One of the most popular middle eastern salads is undoubtedly the Fattoush salad! This recipe recreates the best restaurant-style fattoush so you can start making it right at home. The distinguishing features of this salad are the crispy friend pita chips and the sweet and tangy dressing full of pomegranate molasses, which will have your family *loving* salad.

A rectangular platter of fresh Fattoush salad with lettuce, radish slices, cherry tomatoes, pita chips, and green onions. Two forks rest in the salad. Nearby are a drink, whole radishes, extra pita chips, and scattered pomegranate seeds.

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Elements that Make or Break a Fattoush Salad: An Analysis

Here’s the thing – I called this “restaurant style” fattoush because I’ve had some amazing versions at local restaurants. But I have also had very disappointing fattoush at other restaurants, and I realized a GREAT fattoush came down to these three specific elements:

  • The Dressing: A great fattoush salad dressing has a sweet and tangy flavour profile, with brightness from the sumac and dried mint. The sweetness comes from the pomegranate molasses, which is a must have ingredient. A very bad fattoush salad will have a salad dressing that is too oily without enough tang and zing. Don’t just drown the salad with olive oil!
  • The Fried Pita: Never serve a fattoush salad with soggy pita. They must be crispy and have a good amount of oil for a depth of flavour. Some pita also needs to be seasoned with salt and sumac before frying to give it an extra boost. Baking is always a great alternative too (like I do for this eggplant fatteh recipe), as long as you drizzle the pita with some olive oil.
  • The Vegetables: Fresh vegetables, with a great mix of crunchy, herby and leafy elements are essential. Unlike my classic Arabic chopped salad, the vegetables in fattoush don’t need to be chopped finely. They can be roughly chopped, as long as all the elements are the same size for a balanced bite.

5 STAR READER REVIEW

“Delicious!! my whole family loved it. Thank you.”

—Hanouda
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Ingredients And Substitutions

Fattoush salad ingredients in separate bowls and plates, which include: lettuce, pita bread, pomegranate molasses, olive oil, lemon juice, sumac, dried mint, garlic, salt, parsley, red pepper, tomatoes, cucumber and radish.
  • Vegetables: the must have vegetables are lettuce (romaine or iceberg works), cucumbers, tomatoes and peppers. Radish are an excellent and common addition, as well as some parsley and fresh mint if you have them on hand.
  • Pita Bread: I’ve had fattoush with thinner pita bread that comes in 8″ two-ply rounds, and also with thicker greek style pita. Either one will work, but the thinner one is more traditional. I always season the pita with sumac before frying, and sometimes sprinkle salt if the specific bread I bought needs it.
  • Dressing ingredients: olive oil, lemon juice, pomegranate molasses, crushed garlic, sumac and dried mint. The pomegranate molasses is key for you to be able to call this salad fattoush (and you can make it yourself using this step by step pomegranate molasses guide if you don’t have access to it). I know some who don’t enjoy the garlic in the dressing, so if it’s too strong for you, you can skip it.

How to Make Fattoush:

Start by preparing the fried pita. You can make these a day ahead of you need to, simply keep them in a bowl loosely covered with plastic wrap and on the counter.

For a traditional fattoush flavour, frying the pita is always best, since the bread gets infused with the oil. But I have baked them many times with great success as well, it just depends what is easier for you.

Cut the pita into even 1-inch squares. To fry, heat the olive oil in a large skillet then add the pita and stir and fry for 5 to 6 minutes until they are golden and crispy. To bake, place the pita squares on a large parchment lined baking sheet and drizzle with the olive oil. Toss to combine, then arrange in a single layer. Bake at 350F for about 8 minutes or until golden. Stay nearby or they will burn fast!

pita bread cut up in small one inch squares placed in a medium black skillet with a wooden spoon
fried pita bread cut up in small one inch squares placed in a medium black skillet

Wash and dry all the vegetables, then roughly chop them into a similar size. I opt for 1-inch or so in terms of size. Place them all in your serving bowl.

TIP: If you are serving the salad much later, loosely cover the vegetables with a paper towel, then place the bowl in the fridge. Mix in the dressing right before serving, then top with the pita.

A fattoush salad in a wooden salad bowl, which includes chopped lettuce, cucumber, red pepper, radish and tomatoes

To prepare the dressing, whisk all of the ingredients together in a bowl or shake them in a glass jar with a lid until they are well combined. Place in the fridge if using later, or drizzle the salad right away and toss everything to combine.

Fattoush salad dressing in a glass measuring cup, which includes olive oil, lemon juice, pomegranate molasses, mint, sumac and garlic

Just before serving, add the pita chips, then give the salad one final drizzle of pomegranate molasses. This is how most restaurants present fattoush, and I personally love the extra kick of sweetness and tang that comes from the final drizzle. Serve immediately! Before the pita gets soggy.

A fattoush salad in a wooden salad bowl, which includes chopped lettuce, cucumber, red pepper, radish and tomatoes, all drizzled with salad dressing. Olive oil and sumac in the top right corner.

More Middle Eastern Salads:

If you tried these recipes, please consider leaving a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page – I’d love to hear from you! You can also hop on over to Instagram and say hello!

A vibrant Fattoush salad with sliced radishes, lettuce, chopped vegetables, pita chips, and pomegranate seeds is served on a decorative platter with two serving utensils. Radishes and greens are arranged beside the platter.
4.88 from 8 ratings

Fattoush Salad (Restaurant-style)

Yield: 6 servings
Prep: 20 minutes
Total: 20 minutes
Author: Amina Al-Saigh
This vibrant restaurant-style fattoush salad is going to wow you with the crunch and tang! Fresh vegetables are roughly chopped and then drizzled with a tangy olive oil, lemon juice and pomegranate molasses dressing. The iconic crunchy pita make this salad quite addictive!
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Ingredients
 

For the Vegetables:

  • 1/2 head romaine lettuce, or substitute iceberg
  • 4 Persian cucumbers, or substitute English cucumber
  • 1 large red pepper, or substitute green or orange pepper
  • 2 large vine tomatoes, or substitute roma tomatoes
  • 5 small radish (cherry belle)
  • 1/2 cup parsley, packed
  • 3 sprigs fresh mint, optional
  • 1/2 cup pomegranate arils, optional

For the Pita:

  • 2 8" round double ply pita bread
  • 2 teaspoons sumac, optional
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil

For the dressing

  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed
  • 2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses, plus more for garnish
  • 1 teaspoon sumac
  • 1 teaspoon dried mint, optional
  • 2 small garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste

Instructions
 

To Prepare the Vegetables:

  • Wash and dry all of the vegetables (lettuce, tomato, cucumber, pepper and radish) along with the herbs (parsley and mint if using).
  • Chop the lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers into roughly 3/4 inch to 1 inch pieces, ensuring they are all of similar size.
  • Cut the radish in half, then slice thinly into half moons.
  • Chop the parsley and mint finely. Layer all the vegetables in your salad bowl.

To Make the Dressing:

  • Whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, pomegranate molasses, sumac, dried mint (if using), crushed garlic and salt and pepper. You may also place them all in a jar and shake to combine. Place in the fridge until ready to serve.

To Make the Pita Bread:

  • Cut the pita bread into roughly 1-inch squares. I find using a scissors to be the easiest method. Place them in a bowl with the sumac, then toss to combine.
  • To fry: In a large skillet, add the olive oil and heat it for 1 minute. Place all of the pita squares in the skillet and fry on medium heat for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring constantly until the pita is golden and crispy.
  • To bake: Place the pita squares on a large parchment lined baking sheet and drizzle with the olive oil. Toss to combine, then arrange in a single layer. Bake at 350F for about 8 minutes or until golden. Stay close by as they will burn very quickly.
  • When ready to serve, pour the dressing all over the vegetables and toss to combine. Add the pita chips on top and toss again. For that restaurant-style touch, drizzle with pomegranate molasses. Serve immediately.

Notes

  • If you are not serving right away, chop the vegetables, add them to your bowl and cover them loosely with a paper towel and place in the fridge. Place the dressing in a separate container and in the fridge. Set the fried pita chips in a bowl on the counter. When ready to serve, toss the salad with the dressing then add the pita chips.
  • The pita chips will get soggy after about 2 to 3 hours, so ensure you only add what you need and save the rest if you’re not serving the whole salad right away.
Serving: 1g, Calories: 266kcal, Carbohydrates: 23g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 19g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 13g, Sodium: 303mg, Potassium: 321mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 7g, Vitamin A: 1.658IU, Vitamin C: 49mg, Calcium: 44mg, Iron: 1mg
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