This fresh Israeli Salad is a wonderful Middle Eastern side dish. It is made with finely chopped cucumber, tomato, red onion and peppers.
It is naturally vegan, gluten-free, with a total prep time of 10 minutes.
- What is Israeli Salad?
- Ingredients for Israeli Salad
- Variations
- Method
- Serving Suggestion
- Storage
- Other Salad Recipes
What is Israeli Salad?
Israeli Salad aka Jerusalem Salad or Arab Salad is a refreshing dish that originated in Israel but is widely enjoyed throughout the Middle East.
It consists of a simple combination of fresh chopped vegetables: cucumbers, tomatoes, and bell peppers, along with red onions and parsley. The salad is typically dressed with olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
You might recognise these ingredients in Salad Shirazi (a Persian Salad), Indian Kachumber Salad or Pico de Gallo. – Mango Pico de Gallo
While the salad is commonly referred to as Israeli salad, it is also known as Jerusalem salad.
Other names are salat katzutz (chopped salad), salat aravi (Arab salad) or salat yerakot (vegetable salad)
It is often served as a side dish or a topping for various Middle Eastern dishes such as falafel or shawarma. It is a popular choice during hot summer days.
Ingredients for Israeli Salad
Tomatoes – use ripe but firm tomatoes that are deseeded. Mushy tomatoes will not work well as they release too much moisture.
Cucumber – use persian cucumbers or english cucumbers as these have little seeds and delicate skin that doesn’t require peeling.
Red onion – red onion works better than white, particularly in salad recipes
Bell pepper – I have used a mix of yellow and red pepper but you can use either. Alternatively, use a red or green chilli which adds heat
Lemon juice – use fresh or bottled. Lime juice is a good alternative.
Fresh herbs – fresh mint, fresh parsley and fresh cilantro (coriander)
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and black pepper to taste
Variations
To the base ingredients above, some Israeli Salads can contain the following
- Couscous or pearl cous cous or quinoa
- Avocado
- Hummus
- Pomegranate
- Chickpeas and feta cheese
- Tahini lemon dressing
- Sumac and or za’atar
- Carrots
- Radishes
Method
In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper
Finely chop cucumber, tomato, peppers and red onion then finely chop the herbs.
Pour over the dressing and toss to coat the vegetables well. Taste and add extra salt and pepper as required.
Serving Suggestion
This salad goes great in a falafel pita wrap or falafel sandwich with plenty of yogurt sauce or Indian mint sauce .
Top it on vegan lentil pancakes such as moong dal pudla for extra flavour and crunch.
I recently paired this salad with stuffed peppers and the flavours did not disappoint!
Why not try it for breakfast along with shakshuka and breakfast diced potatoes .
Storage
Israeli Salad is best eaten on the day it is made.
However, leftovers can be stored in an airtight container and kept in the fridge for an extra day.
I do not recommend freezing this salad.
Other Salad Recipes
Lentil Salad
Chickpea Salad with Avocado Dressing
Mango Avocado Black Bean Salad
Vegan Greek Potato Salad
Instant Pot Orzo Salad
As always if you make this recipe, be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe and tag me on Instagram @jcookingodyssey or #jcookingodyssey. I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations!
Don’t forget to follow me on social media using the buttons below – I can’t wait to see you all there!
- YouTube
Israeli Salad
Equipment
- 1 Chopping board
- 1 Sharp knife
Ingredients
- 2 tomatoes deseeded and finely diced
- ½ cucumber finely diced
- 1 red onion finely chopped
- ½ bell pepper I used a mix of 1/4 red and 1/4 yellow pepper
- ¼ cup parsley, cilantro and mint leaves chopped
- ½ tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together the 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice , 1 tablespoon olive oil and salt and black pepper to taste
- Finely chop 2 tomatoes , 1/2 cucumber , 1 red onion , 1/2 bell pepper and 1/4 cup parsley, cilantro and mint leaves
- Pour over the dressing and toss to coat the vegetables well. Taste and add extra salt and pepper as required.
Video
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
Israeli Salad
Equipment
- 1 Chopping board
- 1 Sharp knife
Ingredients
- 2 tomatoes deseeded and finely diced
- ½ cucumber finely diced
- 1 red onion finely chopped
- ½ bell pepper I used a mix of 1/4 red and 1/4 yellow pepper
- ¼ cup parsley, cilantro and mint leaves chopped
- ½ tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together the 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice , 1 tablespoon olive oil and salt and black pepper to taste
- Finely chop 2 tomatoes , 1/2 cucumber , 1 red onion , 1/2 bell pepper and 1/4 cup parsley, cilantro and mint leaves
- Pour over the dressing and toss to coat the vegetables well. Taste and add extra salt and pepper as required.
Video
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
My version of this Yogurt Garlic Sauce is made with just 3 main ingredients and takes only 2 minutes. It’s the perfect dipping sauce for so many dishes like shawarma, kebabs, kofta and grilled vegetables! I love it with my falafel sandwiches and air fryer smashed potatoes .
This easy to make sauce is a great way to cool down your favourite dishes without reaching for the mayo. I follow a Middle Eastern recipe so you can expect it to taste just like the white sauce at your local kebab shop.
The bonus is that it is so easy to make! In this recipe, I simply mix Greek yogurt with crushed garlic and lemon juice. It’s so good that I have to stop myself from eating it directly from the bowl!
If you love yogurt-based sauces as much as I do, here are a few other delicious variations you might want to try
- Indian Mint Sauce best enjoyed with onion bhaji , samosa and poppadoms
- Tzatziki sauce – a delicious Greek dip
- Creamy Cilantro Yogurt Sauce – perfect with tacos and fajitas
Ingredients notes
Yogurt – I use plain yogurt for this recipe that’s full fat. Low fat works too, I just add less lemon juice as it’s already tart. My preference is Greek yogurt so the sauce is nice and thick.
Garlic – it wouldn’t be a Middle Eastern yogurt sauce without a good hit of garlic. I find that fresh garlic is definitely the way to go for best results. Add as little or as much as you want based on personal preference.
At a pinch, you can use garlic powder but it does alter the flavour.
Lemon juice – fresh or bottled work well here.
Salt and pepper to taste
Optional:
Though optional, I pretty much always add in dried mint because I love the flavour that it brings to the sauce.
How to make it
Whisk together yogurt and lemon juice in a small bowl. Grate or mince a clove of garlic and give it a good stir.
I recommend that you do not use a food processor to blitz the yogurt and garlic together – it will make the dip runny. However, you can use a food processor to mince the garlic.
Add a pinch of salt to taste and lots of black pepper. The sauce will remain thick if kept chilled in the fridge.
Serving Suggestion
Spoon lemon yogurt sauce into wraps or pita pockets.
Dunk these air fryer garlic fries , pita chips and air fryer breaded mushrooms as an alternative to a ranch dressing.
The yogurt garlic dip can replace sour cream in many Mexican recipes such as these sweet potato and black bean quesadilla .
Taste great with Air fryer Buffalo Cauliflower too or other grilled vegetables.
The sauce is great for dunking these middle eastern falafels into.
Storage
Store leftover yogurt garlic sauce in an airtight container and keep in the fridge. I recommend using it up within 2 days to enjoy it at its freshest.
Do not freeze this sauce.
Other Yogurt Recipes
Cucumber Raita
Yogurt Sandwich
Eggless Chocolate Mousse (made with yogurt)
Mille Feuille with Saffron Yogurt
Dahi Aloo (Potatoes and Yogurt Curry)
Yogurt, Cashew and Date Popsicle
As always if you make this recipe, be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe and tag me on Instagram @jcookingodyssey or #jcookingodyssey. I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations!
Don’t forget to follow me on social media using the buttons below – I can’t wait to see you all there!
- YouTube
Garlic Yogurt Sauce for Kebabs
Equipment
- 1 Garlic press
Ingredients
- 1 cup yogurt or greek yogurt
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper powder
Instructions
- In a medium bowl take 1 cup yogurt or cup of greek yogurt.
- Take 2 cloves garlic and press through garlic press
- Add it to the yogurt.
- Season the yogurt with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper powder .
- Now add 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- If the yogurt is very thick add very little water.
- Mix well.
- Serve this garlic yogurt dip with your favourite recipes.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
