This creamy cucumber salad recipe, inspired by our tzatziki sauce, has been on repeat lately. It’s super simple to make, goes with almost anything, and, thanks to the Greek yogurt, is healthy! See this easy cucumber salad recipe for a vinegar-based salad, or try our chopped cucumber tomato salad!
Key Ingredients
Cucumber: I prefer thin-skinned cucumbers like Hot House or Persian varieties for this salad. Garden cucumbers are okay, too, but I peel and remove most of their seeds beforehand since they often have thicker skins. Yogurt: I use full-fat plain Greek yogurt for my homemade cucumber salad dressing. Icelandic-style yogurt is a good substitute as long as it’s a thicker variety. If you’d like, you can use sour cream instead, which will give you a more German-style cucumber salad. Vinegar and Lemon: I enjoy adding both red wine vinegar and fresh lemon juice to my dressing. They really enhance the overall flavor of the salad. Garlic: Since fresh garlic is a key ingredient in tzatziki sauce, I add a small clove to this salad for that extra kick. Dill: Dill is a must-have in my cucumber salad! I prefer fresh dill, but dried dill works just as well (I’ve included substitution tips in the recipe). Onion: I love the pop of color that red onion adds to this salad, but feel free to use any onion you have on hand.
How to Make Creamy Cucumber Salad
When making cucumber salads, I always salt my cucumbers. Think of it as a quick marinade for the cucumbers. Salting makes cucumbers taste better! We do the same thing with tomatoes (see our bruschetta recipe or this cherry tomato salad). To do it, toss your cucumber slices with salt in a colander. After 30 minutes, rinse the cucumbers and shake them mostly dry. While you wait for the cucumbers, make the dressing, which also benefits from some extra time. For the tzatziki yogurt dressing, combine Greek yogurt with garlic, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, dill, and lots of black pepper. Season with a pinch of salt, then set it aside while the cucumbers sit. Since the dressing contains garlic, the extra 30 minutes give the garlic a chance to flavor the dressing. Since we love cucumber and onion salads, we throw in sliced red onion. Like garlic, onion adds flavor, so we add the sliced onions straight to the dressing. This way, while the cucumbers are salting, we take full advantage of the time to infuse as much flavor into the dressing as possible. When the cucumbers are ready, toss them with the dressing and onions. You can serve the salad immediately or let it sit in the refrigerator for a day. As the salad sits, it becomes more flavorful, but the cucumbers soften. We’re not too worried about that, but it is something to remember. 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more as needed 3 tablespoons thick plain Greek yogurt, we use full-fat 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar Juice from 1 lemon wedge 1 teaspoon finely minced garlic (1 small clove) 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill or 1 teaspoon dried dill Fresh ground black pepper 1/2 cup sliced red onion (1 small onion) Handful fresh dill and or mint leaves, for serving, optional 2Meanwhile, make the cucumber salad dressing. In a large bowl, stir the yogurt, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, and chopped dill. Season with a pinch of salt and a generous amount of black pepper. 3Stir the onions into the yogurt dressing, then set aside until the cucumbers are ready. 4After 30 minutes of salting the cucumbers, rinse them with cold water. Shake off excess water then add to the dressing. 5Toss the cucumbers until coated in the dressing. Taste, then season with additional salt and pepper, if needed. 6Serve with more fresh herbs scattered on top. Serve or keep refrigerated for up to 2 days.
