by Holly
Creamy Cucumber Salad is a refreshing summertime staple at any picnic, barbecue or potluck. Crisp cucumbers and fresh summery dill all tossed in a simple sour cream dressing.
This easy recipe is made in a snap with ingredients that are probably already in the kitchen. It takes just minutes to make and is the perfect side dish next to grilled chicken or barbecue ribs. Especially with a side of grilled corn on the cob!
What’s in Cucumber Salad?
Cucumber Salad is a delicious summery blend of cucumbers, dill, and dressing! With a dressing made of sour cream, mayo, and vinegar, you’ve got the basics down! It’s just seasonings and a dash of sugar from there!
CUCUMBERS:
I prefer long English cucumbers for this recipe as they are thin skinned and don’t require peeling (although you can peel them if you prefer).
If using regular field cucumbers, the skins can be tough so I’d suggest peeling them or at least peeling some strips. The seeds on field cucumbers are larger so I often cut them in half and scrape the seeds out to keep the salad from getting watery.
ONIONS: White onions are optional but add great flavor to this cucumber salad. Pick onions with the white papery skin (not the yellow skin) as they’re a little bit milder. Thinly slice the onion and soak it in cold water while preparing the salad to take off a little bit of bite from the onion.
For a heartier version, stir in some shredded cabbage. Scoop it into a wrap for a quick and refreshing vegetarian lunch!
How to Make Creamy Cucumber Salad
This creamy cucumber salad starts with fresh crisp cucumbers.
- Peel the cucumbers if desired and seed if using field cucumbers.
- Slice into ¼ inch pieces.
- Mix together the remaining ingredients and gently stir in the sliced cucumbers.
Refrigerate one hour before serving. Garnish with chopped dill.
TIP: While it’s optional, scraping out the seeds of the cucumbers will keep the salad from getting watery. If using smaller cucumbers, it’s not necessary to scrape them.
Dressing: Creamy or Vinaigrette
I’ve always made a creamy dressing for this cucumber salad with sour cream, a dab of mayonnaise and a hint of vinegar for some tang.
To make it healthier, substitute Greek yogurt for sour cream (I often to this on my baked potatoes or to top chicken fajitas)!
If you prefer a Cucumber Salad with a Vinegar Style Dressing, you can simply replace the dressing in this recipe with:
- 1/3 cup white vinegar or cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil or light olive oil
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill
- salt & pepper
How Long Will it Last in the Fridge?
Creamy Cucumber Salad will last several days as long as it is kept cold and covered. It’s best when it’s fresh but it’s easily refreshed. Try adding a few more crunchy cucumbers or even some chopped white onions!
To Make Ahead
This recipe can be made 4 or 5 hours in advance for the best flavor, this way the cucumbers stay crispy! If you’d like to make it further ahead, slice the cucumbers and onions if using and toss with the dressing just before serving.
More Cucumber Favorites
- Creamy Cucumber Tomato Salad – juicy tomatoes & crisp cucumbers
- Cucumber Bruschetta – delicious over crisp garlic bread!
- Chickpea Salad – made with a simple dressing
- Citrus Shrimp & Avocado Salad – delicious creamy citrus flavors!
- Cucumber Avocado Salad – fresh, rich ingredients!
Creamy Cucumber Salad
Prep Time 10 minutes
Servings 8 servings
Ingredients
- 2 long English cucumbers
- Optional: ⅓ cup sliced white onion
Dressing
- ½ cup sour cream or plain greek yogurt
- 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
- ¼ cup fresh dill chopped
- 3 tablespoons white vinegar
- ½ teaspoon white sugar
- salt to taste
Follow Spend with Pennies on Pinterest
Instructions
- Peel the cucumbers and cut in half lengthwise. Scrape out the seeds if desired and slice into ¼″ slices.
- Combine all dressing ingredients and toss with cucumbers.
- Refrigerate 1 hour before serving.
Nutrition Information
(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.)
What are “english” cucumbers rather than just regular cucumbers? Never seen that sign in grocery store.
The seeds are smaller, the skin is thinner and the flavor is milder. They’re also known as hothouse, greenhouse or seedless cucumbers.
Going t make this today as a side to my baked chicken!!
We had it yesturday with bbq. Chicken.Very tasty.
Looks great. I will make this tomorrow. :)
Can’t wait to try this one. Looks healthy and delicious!
I just made this and when it get really cold is is going to be AMAZING!!! I didn’t have fresh dill, and I didn’t know the ratio for fresh and dried, and I used Splenda instead of sugar…I cannot wait for this to get cold!!!
Enjoy Gina!! I usually add about 1 tsp dried dill for each tbs fresh dill. :)
Just made it! Crisp refreshing and delicious.
Thanks for sharing!
Next time I’m making double the serving size, to have more for seconds!
So glad you enjoyed it Mel!
Can you use dill weed instead of fresh dill
Most definitely.
How long will this recipe keep in the fridge?
This recipe doesn’t store very long. While it will still taste good the sauce may become runny. I would suggesting making it on the day you plan to serve it.
This looks amazing! Love the addition of the fresh dill.
Thanks for sharing. Pinning!
Looks deliciously refreshing. Will put it under my to-do list. Thanks!
Congratulations!
Your recipe is a Top Ten this week on Full Plate Thursday. Hope you have a great week and enjoy your new Red Plate!
Miz Helen
Great looking salad! Thanks for linking up with me for Friday Favorites. I’m featuring you this week!
Hi there Friend, you are so creative! Thank you for joining in at the Friday Favorites Link Party! I hope to see you there this week:) Christine -Must Love Home
Delicious salad thanks for sharing with Hearth and soul blog hop. pinning
This looks like it could be my new favorite! Thanks for linking up with What’s Cookin’ Wednesday!
Hi there! Visiting from the All Things Thursday link party. This looks so delicious and refreshing! For some reason, I’ve been having a hard time finding dill at my local stores lately, but when I get my hands on some, I’m going to give this a try! Thanks for sharing!
Very nice creamy cucumber salad, I would love to try, as I eat cucumber everyday.
ahhh just looks so fresh and yummy!
This looks awesome! Do you have any alternatives for the Mayo? Hubby won’t go near anything with mayo in it.
You can skip the mayo in this recipe if you prefer, it just adds a little bit of extra creaminess but I’ve made it without as well!
just use all yogurt
Use Vegannaise – it’s really good
Yes, it’s great tasting…we tried it and now use it lots
I use yogurt, & sour cream (can use lite version of sour cream). Sorry I don’t have exact measurements. I can try it and tweet it just right. Can use dry dill. Make sure to rub the dry herb between your hand/ palms to bring out the oils.
My family like cayenne pepper…. Some back pepper. SO tend to use a ‘bit of red and a smaller bit of fine ground black or white pepper. Let it sit for at least 1/2 hour or hour. If its dry dill i would let it sit for at least an hour. Stir. Can add more sour cream, dill, pepper, or even a bit of sugar;”after you have a taster.
yogurt makes a good substitute.
Love dill and this easy springy recipe, thanks Holly!
Your recipe reminds me of ”tarator”- it’s a bulgarian cold soup with cucumbers, yoghurt, water, walnuts, garlic and dill. It’s great for hot summer days and I can’t wait for summer to come, so I can have my tarator!
my dad is Bulgarian and I am trying to put together a full meal for him. do u have any recipes for me??? my dad is sick and I thought this would be wonderful for him, but I cannot find recipes from Bulgaria..
I don’t have any that I know of but hopefully someone here has some suggestions.
Just try googling bulgarian recipes. I found a bunch.