Creamy Cucumber Salad
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A summer staple, this creamy cucumber salad boasts a crunchy texture and tangy, rich flavor.
Because of cucumber’s high water content, cucumber salads often consist of soggy cucumber slices swimming in a watery, diluted dressing. This creamy cucumber salad is the antidote to that. Flavored with sweet red onions and a thick dressing made from sour cream, mayonnaise and fresh dill, the salad has a crunchy texture and tangy, rich flavor. The trick is salting the sliced cucumbers and red onions in a colander for 30 minutes before tossing them with the dressing. This not only drains the liquid from the cucumbers, maintaining their crunch, but also partially pickles the onions, taming their raw bite and sharp flavor. This summertime staple pairs perfectly with grilled chicken or grilled salmon, and is a welcome addition at any picnic, barbecue, or potluck.
What You’ll Need To Make Creamy Cucumber Salad
Step-by-Step Instructions
Cut the cucumbers in half and then slice each half down the middle lengthwise. Use the tip of a teaspoon to scoop out the center seeds. 
Cut each half into thin slices.
Place the sliced cucumbers in a colander along with the red onion slices and salt.
Toss and let sit in the sink for at least 30 minutes, until the water drains out.
Meanwhile, make the dressing: In a medium bowl, combine the sour cream, mayonnaise, white wine vinegar, dill, sugar, and black pepper. 
Mix well.
When the cucumbers and onions are ready, release any excess water by tapping the colander several times on the base of the sink, then use a large wad of paper towels or clean dish towel to pat the vegetables dry.
Add the vegetables to the dressing and toss well. 
Cover and chill until ready to serve.
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Creamy Cucumber Salad
A summer staple, this creamy cucumber salad boasts a crunchy texture and tangy, rich flavor.
Ingredients
- 2 English cucumbers (also called hothouse cucumbers)
- ½ medium red onion, finely sliced (about ⅔ cup)
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup mayonnaise, best quality such as Hellmann's or Duke's
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- ⅓ cup chopped fresh dill
- ¾ teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Cut the cucumbers in half and then slice each half down the middle lengthwise. Use the tip of a teaspoon to scoop out the center seeds. Cut each half into thin slices and place in a colander along with the red onion slices. Toss with the salt and let sit in the sink for at least 30 minutes, until the water drains out.
- Meanwhile, make the dressing: In a medium bowl, combine the sour cream, mayonnaise, white wine vinegar, dill, sugar, and black pepper and mix well.
- When the cucumbers and onions are ready, release any excess water by tapping the colander several times on the base of the sink, then use a large wad of paper towels or clean dish towel to pat the vegetables dry. Add the vegetables to the dressing and toss well. Cover and chill until ready to serve.
- Make-Ahead Instructions: The salad can be made and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 1 day ahead of serving.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (6 servings)
- Calories: 126
- Fat: 11 g
- Saturated fat: 3 g
- Carbohydrates: 6 g
- Sugar: 3 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Sodium: 336 mg
- Cholesterol: 14 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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Delicious and exactly what I was looking for!
I have used this recipe several times and my husband absolutely loves it. He loves the red onions sliced very thin and the recipe is very easy to use.
turned out great, just waayyyyy too salty to eat, even after rinsing four times
Hi Jenn, simple yet satisfying. Another delicious recipe.
I have your cookbook too but I always find more inspiration on this website. Thank you for the delicious ideas.
A perfect recipe! Easy to make, delicious side with most anything, and tastes great on day 2. Another perfect weekday recipe.
I made this to go with salmon to take to a sick friend, along with your zucchini and cherry tomato recipe. We both loved it. I’ll certainly make them all again. Thanks for all your great recipes, Jenn.
I haven’t made your version (yet) but I do a similar one with lowfat Greek yogurt, season it first with McCormick’s Montreal steak, then add drained cucumbers. Winner! Less calories, too.
How much of each ingredient
It sounds like you are just looking at the portion of the page that has the pictures with some instructions underneath. If you scroll down a bit to under the pictures, you’ll find the full recipe. Alternatively, at the very top of the page, to the right of the recipe name, you’ll see an orange/red button that says Jump to Recipe – if you click on that, it will take you directly to the recipe. Hope that clarifies!
This is a delicious recipe! It reminds me of the cucumber salad I grew up with from the Jewish deli at Crown supermarket in West Hartford, Connecticut.
I grew up in Randallstown and The Suburban Restaurant in Pikesville (next to the Golf Club) was a destination for anyone from Baltimore who appreciated a Jewish Deli. Their Cucumber Salad tasted like this wonderful recipe.
Made this last night with burgers and it was so good, will definitely add it to our list of favorites. I used four Kirby cukes because that was what I had. Very happy that I have leftovers for my lunch.
Totally wonderful !!!!
Why remove the seeds from the centre of the cucumber?
Hi Alison, They water the salad/dressing down.
This was really good and I usually don’t like cucumber salads.
I made this today and it was wonderful. I halved the recipe and it worked perfectly. I omitted the pepper, but that was the only change.
WOW, absolutely delicious! My family has never met a recipe from Jenn that we didn’t like but this one is right up there in the top 10. I made it as written and it’s perfect.
Amazing recipe – I’ve made the original (dreamy!) and several variations (below). It is a summer and dinner party favorite in my household.
This is great on salmon, as Jenn has in a separate recipe, as well as on chicken thighs.
A few notes:
– you can sub different cucumbers but I’ve found that hothouse has the best texture, especially when thinly sliced
– I personally prefer it without the sugar
– subbing Greek yogurt for sour cream is… just fine relative to the original sour cream recipe. You may love it if you haven’t tried the original or are solving for health (my family thought it was great when they tried it), but once they tried the original version, they agreed that the sour cream was superior
– subbing different vinegars (apple cider, white, and rice wine) is fine and has a negligible impact on taste
Could I add chickpeas and avocado to this? Or too mushy?
I do think avocado would be too mushy but the chickpeas would work here. Please LMK how it turns out if you add them!
Wonderful cucumber 🥒 summer salad! Instead of sour cream I used probiotic yogurt and instead of normal mayo which has yucky soybean oil, I used my homemade avocado 🥑 oil mayo. I skipped the sugar. Yummy
Glad you added your comment/recipe change as I’m always having to change/add/delete to construct a more healthier version of a lot of recipes.
Served this creamy, dreamy summer salad last night with baked salmon . I added some thinly sliced radishes because they were in the refrigerator , and …why not? They did add an extra layer of flavor and crunchiness. Cucumber salads can become watery- not this one. It is so delicious !! Jenn’ s recipes are just simply The BEST !
ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS!!
I added one extra ingredient; 1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper. DONT FRET, it is NOT spicy nor hot (children friendly). It adds just a little bit more flavor to cut some of the sweetness and mixes well with the vinegar, dill and red onion.
My guest LOVED this over pan seared salmon. And for those at home who like a little spice, try 1/4 tsp more…smile
Can’t wait to try. Besides the simple grilled, which grilled chicken recipe would this pair best with? Thanks!
Hi Andrew, a few options that come to mind are the Grilled BBQ Chicken, Grilled Chicken Wings, or the Middle Eastern-Style Chicken Kabobs. Hope that helps!
Hi Jenn! How important is it to use hothouse cucumbers vs. another kind?
You can use something other than hothouse; you’ll just need to peel them. Hope you enjoy!
This looks delicious!! Could I use apple cider vinegar in place of the white wine vinegar? Thanks, as always, for your amazing recipes!
Glad you like the recipes! Yes, apple cider vinegar would be fine here. Enjoy! 🙂
Made this tonight (with the aforementioned apple cider vinegar), and it’s so yummy! The crunch of the cucumbers, the tang of the sour cream, the creamy richness of the mayo, and the freshness of the dill combine to make this a new summer favorite! Thank you, Jenn!
I’ve tried many cucumber salads, and this is the best by far! Quick, easy and delicious- what more could you ask for? A regular side dish now that summer is here. So refreshing with just the right amount of tang. Thank you!