Purslane Salad with Lettuce, Tomatoes, Cucumbers, and Mint

This Purslane Salad with Lettuce, Tomatoes, Cucumbers, and Mint has an amazing Sumac-Lemon Vinaigrette that bumps up the flavor! The salad is loaded with healthy purslane, one of the most nutrient-rich plants you can eat and it’s also extra low in carbs.

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Let me start this post by saying that this Purslane Salad with Lettuce, Tomatoes, Cucumbers, and Mint is one of the most interesting salads I’ve made since I started this blog. This is a salad that’s jam packed with remarkable flavors.

Take all those healthy salad ingredients and add the amazing Sumac-Lemon Vinaigrette and you have amazing summer flavors, combined in a salad that’s about as healthy as you can get! And this Purslane Salad is not only healthy, it’s also extra low in carbs.

What ingredients do you need for this recipe?

(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

• red or green leaf lettuce
• chopped Purslane
• diced tomatoes, or grape tomatoes cut in half
• diced cucumbers
• chopped fresh mint (or use parsley if you’re not a mint fan)
• salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
• fresh-squeezed lemon juice, I used my fresh-frozen lemon juice
• Minced Garlic (affiliate link)
• Ground Sumac (affiliate link)
• olive oil (use a flavorful olive oil for this)

What is Purslane?

If you’re living in the United States you might have seen Purslane growing as a weed, although I did giggle when I found out (after years of trying to get rid of the weeds) that in some places you can buy Purslane seeds and grow it as a salad green. But when I did more research I discovered that Purslane is  one of the healthiest plants in the world. (Purslane has more omega-3 fatty acid than any other plant.)

And in some places (especially Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Mexico) Purslane is considered a delicacy. If you have a good farmers market you may find Purslane for sale there. I thought the flavor was appealing, and loved that it’s such a healthy addition to a salad. Read more about Purslane if you’re intrigued like I was to find this common weed is actually good to eat!

What flavors make this Purslane Salad so delicious?

• First, there is Purslane, an interesting green plant that might be growing as a weed in your yard. I’ve been interested in Purslane ever since I discovered it’s an edible plant.
• Second, the salad is enhanced with Sumac, one of my favorite flavors and a seasoning I think many Americans are missing out on, and the Sumac adds amazing flavors to the dressing here.  
• Third, the salad uses fresh garden tomatoes and cucumbers that are always so fresh and flavorful during the summer months.
• And finally, fresh mint is a flavor I love in the summer and it always perks up the flavors in any dish it’s added to. 

What is Sumac?

I’m a long-time fan of Sumac, a reddish-purple ground spice that’s commonly used in middle eastern cooking. It has a lemony flavor that’s good on so many foods and I’ve used Sumac on hummus, in Fattoush Lebanese Salad, in salad dressing, and even on Cauliflower Rice. And Sumac also one of the components of Za’atar, a middle eastern blend of spices. Read more about Sumac if you’re not familiar with it.

Are you a fan of fresh mint?

Fresh mint is the other ingredient that makes this salad such a wow for me, and this Purslane Salad was featured in my round-up of idea for Cooking with Fresh Mint.

How to Make the Purslane Salad:

(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

1. Now that I have gravel around my garden beds Purslane is not as abundant at my house, but I still found this much growing among my veggies.
2. If you’re picking your own Purslane, it can be pretty dirty. I washed it in the sink, then chopped it up and washed it again in the salad spinner (affiliate link).
3.  I also used a generous amount of chopped mint.  
4. I used Romaine Lettuce this time, but red leaf would be pretty. I also used the salad spinner to crisp up the Romaine.
5. I used Persian cucumbers from Costco for this salad, but if you have larger cucumbers you might want to peel off part of the skin.
6. I used grape tomatoes, also from Costco! Cut the tomatoes in half lengthwise and then crosswise; if you have larger garden tomatoes just chop into pieces.
7. Combine the salad ingredients in a large bowl.
8. I think this Ground Sumac (affiliate link) added so much flavor to both the dressing and the salad, but if you don’t have Sumac just use a bit more lemon.
9. Mix together the lemon juice, minced garlic, ground Sumac, and salt in a glass measuring cup, then whisk in the olive oil one tablespoon at a time until the dressing is well-blended.
10. Toss salad ingredients with enough dressing to moisten it, season with salt, pepper, and more ground Sumac as desired, and enjoy! 
11. I thought this kept pretty well overnight in the refrigerator for a salad with lettuce and tomatoes, but it’s best freshly made.

More Interesting Recipes with Purslane or Sumac:

• Mediterranean Salad Dressing ~ Kalyn’s Kitchen
• Purslane Salad with Yogurt ~ Almost Turkish Recipes
• Fattoush Lebanese Salad ~ Kalyn’s Kitchen
• Purslane Chimichurri ~ From a Chef’s Kitchen
• Mediterranean Spinach Salad ~ Kalyn’s Kitchen

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Yield: 6 servings

Purslane Salad with Lettuce, Tomatoes, Cucumbers, and Mint

Prep Time 30 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Purslane Salad with Lettuce, Tomatoes, Cucumbers, and Mint also gets a flavor boost from the Sumac-Lemon Vinaigrette, and this interesting salad is loaded with healthy ingredients.

Ingredients

Salad Ingredients:

• 3 cups chopped red or green leaf lettuce
• 3 cups chopped Purslane (or just use what you find if you don’t have that much)
• 1 cup diced tomatoes, or grape tomatoes cut in half
• 1 cup diced cucumbers
• 1 cup chopped fresh mint (or more; use parsley if you’re not a mint fan)
• salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Dressing Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp. minced garlic
• 2 tsp. ground Sumac + more for sprinkling on salad
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 cup olive oil (use a flavorful olive oil for this)

Instructions

1. Wash Purslane well if you’re picking it from your garden. I washed it in the sink, then removed roots and chopped the stems and leaves and washed again in the salad spinner (affiliate link)
2. Pull mint leaves off stems, wash and spin dry in the salad spinner or dry with paper towels, and then coarsely chop mint leaves.
3. Chop lettuce, wash, and spin dry in the salad spinner or dry with paper towels.
4. Cut cucumbers into small half-moon slices (you may need to peel them if you don’t use Persian cucumbers.)
5. Chop tomatoes, or cut cherry tomatoes in half each way.
6. In a small bowl or glass measuring cup mix together the lemon juice, minced garlic, Ground Sumac (affiliate link), and salt. Whisk in the olive oil one tablespoon at a time until the dressing is well-blended.
7. Put all salad ingredients into a bowl and toss with desired amount of dressing.
8. Season to taste with salt and fresh ground black pepper, sprinkle with more Sumac as desired, and serve.
9. This salad keeps fairly well overnight in the fridge, but it’s best freshly made.

Notes

This recipe created by Kalyn, with dressing inspired by Fattoush.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 113Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 400mgCarbohydrates: 7gFiber: 2gSugar: 2gProtein: 2g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

Did you make this recipe?

Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating (under the PRINT button in the recipe) or share a photo of your results on Instagram! THANKS!

Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
This Purslane Salad is a great nutritious salad option for low-carb or Keto eating plans, or for any phase of the original South Beach Diet, and this tasty salad is also vegan and gluten-free.

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Salad Recipes to find more tasty salads like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find more recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This healthy purslane salad recipe was first posted in 2011, when I had lots of purslane in my vegetable garden. It was last updated with more information in 2023.

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