Easy Vegan Greek Salad

Quick, simple, and delicious vegan Greek salad made with fresh crunchy veggies, creamy vegan feta cheese, and a flavorful olive oil vinaigrette! Perfect for potlucks, picnics, BBQs, or any day of the week.

Vegan Greek Cucumber Salad with Dairy-Free Feta

Just because you don't eat meat or dairy doesn't mean you have to settle for subpar and tasteless salads. Take this vegan Greek salad (horiatiki salad), for example. It's absolutely loaded with flavor thanks to a combination of tangy, creamy, crunchy, and fresh elements—made within minimal time and effort!

It doesn't require a ton of ingredients either. In fact, this Mediterranean cucumber salad is made up of a simple combination of cucumber, tomatoes, bell pepper, red onion, kalamata olives, and optional avocado, with vegan feta cheese, fresh herbs, and a simple yet aromatic vegan Greek dressing.

The result is a light yet filling and delicious healthy salad packed with flavor and nutrients and enjoyable as a side dish or light meal. You can even make it more of a meal with extra mix-ins like quinoa, pasta, or beans. Keep reading for all my suggestions, tips, and FAQs regarding this vegan Mediterranean recipe below!

Greek Salad Ingredients

With just a handful of fresh ingredients and several pantry staples, you can pull together this vegan Greek feta salad in no time. Even better, if you're anything like me, you already have most of the ingredients in your kitchen!

The Greek Cucumber Salad

• Cucumber: Use a low-seed or seedless variety like English/Persian cucumber for this Mediterranean cucumber salad.

If you use one with lots of seeds, you can slice it in half lengthwise and scoop them out with a teaspoon. Likewise, if you use a cucumber with a thick, bitter peel, remove it. Otherwise, I leave it on.

• Tomatoes: I use cherry and grape tomatoes, which are available year-round and taste great. You can also use larger in-season tomatoes and dice them.
• Bell pepper: Green bell pepper is great as it's slightly bitter, but you can use any color.
• Red onion: Red onion is great for color, but you can use yellow/sweet onions if that's all you have.
• Kalamata olives: Make sure they're pitted before adding them to the Mediterranean chopped salad. Use black olives if preferred.
• Avocado: (optional) Avocado will add another creamy element to the Greek cucumber salad with antioxidants and additional heart-healthy fats.
• Vegan feta cheese: Use your favorite brand of dairy-free feta (i.e., Violife) for this dairy-free Greek salad. Alternatively, you could make your own tofu-based feta cheese.
• Fresh herbs: You could use mint, parsley, dill, or oregano.

The Greek Vinaigrette

• Olive oil: Use extra-virgin olive oil that is light and fruity.
• Vinegar: I use red wine vinegar, but you can try white wine vinegar, too.
• Garlic: Adjust the amount to taste.
• Lemon juice: I recommend using fresh lemon juice for the best flavor. Add more zing with lemon zest.
• Dijon mustard: (optional) Will add extra depth, tang, and slight heat to the vegan Greek salad dressing.
• Salt & black pepper: Season to taste.

If you find it a bit too tangy, you could add a small amount of sugar or maple syrup to balance the flavors in the olive oil Greek vinaigrette.

What could I add to the vegan Greek salad?

There are several ways to play around with this versatile Mediterranean cucumber salad, including adding:

• Lettuce: While lettuce isn't actually an ingredient of a traditional Greek salad, it's commonly added in the US and the UK. I recommend using Romaine lettuce or Iceberg lettuce for a Greek lettuce salad.
• Artichoke: You can use marinated artichoke hearts or artichokes in water, based on your flavor preference.
• Chickpeas: Chickpeas (or white beans) will help make this Greek vegetable salad into a complete meal, adding extra fiber and plenty of plant-based protein.
• Pita bread: Baked pita chips (cut into small squares or crumbled) will add crunch in place of croutons.
• Quinoa/Pasta: For a heartier meal and extra protein, transform this into a quinoa Greek salad with ¼-½ cup quinoa. Alternatively, use pasta (or orzo/ couscous) to make a delicious summer-friendly Greek pasta salad.
• Capers: For extra briny, tangy flavor.
• Dried oregano: Added to the vegan Greek dressing for more flavor. Use it instead of or alongside the fresh herbs in the salad.
• Seeds: For extra crunch, protein, and heart-healthy fats, add a sprinkle of lightly toasted seeds to the avocado Greek salad when serving.

How to Make Vegan Greek Salad

Follow just five simple steps to prepare this vegan Greek salad recipe!

• 1) First, prepare the salad vegetables. Cut the cucumber into half-moon slices, halve the cherry tomatoes, dice the bell pepper, and thinly slice the red onion. If you're adding avocado, dice it. Leave the olives whole, halve them, or cut them into slices.

• 2) Transfer all the vegetables to a large salad bowl along with the minced herbs, and the crumbled vegan cheese.

• 3) Meanwhile, add all the vegan Greek dressing ingredients to a small bowl or jar and whisk or shake it well.

• 4) Pour the dressing over the vegan Greek salad and toss it well to combine them. Then, enjoy it immediately or, even better, leave it for at least an hour (or several) in the refrigerator to allow all the flavors to meld and marinate.

FAQs

Top Recipe Tips and Notes

• Allow the flavors to meld: I recommend at least 30 minutes before serving the salad. Overnight would be optimal if possible.
• For a more mellow onion flavor: Soak the onion slices in ice-cold water for 10 minutes to remove the harsh, raw 'bite.' Pat dry before adding to the salad.
• Adjust the texture: You can enjoy this as a more typical chunky vegan Greek salad OR make a chopped Greek salad by finely chopping every ingredient, so you get a bit of everything in every bite.
• To save time: Invest in a vegetable chopper and get the veggies ready in a fraction of the time and effort.

Storage Instructions

Make ahead: This vegan Greek salad tastes even better after an hour or two of allowing all the flavors to marinate and meld in the fridge. For that reason, you can easily assemble in advance, up to the night before.

Alternatively, you can prepare the olive oil vinaigrette in advance (up to 3 days) and add it to the salad 30 minutes before eating it.

Store: Once assembled, I recommend enjoying the Greek cucumber salad within 2 days as it will become soggy fairly quickly. If you want to enjoy the salad over several days, I recommend only adding the dressing to each portion before eating it.

How To Serve the Vegan Salad?

This vegan Mediterranean salad is the perfect salad for Summer-time potlucks and BBQs but can also be enjoyed year-round as part of several meals.

• Turn it into a Mediterranean bowl with hummus, pita bread, and other Mediterranean mezze dishes like stuffed vine leaves, falafel, etc.
• With a vegan falafel pita/wrap
• Plant-based burgers
• Vegan kabobs and gyros
• Summer wraps
• Alongside dairy-free pizza and veggie pizza (like eggplant pizza)

More Veggie Heavy Meals

• Mixed Bean and Vegetable Stew
• Instant Pot Vegetable Barley Soup [+ Stove, Crockpot]
• Vegetarian Instant Pot Navy Bean Soup

If you try this vegan Greek salad recipe, I'd love to know what you think in the comments below. I'd also really appreciate a recipe card rating!

Photos by Alfonso Revilla