Orange Orzo Salad with Almonds, Feta and Olives
The best orzo salad recipe, featuring bright, fresh Mediterranean flavors! This healthy salad includes whole grain orzo, fresh parsley, toasted almonds, crumbled feta, green onion and Kalamata olives.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on September 3, 2024
First of all, I’m so excited that you’re so excited about the new Cookie + Kate app! I had no idea that you wanted an app so badly (why didn’t you tell me?!), but I’m happy that I have one for you now. Please tell your friends and family about the app, and I’ll add more recipes to it soon!
To celebrate, I’m sharing this fresh, bright and irresistible orzo salad recipe. It’s bursting with Mediterranean flavors—juicy orange, parsley, toasted almonds, crumbled feta and Kalamata olives.
I don’t use oranges nearly as often as I use lemon and lime, but this salad reminds me not to overlook those sweet, quiet oranges, especially while they’re in season.
This orzo salad was also a lesson in pasta salads. First lesson? You must rinse the pasta immediately after cooking it so it doesn’t get sticky and lopsided. Adding some of the starchy cooking water to the dressing adds body to the salad, while keeping the oil content in check.
Let the salad marinate for at least 10 minutes, so flavors have time to meld and the pasta has time to absorb some of the moisture. It doesn’t taste all that special until it’s had a little rest, and then it tastes spectacular. Trust me!
If you are an olive hater or raisin hater, just omit those parts. The salad still works well without them, although I like it best as written. You can also omit the feta to make this a vegan salad. It’s so good, however you make it.
This salad was inspired by a salad offered in the deli at a local grocery store called Hen House. Which is to suggest that it packs great for lunch (and picnics, I imagine), and keeps well for several days in the fridge.
As always, please let me know how you like it. If you’re looking for more fresh salads, here they are!
Orange Orzo Salad with Almonds, Feta and Olives
The best orzo salad recipe, featuring bright, fresh Mediterranean flavors! This healthy salad includes whole grain orzo, fresh parsley, toasted almonds, crumbled feta, green onion and Kalamata olives. Recipe yields 6 side servings.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces whole wheat orzo pasta (I used DeLallo brand)
- ½ cup raw almonds
- 1 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
- ½ cup pitted Kalamata olives, halved
- ½ cup chopped green onion
- ½ cup raisins, preferably golden
- ½ cup crumbled feta cheese (optional)
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- ¼ cup fresh-squeezed orange juice (from 1 to 2 oranges, preferably organic)
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 1 medium clove garlic, pressed or minced
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add the orzo and cook until al dente, according to package directions. Before draining, reserve roughly ½ cup pasta cooking water. Drain, and immediately rinse the orzo under cold running water until the orzo is no longer warm. Drain well.
- Toast the almonds in a medium skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently, until fragrant and turning golden on the edges, about 5 minutes. Transfer the almonds to a cutting board and chop them.
- In a large serving bowl, combine the cooked orzo, chopped almonds, parsley, olives, green onion, raisins, and feta (if using).
- In a liquid measuring cup or small bowl, combine the orange zest, orange juice, olive oil, vinegar, garlic and salt. Add ¼ cup of the reserved pasta cooking water, and whisk until blended.
- Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to combine. It might seem like too much dressing at first, but don’t worry. Season with pepper, to taste.
- Let the orzo salad rest for at least 10 minutes (or up to several hours in the refrigerator) so it has time to soak up the dressing. Season to taste with additional salt, if necessary, and serve. Leftovers will keep well in the refrigerator for up to four days.
Notes
Recipe inspired by a salad offered at Hen House grocery stores.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
Loved the citrus and garlic notes! Served the salad as a side with grilled shrimp skewers! Perfect!
Thanks for sharing and for your review!
So good!!
Thank you!
This recipe was fantastic! Super light and refreshing. My husband and son loved it. In fact, my husband said, “this is a keeper recipe”! I will be making it again.
I love that! Thank you, Carla.
This recipe is SO delicious! I made it for several friends and now for family this weekend. People raved about it–such a good combo of bright flavors and colors and a lovely contrast with the feta, olives and almonds. It took me a bit longer than 15 minutes to prep, but I’m not the speediest in the kitchen. Thanks so much for this great recipe, now a summer staple in our home.
Love to hear that! Thank you, Priscilla. I really appreciate the review.
Made this last night and it was so perfect for a light summer bite, when you’re hungry but it’s so hot you don’t want a full meal! Delicious and slightly citrusy and very fresh flavors. I left out the feta because one of our house guests is vegan. Just a perfect summer salad to keep in the fridge.
Thanks for your review, Sheila!
I love this recipe! I packed it for lunch, and when I opened it at work, I got a room full of envious, inquisitive looks as everyone smelled the fragrant orange. One of my favorites that I’ll definitely make again!
Oh the best kind of envious! :) Thanks for sharing, Julie. I appreciate your review.
I’m making this for my vegetarian book club tonight, excited to try it!
LOVED this. I would reduce the amount of raisins next time, since I found it overall a little on the sweet side, but still one of the best salads I’ve ever tried.
Thanks for sharing, Jasmine!
I made this to accompany roast chicken this evening (soaked the raisins in orange juice – yum!) Delicious recipe, thank you!!
You’re welcome, Amy!
I made this for dinner tonight. It was the second time I’ve had it. I didn’t have orzo either time, so I used elbows and it was still good! I saved some back so I could share with others; I’m always trying to get people to try your recipes!
I actually didn’t think I would like a salad with orange anything, but it turned out to be really balanced and flavorful. It’s on my regular mealtime rotation now. Thanks!
It’s great that you tried it anyway with being unsure and now you love it! Thanks for the feedback, JM.
Full Disclosure: I made this because 1) I was starving 2) I randomly had parsley, and clementines that were about to go bad, with all the other ingredients in my pantry. That said, I fully expected not to really like it – raisins? with feta? it just sounded a little weird, but was SOO delicious! I loved it and will definitely make again. Thank you for always being reliable even when I doubt you :)
I’m so happy you tired it and loved it! I appreciate the faith, Summer. :)
So good! Such a great mix of textures and flavors. I made it exactly as the recipe said except for one thing: I realized at the last moment I didn’t have enough scallions so I supplemented with some lightly sauteed shallots. Delicious!!
I’m glad it all still turned out delicious, Nicole! Thanks for your review.
Loved this! I’m not typically a huge fan of raisins or olives, but both worked extremely well in this recipe (and my husband LOVES them). I wasn’t wowed until I ate leftovers the next day… definitely let the salad marinate!
I’m glad it was even better the next day for you! I love this leftover. Thank you for your review, Taija!
Fabulous Salad! I saw this over at The Wimpy Vegetarian and made it last week. I didn’t have orzo, so I substituted brown rice. It made a wonderful meatless meal – lots of flavors and textures. Thanks!
You’re welcome! I’m glad you liked it with brown rice.
Hi Kate, I’m one of those terrible humans who has made a lot of your recipes and loved them but haven’t left a review before. In this case though, I looove this salad so much I felt the need to share the love! It’s right up my alley, I know I’ll made this again and again. Thank you for your recipes!
You are not terrible! But I do appreciate the comment and review. :) I’m glad you loved this one so much, Nicole!
We love this and have made it several times. We’ve adapted it to use Israeli cous cous instead of orzo and the whole thing is soooo tasty
That sounds tasty! Thanks for sharing, Alana.
I’m not a vegan or vegetarian, but I know a few people who are and figuring out what to make when they come over for dinner can be daunting. However you make the recipes easy and delicious. Who knew. I like that you give options for the recipes as well. You may have transformed me. Definitely trying out more recipes for just me. Thanks
I’m happy to hear that, Fran! Thanks for sharing.
Excellent recipe… Thanks for sharing! I followed it except I used blackberry vinegar.. As I did not have any white wine vinegar.
Thank you, Linda!
I made this with mini gluten-free shells. It was great! Such an unexpected (by me at least) combination of flavors. The more I ate, the more I liked it. It’s great to have a new addition to the “work lunch” rotation.
Thanks for sharing! I’m glad you enjoyed it gluten free, Thrun.
This salad is INCREDIBLE. It’s easy to make and totally packed with flavor. It’s almost better the second day because the orzo soaks up all the goodness. I eat this salad so much that I decided to try subbing in farro for the orzo and it was delish!
I’m so happy you liked it, Kristen! Thanks for sharing.
I love the sound of most of this salad, what cud you substitute in place of the olives?
You could leave them out and add more of your favorite part of the salad, if you don’t like them.
Amazing! Such a perfect combo of crunchy, chewy, tangy, salty, sweet and bloody delicious! Thank you
You’re welcome!
Love this for lunches! I added some leftover chickpeas I had from another recipe to bulk it up, and doubled the amount of orange zest. These are not flavors I would have necessarily paired but man are they good!
I’m glad you love this recipe!
Made this last night and loving the leftovers today! I used 1/2 cup parsley and 1/2 cup basil as a slight tweak, and it’s so tasty! Thanks for another great recipe ☺️
You’er welcome, Allyson! I’m glad you loved it!
Made this tonight, subbed orzo for bulgar wheat, raisins for goji berry and olive oil for avocado oil (as it was all in the pantry). It was DELICIOUS. Thanks x
I’m glad it worked so well, Laura!
I made this for lunch today and LOVED it! I didn’t have any white wine vinegar so I used a little apple cider vinegar and it turned out great! Love love love your recipes!
Thank you, Katie!
i’ll try this with chopped sundried tomatoes instead of raisins, which I don’t like. Looking forward to trying this.
I hope you enjoy it, Iva!
:) Just wanted to let you know I like your recipes and plan to try some out. Good to see someone with a passion for cooking
Thanks for sharing, Melissa!
this is a 7 star rating salad in my house. My family just loves it and it’s so nutritious and refreshing. Your recipes are a blessing in disguise for me. They are therapeutic haha :) keep them coming
I’m glad you love it, Aisha!
5 stars! I made this recipe today, it was so tasty and so easy. All the flavors work really well together. Thank you Kate for another amazing recipe. I can’t wait to have the leftovers for lunch tomorrow.
A great salad for this time of year! Thanks for sharing.
I found this recipe a little intimidating at first, I thought the flavors might not compliment each other since i’ve never seen an orzo salad with such a unique combo of ingredients….boy was i wrong! I made this exactly as the recipe calls, it is the BEST orzo salad i’ve ever eaten. The dressing isn’t sweet like I thought it would be for some reason. All the ingredients compliment each other, salty, sweet and crunchy almonds. This will be my go to recipe from now on.
This is absolutely delicious! It elevates pantry ingredients to something very special. We ate it as a main dish over baby spinach, and it four servings over two meals for my husband and me.
Delicious recipe and very easy to put together. Big hit with the entire family and I am very much looking forward to eating leftovers over the next days.
Great that it only gets better with time as the pasta soaks up the dressing.
I’m happy you love it, Helene! Yes, it gets better as it sets – which I love.
First of all, I LOVE your cooking site. I’m not a vegetarian, but find so many terrific salad and side dish recipes to go along with the rest of our meal.
I made the orzo recipe today and it was delicious. Served it with salmon. I used cilantro instead of parsley and pepitas in place of the almonds, just because that was what I had on hand. Both were excellent substitutions.
As an amateur but mindful cook, I have very much appreciated your helpful suggestions such as rinsing the orzo after cooking and in another recipe, cooking quinoa without a lid. Small changes, but really made the difference.
This orzo salad is delicious! I used Violife vegan feta.. perfect for a summer lunch!
We simply love everything about this recipe! Have made it numerous times now and it’s in the “bests” list for when company comes for dinner or BBQ. Thank you so much!
Absolutely delicious! I have made this three times. First time exactly as written. Second time, subbed sesame seeds for almonds (out of almonds!), and third time, used mandarin orange segments (from a lunch cup). Each time, was asked for the recipe multiple times. Keeps well in refrigerator. Thank you so much for one of my new go-to recipes.
You’re welcome, Diana! I’m happy it’s a favorite. Thanks for sharing!
Just stumbled across this recipe and made today for lunch. WOW! I didn’t have parsley so subbed arugula instead and the flavors all together were amazing. Will be making again and again!
I added chickpeas to make it a meal (with 4 servings rather than 6). It was nice the day of after sitting for 30-ish minutes, and even better the next day — highly recommend making a day in advance if possible! I stored the almonds separately to keep them crunchy. Another C+K winner to add to the WFH lunch arsenal!
Loved the salad. Not clear on 6oz of orzo, googled to different clarification. Please advise how much in cups is 6oz dry orzo please.
Really want to make again!
Hi Mary! You want this one in ounce. I don’t have a cup measurement for this one. But it is 8 ounces, not six. Sorry to not be of more help!
So I added roasted zucchini, roasted bell pepper, cucumber, baby spinach and crushed red pepper.. second time making this and I way prefer with the added veggies and spice. But both were great.
Sounds lovely! Thank you for taking the time to review, Lexy.
Made this a couple weeks ago and it was fantastic! I’m not a parsley lover but I’m trying to like it more and this recipe was a great way to get it in. I didn’t mix in the feta but I added some to it the second day we ate it and it was delicious either way. Can’t wait to make this again!
Wonderful! Thank you for your review, Valerie.
Made this today and LOVE it! I didn’t have white wine vinegar so I substituted with lemon juice!!
Sounds delicious, Donna! Thank you for your review.
So. Freaking. Good. Thanks for this flavourful, fresh recipe. Absolutely love your recipes!
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Hi! Made this tonight. Lots of flavor! Swapped kale for the parsley. Added some dijon to the dressing to give a little extra depth. Great salad for our soup and salad night!
That’s great! Thank you for sharing, Tanja.
This salad is so fresh & yummy! it was a big hit with my hubby. I even shared the recipe with friends, who all enjoyed it too. I cut back on some of the parsley and added in arugula. Arugula is delish with the orange. One of my friends substituted quinoa for the orzo. I might try that too. This one is a keeper recipe for sure!
That’s great, Deb!
I made a variation of this recipe and it was so great. Since I didn’t have the orzo are used Trader Joe’s red lentil pasta instead, and in place of the raisins are used dried figs and dried apricots cut into small pieces. As well are used a fig balsamic vinegar. It was delicious.
I didn’t exactly make an orzo salad but as I was trying to decide what to do with some farro I saw this recipe and already had everything on hand. I’m sure the original is great but it is also really good with farro. My 1 old and 3 year old both gobbled it up (no green onion in their portion but everything else). Thanks for a super quick, “I don’t know what to make for dinner” and a delicious meal on the table twenty minutes later!
I love that! Thank you for sharing.
I have made a lot of your recipes at this point (they are always good), but this is the one I come back to the most! It is hands down my favorite pasta salad, whenever I make it I want to eat it with every meal, and in my opinion it gets better each time you eat it as the dressing soaks in more.
I love it, Alice! Thank you for your review.
We absolutely love this recipe! thank you