This light, fresh, and healthy Creamy Cucumber Salad is an easy side dish recipe that pairs perfectly with just about any summer meal! Best of all, it's ready in just 10 minutes, and you probably already have all of the ingredients that you need!
This light, fresh, and healthy Creamy Cucumber Salad is an easy side dish recipe that pairs perfectly with just about any summer meal! Best of all, you probably already have all of the ingredients that you need!
I’ve got a pretty picky 4-year-old at home, which means that there are only a handful of fruits and vegetables that I can serve at any given meal that I know will automatically be consumed. Since cucumbers are at the top of that list, I’m always looking for new and different ways to prepare the veggie.
This Creamy Cucumber Salad is my new favorite side dish because it’s easy, it’s healthy, and it’s full of flavor!
How to make Creamy Cucumber Salad:
- My favorite tool for quick-prep veggies is the mandoline slicer. Are you familiar with a mandoline? If not, be warned: these tools are SHARP, and you don’t want to get your fingertips anywhere near the blades (trust me…).
- If you can avoid severing the tip of your finger, a mandoline is a speedy way to evenly and thinly slice a cucumber (or other vegetable) in a matter of seconds. As you can see in the photo below, I just place my hand-held mandoline on top of a large bowl so that I don’t even need to get out a cutting board! I’ll do anything for fewer dishes…
- The cucumbers are tossed with salt and vinegar, allowed to sit, and then extra liquid is drained off.
- Next, whisk together the sour cream and mayonnaise-based dressing.
- Toss the dressing with the cucumbers, add the herbs and green onions, and then refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Pro tip: use kitchen shears to snip the herbs and green onions right into the bowl. Again…we’re avoiding dirty knives and cutting boards!
The addition of the onions, herbs, and creamy dressing transforms a bland, watery cucumber into a crisp, flavorful salad! It’s so fresh, so simple, and so perfect for summer. The cucumber salad just balances out your plate and complements a burger, a piece of grilled chicken, or a nice piece of fish.
Can I prepare a Creamy Cucumber Salad in advance?
Yes! Kind of. Personally, I prefer the salad within a few hours of preparation.
That said, I have certainly devoured the leftovers on Day 2 and Day 3 without complaint! It’s not bad, it’s just that the cucumbers release liquid as they sit in the bowl, so your creamy dressing will become a bit watery and you will probably want to drain some of it off. The cucumbers also lose their “crispiness” as they sit.
What to serve with Creamy Cucumber Salad:
This fresh, easy side dish pairs nicely with a variety of entrées. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
- Lemon Garlic Herb Grilled Shrimp
- Stuffed Cabbage Roll in a Bowl
- Grilled Steak
- Dump-and-Bake Parmesan Pasta with Chicken
- Garlic and Herb Grilled Chicken Breast
- Perfect 15-Minute Grilled Salmon
More easy cucumber recipes that you might enjoy:
- Cucumber Salad with Vinegar
- Cucumber Dill Greek Yogurt Dip
- Classic Pasta Salad
- Cold Peanut Sesame Noodles
- Lower Sugar Bread and Butter Refrigerator Pickles
Creamy Cucumber Salad
This light, fresh, and healthy Creamy Cucumber Salad is an easy side dish recipe that pairs perfectly with just about any summer meal! Best of all, it's ready in just 10 minutes, and you probably already have all of the ingredients that you need!
Ingredients
- 2 seedless English cucumbers, thinly sliced (approximately 5 cups total)*
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup sour cream (or plain Greek style yogurt)
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- Dash of pepper
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley or dill
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
Instructions
Place cucumbers in a large glass bowl. Sprinkle with salt and vinegar. Cover and let stand for 30 minutes. Pour off liquid.
In a separate bowl, whisk together sour cream, mayonnaise, sugar and pepper until smooth.
Pour dressing over the drained cucumbers. Stir in parsley or dill and sliced green onions.
- Cover and chill until ready to serve.
Recipe Notes
*If you use regular cucumbers instead of the English cucumbers, you will want to peel them because regular cucumbers tend to have a tougher, waxier exterior.
Cooking Just for Two? You can cut all of the ingredients in half and prepare a smaller salad. The rest of the instructions remain the same.
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