Israeli Salad

The flavors of Israeli salad are fresh, light, and bright, with a crisp texture and a balance of juicy tomatoes, crunchy cucumbers, and pungent onions, all seasoned with the bright tang of lemon juice and the richness of olive oil.

I was inspired to recreate this recipe after touring Israel with Visit Israel and the Israel Ministry of Tourism. All opinions are my own.

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At Sweet C’s, I add lots of tips in all of my recipes – because I am a home cook without any formal training, and I find I am more confident making dishes when I understand why it works, and what each ingredient means to the flavor of a recipe – my goal is for even the most beginner home cook to feel empowered in the kitchen.

I want each reader to walk away with a solid knowledge of each recipe, with all of the tips I’ve gathered from extensive testing of each recipe. I also answer questions my friends and family have asked about my recipes, to help everyone better understand the processes we use – and why!

Jerusalem Salad

Israeli salad is a chopped vegetable salad that is popular in Middle Eastern cuisine, especially in Israel. It typically consists of chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, parsley, and sometimes other ingredients such as bell peppers, radishes, and lemon juice. The salad is seasoned with olive oil and salt, giving it a fresh and light flavor.

Israeli salad is delicious because of its refreshing taste, crisp texture, and simple yet flavorful ingredients – it also works into a variety of diets like keto, slow-carb, Mediterranean diet, vegan and vegetarian diets.

Israeli salad is also known as Arab salad, Palestinian salad, and Jerusalem salad – it is often referred to as Jerusalem salad because the dish is popular in Jerusalem, the capital of Israel, and is considered a staple of the city’s cuisine. The name “Jerusalem salad” reflects the cultural and culinary heritage of the city, and acknowledges the salad’s popularity and prevalence there. Additionally, the term “Jerusalem salad” may also serve as a nod to the salad’s roots in the Middle Eastern cuisine, which has a long history in the region and is closely associated with the city of Jerusalem.

When in Jerusalem, don’t skip trying Israeli salad in Sabich – one of Israeli’s most love street foods (and one of my favorite sandwiches, ever!)

How to Make Israeli Salad

To make this dish, you’ll need:

• Tomatoes: Tomatoes provide a juicy sweetness that balances out the tanginess of the lemon juice and the saltiness of the feta cheese.
• Cucumbers: Cucumbers add a fresh crunch to the salad and a light, slightly sweet flavor.
• Yellow Bell Pepper: I love the color addition and nice crunchy bite of bell pepper. You can use any color sweet bell pepper you want.
• Red onion: Red onion adds a sharp bite to the salad and a slight sweetness.
• Parsley: Parsley adds a bright, fresh flavor and a pop of green color to the dish.
• Lemon juice: Lemon juice provides a tart and tangy flavor that brings all the ingredients together.
• Extra virgin olive oil: Olive oil adds richness and depth of flavor to the dish, and also helps to bring out the flavors of the other ingredients.
• Salt: Salt enhances the flavors of all the ingredients and helps to balance the flavors.
• Black pepper: Black pepper adds a slightly spicy, earthy flavor that complements the other ingredients.

Once you’ve gathered your ingredients, we will use the following process:

• Chop vegetables. Dice the tomatoes, cucumber, and red onion into small pieces and place them in a large bowl. Chop the parsley and add it to the bowl with the diced vegetables.
• Make dressing. In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper to make the dressing. Pour the dressing over the vegetables and parsley in the large bowl.
• Toss. Toss everything together until the vegetables are evenly coated with the dressing. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed, adding more salt, pepper, lemon juice, or olive oil as desired.
• Enjoy! Serve the Israeli salad immediately or refrigerate it until ready to serve.

Tips and Tricks to Perfect Israeli Salad

Taste as you go. I don’t think of this recipe as much of a recipe – as the quick, fresh nature allows it to be incredibly adaptable. Taste your salad as you’re mixing and add more lemon, olive oil, salt, pepper – or parsley, vegetables – to your liking.

Use tomatoes without tons of juice. We try to use cherry tomatoes or other tomatoes without much liquid – it waters down the salad too much and can make other vegetables soft and soggy.

FAQs

What to Serve With Israeli Salad

For more on my travels to Israel, please visit the following posts, and enjoy some of the photos I took around Jerusalem:

• Israel: Slow Touring through the Land Of Milk and Honey
• Roasted Tahini Pomegranate Eggplants

I love Israeli salad with sabich, falafel, Baba Ganoush, Tahini Sauce, or Roasted Tahini Pomegranate Eggplants!

Israeli Salad Recipe

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4.15 from 7 votes

Israeli Salad

By: Courtney ODell

Servings: 6

Prep: 5 minutes mins

Total: 5 minutes mins

Light, fresh, delicious chopped vegetable salad with red onion, tomato, bell pepper, cucumber, and lemon juice.

Equipment

• La Tourangelle, Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Cold-Pressed High Antioxidant Picual Olives From Spain, 25.4 fl oz
• Maldon Salt, Sea Salt Flakes, 8.5 oz (240 g), Kosher, Natural, Handcrafted, Gourmet, Pyramid Crystals
• Sumac by Z&Z – Eat. Good. Sumac., 3.25oz – Tangy Middle Eastern Spice
• Spurtles Kitchen Tools As Seen On TV, 7Pcs Wooden Spurtle Set Spatula Set, Natural Premium Acacia Wooden Spoons for Cooking Heat Resistant Cooking Utensil for Nonstick Cookware, Salad, Mixing, Serving
• Zulay Metal 2-In-1 Lemon Lime Squeezer – Hand Juicer Lemon Squeezer – Max Extraction Manual Citrus Juicer
• Pyrex Prepware 4-Quart Rimmed Mixing Bowl, Clear
• WÜSTHOF Classic 8″ Chef’s Knife

Ingredients 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 2 cucumbers, diced
• ▢ 2 large tomatoes, diced
• ▢ 1 yellow bell pepper, diced
• ▢ 1 red onion, diced
• ▢ ¼ cup parsley, minced
• ▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ▢ 2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• ▢ ½ teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
• ▢ ½ teaspoon sumac, optional
• ▢ ½ teaspoon aleppo pepper, optional

Instructions 

• Place the tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, and red onion into a large bowl.
• Add the parsley to the bowl with the diced vegetables.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper to make the dressing.
• Pour the dressing over the vegetables and parsley in the large bowl.
• Toss everything together until the vegetables are evenly coated with the dressing.
• Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed, adding more salt, pepper, lemon juice, or olive oil as desired.
• Serve the Israeli salad immediately or refrigerate it until ready to serve.
• Enjoy!

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 59kcalCarbohydrates: 9gProtein: 2gFat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gSodium: 190mgFiber: 2gSugar: 4g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Salads

Cuisine: Israeli

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