This cucumber salad recipe is refreshing, zesty, and chilled, combined with onion and fresh dill in a quick vinegar dressing. It’s the effortless summer side you’ll make repeatedly!
Here’s one of my top summer side dishes that’s full of flavor and suits nearly any diet: my cucumber salad! It’s straightforward and impactful, featuring a vinegar-based dressing that brings sweet and tangy notes.
I grew up enjoying this salad at BBQs, and if you did too, you understand why it’s so beloved (right?). It embodies the ideal summer atmosphere for virtually any event: summer cookouts or potlucks, lunches, or a simple make-ahead side dish you can store in the fridge for dinners throughout the week. Thin slices of cucumber and onion soak in a bold, sweet-salty vinegar brine, and it just continues to improve with time!
5 Star Reader Review
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Absolutely delicious!!! I prepared this tonight alongside the Cajun Salmon and Easy Lemon Orzo. What a fantastic combination. It was a huge success with my husband. I’ll definitely be cooking all of these again really soon. Thank you.” -A.M.
Ingredients You’ll Need
This cucumber salad recipe is essentially more akin to quick-pickled cucumbers and onions than a standard salad (similar to this German Gurkensalat). While we enjoy a creamy cucumber salad, the vinegar-based cucumber salad is our favorite. It’s super easy, remains fresh over time, and boasts remarkable flavor. Here are the ingredients you’ll require:
– English cucumbers: Look for the long, slender English cucumbers packaged in plastic at the store.
– White onion and red onion: I prefer using both to achieve the vibrant color of red and the subtle taste of white.
– Fresh dill: Fresh herbs are ideal, but you may substitute dried dill here as well, and it will still be fantastic.
– White vinegar: Ensure it’s white vinegar (not white wine vinegar); it delivers a sharp, straightforward flavor that characterizes this salad recipe.
– Granulated sugar: A touch of sugar offsets the acidity.
The Best Type of Cucumber for Salad
To me, this is the crucial aspect of cucumber salad. The optimal type of cucumber to use is an English cucumber, also known as Persian cucumber or seedless cucumber. It offers a much better texture and flavor compared to a typical cucumber.
– English cucumbers are elongated and straight, with a delicate, bright green skin featuring ridges. The seeds are tiny, and the flavor is sweet and mild. Due to the thin skin and small seeds, they do not require peeling or seeding before consumption. You can find English cucumbers alongside standard cucumbers in the produce section: they are packaged with a plastic covering to safeguard their delicate skin.
– Standard slicing cucumbers are shorter, with thick, dark green skin and large seeds. The tough skin and seeds can be bitter, so they are often removed when preparing dishes.
Prefer to use standard cucumbers? You can substitute the equivalent weight of standard cucumbers here, and it will taste wonderful too! Be sure to slice them very thinly, or peel them if you are sensitive to the bitter taste of the skin.
Tips for the Best Cucumber Salad
Got your cucumbers? Here are a few tips for creating this cucumber salad recipe, the perfect summer side dish for gatherings, potlucks, and more! Here’s what you need to know:
– Use a mandolin for effortless slicing. A mandolin is a cutting tool that makes it simple to slice vegetables uniformly. If you have one, it makes this salad recipe easy! Ensure you wear the protective gloves that come with the blade to avoid injury.
– No mandolin? Use a chef’s knife to slice the cucumber as thinly as possible.
– French cut the onions. Slice the onion from the root end to the stem end to make the most visually appealing pieces (here’s a video).
– Chill for 1 hour. You can enjoy this salad immediately, but it’s best after chilling for 1 hour. This cools the salad and softens the vegetables.
What to Serve With Cucumber Salad
This invigorating summer cucumber salad is obviously a perfect match for anything rich, smoky, or grilled as a refreshing, crunchy contrast. Here are a few of my favored combinations:
Storage and Leftovers
This cucumber salad recipe is ideal for preparing in advance and stores wonderfully in the fridge. Keep cucumber salad for up to 7 days refrigerated. It tastes even better after a few days of chilling. Use it for side dishes all week long!
Cucumber Salad Variations
There are numerous variations on this theme! Here are a few more cucumber salad recipes:
Dietary Notes
This cucumber salad recipe is vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free, and gluten-free.
Easy Cucumber Salad Recipe
This cucumber salad recipe is refreshing, zesty,