Easy Cucumber Salad Recipe (2024)

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This Easy Cucumber Salad Recipe is light, fresh, and flavor-packed. This simple salad features cool cucumber complemented by fresh herbs all tossed in a tangy lemon dijon dressing.

Cucumber Dill Salad

This Easy Cucumber Salad Recipe is for when you find yourself googling, “How do you use a lot of cucumbers?” this summer. Because sometimes we just end up with too many cucumbers! First try this one, then add thois and Cucumber Avocado Gazpacho with Shrimp to your list!

This simple recipe for cucumber salad is just the answer! And it’s a darn good one at that. This recipe is light, refreshing, and makes a great side salad next to all of your grilling mains, seafood, or chicken dishes.

This recipe works with either farm fresh large cucumbers you find in the summer, or if you’re craving a refreshing side it can also work with store-bought English hot house cucumbers. If you are using extra large cucumbers from your garden or the farm feel free to scoop out the seeds and slice in half moon shapes.

Ingredients Needed:

  • Olive Oil, Lemon Juice, and Dijon Mustard: makes up a tangy, spicy base for our dressing.
  • Seasonings: we’re adding even more flavor with a blend of salt, garlic powder, black pepper, and red pepper flakes.
  • Cucumber: any cucumber you can find will work!
  • Herbs: our fresh cucumber salad is rounded out with a mix of fresh dill, parsley, and mint.

How to Make Cucumber Salad

This light, flavorful, and versatile cucumber dill salad takes just 10 minutes to come together!

  1. Make the dressing: In a bowl, whisk together the oil, lemon juice, mustard, and seasonings.
  2. Combine: Add the sliced cucumbers to the dressing, then mix in fresh herbs. Toss to combine.
  3. Marinate and serve: Let the salad sit for 10 minutes, then taste and re-season.

What Kind of Cucumbers Are Best?

Any kind you want! This recipe works with large farm fresh cucumbers or store-bought English hothouse cucumbers. Whatever you can find is great.

If you are using extra large cucumbers from your garden or the farm, feel free to scoop out the seeds and slice them into half moon shapes to make them more bite-sized.

Tips and Notes for Cucumber Salad

  • Make it earlier in the day. This cucumber salad gets better as it sits (but not for days!) so the flavors have time to really soak into the fresh cucumber. I recommend making it a couple hours in advance, but if you’re shorter on time, let it sit for 10 minutes or so before serving.
  • Use a mandolin to slice the cucumbers if you want them even and thin. If you don’t have a mandolin, a sharp knife will work as well, and I kind of hate the mandolin so you pick!
  • Use fresh herbs for the best flavor. Dried herbs will work as well, but you will need to use less since the flavor is more potent.

Variations

  • Add other veggies. Make your salad a little more colorful by adding sliced cherry tomatoes or sliced red onion.
  • Make it cheesy. A sprinkle of feta or goat cheese cheese would be delicious!
  • Make it creamy. Add a scoop of mayo or plain Greek yogurt to the dressing for a creamy twist on your cucumber salad recipe. Keep in mind you may need to add more seasonings!
Easy Cucumber Salad Recipe (6)

Serving Suggestions

This oh-so-versatile summer side dish can go with just about anything! Here are some of our favorite main dishes to serve alongside this cucumber salad:

  • Seared Steak or Garlic and Lime Marinated Flank Steak
  • My Go-To 10-Minute Sautéed Shrimp
  • Pork Carnitas
  • Grilled Pork Chops
  • Air Fryer Salmon
  • Greek Chicken Kebabs

How to Store

Leftover cucumber salad will last in an airtight container in the fridge for 1-2 days. I don’t recommend freezing it because the fresh texture of the cucumber will be affected, and I don’t recommend it for more than a day or two as it will start to taste more like pickles!

More Summer Side Dish Recipes

  • Mexican Street Corn Salad
  • Shrimp Avocado Salad
  • The Best Spring Mix Salad Ever
  • Grilled Sweet Potato Salad with Honey Mustard Vinaigrette
  • Greek Three Bean Salad
  • Classic Macaroni Salad

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Easy Cucumber Salad Recipe (8)

This Easy Cucumber Salad Recipe is light, fresh, and flavor-packed. This simple salad features cool cucumber complemented by fresh herbs all tossed in a tangy lemon dijon dressing.

Servings 4

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

Rate RecipePrint Recipe

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • Pinch of red pepper flakes
  • 2 large cucumbers thinly sliced
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint

Instructions

  • In a large bowl combine oil, lemon juice, mustard, salt, garlic powder, pepper and red pepper flakes and whisk to combine.

  • Add in the sliced cucumbers and fresh herbs and toss to combine.

  • Let sit for about 10 minutes, season to taste and then serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 120kcalCarbohydrates: 6.7gProtein: 1.5gFat: 10.8gSaturated Fat: 1.6gSodium: 256mgFiber: 1.2gSugar: 2.6g

Course: Side

Cuisine: Gluten-free, Paleo, whole30

Author: Lexi

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Easy Cucumber Salad Recipe (13)

Easy Cucumber Salad Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What does a cucumber salad contain? ›

This cucumber salad recipe features thinly sliced cucumbers, red onion, fresh dill, and a sweet and tangy vinegar dressing. Cooling and refreshing, this summer salad is a perfect BBQ or picnic side dish.

How do you keep cucumber salad from getting soggy? ›

Happily, salting cucumbers requires only 20 minutes or so and virtually no effort: You just put them in a colander or strainer, toss them with a big pinch of salt or two — the exact quantity doesn't matter, since most of the salt will flow away with the liquid — and let osmosis do its thing.

What is the best cucumber for salad? ›

Long English Cucumber

Long English Cucumbers have a good crunch with thin, delicate skin that's easy to digest. The best part: you don't even need to peel them—just slice 'em up and eat them as the perfect quick snack. This type of Cucumber is great in salads as well as a ton of other things, too!

What can you put on cucumbers to make them taste good? ›

In a bowl combine the white vinegar, Splenda, garlic and dill and just stir until the Splenda is dissolved. Pour wet mixture over the cucumber slices and stir so that the mixture has coated all of the slices.

How many cucumbers do you need to make a salad? ›

Ingredients
  1. 1 to 2 large cucumbers (or 4 to 5 smaller cucumbers)
  2. 1 to 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill, basil, or Thai basil (see Recipe Note)
  3. 2 to 3 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar.
  4. Salt and pepper to taste.

Why is my cucumber salad bitter? ›

What Makes Cucumbers Bitter? A specific compound called cucurbitacin is responsible for the bitter flavor. "Cucurbitacin is generally more concentrated in the skin and towards the stem end of the fruit," says Tucker Taylor, director of culinary gardens at Kendall-Jackson Wine Estate & Gardens in Sonoma County.

Why soak cucumbers in salt water? ›

This salt treatment draws water out of the cucumbers and flavors them, so it's critically important. After layering or mixing in plenty of sea salt, I cover the salted cukes with ice cubes and a tea towel and forget about them for a few hours.

Should I peel cucumber for salad? ›

Armenian, Persian, and English cucumbers all have thin skin, so you actually don't have to peel them. I do peel them, but you can make that call. If you get garden cucumbers, they have thick skin and are sometimes waxed, so I always peel those. There isn't a right or wrong way to peel your cucumbers.

What is the best time to eat cucumber salad? ›

The best time to eat cucumber salad before lunch. Avoid eating cucumber at dinner because the water content in cucumber is high which not good for your healthy at night.

What are number 1 cucumbers? ›

1 consists of cucumbers which are fairly well colored, fairly well formed, not overgrown, and which are fresh, firm, and free from decay, sunscald and from damage caused by scars, yellowing, sunburn, dirt or other foreign materials, freezing, mosaic or other disease, insects, cuts, bruises, mechanical or other means.

What not to mix cucumbers with? ›

Cucumber and tomato are both eaten together in salads. But this is not the right food combination in terms of health. Actually, the way these two are digested is completely different, so eating them together should be avoided.

Why should you crush a cucumber before you eat it? ›

That's why chefs and home chefs from Asian cuisine have been using this technique of crushing cucumbers before slicing them for a long time. The reason for this is most likely to make sure the vegetable dries out a little bit. This way, it will become more flavoursome and it can absorb other flavours better.

How do you enhance cucumbers? ›

Fertilize at planting with a balanced fertilizer; mulch after plants grow several inches tall. Fertilize again after plants bloom and every few weeks through the season. Harvest fruits early and often to keep plants productive. Cut cucumbers from their vines when they're still young and firm.

What are the ingredients in a cucumber? ›

Raw cucumber (with peel) is 95% water, 4% carbohydrates, 1% protein, and contains negligible fat. A 100-gram (3+1⁄2-ounce) reference serving provides 65 kilojoules (16 kilocalories) of food energy. It has a low content of micronutrients: it is notable only for vitamin K, at 16% of the Daily Value (table).

What does cucumber contain? ›

One medium unpeeled, raw cucumber has the following:
  • Calories: 30.
  • Total fat: 0 grams.
  • Carbs: 6 grams.
  • Protein: 3 grams.
  • Fiber: 2 grams.
  • Vitamin C: 10% of the recommended daily value (DV)
  • Vitamin K: 57% of the DV.
  • Magnesium: 9% of the DV.
Sep 23, 2022

Is eating cucumber salad healthy? ›

In addition to containing several vitamins and nutrients essential to your diet, one cup of cucumber provides 11% of your daily requirement for vitamin K, essential in building healthy bones. Cucumbers also contain lignans, which research shows may decrease the risk of heart disease as well as several types of cancer.

What are the components of the cucumber flavor? ›

(E,Z)-2,6-nonadienal and (E,Z)-2,6-nonadien-1-ol give fruits a typical cucumberlike flavor, which is the most important constituent of the cucumber flavor. Nonanal and nonanol give citrus and rose notes, and (Z)-6-nonenal gives melon-like notes [12, 26].

References

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