Marinated sumac onions or Turkish onion salad is a tangy side dish or garnish that takes just 5 minutes to make! Pair sumac onion salad with grilled meat like kabobs, salads, and restaurant-style wraps like tantuni. For all you sumac lovers, make sumac cucumbers next!

What are Sumac Onions?
Turkish sumac onions consist of thinly sliced red onions massaged with and marinated in ground sumac, olive oil, and fresh lemon juice (sometimes red wine vinegar) to flavor and soften the onions.
Key Ingredients
- Onion: I prefer the sharpness of red onions, but substitute them with white onions or shallots.
- Lemon Juice: Fresh lemon juice from one lemon is all you need.
- Parsley: Fresh parsley leaves adds a bright color to the salad to complement the onions.
- Spices: Enhance the onion flavor with tangy ground sumac and kosher salt. Sumac is a popular Middle Eastern seasoning found online and at health stores. However, I recommend visiting a local Middle Eastern grocery store to explore. The ground-up sumac berries give the onion salad its signature color and flavor.
- Olive Oil: Massage the onions with a generous amount of extra-virgin olive oil.
Additions and Substitutions
- Crank up the heat. Include a pinch of ground Aleppo pepper or Urfa pepper flakes for even more flavor and a bit of spice.
- Mix it up. Some recipes for sumac onions call for red wine vinegar or pomegranate molasses instead of lemon juice to provide tartness.
How to Make Sumac Onions
The full recipe with measurements is in the recipe card below.
Step 1: Add the ingredients for sumac onions to a serving bowl and massage to combine for 2-3 minutes.

Step 2: Taste and season with more ground sumac. Cover and set it aside for 30 minutes before serving.


Expert Tips
- Prepare the onions. If you find the raw onion flavor too strong, soak the red onions in cold water for 20 minutes before using them to reduce the intensity. Then, drain the onions, pat them dry, and continue preparing the salad.
- Let it chill. Refrigerate the salad for 30 minutes to let the flavors combine before serving them.
Prepare the sumac onions and pair them with one of these flavorful dinner recipes!

Serving Suggestions
Sumac marinated onions often accompany chicken and red meat dishes, but you can use them to garnish sandwiches, salads, wraps, and soup. Serve the tangy onions with savory meals such as boneless leg of lamb or zaatar turkey, and they go hand in hand with kebabs like Adana kebab, shish kebab, shish tawook, döner kebab, and köfte.
What To Do With Leftovers
- Refrigerate: Store the leftover onions in an airtight container 3-4 days.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is sumac?
Sumac (summāq) means dark red in Arabic, and the name refers to a spice common throughout the Middle East to finish meals like fattoush. It comes from sumac berries, which are dried and ground into a coarse red powder for culinary purposes.
What does sumac taste like?
Like fresh lemons, ground sumac is tart and slightly sweet, but it’s a perfect way to provide acidity to meals and side dishes without citrus.
More Salad Recipes:

Sumac Onions
- 1 large red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 cup parsley leaves, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- lemon juice, one lemon
- 1 tablespoon ground sumac
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Add the ingredients for sumac onions to a serving bowl and massage to combine for 2-3 minutes.
- Taste and season with more ground sumac. Cover and set it aside for 30 minutes before serving.
- Prepare the onions. If you find the raw onion flavor too strong, soak the red onions in cold water for 20 minutes before using them to reduce the intensity. Then, drain the onions, pat them dry, and continue preparing the salad.
- Let it chill. Refrigerate the salad for 30 minutes to let the flavors combine before serving them.
Pat
Thursday 27th of June 2024
These were fantastic. Wanted something different from the pickled kind this time. Didn't have parsley so I used cilantro. Used this for a topping for my copy cat cava bowls. Loved it!
Tressa Jamil
Wednesday 17th of July 2024
I love that you improvised; it's one of my favorite things to do in the kitchen. Happy these worked for your Cava bowl. I have plans to make some Cava copycat recipes in the near future actually.
Ali Aslam
Wednesday 19th of April 2023
I've had these twice now and they are great! A healthy way to add so much flavor to a steak or lamb dish. I've had it over salad and shawarma now and it tastes very authentic.
Julia Cooper
Wednesday 19th of April 2023
I just made this Sumac Onion Salad for the first time and I can't believe how easy it was! The tangy and bright flavors paired perfectly with my grilled chicken and added a refreshing twist to my dinner. Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe!