Is Greek salad keto friendly? Yes! Traditional Greek salad (AKA horiatiki salad) is a low carb and keto dish. Learn how to make keto Greek salad dressing and a delicious keto Greek salad with chicken or turkey. You’ll love how this keto Greek salad with lettuce fills you up and keeps you full for hours. This Greek salad is gluten free, low calorie, low carb, and get tips to make it dairy free as well!
One of the biggest criticisms of ketogenic diets is that they are not good for the heart. It’s just bacon all day, every day, right? If that’s what you think, I hope this keto Mediterranean salad changes your mind about what a keto diet can be.
My spin on authentic Greek salad turns this light meal or side into a full, hearty meal. First of all, traditional Greek salad has no lettuce. I decided to add leafy greens to bulk up the volume without increasing carbs or calories (by much).
Aside from the lettuce greens, we’ve got some other veggies you won’t find in a classic Greek salad. Along with the tomatoes, cucumbers, and onion, we’ve got roasted red peppers and artichokes. Feel free to add whatever other fresh vegetables sound good to you, such as zucchini.
This is also a high protein Greek salad. Though the feta cheese in Greek salad provides some protein, the addition of poultry really packs it in. (And if you don’t like chicken or turkey, try cooked lamb, pork, or beef instead.)
The keto Greek dressing stays a little closer to tradition, with olive oil and oregano. A touch of red wine vinegar and lemon juice adds an additional layer of flavor I hope you enjoy.
Jump to:
⭐ Benefits
What are the benefits of making Greek salad keto? Here are some health benefits and other reasons to make low carb Greek salad:
- Heart healthy: If you do well with very low carb diets, but want to protect the health of your heart, try this salad. The heart healthy monounsaturated fats in olive oil and crisp vegetables may help reduce your risk of heart disease (if eaten regularly).
- Meal prep: This salad is perfect for meal prepping for weekday lunches. It’s a complete meal, so no side dishes are needed.
- Potluck dish: Keto Greek salad is a beautiful dish to bring to potlucks or your next cookout. Simply make the salad and keep the dressing separate until right before serving. (Either have guests dress their individual portions, or dress the big bowl yourself.)
- Great for volume eaters: Keto Greek salad is a super example of a keto meal that is good for weight loss. It’s low calorie, high volume, and packed with protein.
- Protein: Speaking of protein, this low carb Greek salad has lots of it! You’re getting more high-quality protein here than you would with the Greek salad at Panera and (some) other restaurants.
- Gluten free Greek salad: Like most Greek salads, this keto diet Greek salad is naturally gluten-free. It’s also easy to modify this recipe for a variety of other diets such as dairy free and vegan. Just swap out the proteins (the feta and chicken).
- Delicious: This salad is bursting with tasty flavors. It has me looking forward to lunch every day when I make it!
🥘 Keto Greek Salad Ingredients
What are the ingredients for keto Greek salad? Here’s what you need:
- Leftover turkey breast or chicken breast
- Spring mix (or other mixed salad greens)
- Crumbled feta cheese
- Persian cucumbers
- Cherry tomatoes
- Kalamata olives
- Roasted red peppers
- Canned artichokes in water
- Red onion
This recipe is a great way to use leftover rotisserie chicken or leftover Thanksgiving turkey. I like to use roasted red peppers in a jar to save time. Buying pitted kalamata olives will also make life easier.
You’ll also need these things to make keto Greek dressing:
- Red wine vinegar
- Lemon juice
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Dijon mustard
- Dried oregano
Use fresh squeezed lemon juice, not the stuff in the bottle. The flavor difference is amazing!
Note: Get the specific quantities of ingredients in the recipe card below.
🍽 Equipment
To make this keto Greek salad recipe, here is the kitchen equipment you need:
- A good knife
- Bowls or salad containers
- Mason jar with lid
- Juicer or manual lemon squeezer
If you’ll be meal prepping Greek salads, I highly recommend these salad containers. They come complete with separate dressing cups and a fork!
I like to use a 1-cup glass canning jar to mix the salad dressing up. You are welcome to whisk it together in a bowl instead.
An electric juicer or manual lemon is optional, as you can always hand squeeze the lemon. However, I’ve found a manual squeezer does the best job extracting lemon juice (or lime juice or orange juice). IMVHO, it’s worth getting this inexpensive kitchen gadget!
🔪 How to Make Keto Greek Salad
We’ll begin by preparing our protein and veggies (i.e., practicing mise en place). Chop the cooked turkey or chicken into ½-inch cubes (1.27 cm). Cut the Persian cucumbers in half lengthwise and then into ½-inch thick half-moons.
The cherry tomatoes should be halved (or quartered if they are large). Slice the roasted red peppers into slices about ⅓-inch thick (0.8 cm) and drain and quarter the canned artichokes. Cut the red onion into ¼-½ inch dice (0.64-1.27 cm).
Now that everything is ready, you can distribute the lettuce evenly between four bowls. Top each bowl with ¼ of the turkey, feta, cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, peppers, artichokes, and onion. Now it’s time to make the keto salad dressing!
🥗 How to Make Keto Greek Salad Dressing
Homemade Greek dressing is so easy to make! Simply put the vinegar, lemon juice, mustard, olive oil, and oregano in a jar and give it a good shake. Make sure the lid is screwed tightly on the jar.
After making the dressing, you can dress the salads if you’ll be eating immediately. Otherwise, keep the keto dressing separate from the salads until right before serving time. You don’t want to give your salad greens a chance to get soggy.
️🌡️ Leftovers
You can keep leftover keto Greek salad in covered food-safe containers in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Again, make sure to keep the Greek dressing separate until serving time. I do not recommend freezing Greek salad, as it will become a soggy mess when you defrost it.
📋 Calories, Net Carbs, Protein
How many carbs in a Greek salad? How many calories in Greek salad? One serving of keto Greek salad has 455 calories, 16.3 grams net carbs, and 43.7 grams protein. Cut back on the tomatoes if you need to lower the carbs even more.
💭 Expert Tips from a Dietitian
This is a level 1 recipe (may help support fat loss). Keto Greek salad is under 500 calories with loads of non-starchy veggies to make it a high-volume meal. With the protein from turkey and feta, this satisfying meal should help to support a weight loss goal.
If you are trying to lose weight, creating meals that help you feel full on fewer calories can help. For most of us, the combination of protein, fiber, and high fluid volume can help us to feel full.
The foods that are the best sources of these elements are lean proteins, non-starchy vegetables, and certain fruits. These foods should be staples in your diet if you’re using keto for weight loss. This keto Greek salad is a great example of a healthy keto meal that may help with weight loss.
Many people trying to lose weight on low carb diets make the mistake of overindulging in fatty foods. Fats such as avocado, nuts, olive oil, other added oils and fats, and cheese are healthy foods. However, the portion size for these foods is rather small.
Salad greens, bell peppers, cucumbers, and other non-starchy vegetables help to make your low-calorie meals big. These foods can be especially helpful if you’re a volume eater. Salads are just one way to make big low-calorie meals; broth-based soups and stir fries are two other options.
If you need a higher energy recipe, using full fat feta cheese adds about 50 calories per serving. You could also add other fats, such as nuts and seeds, to your Greek keto salad. Another option (if you’re not following the keto diet) is to add a side of whole-grain crackers or bread.
FAQs
Make Greek salad dairy free by replacing the feta cheese with crumbled silken tofu. You may want to make a little extra Greek dressing to stir into the tofu to give it more flavor. You could also just skip using any dairy or soy to make the salad Paleo and Whole30 compliant.
To make mason jar keto Greek salad, put the wettest ingredients on the bottom of the jar, and the lettuce on top. You can either put the dressing in the jar first or keep it in a separate container entirely. This will help keep the lettuce from getting soggy. When it’s time to eat, flip the jar upside down and dump it into a serving bowl.
There are lots of tasty keto Greek food options aside from this keto Greek salad! Unsweetened Greek yogurt, tzatziki, and meat kabobs are all low carb Greek options. If you’re ordering at a Greek restaurant, tell them you don’t want the pita bread.
Per Cronometer, one ounce of Greek feta (28g, full fat) has under 1 gram of net carbs. Like most cheeses, Greek feta is a good fit for the keto diet.
No. Traditional Greek salad is made of tomatoes, cucumbers, kalamata olives, onions, and Greek dressing without lettuce. I added lettuce to bulk up the meal without increasing the calories much.
👩🏻🍳 Other Low Carb and Keto Salad Recipes
Want more keto and low carb recipes for salad? Here are some to try:
Also, don’t miss our entire collection of Keto Recipes!
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The Disclaimer…
All recipes on this website may or may not be appropriate for you, depending on your medical needs and personal preferences. Consult with a registered dietitian or your physician if you need help determining the dietary pattern that may be best for you.
The nutrition information is an estimate provided as a courtesy. It will differ depending on the specific brands and ingredients that you use. Calorie information on food labels may be wildly inaccurate, so please don't sweat the numbers too much.
For more information on how the three recipe levels may help with a weight management goal, refer to my overnight oats no sugar post. Let's get cooking!
📖 Recipe
Keto Greek Salad with Dressing
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb. cooked, chopped turkey breast (454 grams; can substitute chicken breast)
- 10 ounces mixed salad lettuce (283 grams; I used spring mix)
- 6 ounces fat-free feta, crumbled (170 grams)
- 4 Persian cucumbers, chopped
- 20 ounces cherry tomatoes, halved (567 grams)
- 40 pitted kalamata olives (approximately 120 grams)
- 8 ounces roasted red peppers, sliced (227 grams)
- 14 ounces artichoke hearts, canned and packed in water, drained (397 grams)
- ½ medium red onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
For the keto Greek salad dressing:
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice, fresh squeezed
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
Instructions
- Chop the cooked turkey or chicken into ½-inch cubes (1.27 cm). Cut the Persian cucumbers in half lengthwise and then into ½-inch thick half-moons.
- The cherry tomatoes should be halved (or quartered if they are large). Slice the roasted red peppers into slices about ⅓-inch thick (0.8 cm) and drain and quarter the canned artichokes. Cut the red onion into ¼-½ inch dice (0.64-1.27 cm).
- Evenly distribute the mixed salad greens between four salad containers or bowls.
- Top each container with ¼ of the turkey, feta, cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, red peppers, artichokes, and red onion.
To make keto Greek salad dressing:
- Squeeze the lemon with a manual or electric juicer.
- Put the red wine vinegar, lemon juice, olive oil, mustard and oregano in a food-safe jar with a tight lid. (I like to use a 1-cup glass canning jar.) Put the lid on the jar and give it a good shake.
- Keep the dressing separate from the salad until serving time. These salads will keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
This recipe has been updated from 2019 and includes new photos, a recipe video, and more nutrition information. Enjoy!
Chris says
Delightful
Summer Yule says
Thank you!