Creamy cucumber salad is a dish I grew up with; it brings back memories of dinners at my Grandma Mary’s house.

This summertime staple is a fresh addition to any picnic, barbecue, or potluck with crisp cucumbers, fresh dill, and a simple sour cream dressing.

This easy recipe is fast to prepare with ingredients you likely have on hand.

close up of Creamy Cucumber Salad in a bowl

Ingredients in Cucumber Salad

Cucumbers – Use long English cucumbers or Persian cucumbers for this recipe as have thinner skins and don’t require peeling (although you can peel them if you prefer).

Field cucumbers can have tough skins, so they should be peeled (or peel some strips). The seeds in field cucumbers are larger and can be scraped out with a spoon.

Onions – Sweet white onion or red onion is optional but adds great flavor to this cucumber salad. 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.

Variations – This salad is great with fresh garden herbs like basil and dill. Chop up your favorites and stir them in.

Dressing – Making this cucumber salad dressing is easy. Combine sour cream, mayo, vinegar, seasonings, and a touch of sugar. You can replace sour cream with plain Greek yogurt if you’d like.

ingredients in a bowl with ingredients around it

How to Make Creamy Cucumber Salad

The best cucumber salad recipe is one that is simple so the cucumbers really shine.

  1. With a sharp knife or mandolin, slice the cucumber ¼-inch thick. Thinly slice the onion if adding per the recipe below.
  2. Whisk the dressing ingredients in a bowl and toss with the cucumbers, onion and dill.
  3. Refrigerate one hour before serving. Garnish with additional chopped dill.

To Make Cucumber Salad Ahead

This recipe can be made 4 or 5 hours in advance for the best flavor; this way, the cucumbers stay crisp!

If you’d like to make it further ahead, slice the cucumbers and onions if using, and store them separately from the dressing in an airtight container. Combine the two an hour before serving.

Storage

Creamy cucumber salad will up to 2 to 3 days in the fridge. Drain any juices before serving, and add a little bit of extra sour cream if needed.

More Cucumber Favorites

Did you make this Creamy Cucumber Salad? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!

image of Everyday Comfort cookbook by Holly Nilsson of Spend With Pennies plus text
close up of Creamy Cucumber Salad in a bowl
4.95 from 348 votes↑ Click stars to rate now!
Or to leave a comment, click here!

Creamy Cucumber Salad

Enjoy the refreshing combination of crisp cucumbers, fresh dill, and a simple sour cream dressing.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Refrigerate 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings 8 servings
buy hollys book

Ingredients  

  • 2 English cucumber
  • cup sliced white onion optional

For the Dressing

  • ½ cup sour cream or plain greek yogurt
  • 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh dill chopped
  • 3 tablespoons white vinegar
  • ½ teaspoon granulated sugar
  • salt to taste

Instructions 

  • Wash the cucumber and cut it into slices ¼-inch thick.
  • In a large bowl, whisk the sour cream, mayonnaise, dill, vinegar, sugar and 1/8 teaspoon salt.
  • Add the cucumbers and onions if using and gently toss well to coat.
  • Refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.
  • Taste and season with additional salt and pepper and sprinkle with fresh additional dill if desired.

Video

Notes

If using field cucumbers, peel them and scrape out the seeds with a spoon.
Additional fresh herbs like basil, parsley, and dill can be added.
Store leftover salad in the fridge for up to 2-3 days. Drain any juices and stir before serving. 
4.95 from 348 votes

Nutrition Information

Calories: 77 | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 10mg | Sodium: 47mg | Potassium: 141mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 282IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 31mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.

Course Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine American
Diet Vegetarian
bowl of Creamy Cucumber Salad with a title
Creamy Cucumber Salad in a bowl with writing
ingredients in a bowl to make Creamy Cucumber Salad with writing
ingredients in a bowl to make Creamy Cucumber Salad and finished dish with writing

Categories:

, , ,

Recipes you'll love

About the author

Holly Nilsson is the creator of Spend With Pennies, where she creates easy, comforting recipes made for real life. With a passion for nostalgic flavors and simplified techniques, Holly helps busy home cooks create delicious meals that always work. She is also the author of “Everyday Comfort,” which promises to inspire even more hearty, home-cooked meals.
See more posts by Holly

Follow Holly on social media:

pinterest facebook twitter instagram

Free eBook!

Subscribe to receive weekly recipes and get a FREE Bonus e-book: Quick & Easy Weeknight Meals!

You can unsubscribe anytime by clicking the “unsubscribe” link at the bottom of emails you receive.

4.95 from 348 votes (294 ratings without comment)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Comments

  1. I enjoy making this quick salad. I like to use grape tomatoes instead. I will take a rotisserie chicken, spread some hummus on a naan wrap or tortilla and add this salad. Perfect lunch or light dinner when it’s too hot to cook. Thank you for sharing, I will definitely be using this over and over.5 stars

  2. Just to add a handful of chopped fresh mint leaves are a great addition to any cucumber salad you’ll like it

  3. So yummy! Had to use onion powder, dry dill and a vinaigrette cause that’s what I had, but my husband and I loved this. I have usually made a family recipe – cucs, tomato, mayo, salt and pepper. Your recipe is a new favorite! Thank you :)5 stars

  4. I made this two nights ago and it was absolutely incredible! So refreshing, it will definitely be going into regular summer rotation! My cukes were a bit larger so I did cut them in half and scrape out the seeds. I also did include the sliced onion as instructed. What a wonderful summer side dish!5 stars

  5. Too much vinegar! I had to add more sour cream and sugar to balance it out and I still didn’t love it. Next time I’ll try lemon juice and maybe 1 tbsp max3 stars

  6. **Incomplete – This recipe is called Creamy Cucumber Salad but there is no sour cream or mayo in the recipe despite the blog beforehand speaking of it.

    1. The dressing in this recipe calls for both sour cream and mayonnaise. The vinaigrette dressing you see in the middle of the post is another option for those that don’t want to follow the creamy dressing in the recipe.

    1. Hi Jenna, the dill adds a delicious summery flavor to this recipe. If you aren’t able to use fresh dill we would recommend swapping it for 4 tsp of dried dill. Hope that helps!

  7. Made this delicious cucumber salad dressing this morning. I’m fortunate to have a hubby who shops for me at the grocery store when I need a few things. My list read 4 zucchini and I received 4 cucumbers so I peeled, seeded and chopped them up for a delicious and refreshing cucumber salad. I used the greek yogurt option and fresh dill; although I did leave off the onions. Thanks for a great recipe. : )5 stars

  8. This was suburb! I made this as a side to Tikka Marsala and rice and it was just what my dish needed. I used 4 tsp of dried dill in place of the fresh. It seemed like a lot but it was perfect!5 stars

  9. I love this recipe!! Very refreshing on a hot summer day!! When I search for a recipe you’re my go to girl!!! Thanks so much!!5 stars

  10. I made both the creamy and the vinaigrette version. The creamy was tasty but the vinaigrette was delicious, out of this world. I kept going back for just a few more slices of it. Until I just gave in and finished off the bowl. Thank you so very much for the recipe.5 stars

  11. Made this right before work because it was super simple and had it at lunch. Absolutely delightful and the dressing is really good as a dip for chips