Our Cucumber Salad is a light and refreshing side dish that is perfect for a summer night meal! Crunchy cucumbers tossed with onions, dill, garlic, and a sweet and tangy dressing. This makes the perfect old-fashioned side dish!
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Easy Cucumber Salad – a great side dish
This Cucumber Salad recipe is one of our go-to recipes when it comes to summer sides! It’s super easy to make and is always a hit with the entire crowd. I love that it is served as a cold salad, making it super refreshing. Not to mention, it’s a healthy balance to the many not-so-healthy meals that inevitably come with summer dining.
Crisp thinly sliced cucumbers, chopped red onion, and a zesty dressing made from a blend of oils and seasonings make this salad so tasty.
Cucumber Salad is so light, it’s the best summer salad for any occasion. It’s easy to make and full of flavor, the perfect dish for a grill out night or neighborhood potluck.
Why We Love Cucumber Salad
- Easy to prepare in advance.
- Quick and easy to make.
- Great for a barbecue or potluck.
- Sweet and tangy dressing.
- Goes well with any main dish.
Ingredients
The ingredients list for Cucumber Salad is as simple as making this dish. Of course, the main ingredient will be your cucumbers. The rest of the ingredients will be used to make the delicious sauce that will be poured over your cucumbers. Here’s everything you’ll need to make this amazing side dish.
- 2 English cucumbers
- 1 red onion, cut into slices
- ¼ cup rice wine vinegar
- ¼ cup water
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tbsp dried dill
- 6 green onions, chopped
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 2 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp roasted sesame seeds
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How to Make Cucumber Salad
- Slice both cucumbers into thin round discs (we love using our mandoline slicer to make thin and consistent slices.) Place in a large mixing bowl.
- Slice the onion into thin strips, then slice those strips into half moons. Place in the bowl with sliced cucumbers then, add in the chopped green onions.
- In a separate small bowl, combine the rice wine vinegar, water, sugar, dried dill, salt, pepper, sesame oil, minced garlic, and roasted sesame seeds. Mix well.
- Pour sauce over the cucumber and use tongs to thoroughly mix everything together.
- Refrigerate 30 minutes or until ready to serve.
Variations / Options / Add-In’s
You can play around with the ingredients in your Cucumber Salad or follow the ingredients above and leave it as is. This can be a versatile recipe by playing around with the vegetables, vinegar, and seasonings that you choose to mix in.
Vegetables: Cucumber Salad can be fun to play around with, adding in various ingredients here and there. Some ideas for additions to cucumber salad are bell peppers, avocado, cherry tomatoes or artichokes. You can also remove the onions, if you’re not a fan.
Vinegar: You could swap out the rice wine vinegar for red or balsamic vinegar. This really depends on your taste preference.
Frequently Asked Questions
We recommend using an English cucumber because they are a little more firm and less seedy.
Cucumber Salad goes great with anything that’s cooked on the grill or any summer staple dish. I love whipping this up to have along with grilled chicken breasts. It’s also great with hamburgers or hot dogs. Another go-to dish to pair this up with is the classics like pulled chicken or sloppy joe sandwiches.
Be sure to store your Cucumber Salad in an airtight container in the fridge. Using vinegar with cucumbers is essentially pickling them. In this case, for the best flavor, you need to keep them air-free. A bowl with a good, tight lid or a glass jar will do the trick. It will also keep your fridge from getting stinky!
This light and refreshing Cucumber Salad is the ultimate side dish. It’s quick and easy to make, with simple ingredients. Cucumber Salad is a mix of zesty seasonings and oils that make a delicious dressing to perfectly coat your crisp cucumbers and chopped red onion. Say hello to your new favorite summer salad!
Other Easy Side Dishes
Easy Baked Beans | Whole Roasted Cauliflower Head | Cauliflower Fried Rice | Mashed Potato Casserole | Mexican Corn Salad (Street Corn) | Greek Chicken Pasta Salad | Potato Salad | Deviled Egg Pasta Salad | Grape Salad | Ambrosia Salad
Cucumber Salad
Ingredients
- 2 english cucumbers
- 1 red onion cut into slices
- ¼ cup rice wine vinegar
- ¼ cup water
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp dried dill
- 6 green onion chopped
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 2 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp roasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- Slice both cucumbers into thin round discs. Place in a large mixing bowl.
- Slice the onion into thin strips, then slice those strips in half moons. Place in the bowl with sliced cucumbers and add chopped green onions.
- In a separate small bowl combine the rice wine vinegar, water, sugar, dried dill, salt, pepper, sesame oil, minced garlic, and roasted sesame seeds. Mix well.
- Pour sauce over the cucumber and use tongs to thoroughly mix everything together.
- Refrigerate 30 minutes or until ready to serve.
I made this for a picnic last Saturday and everyone loved it!! It was also very refreshing also great side dish