Common additions include green bell pepper or caper berries (especially on the Cyclades islands).

However in most European countries, including the UK, the dish broadly resembles the original, albeit often with non-Greek substitutions such as another cheese since feta cheese enjoys protected designation of origin status.

In an American-style Greek salad, lettuce, tomatoes, feta (often served in multiple cube-shaped cuttings mixed with the vegetables), and olives are the most standard elements, but cucumbers, peperoncini (pickled hot peppers), bell peppers, onions, radishes, dolmades, and anchovies/sardines are common.

Regional variants may include unusual components, e.g. in Detroit, beets, and in the Tampa Bay Area, potato salad.

A 1925 Australian newspaper described a Greek salad of boiled squash dressed with sour milk;[4] a 1934 American newspaper described a mayonnaise-dressed lettuce salad with shredded cabbage and carrots.