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    Home » Recipes » Salads

    Lebanese Fattoush Salad With Fried Pita Chips

    By Lily・Published: Oct 17, 2020・Updated: Feb 19, 2025・Post may have affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Fattoush is a classic Lebanese salad made with homemade pita chips, fresh mint, parsley, radishes, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, sumac, and pomegranate seeds topped with a tangy dressing made with lemon, olive oil, and pomegranate molasses.

    fatoosh salad with pomegranate in a bowl

    Fattoush is derived from the Arabic word fatteh meaning toasted and crumbled bread. The secret to this recipe is actually not toasting the pita, but frying it. You'll thank me later.

    The Best Fattoush Salad

    The best fattoush recipe has fresh veggies, a tangy-sweet salad dressing, and homemade crunchy fried pita chips (with za'atar!). This fattoush recipe combines all of the secrets handed to me by family and friends including two decades of tweaking. If you’ve never cooked with sumac, za'atar, pita bread, or pomegranate molasses, you should try this flavor bomb salad recipe!

    Ingredient Notes

    fatoosh salad ingredients
    • Persian cucumbers or English cucumbers: Use either a Persian or English cucumber because the outer skin is not tough (don't peel the skin).
    • Radishes, lettuce, and bell peppers: I add radishes to this salad because they are crunchy and add some brightness to the salad. My preference is romaine lettuce and any kind of bell pepper.
    • Pomegranate seeds (if you have some): Pomegranate seeds are not required, but they are great to add if you have some on hand. Here's how to peel pomegranates without making a big mess.
    • Fresh mint and Italian parsley: Use fresh mint and fresh parsley. There are two types of parsley: curly and Italian parsley. I prefer using Italian parsley for all of my Lebanese dishes (like tabbouleh with quinoa), however, sometimes curly parsley is the only option at the supermarket. Italian parsley closely resembles cilantro, and how you tell the difference is by the smell.
    • Fried pita chips with za'atar (or baked): I make fresh pita chips from scratch (using Lebanese pita bread). I personally like to top my pita chips with a little za'atar and sea salt.
    • Pomegranate molasses (also known as dibz roman): It's sweet, tangy, and really makes this fattoush salad dressing amazing when mixed with lemon, sumac, and some good olive oil.
    • Sumac spice and za'atar spice are dry ingredients.

    How To Make Fattoush Salad

    Chop all of the salad ingredients into bite-sized pieces size and add them to a large bowl. Add the ground sumac spice and salt to taste. Keep the romaine lettuce separated. Add the romaine lettuce at the end with the pita chips.

    chopped vegetables for the salad

    Add the fattoush dressing. Pour the pomegranate syrup, lemon juice, and olive oil into the chopped salad. Mix and coat evenly.

    split the pita bread into halves

    Make the pita chips. Separate the pita bread.

    cut the pita bread into chips

    Cut or tear the pita bread into chip-sized pieces.

    strain the fried pita chips

    Fry pita bread pieces in oil on medium high heat until they turn golden brown.

    za'atar pita bread chips

    Place the pita chips on a paper towel lined plate. Add a pinch of salt and za'atar spice on top.

    fatoosh salad with za'atar pita chips

    Mix the chopped lettuce, chopped salad, and pita chips together immediately prior to serving.

    Tips and Tricks

    • Make your own pita chips from leftover pita bread. Fried pita bread is quick to make, and you can store the extra pita chips in an airtight container. Other great ways to eat pita chips include labneh dip or smoky baba ganoush.
    • Add za'atar seasoning to the pita chips! Traditional fattoush salad doesn't have za'atar pita chips, but it tastes so good!
    • The lettuce can get soggy if you keep the salad overnight. If eating this the next day, keep the lettuce, salad dressing, pita chips, and chopped salad separate then mix prior to eating.
    • Remove seeds from the pomegranate in water, so you don't stain your hands and clothing.
    • Use high-quality olive oil for the salad.
    fatoush salad

    Substitutions and Variations

    • Bake the pita chips rather than fry them. Heat the oven to 375 ℉ (190 ℃). Separate the top from the bottom of the pita bread. Coat the outside with some olive oil and sprinkle some salt (and za'atar if desired). Place the pita bread on a baking sheet and toast until golden brown for about 7 to 10 minutes (time may vary depending on the thickness of the pita bread.
    • Use grape tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, or any other type of ripe tomatoes.
    • Omit the pomegranate. Many fattoush recipes do not include pomegranate, possibly because it's hard to find out of season in some countries.
    • Omit the za'atar on the pita chips. The traditional way to make fattoush is with plain baked pita bread.

    Fattoush is an excellent salad to serve with grilled meats like grilled lamb chops, chicken thighs, shish tawook, and beef kabobs.

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    📋 Recipe

    fatoosh chopped salad with pomegranate and pita chips

    Lebanese Fattoush Salad With Fried Pita Chips

    Author: Lily
    Course: Salad
    Cuisine: Lebanese
    Prep: 30 minutes mins
    Total: 30 minutes mins
    5 from 11 votes
    Print Pin Rate Email
    Servings 6
    Lebanese fattoush is a bright chopped salad made with fresh mint, parsley, chopped lettuce, tomatoes, sumac, pomegranate, and pita chips.

    Ingredients
     
    US Customary - Metric

    Fatoosh Salad

    • 6 medium tomatoes
    • 6 Persian cucumbers or 1.5 English cucumbers
    • 6 radishes
    • ½ cup pomegranate seeds if you have some
    • 1 large onion
    • 1 cup fresh mint
    • 1 cup fresh parsley
    • 1 head of romaine lettuce
    • 2 bell peppers
    • 2 tablespoons sumac

    Salad Dressing

    • 4 tablespoons pomegranate molasses this is the secret ingredient
    • 6 tablespoons good quality olive oil
    • lemon juice from 2 large lemons
    • salt to taste

    Pita Chips

    • 2 large pita bread
    • za'atar if you have it
    • salt
    • olive oil if baking the pita chips
    • frying oil if frying the pita chips

    Instructions

    Make The Fatoosh Salad Base

    • Wash and chop lettuce. Set aside.
    • Chop onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, radishes, and bell peppers.
    • Add salt and sumac.
    • Chop fresh mint and fresh parsley.
    • Remove seeds from the pomegranate. Add to other salad ingredients.
    • Create salad dressing by mixing pomegranate syrup, lemon, and olive oil. Add dressing to salad ingredients and mix.

    Make The Pita Chips

    • Split pita bread in pita chip-sized pieces.
    • If frying, heat up frying oil. Add pita bread to oil and fry until golden brown. Remove onto a paper towel. Add salt and zaatar.
    • If baking in the oven, split pita bread into half. Most pita bread has a pocket of air in the middle that separates the bread into a front and back. Split the pita bread so that the front and back are separated. Brush olive oil onto each piece. Sprinkle za'atar and salt on the bread. Bake at 375 ℉ (190 ℃) until golden brown and crunchy.

    Assemble Salad Bowl

    • Add the salad to a bowl. Put pita chips on top. Mix and enjoy!

    Notes

    1. The nutrition facts are not including the fried pita chips or baked pita chips. Depending on how many you add to your bowl will affect the nutritional values.
    2. If eating this salad over a few days, keep the pita chips separate from the salad base until you are ready to eat. This keeps the pita chips crunchy.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 2 cups | Calories: 327 kcal | Carbohydrates: 46 g | Protein: 6 g | Fat: 15 g | Saturated Fat: 2 g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 13 g | Trans Fat: 0 g | Cholesterol: 0 mg | Sodium: 236 mg | Fiber: 16 g | Sugar: 28 g

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    About Lily

    Howdy! My name is Lilian, but my friends call me Lily. I'm the founder and one of the recipe authors here at The Matbakh. I enjoy sunsets, long walks to the fridge, meaningful relationships, and anything related to food. I'm so happy you are here!

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      5 from 11 votes (3 ratings without comment)

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Emily

      March 04, 2023 at 11:52 am

      5 stars
      This fattoush was so good, I had it for a light lunch! I loved the addition of pomegranate molasses which I happened to have on hand - plus the fresh herbs add something special! Thank you for sharing the recipe!

      Reply
      • Lily

        March 04, 2023 at 3:48 pm

        Thanks Emily!

        Reply
    2. Kathleen

      March 04, 2023 at 11:51 am

      5 stars
      What fabulous flavors in this Fattoush salad. It looks fantastic and I love that you serve it with fresh pita chips.

      Reply
      • Lily

        March 04, 2023 at 3:48 pm

        Thanks for the comment

        Reply
    3. Jen

      March 04, 2023 at 11:50 am

      5 stars
      I made this for lunch to share with my friend and we both LOVED it!

      Reply
      • Lily

        March 04, 2023 at 3:49 pm

        It's one of my fave salads!

        Reply
    4. Kushigalu

      August 04, 2022 at 2:41 pm

      5 stars
      Delicious and refreshing salad recipe to try. Thanks for sharing.

      Reply
      • Lily

        August 04, 2022 at 3:47 pm

        Thanks!

        Reply
    5. Carrie Robinson

      June 04, 2022 at 10:04 am

      5 stars
      What a unique salad idea! I am just loving all of the flavors happening here. 🙂

      Reply
      • Lily

        June 04, 2022 at 3:47 pm

        Thank you Carrie

        Reply
    6. Angela Tepedino

      April 20, 2020 at 2:29 pm

      I love this recipe!!!! Such a yummy light and filling salad. Good by itself for a simple snack or goes great as part of a course meal. Salad stays fresh, does not wilt, I recommend saving some pita chips to add later to leftover salad. Yummy!

      Reply
      • Lilian B.

        April 22, 2020 at 12:01 am

        5 stars
        Thank you Angie!

        Reply
    7. Judy

      April 17, 2020 at 11:56 am

      5 stars
      This is one of my favorite Lebanese salads. I’ve done this before without the pomegranates, but I like that twist to this version of fatoush salad. You made this recipe so easy to follow - hoping others try this great salad dish and get hooked on it like I did!

      Reply
      • Lilian B.

        April 22, 2020 at 12:02 am

        5 stars
        Thank you Judy!

        Reply

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    lily at the matbakh

    I'm Lily

    I'm an American Lebanese living in Texas. My kitchen, or matbakh, is a hodgepodge of recipes from the U.S. and Mediterranean region.

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