Lemon Orzo Salad

This lemon orzo salad with feta is tangy and bright, with tons of fresh lemon flavor from both lemon zest and lemon juice. You can make this easy summer side dish with only 8 ingredients and in 25 minutes!

Note: this post was originally published in 2022 and updated in 2024 with new photos and improved instructions. The recipe was also simplified.

Are you a lemon lover like me? I am a little bit obsessed with lemon, as you can see from my recipes for lemon butter chicken, lemon herb roasted asparagus, and lemon popsicles! Lemon is such a light and bright flavor, and it perks up anything you add it to.

This lemon orzo pasta salad is no different; it's packed with tons of tangy lemon flavor, from both fresh lemon juice and lemon zest. In addition to the bright lemony flavor, this orzo salad also features a generous amount of briny, tangy feta cheese. This delicious flavor duo makes this orzo salad so flavorful and satisfying - the perfect addition to any summer potluck or cookout!

To top it off, this easy lemon orzo with feta can be made in only about 25 minutes, with only 8 ingredients!

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Jump to:

• Recipe ingredients
• Step by step photos
• Tips and tricks
• Additions and substitutions
• Serving suggestions
• Make ahead and storage instructions
• Recipe FAQs
• Related recipes
• 📖 Recipe

Recipe ingredients

Ingredient notes

• Lemons: you will need both the juice and zest from the lemons. I highly recommend squeezing the lemon juice fresh since it makes up the main flavor of the salad.

• Olive oil: I like to use extra-virgin olive oil because it is so flavorful, but if you don't have extra-virgin olive oil, you can also use regular olive oil.

• Feta cheese: block (not crumbled) feta is nice to use here because you can create bigger chunks of cheese. But crumbled feta would also work great.

Step by step photos

Here's how to make this easy lemon orzo with feta, step by step. For a brief slideshow of these steps, check out my lemon orzo pasta salad web story!

1. The first step is to put a large pot of water on the stove to boil. Once the water boils, add a generous pinch of salt and cook the orzo according to the package directions. While you're waiting for the water to boil, and while the pasta is cooking, you can do the rest of the prep for the recipe.

First, chop the parsley and red onion.

2. Then, cut each grape tomato in half. Set the veggies aside for now.

3. Now we will prep the lemon zest and lemon juice for the dressing. Before squeezing the lemons, we have to zest them. You will need fine zest so it blends well into the salad. For fine zest, I like using this Microplane (affiliate link). It's easy to use and makes tons of fine zest very quickly!

After zesting, cut the lemons in half and squeeze out the juice. We need a half cup, so this will probably take between 2 - 3 lemons.

4. Then grab a large bowl. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, and salt to the bowl. Whisk everything together.

5. Once the orzo has finished cooking, drain it and rinse it under cold water to quickly cool it down. Drain it very well and then add the orzo to the bowl with the dressing, along with the tomatoes, parsley, and red onion we prepped earlier.

6. Mix all the ingredients together so the dressing evenly coats the pasta and vegetables.

7. Finally, crumble the feta cheese into the salad (or just add the cheese in if you bought pre-crumbled feta). Stir the salad again, gently, to avoid breaking up the cheese too much.

To finish the lemon orzo salad, you can give it a taste and adjust the seasoning if needed, by sprinkling in more salt and/or lemon juice.

Tips and tricks

• The lemon flavor in this lemon orzo feta salad is bold - it's perfect for anyone who loves that bright tangy flavor! But, if you prefer a more subtle flavor, you can always reduce the amount of lemon, taste the finished salad, and add more to taste.

• You will likely need about 2 - 3 lemons to gather enough juice for the dressing. But, sometimes you get a lemon that turns out to be a "lemon" (ha, see what I did there!). And by "lemon," I mean one that doesn't have much juice inside. So, I always buy an extra lemon when shopping, just in case!

• When zesting the lemons, make sure to take only the yellow part; the white pith underneath can be bitter.

Additions and substitutions

There are so many ways to customize this simple lemon feta orzo recipe. Here are some ideas to get you started:

• If you don't like feta cheese, some other good substitutions would be crumbled goat cheese or small balls of fresh mozzarella cheese.

• Feel free to substitute cherry tomatoes instead of grape tomatoes. If the cherry tomatoes are on the larger side, cut them into quarters instead of halves.

• To bulk up the salad, try adding a can of drained and rinsed chickpeas or some cooked shredded or chopped chicken.

• For even more tangy flavor, you can add in some marinated artichoke hearts and/or Kalamata olives.

Serving suggestions

• You can serve the lemon orzo salad right away, when it's slightly warm or at room temperature.

• But, I think it tastes best if you let it sit in the fridge for an hour or two to let all the flavors meld together.

• This orzo salad is great as a cookout side for hamburgers, hotdogs, or grilled chicken.

• It would also work well as a quick and easy lunch side, to serve alongside a cup of soup or a sandwich (I recommend my recipe for tuna melt wraps!).

Make ahead and storage instructions

• You can easily make this lemon orzo salad ahead of time. In fact, it tastes even better if you let it sit in the fridge, covered, for a couple hours before serving.

• But, as the salad sits in the fridge, the pasta continues to absorb the moisture in the dressing, making the texture of the salad drier. And, the tomatoes will also become softer over time. Therefore, if you're making the salad for a party, I recommend making it only one day in advance.

• To serve the salad after making it the day before, let it sit at room temperature for 20 - 30 minutes, and then give it a stir. If the orzo looks dry, drizzle in a bit of extra-virgin olive oil and a small sprinkle of water and/or lemon juice. Then stir the salad again and serve!

• Any leftover lemon orzo salad should be stored tightly covered in the fridge, for up to 3 - 4 days.

Recipe FAQs

Related recipes

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