Simple German Tomato Salad (Tomatensalat)

This classic German tomato salad is super quick and simple to make - but big on taste. Within 15 minutes you can have this tomato salad with vinegar and honey dressing on your table. It is perfect as a starter or side dish.

My easy tomato salad recipe was passed to me by my mum. She would make my dad a healthy salad every evening, to go with his Abendbrot. Tomatoes were a special favorite, as we grew them in our garden. I have already shared her carrot salad, egg salad and beetroot salad on my blog.

By popular demand, this reader-favorite recipe made it into my debut cookbook, German Kitchen-Classic Dishes!

Tomato Season in Germany

The German word for tomato is "Tomate". It is available here all year round. However, in the winter months, they are usually imported from Spain or Italy. You can buy German tomatoes in May, but these are from heated greenhouses. The tomatoes grown in gardens and fields are available from July until October. 

Tomato Salad Ingredients:

For the detailed instructions and exact measurements, please jump to the printable recipe card

This salad uses simple ingredients, most of which you have available in the pantry. Juicy tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, white balsamic vinegar, honey, salt, black pepper, fresh basil, parsley, and scallions /spring onions. The secret to the easy German tomato salad is using fresh herbs and in-season tomatoes. 

Which tomatoes to use for this salad? The answer to this question is simple - if available use the tomato variety that is in season. They will have the best flavor. However, any kind of tomato variety works well for this recipe. For example, cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes, but also beef tomatoes.  

Why use sweetener in a tomato salad? For me, a sweetener is a must for tomato salad. The honey, or sugar, brings out the flavor of the tomatoes.

How to make this German Tomato Salad

1. The tomato salad dressing: Add the olive oil, vinegar, garlic, honey, salt, and pepper into a bowl and stir until the honey has dissolved. (You can prepare this dressing up to three days in advance).

2. Chopping the tomatoes: firstly wash the tomatoes and then remove the stems if required. Now you can slice them in half to extract the trunk and then chop them into bite-size pieces (about 2 cm chunks). There is no need to deseed the tomatoes.
3. First remove the outer, dry leaves of the scallion/ spring onion. Chop off the wilted tips of the vegetable. Now chop the spring onion finely in small rings until the root base is. Discard the root. Remove the parsley and basil leaves from the stems and finely chop them too.
4. Place all ingredients in a bowl and pour over the dressing. Mix everything until combined.
5. You can either serve it straight away or leave it to rest in the fridge. Please note that the garlic flavor intensifies the longer you leave it to rest.

Variations

This salad is easy to adjust to your taste. You can

• add about 150 g feta or 100 gr mozzarella to this salad.
• use different herbs and replace the basil with 1 tablespoon of freshly cut thyme.
• If you prefer you can substitute the spring onion/scallions with a white or red onion (about 50 g)
• Instead of balsamic vinegar, you can also use white wine vinegar or red wine vinegar which has a tarter flavor. Balsamic vinegar is sweeter.

What to serve it with?

Tomato salad goes well as a side dish to grilled meats such as Schwenkbraten, grilled pork belly skewers, or pork steaks.

It also tastes great by itself, alongside some crusty bread to soak up the excess vinegar.

Prepare ahead

This salad can be made up to 4 hours in advance. I would not leave it overnight, as the tomatoes do go soggy overnight.

Storage Instructions

Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to three days. The tomatoes might go soggy but it will still taste delicious.

Recipe