What’s not to adore about this easy-as-can-be 15 minute Greek cucumber salad with feta, olives and cherry tomatoes? It’s the absolute best!

What’s not to adore about this easy-as-can-be 15 minute Greek cucumber salad with feta, olives and cherry tomatoes? It’s the absolute best!

overhead perspective of chopped greek salad
I originally shared this Greek Cucumber Salad on May 30th, 2014. I’ve updated the images, some of the text and added a video to share with you today. This post may contain affiliate links.

That’s how much I love this recipe.

A spoonful of dressing being drizzled over the chopped Greek Cucumber Salad
Before we get into the details of how to make this 15 minute recipe, let’s clear up a common question about Greek salad:

This Greek salad today is the no-lettuce variety that’s all about the chopped cucumbers and tomatoes.

HOW TO MAKE GREEK SALAD DRESSING
I like to make the dressing for this Greek Cucumber Salad right in the bowl. That saves a dish, and makes it a quicker recipe to prepare. Because tomatoes and cucumbers naturally let off their juice as they sit, you do not need a ton of dressing to make this salad moist enough. Really it’s just about adding flavor!

Remember that the salad also contains feta which along with the raw onion, is the prevailing flavor, so the dressing is more of a background flavor.

To make the dressing just whisk red wine vinegar, really good olive oil and fresh oregano in the mixing bowl. Add in mustard to help it stay emulsified plus a bit of salt and pepper. Whisk everything well!

HOW TO MAKE GREEK CUCUMBER SALAD
USE FRESH HERBS
I use fresh herbs in this chopped salad because it’s a summertime recipe and I always have herbs on hand and they taste much better. If you want to make this with dried herbs, use 3/4 teaspoon each dried oregano and dried basil in the dressing.

DO YOU NEED TO PEEL THE CUCUMBERS?
If you have regular garden cucumbers, you should peel them, but if you have European or Lebanese cucumbers, you can leave them unpeeled. I prefer these thinner skinned varieties of cucumbers, and like to peel strips of skin off, to make them pretty!

HOW TO REMOVE THE SEEDS FROM THE CUCUMBERS:
To remove the seeds of the cucumber, cut them in half from stem to end. Then use a spoon to scoop out the seeds. This will make the cucumber salad less watery.

HOW TO CUT THE CUCUMBERS FOR GREEK SALAD
I like to cut the cucumbers into chunks instead of rounds or half moons. They are closer in size to the rest of the ingredients, and easier to eat this way. I cut them into lengths, then crosswise into chunks about 1/2 to 3/4-inch thick.

TOSS THE GREEK CUCUMBER SALAD AT THE LAST MINUTE
Before serving and once the salad dressing is mixed in the bowl, add in the chopped cucumbers, tomatoes, red onions, olives and feta. Toss well to coat with the dressing. Then sprinkle with the freshly chopped basil. Serve right away, as the cucumbers and tomatoes will start to weep and the salad will become watery.

CAN YOU MAKE GREEK CUCUMBER SALAD AHEAD?
Yes you can, but you need to keep a couple things in mind.

You can make the dressing ahead and store it in a jar in the fridge for several days. If the oil solidifies, you’ll just need to bring it to room temperature or set your jar of dressing in a warm water bath to liquify it before proceeding.

You can chop the cucumbers ahead too. Just keep them separate from the dressing so they don’t start to weep. (If they get salt on them, they will start to let off their water.)

If you don’t mind the smell of chopped onions in your fridge you can chop them ahead too. I’d recommend not stirring them together with the tomatoes or feta.

Don’t chop the tomatoes ahead. Tomatoes shouldn’t be refrigerated, so wait to cut them until you’re ready to toss the salad.

Add freshly cut basil at the end. If you chop it ahead the cuts will turn black and the taste of the basil will be less strong.

15 MINUTE GREEK CUCUMBER SALAD

Here’s a recipe for Cucumber Greek Salad made without lettuce. It’s loaded with crumbled feta, cherry tomatoes, olives and red onion and tossed with a simple homemade dressing. Ready in only 15 minutes. Gluten-free, vegetarian and low-carb.

INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 tablespoon finely chopped fresh oregano
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
¼ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
Freshly ground pepper to taste
4 cups peeled, seeded and chopped cucumbers
1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
½ cup mixed olives, pitted if desired
½ cup thinly sliced red onion
2 ounces crumbed feta cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
INSTRUCTIONS
Whisk oil, vinegar, oregano, mustard, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, onion, and feta and stir to combine. Taste for salt and adjust if necessary. Top with basil.