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This light, fresh, and healthy creamy cucumber salad is an easy side dish that pairs perfectly with just about any summer meal!
Table of Contents
- Cucumber Salad with Sour Cream
- The Best Cucumbers for Salads
- How to Keep Cucumber Salad from Getting Soggy
- Ingredients for the Best Cucumber Salad
- How to Make Creamy Cucumber Salad
- Serving Suggestions
- Preparation and Storage Tips
- Recipe Variations
- Tips for the Best Creamy Cucumber Salad Recipe
- Creamy Cucumber Salad Recipe
Cucumbers are always one of the most popular veggies to serve at family dinners, picnics, and parties, and this creamy cucumber salad recipe is one dish that disappears fast! If you love cucumbers as much as we do, you should try these marinated cucumbers, these refrigerator dill pickles, this tomato cucumber onion salad, or this cucumber radish salad, too!
Cucumber Salad with Sour Cream
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. This dressing includes mayo for its rich, creamy flavor, and sour cream and vinegar for a bit of bright, acidic tang.
The cucumber salad just balances out your plate and complements a burger, a piece of grilled chicken, a pulled bbq chicken sandwich, or a nice piece of fish. We love to season the dish with some herbs like parsley or fresh dill, but that’s totally up to you. Use what you’ve got on hand!
The Best Cucumbers for Salads
You can use just about any cucumbers that you have available in this recipe. I like English cucumbers (or “hot house”) for salads because the skin is thin and the seeds are very small. Persian cucumber also works well.
Do you peel cucumbers for salad?
If you’re using English cucumbers (as shown here), you do not need to peel them for the salad because the skin is very thin. Other cucumbers with a thicker, tougher skin, should be peeled before slicing. It’s also just a matter of personal preference. You might like to partially-peel the cucumbers, leaving some of the peel intact in strips.
How to Cut Cucumbers for Salad
You can use either a sharp knife or a mandoline slicer to cut the cucumbers for this salad. I like the mandoline because it’s fast, and it slices the cucumbers into perfectly even rounds. If working with a mandoline, set it to the thicker width because you don’t want paper-thin cucumbers in this salad. A slightly thicker cucumber stands up to the dressing better.
How to Keep Cucumber Salad from Getting Soggy
As the salad sits, the cucumbers release juices and thin the dressing. That’s why it’s best to enjoy the salad shortly after stirring it together. We do have a tip that helps reduce the amount of liquid released from the cucumbers, though: toss the sliced veggies with salt and vinegar, allow them to sit, and then drain off the extra liquid before adding the dressing. The salt pulls out some of the excess moisture from the cucumbers, which helps avoid a watery salad. You can even pat the cucumbers dry with a paper towel, if you like.
Ingredients for the Best Cucumber Salad
This is just a quick overview of the ingredients that you’ll need for a creamy cucumber salad. As always, specific measurements and step-by-step instructions are included in the printable recipe box at the bottom of the post.
- Cucumbers: we recommend English cucumbers, since they don’t need to be peeled or seeded.
- Distilled white vinegar: adds acidic tang to the dressing.
- Salt: to enhance the other flavors in the dish.
- Sour cream and mayonnaise: the creamy base of the dressing.
- Sugar: for depth of flavor.
- Ground black pepper: for a bit of zest.
- Fresh parsley or fresh dill: add flavor and color to the salad and brighten up the dish.
- Green onions: for savory flavor with a mild onion taste.
How to Make Creamy Cucumber Salad
This recipe for creamy cucumber salad comes together quickly and easily — without any actual cooking. It’s perfect for your next family supper or summer potluck! I’ve included the detailed directions in the recipe card below, but here’s the quick version:
- Toss the cucumbers with salt and vinegar, let them sit, and then drain off the extra liquid.
- Whisk together the dressing.
- Toss the dressing with the cucumbers, herbs, and green onions.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Serving Suggestions
These creamy cucumbers make a refreshing side dish that goes well with almost any of your favorite entrees. Here are a few delicious options:
- Fried Chicken, Homemade Chicken Nuggets, or Fried Chicken Tenders
- Sloppy Joes
- Beef Barbecue
- Dr. Pepper Pulled Pork, Crock Pot Pulled Pork, Mississippi Pulled Pork, or Crock Pot Pulled Pork with Apricot Preserves (so great for spring!)
- Perfect 15-Minute Grilled Salmon
- Baked or Grilled Marinated Chicken Thighs
- Oven-Fried Breaded Pork Chops or Grilled Pork Chops
- Crab Cakes
- Grilled New York Strip Steak or Marinated Grilled Flank Steak
- BLT Sandwiches
- Grilled Hamburgers or Salmon Burgers
- Fried Catfish, Cornmeal-Crusted Baked Catfish, or Oven-Fried Fish
- Grilled BBQ Chicken Breast or Baked BBQ Chicken Thighs
- Marinated Grilled Shrimp or Fried Shrimp
- Grilled Chicken or Grilled Pork Tenderloin
- Chicken Souvlaki
- Oven-Fried Nashville Hot Chicken
Preparation and Storage Tips
- Make Ahead: You can make this salad up to 4 hours in advance. It’s best when it has about 15-30 minutes to chill in the fridge while the flavors come together, but you don’t want it to sit for too long or the cucumbers become soggy.
- Storage: Leftover salad will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days; however, the cucumbers will not stay crisp and the dressing will become watery.
- Do not freeze the salad.
Recipe Variations
- Swap out the sour cream and use plain Greek yogurt.
- If available, include additional fresh herbs in the salad. Basil, thyme, and oregano would all be delicious. A pinch of garlic powder would also be a nice addition to the dressing.
- For a more mild taste, omit the green onions and use fresh chives. For a stronger, more zesty onion flavor, use diced red onion.
- Use fresh lemon juice in lieu of the vinegar. Lemon zest would add even more lemon flavor.
- Include sliced radishes for extra crunch, color, and a zesty bite.
- To feed a larger group, double all of the ingredients.
Tips for the Best Creamy Cucumber Salad Recipe
- Use a mandoline slicer to quickly cut the cucumbers into equal rounds. Make sure that you use the wider setting on the mandoline so that your cucumbers are not paper-thin. The thicker rounds stand up to the dressing and stay crisp for longer.
- For the best flavor and texture, use full-fat mayo and sour cream rather than the lower-fat alternatives.
- If time allows, let the cucumbers sit and marinate with the other ingredients for about 15-30 minutes before serving. Do not prepare the salad too far in advance, though. It’s best when enjoyed within about 4 hours so that the cucumbers don’t get soggy.
More Cucumber Salad Recipes to Try
Cucumber Tomato Onion Salad
40 minutes mins
Cucumber Salad with Vinegar
1 hour hr 10 minutes mins
Cucumber Radish Salad
30 minutes mins
Creamy Cucumber Salad
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 ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley or dill
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
Instructions
- Place cucumbers in a large 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.
Notes
- Use a mandoline slicer to quickly cut the cucumbers into equal rounds. Make sure that you use the wider setting on the mandoline so that your cucumbers are not paper-thin. The thicker rounds stand up to the dressing and stay crisp for longer.
- For the best flavor and texture, use full-fat mayo and sour cream rather than the lower-fat alternatives.
- If time allows, let the cucumbers sit and marinate with the other ingredients for about 15-30 minutes before serving. Do not prepare the salad too far in advance, though. It’s best when enjoyed within about 4 hours so that the cucumbers don’t get soggy.
