This simple Celery Salad recipe is a mix of chopped organic celery stalks, tomatoes, red onion and lots of fresh herbs all tossed in a delicious kalamata dressing. We love everything about this celery root salad! It’s one of those quick and easy salads you can enjoy as a light lunch or serve as a side with grilled chicken or fish.

white bowl of salad with celery and tomatoes

This simple celery salad recipe is a basic one, but the dressing we toss it with has delicious layers of flavor that really makes this salad anything but ordinary.

bowls of chopped vegetables

Celery is a root vegetable and along with carrots and parsley, it’s part of the Apiaceae family.  This crunchy vegetable is commonly served with peanut butter and vegetable dips, and it’s a popular low-calorie diet food, containing about 10 calories per celery stalk. We tend to think of celery as a great add-in vegetable mixing it with onions and carrots to make a mirepoix to add to soups, stews, sauces and casseroles. It’s also a popular ingredient added to bread stuffing, potato salad, egg salad and more. We don’t often think of using celery as a main ingredient for a dish. But this celery salad recipe is delicious, crunchy and loaded with Mediterranean flavors, and it really shows us how to put this humble vegetable center-stage.

Simple Celery Salad Recipe

  • Organic celery stalks. We use lots of celery for this salad and include the leaves (which are loaded with flavor).
  • Cherry tomatoes. 
  • Fresh Herbs. We use a mix of fresh parsley, basil and mint for this salad which adds a nice combo of flavors.
  • Onion. We use red onion sliced thin for this salad, but you could also use green onions if you like. 
  • Kalamata olives. v
  • Feta cheese. Feta adds a nice flavor to the mix, but you could use grated Parmesan if you’re not a fan of Feta.
  • Dressing. We toss this salad in a delicious homemade dressing made with extra-virgin olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, dried oregano, garlic, kalamata olives and Feta cheese.

Find printable recipe with measurements below.

Variations

Depending on what else I may have on hand – I like to add cooked quinoa and/or chickpeas to this salad, or I might add in some canned tuna or roast chicken if I want something a little more substantial.

  • Toss with 1 cup cooked quinoa
  • Add 1/2 cup canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • Crumble in canned tuna
  • Add chopped grilled, roasted or boiled chicken 

Mediterranean Salad Dressing

This Mediterranean dressing has an amazing combination of flavors.  Just toss the ingredients in a mason jar, seal the lid and shake well. It’s best when refrigerated before serving and it’ll keep in the refrigerator for up to a week.

  • Extra-virgin olive oil
  • Lemon juice and zest
  • Dijon mustard
  • Dried oregano
  • Kalamata olives
  • Feta cheese
  • Garlic

How To Make Celery Salad

  • Make dressing. Add the ingredients to a mason jar, seal the lid tightly, shake well to blend.
  • Prepare vegetables. Rinse and chop organic celery and herbs (including celery leaves), peel and chop onions, and slice cherry tomatoes in half.
  • Dress ingredients. Add the salad ingredients to a large bowl. Drizzle dressing over the ingredients and toss. Add additional kalamata olives and feta cheese if you like (I usually do). Season with freshly ground black pepper.

bowl of celery salad with tomatoes

How Do You Choose The Best Celery?

Look for stalks that are packed together tightly with thick crisp ribs. The leaves should be green, perky and fresh looking. Avoid celery with stalks that are rubbery and bend easily, or have spotting and wilted leaves.

bowls of celery with tomatoes

How Many Carbs in Celery

Like cucumbers, lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower and spinach, celery is one of the best low carb vegetables you can eat. Just one-cup of chopped celery contains about 3 grams of carbs and two of these grams are fiber.

bowls of chopped celery with tomatoes

Serving Suggestions

Celery salad makes a perfect side salad to burgers, soup and grilled chicken and fish.

bowl of chopped salad

Looking for More Healthy Salad Recipes to Make?

In case you’re looking for ways to incorporate more celery into your diet, all of these recipes have celery listed as an ingredient.

Want more salad ideas? Check out all my healthy salad recipes.

Mediterranean Celery Salad
Yield: 4 servings

Mediterranean Celery Salad

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes

Mediterranean Celery Salad is a simple mix of chopped organic celery stalks, tomatoes, red onion and lots of fresh herbs all tossed in a delicious kalamata dressing. It's one of those quick and easy salads you can enjoy as a light lunch or serve  it as a side salad with grilled chicken or fish.

Ingredients

Celery Salad

  • 8 cups organic celery (about 8 large celery stalks), peeled, sliced thin on a diagonal
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
  • 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
  • 1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
  • 2-4 tablespoons celery leaves, chopped
  • 1/3 cup red onion, peeled and sliced thin
  • Kalamata olives (extra for garnish)
  • Feta cheese (extra for garnish)

Mediterranean Salad Dressing

  • 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 3 tablespoons kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
  • 3 tablespoons feta cheese
  • 1 clove garlic, grated on small hole grater

Instructions

  1. Rinse vegetables under cold water and pat dry or put in a salad spinner to dry.
  2. Slice celery stalks and chop herbs (including some celery leaves), peel and slice onions and slice cherry tomatoes in half.
  3. Add the salad ingredients to a large bowl. Drizzle dressing over the ingredients and toss. Add additional kalamata olives and feta cheese if you like (I usually do).
  4. Season with freshly ground black pepper.

For the Mediterranean Salad Dressing

  1. Add the ingredients to a mason jar, seal the lid tightly, shake well to blend.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 373Total Fat: 32gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 25gCholesterol: 13mgSodium: 564mgCarbohydrates: 19gFiber: 7gSugar: 10gProtein: 6g

theharvestkitchen.com attempts to provide accurate information, however, this nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. The nutritional information provided comes from online sources and calculations.