This exceptionally delicious creamy Cucumber Salad is a summer time favorite! This refreshing side dish is ready to go in 5 minutes and takes just a handful of ingredients! Serve alongside grilled chicken made with my famous chicken marinade and these delicious baked beans!
Cucumber Salad
As summer creeps in, I find myself craving fresh, simple salads and this quick Cucumber Salad is always at the top of that list. Ready in just minutes, it’s an easy side dish that everyone will love.
Those of that have been long-time readers are well aware that my Nana was one of the primary contributors in developing my love for cooking – and eating 😁
Growing up, I would walk to my Nana’s house after school and we would make something together, almost every single day. It was sweets a lot of the time but one of my favorite snacks was a plate of freshly sliced cucumber that had been picked from her garden.
She would liberally season the cucumber slices with salt and pepper and put out the plate just like that. My Grandpa Rex and I would snack on those cucumbers while we played Dominoes together and there was just NOTHING better.
Easy Cucumber Salad
This delicious, refreshing salad is nearly as simple to prepare as that after-school snack but is fancy enough for a potluck or party and makes a lovely side dish for any meal. It’s especially delicious with some grilled chicken or steak. (Check out my chicken marinade and steak marinade!)
Cucumber Salad Ingredients
- English cucumbers – English cucumbers are really best for this cucumber salad recipe because they have a thin skin that isn’t bitter and doesn’t need to be peeled. You can, of course, peel the skin if you prefer. Use a mandoline for thin, even slices without any work. (I’m LOVING this mandoline right now and you’ll see me using it in the recipe video below.)
Can’t find English cucumbers? No problem. Use another seedless cucumber OR you can use a seeded cucumber AND simply remove the seeds before adding to the salad.
- red onion – thinly sliced red onion is mellow enough to eat raw and adds a delicious bite to this salad. If you’re sensitive to onions, go ahead and soak the sliced onion in ice water for about 10 minutes before adding to the salad. I use a mandoline to slice my onions nice and thin!
- sour cream or plain Greek yogurt – the two really are interchangeable in this recipe and make a deliciously creamy cucumber salad.
- chopped fresh dill – dried just isn’t quite the same in this recipe so use fresh if you can (if using dried dill, reduce to 1 tablespoon)
- vinegar – one of the main components in the dressing, the vinegar adds a nice tang. Feel free to try out different vinegars for subtly different flavors.
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper – for seasoning and flavor.
Cucumber Salad Dressing
The dressing for this salad is a simple combination of the following ingredients:
- sour cream
- vinegar
- dill
- salt
- pepper
Simply whisk them together and then toss with the red onions and sliced cucumber. Super easy!
Tips and Tricks
- If you got your hands on an extra large English cucumber, you might want to cut the cucumber slices in half for easier serving and eating.
- Using Greek yogurt makes for an extra healthy cucumber salad. You can also make cucumber salad with mayo but I wouldn’t use all mayo, use half mayo and half Greek yogurt or sour cream. My favorite version is cucumber salad with sour cream.
- This salad can be made well in advance, up to 2 days before. If you notice a lot of liquid in the bowl, just drain it off. Cucumbers are mostly water so this will happen from time to time.
More Delicious Salads To Try
- Broccoli Salad with Bacon
- Watergate Salad
- Strawberry Spinach Salad
- Pineapple Cucumber Salad
- Balsamic Honey Grilled Steak Salad and Vinaigrette
How To Make Cucumber Salad
Cucumber Salad
Ingredients
- 1 to 2 English cucumbers thinly sliced, approximately 1/8 inch thick
- ½ cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon vinegar
- ½ red onion thinly sliced
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together sour cream, dill, salt, pepper, and vinegar.
- Thinly slice the cucumber and red onion. Use a mandoline if you have one to make quick work of this step.
- Place the sliced cucumber and red onion in a medium serving bowl and toss with the dressing. Check for seasoning and add additional salt and/or pepper if needed.
- Refrigerate for up to 3 days or serve immediately. Garnish with additional fresh dill if desired.
Kaydee says
I’ve been searching for this recipe- a reminder from years ago. It’s really good but I used red wine vinegar and a vidalia onion because that’s what I had.
Mary A Meyer says
Any kind of salad made with cucumbers is a winner for me.
Gary says
As any Jew, Pole or Ruski can attest, this recipe has been around for eons. Interchangeable cucumbers with potatoes.
But never mayo. And though red/purple onions are pretty, typically green or white onions are used.
susan says
I agree about the cucumber salad my Russian mother use to make. No mayo and she used green onions and lots of dill in sour cream, sour cream and vinegar. It was truly refreshing. Plan on trying both versions.
Ava says
Slice cucumbers thin take salt pour all over cuc let it soak for an hour.Squeeze all juce out .Mix vinigar garlic powder dil and sugar to taste mix in with cucumbers don’t forget the onins.You can eat it just like this or and the saur cream.
Gels says
One of my family’s favorites! I do add a clove or two of minced garlic to the mix and sprinkle with paprika.
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Love the additions of garlic and paprika – yum!