

Tomato and feta toast, the Greek way to start the day.

Zucchini and cucumber ribbon salad with feta

Grilled zucchini salad with corn and black-eyed peas

Recipe

Please take the time to give our recipe a Star Rating, and leave a comment! We really appreciate it!