With toasted pita bread and a bright, lemony dressing, this crisp Fattoush Salad recipes is sure to bring a ray of sunshine to any spring or summer table.
Fattoush: A Bread Salad
Carb lovers rejoice! We have a salad just for you today!
Fattoush is a bread salad from the eastern Mediterranean, Levant region (Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, and Turkey). What makes this salad different from any other bread salad is its use of toasted pita bread and the lemony Middle Eastern spice, sumac.
The word fattoush gets its name from the word “fatta” which is the term for Middle Eastern dishes that use stale or day-old flatbread. The toasted pita bread in fattoush makes such a fun alternative to traditional croutons. We love this salad as a way to use up our homemade pita bread.
What is Sumac Spice?
If you don’t do a lot of Middle Eastern cooking, there is one ingredient in this salad that you might not have in your pantry: sumac.
Sumac is a Middle Eastern spice with a slightly lemony flavor that enhances the dressing for this salad and elevates these pita bread croutons to something beyond incredible. (If you’d like to learn more about this unique spice, we dive more into what sumac is in this article.)
If you love lemony brightness in recipes, it is well worth giving sumac a try. It’s sure to become a new favorite!

Fattoush Salad
With toasted pita bread and a bright, lemony dressing, this crisp Fattoush Salad recipes is sure to bring a ray of sunshine to any spring or summer table.
Ingredients
For the Pita Croutons
- 3 pita bread rounds, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 2-3 tsp olive oil
- 1 tsp sumac
For the Salad
- 1 large head romaine lettuce, washed and chopped into 1-2 inch pieces
- 3 Roma tomatoes, chopped
- ½ seedless cucumber, sliced
- 2-3 green onions, sliced
- ½ c fresh mint, coarsely chopped
- ½ c fresh parsley, coarsely chopped
- 3-4 radishes, sliced thin
- 1 green pepper, diced
For the Dressing
- 2 lemons, juiced (roughly ½ c juice)
- 1/3 c olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 Tbsp sumac
- 1/8 tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400F. Place the cut pita bread on a baking sheet. Toss with olive oil and sprinkle with sumac. Place the baking sheet in the oven and toast until golden and lightly crisped, 5-8 minutes. Remove the pita croutons from the oven and set aside.
- While the bread is toasting and cooling, wash and chop your vegetables. Place all the chopped vegetables in a large bowl.
- In a small bowl, mix together lemon juice, olive oil, minced garlic, and sumac. Pour the dressing into a serving container.
- Immediately before serving, top the salad with the toasted pita croutons and toss to combine the ingredients.
Notes
This salad is traditionally dressed before serving, but we like to let our guests dress their own salad. The choice is yours. If dressing the salad for serving, do so immediately before serving, as the dressing with start to soften the pita croutons.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
5Serving Size:
5 - 6 peopleAmount Per Serving: Calories: 336

Sarah founded Curious in 2010 as a way to save her recipe creations and share culinary experiences. Her love for cultural cuisines was instilled early by her French Canadian Grandmother. Her experience in the kitchen and in recipe development comes from over 10 years working in professional kitchens. She has traveled extensively and enjoys bringing the flavors of her travels back to create easy-to-make recipes.
Fattoush: A Bread Salad
Amna
Tuesday 30th of May 2017
I made this Fattoush salad with your Shish Taouk recipe and some Saudi champagne and had an amazing middle eatern dinner! Thanks for posting such easy and tasty recipes!
Sarah Ozimek
Tuesday 30th of May 2017
We're so glad you enjoyed the recipes Amna! Thanks for letting us know how they turned out!
Caroline
Wednesday 20th of April 2016
Fattoush is a definite favorite salad of mine - looks great!
Sarah Ozimek
Thursday 21st of April 2016
Thanks Caroline!
A Kitchen Hoor
Tuesday 19th of April 2016
I've always seen fattoush on the menu but never knew what was in it. Next time, I'll just order it. Better yet, just MAKE IT with your recipe.
Sarah Ozimek
Wednesday 20th of April 2016
It is definitely a fun salad to try!
Amy @ My World Simplified
Tuesday 19th of April 2016
I love salads and yours is beautiful
Sarah Ozimek
Wednesday 20th of April 2016
Thank you Amy!
Eileen
Monday 18th of April 2016
I love this take on bread salad and I bet the dressing with sumac is delicous.
Sarah Ozimek
Monday 18th of April 2016
Thanks Eileen! The Sumac does make this dressing something special!