Israeli salad is a dish that is ever-present in my kitchen. It’s easy to make, inexpensive, and surprisingly delicious. In summer, I serve it alongside grilled fish or kebabs. In colder weather, I use it as a healthy side to lighten up heavy meals. I also serve it with breakfast sometimes, it goes great with an herby egg and cheese omelette!
For those of you who aren’t familiar with Israeli Salad, here’s a little background. It evolved from a Turkish salad known as shepherd’s salad – coban salatsi, which is closely related to a Persian salad known as salad shirazi, named for the ancient city of Shiraz. The salad is known under different names with slight ingredient variations throughout the Middle East.
When Jews began making aliyah to Israel in the late 1800′s, coban salatsi from Israel’s Turkish neighbors became popular on the kibbutzim (communal agricultural collectives) because of the simple, easy-to-grow ingredients– cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, peppers, and parsley. Over time, ingredients were added or taken away, but the basic components remained the same: cucumbers and tomatoes dressed in olive oil, lemon juice, and salt. The vegetables are always diced; the size of the pieces varies depending on personal preference. Some cooks prefer to dice the vegetables very small, a practice that started in the Ottoman Empire. Other cooks prefer a more chunky texture. I like it both ways.
Although this salad has different names throughout the Middle East, my family refers to it as Israeli salad because of my husband’s Sephardic background. It is a refreshing side dish that complements all kinds of main dishes. It is low in calories, dairy-free, and can be served with any meal– even breakfast!
Each ingredient in the salad has unique health benefits. Fresh Persian cucumbers (peel on) are fat-free, full of water, and a good source of fiber. Fresh tomatoes provide Vitamin C, A, and cancer fighting lycopene (organic tomatoes provide up to three times the lycopene of non-organic!). Onions are rich in chromium, a trace mineral that helps cells respond appropriately to insulin. Onions can lower blood sugar levels, and they’ve also been shown to help lower cholesterol and blood pressure. Fresh parsley is a great source of Vitamin K. It also contains Vitamins C and A, Folate, and anti-oxidants. Lemon juice is full of Vitamin C, antioxidants, and potassium. It’s also a natural diuretic. Olive oil provides a healthy dose of MUFA’s (mono unsaturated fatty acids) and can help with digestion.
One of the main ingredients in Israeli salad is Persian cucumbers. Smaller and sweeter than English cucumbers, they are great for snacking. Here’s what they look like:
Cute, huh? I’m a big fan of these little guys. If you can’t find Persian cucumbers, you may substitute English cucumbers—those are the long thin ones wrapped tightly in plastic. Avoid using regular fat cucumbers, as they are coated with wax and prone to bitterness.
There are many creative variations on Israeli Salad; I’ll link to a few of my favorites below. I try to use seasonal produce in my cooking, and I often experiment with whatever looks freshest in the vegetable section or at the farmer’s market. Adding seasonal or regional ingredients can really “spice up” your Israeli Salad.
Before I get into variations, here’s a recipe for a simple Israeli Salad. I don’t like raw onion, so I often make mine without. Our family enjoys it both ways. Be sure to dice the vegetables small and evenly– I’ve given my tips for slicing Persian cucumbers below.
Other Israeli Salad Recipes
Israeli Salad with Pickles and Mint
Israeli Salad with Avocados and Mint
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Israeli Salad
Ingredients
- 1 pound Persian cucumbers, diced
- 1 pound fresh ripe tomatoes, seeded and diced
- 1/3 cup minced onion (optional)
- 1/2 cup minced fresh parsley
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- Salt to taste (I use about 1/2 tsp)
Instructions
- Here is the way I like to dice the Persian cucumbers-- it produces small, even, triangular pieces. Slice the Persian cucumber in half lengthwise.
- Slice each half into 4 slices lengthwise, so you have 8 long, thin pieces total.
- Hold the long, thin pieces together with one hand, and slice the bunch into very small pieces with the other hand. Note: Persian cucumbers have lots of little seeds, which add to their flavor. If you have trouble digesting seeds, you can seed the cucumber easily by slicing it in half lengthwise and scooping out the seed-filled center.
- Place the diced cucumbers into a large mixing bowl along with all the other ingredients.
- Mix until vegetables are well coated with parsley, oil, lemon juice, and salt.
- Best served fresh at room temperature. You can also serve chilled for a more refreshing salad.
Ellie RK says
Thanks for the recipe! Love it.
I also leave out the onion, and use just a little bit of finely diced red pepper along with the cucumber and tomato (no parsley either).
Delicious!
Lynn Della says
I’m intrigued by your comment that you don’t like raw onion, so you leave it out. I’m not fond of sharp onions and end to avoid them but I do like sweet onions.
Since the climate in the Middle East is more akin to the areas where sweet onions are successfully grown in the U.S. (Walla Walla, Vidalia and, more recently, Texas, California and Maui, Hawaii), I would think it more likely that the onions used in the original recipes would also be sweeter. Have you tried sweets as well as more pungent onions?
Thanks.
Tori Avey says
Hi Lynn, it’s just a preference with me, I’ve been this way since I was a kid. Any kind of raw onion turns me off. I know I’m in the minority. If you’re adding it here a sweeter onion would work well.
Ellie says
This is great! I used cherry tomatoes, since that was all I had. I didn’t have quite enough lemon juice because my lemons were very small, so I added a bit of zest to the juice and oil mixture. I used quite a bit more salt than I thought I would use, but I think that’s kind of normal for cucumbers .Thanks for sharing!
Elise Hoffmann-Taus says
Thank you so much! This salad was so delicious, even the youngest who hates vegetables ate it with delight. I served this fresh salad with your schnitzel recipe.
Sonia says
Thank you for the receipt,
I’m actually watching a food show on Netflix. In search of Israeli cuisine, and came across this recipe. I’ll be entertaining this recipe tonight.
Stacey says
Whole foods had this in their food bar this evening and it was wonderful! I came home and found yours while looking for the dressing recipe. I’d never heard of this before. They had yellow peppers in theirs, it was pretty with the yellow. I’m thinking avacado would be good also. Thank you for this. 🙂
Liz says
Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe. I notice that there is some kind of white dressing. By any chance would you know, what the dressing is? It taste middle eastern. Thanks!
Tori Avey says
You are probably referring to tahini sauce: https://toriavey.com/toris-kitchen/tahini-sauce/
Marita says
simplest yet healthiest salad ever invented….KUDOS!!! 🙂
Judy says
I had a favorite hole-in-the-wall restaurant that served this salad as a side. I haven’t found a similar restaurant since moving, so decided to try your recipe. Delicious, thank you! And my contractor is Israeli so I mentioned the salad. He happily described making it exactly as you do, and he likes a little tahini on top. Until I find another chicken schwarma place, I love it with cottage cheese.
Madelyn says
Recently returned to our home in Traverse City, Michigan from a Holy Land trip. This salad was served to us regularly. Glad to have this recipe so My husband & I can have a tasty reminder of our wonderful trip.
Kenneth R Peterson says
Does matter what type of onion is used????? And can you throw in a diced jalapeño pepper!!!
Tori Avey says
Feel free to get creative. These adjustments are perfectly fine. 🙂
Ben says
Love it I will serve this on our Passover meal with the braised brisket, It’s still summer in Australia so salad is still desirable
Amos PIcker says
Add chopped dycon, chopped carrots, red and green bell peppers, NO OIL, shred some blue cheese ( 2 oz.) and you have a full meal – 2 full cups. Can use Tachini as a dressing, Eggplant (BABA GANUSH) .
Fro BABA GANUSH Mash (Grind) Japanese eggplant, fire roasted with some of the burnt skin, add fire roasted red bell pepper, Lemon juice, Tachini, salt pepper, now enjoy.
Tisha Lyon says
I have made this 3 times in the last week. So fresh and delicious! I’ll be thin in no time 🙂
Sharon says
I had this salad several times on a recent trip to Israel and the Middle East. I am so glad to find a recipe so I can make it at home. I think I at more of this salad than anything else!
Carol HARBICH says
I LOVE IT!!! I first saw it on Rachael Rays show on TV, but googled it on internet and chose yours. Yours was most definite, and I like the story that went with it. Also, you really gave the recipe, complete. I only made it with tomatoes, cucumbers, and raw onion, but I see you also put peppers, fresh parsley, and dress it with olive oil and lemon. I only had lemon on mine, and no olive oil or parsley. I will try, next time to have ALL the ingredients available. Thank- you, I love to try good, interesting, and simple recipes.
Tori Avey says
You’re welcome, Carol! There are so many ways to make this salad, and lots of fun variations to try like cubed avocado and mint. Glad you enjoyed it!
Bobbi Kersner says
I was recently in Israel and have never encountered such wonderful vegetables, watermelon, apricots, and other various fruits. I’m thrilled to meet you on line. This will add to my Chanukah celebration table.
JG says
This recipe looks great.
If using English cucumbers, should they be deseeded?
Ashley at ToriAvey.com says
Hi, Tori’s assistant Ashley here. It’s really a matter of personal preference, but I would probably remove the seeds if there are a lot of them.
Sue says
We love this salad and are using cucumbers and tomatoes from our garden. Thanks for sharing!
Diane Berliner says
Just like the salads we had in Israel! So good! Thank you for sharing this recipe.