# Lebanese Fattoush with Toasted Bread and Sumac

> Fattoush is coarsely cut vegetables — cucumber, tomato, radish, lettuce, parsley and mint — with toasted Arabic bread, dressed with olive oil, lemon juice, pomegranate molasses, sumac and garlic. The bread goes in only at the moment of serving so it stays crisp.

**Lebanese Cuisine · 28 min · 4 servings · 210 kcal per serving**

Fattoush and tabbouleh are both Levantine salads, but fattoush is far easier: a coarse chop, a sharp dressing, and toasted bread for crunch. The one mistake people make is adding the bread early, so it goes soft.

## Ingredients


### Salad
- 2 rounds — Arabic bread, cut into squares
- 3 medium — tomatoes, cut into large dice
- 2 — cucumbers, chopped
- 6 — radishes, sliced
- 1 head — romaine lettuce, roughly chopped
- 4 stalks — spring onions
- 1 cup — chopped parsley and mint

### Dressing
- ⅓ cup — olive oil
- 2 lemons — juice of
- 1 tbsp — pomegranate molasses
- 1 tbsp — sumac
- 1 clove — garlic, crushed
- 1 tsp — salt

## Method

1. **Toast the bread** — Cut the bread into squares, brush with a spoon of olive oil, and bake at 200°C for eight minutes until golden and crisp. Or deep-fry it if you want it richer.
2. **Chop the vegetables** — Cut everything into fairly large dice — fattoush isn't finely chopped like tabbouleh. Chop the parsley and mint coarsely.
3. **The dressing** — Whisk the olive oil with the lemon juice, pomegranate molasses, sumac, crushed garlic and salt until combined.
4. **Toss and serve** — Right before serving: toss the vegetables with the dressing, then add the toasted bread and toss once only. Serve immediately.

## Tips

- The bread goes in at the last second — leave it sitting in the dressing and you lose the whole point of fattoush.
- Sumac is what gives the distinctive sourness; without it, it's just a salad.
- Seed the tomatoes if you want the salad to stay dry.

## FAQ

### What's the difference between fattoush and tabbouleh?
Tabbouleh is built on finely chopped parsley with bulgur; fattoush is coarsely cut vegetables with toasted bread. Both Levantine, completely different dishes.

### Can I make it without pomegranate molasses?
Yes — add more lemon juice. But the molasses is what gives Lebanese fattoush its sweet-sour edge.

### How long does it keep?
Serve it immediately. To prep ahead, keep the vegetables, dressing and bread separate and combine at the table.

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Source: https://hanakoleah.com/en/lebanese-cuisine/lebanese-fattoush-salad-recipe
Edited by: Marwa Mohamed
Last updated: 2026-10-29