Fattoush Salad with Crispy Pita
Fattoush is a Levantine bread salad: crisp pita tossed with romaine, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, radishes, onion, parsley and mint in a sumac-lemon dressing. Serves 4; 20 minutes prep.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 12 min
- Total
- 32 min
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
What you’ll need — tap to tick off as you go
- 3 tbsp
- 300 g
- 300 g
- 30 g
- 15 g
- 2 tsp
- 3 tbsp
- 1 tsp
- 1 clove
- ¾ tsp
- ¼ tsp
Process
Timers built in · swap anything · ask as you cook
Heat the oven to 200°C. Split the 2 pita breads open into thin rounds and brush both sides with 2 tbsp olive oil. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt.
Bake the pita on a tray in a single layer for 8–12 minutes, turning once, until golden, dry and crisp. Cool completely, then break into rough 3 cm chips.
In a large salad bowl, whisk 1 tbsp olive oil, 3 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tsp pomegranate molasses, 1 crushed garlic clove, 2 tsp sumac, 0.75 tsp salt and 0.25 tsp black pepper until emulsified.
Add the 300 g romaine lettuce, 300 g halved cherry tomatoes, sliced cucumber, 8 sliced radishes and the thinly sliced red onion to the dressing.
Add the 30 g chopped parsley and 15 g chopped mint, then toss gently with your hands or two spoons until every leaf is lightly coated.
Fold in the crispy pita chips at the very last moment, toss once, sprinkle with a little extra sumac and serve immediately.
Kitchen notes
Kitchen notes
- The most common mistake is dressing the salad too early: the pita turns soft and the lettuce wilts. Toss the vegetables with the dressing at most 10 minutes before serving and add the chips at the table.
- Dry the lettuce and herbs thoroughly after washing. Any water left on the leaves dilutes the dressing and makes the salad taste flat.
- For maximum crunch, bake the pita until it is completely dry and rigid, not just golden. It should snap, not bend, when broken.
- Salt the tomatoes and cucumber with a pinch of the measured salt first and let them sit for 5 minutes if you want a juicier, more traditional dressing that pools slightly at the bottom of the bowl.
Substitutions
- pita bread→thin flatbread or Lebanese mountain bread
- pomegranate molasses→1 tsp honey mixed with 1 tsp lemon juice
- sumac→1 tsp lemon zest plus a pinch of salt (flavour will be less tart)
- cherry tomatoes→ripe vine tomatoes, cut into wedges
- romaine lettuce→little gem lettuce or crisp iceberg
Storage & reheating
Store the undressed salad components and the pita chips separately in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 2 days; the chips keep at room temperature for 3 days. Once dressed, fattoush does not keep well and should be eaten within a few hours. To revive leftover vegetables, drain any liquid, add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and a drizzle of olive oil, then fold in freshly baked or re-crisped pita chips. Re-crisp stale chips on a tray at 180°C for 4-5 minutes.
Gallery
FAQ
The questions we get asked most
Why did my fattoush turn soggy?
The pita was added too early or the vegetables were still wet. Dry the lettuce and herbs in a salad spinner or on a clean towel, dress the salad just before serving, and fold the chips in at the table. If you plan to serve later, keep the chips in a separate bowl.
Can I make fattoush ahead of time?
You can prepare the components up to 1 day ahead: wash and chop the vegetables, make the dressing, and bake the pita chips. Keep everything separate in the fridge and combine just before serving. The dressing can be whisked up to 3 days ahead and stored in a jar.
How do I keep the pita chips crispy?
Bake them until fully dry and rigid, cool them completely on the tray, and store them in an airtight container at room temperature. Never refrigerate the chips, as moisture from the fridge softens them. If they lose their crunch, re-crisp them at 180°C for 4-5 minutes.
What can I use instead of sumac?
Sumac gives the signature tart, lemony flavour, but you can substitute 1 tsp lemon zest plus a pinch of salt. Another option is a few drops of extra lemon juice, though the salad will lose some of its fruity depth. Do not replace it with paprika, which is sweet rather than sour.
Is fattoush vegan and gluten-free?
The salad is vegan as written because it contains no animal products. It is not gluten-free because pita bread is made from wheat; use a certified gluten-free flatbread to make it gluten-free. Check that your pomegranate molasses and sumac are pure with no additives.
Can I add other vegetables or cheese to fattoush?
Yes, green bell pepper, purslane, or a handful of purslane leaves are traditional additions. Crumbled feta or halloumi can be added, but that makes the salad vegetarian rather than vegan. Keep the total vegetable volume similar so the dressing still coats everything.
Why is my fattoush bland?
Fattoush needs aggressive seasoning: enough salt, enough lemon, and enough sumac. Taste the dressing before tossing and adjust; it should be sharp and slightly salty on its own. Also use ripe, in-season tomatoes, as they carry much of the flavour.
Ask KitchenMind about this recipe
Tell it what’s different tonight — it works within the actual recipe.
