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    Home » Recipes » Salads

    Epic Fatoosh Salad With Pomegranate

    By Lily・Published:Oct 17, 2020・Updated: Jun 4, 2021・Post may have affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    fatoosh pinterest pin

    Fatoosh is a bright chopped salad made with homemade pita chips, fresh mint, parsley, radishes, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, sumac, and pomegranate topped with a tangy dressing made with lemon, olive oil, and pomegranate molasses. This epic fatoosh salad recipe is the result of two decades of tweaking my family's fatoosh recipe.

    fatoosh salad with pomegranate in a bowl

    If you’ve never cooked with sumac, za'atar, pita bread, or pomegranate molasses, you should try this recipe!

    What I Love About This Recipe

    I love the crunchy homemade fried pita chips with za'atar mixed into a tangy-sweet crunchy salad. I'm a sucker for Mediterranean chopped salads (like this Persian shirazi salad or quinoa tabbouleh) because they go so well with grilled meats and kabobs. This fatoosh recipe combines all of the secrets handed to me by family and friends.

    Ingredient Notes

    fatoosh salad ingredients
    • Tomatoes: I prefer to use tomatoes on the vine or Roma tomatoes, however, any tomato will do.
    • Persian cucumbers or English cucumber: I use either a Persian or English cucumber because the outer skin is not tough. I don't peel the outer skin for this salad.
    • Radishes: I add radishes to this salad because they are crunchy and add some brightness to the salad.
    • Pomegranate seeds (if you have some): Pomegranate seeds are not required, but they are great to add if you have some on hand.
    • Onion: I prefer to use brown onion, sweet onion, or white onion.
    • 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.
    • Lettuce: I use romaine lettuce.
    • Bell pepper: Any type of bell pepper works just fine in this salad.
    • Fried pita chips with za'atar (or baked): I make fresh pita chips from scratch either in the oven or fried. I personally like to top my pita chips with a little za'atar and sea salt.
    • Good quality olive oil: Right now I'm using olive oil from Greece that's really delicious.
    • Lemon juice: I recommend freshly squeezed lemons always. I never use canned lemon juice.
    • 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.
    • Pita bread to make the pita chips.

    How To Make Fatoosh

    Chop all of the salad ingredients to the same size and add them to a bowl. Add the 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 pomegranate syrup, lemon juice, and olive oil to the chopped salad. Mix and coat evenly.

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

    split the pita bread into halves
    cut the pita bread into chips

    Fry the pita bread in oil. Place the pita chips on a paper towel lined plate. Sprinkle some salt and za'atar spice on top.

    strain the fried pita chips
    za'atar pita bread chips

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

    fatoosh salad with za'atar pita chips

    Tips and Tricks

    • Za'atar spice is not normally added to the pita chips, however, I really like the added flavor!
    • 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 rather than tomatoes.
    • Omit the pomegranate. Many fatoosh 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 fatoosh is with plain baked pita bread.
    fatoush recipe

    FAQs

    What is fatoosh?

    Fattoush is a Lebanese chopped salad made with fresh herbs, chopped vegetables, sumac, lemon juice, olive oil, and pita chips.

    Why is it called fattoush?

    Fattoush is derived from fatteh meaning "toasted and crumbled bread".

    Are za'atar and sumac the same?

    Za'atar is different from sumac. Za'atar is a spice blend of thyme, sumac, and sesame seeds. Whereas, sumac is a berry that's dried and ground.

    How To Use Za'atar

    • Labneh Pita Sandwich
    • Zaatar Manakeesh Flatbread
    • Fried Cheese and Za'atar Spring Rolls
    • Za'atar Pita Chips

    Recipes With Pomegranate Molasses

    • Beef Samosas
    • Baba Ganoush Without Tahini
    • Lahm Bi Ajeen (Sfiha) Minced Meat Flatbread
    • Beef Sambousek (Fried Meat Pastries)

    Authentic Lebanese Recipes

    • Shish Barak Lebanese Dumplings in Yogurt
    • Toum Lebanese Garlic Sauce
    • Easy Lebanese Fried Falafel
    • Kibbeh Nayeh Recipe (Lebanese Raw Kibbeh)

    Join the Tribe

    Subscribe to The Matbakh Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, or Pinterest pages. We also have a saucy newsletter.

    fatoosh chopped salad with pomegranate and pita chips

    Epic Fatoosh Salad With Pomegranate

    Author: Lily
    Course: Salad
    Cuisine: Lebanese
    Prep: 30 mins
    Total: 30 mins
    5 from 5 votes
    Print Pin Rate Email
    Servings 6
    Lebanese fatoosh 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 of 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 of sumac

    Salad Dressing

    • 4 tablespoons pomegranate syrup 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 dried seasoning 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: 2cups | Calories: 327kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 0g | Cholesterol: 0mg | Sodium: 236mg | Fiber: 16g | Sugar: 28g

    More Salads That Don't Suck

    • Apple Gorgonzola Spinach Salad
    • Lebanese Tabouli Salad (Tabbouleh)
    • Persian Shirazi Salad
    • Quinoa Tabbouleh

    About Lily

    Howdy! My name 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 on the beach, meaningful relationships, and anything related to food. I'm so happy you are here!

    Reader Interactions

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      Recipe Rating




    1. 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
    2. 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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    Howdy, I'm Lily!

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