Tomato Cucumber Salad is a classic summer salad that’s loaded fresh crunchy cucumbers, juicy tomatoes, and thinly sliced onions, all tossed in a light and refreshing homemade dressing.
This simple side salad is so quick and easy to make and is perfectly cool for warm weather when it’s too hot to heat the stove.
Light and Tasty Tomato Cucumber Salad
Tomato Cucumber Salad is an easy summer side dish that’s light, refreshing and super simple to make in 15 minutes. Crisp cucumbers and vine ripe tomatoes are enhanced with slivers of red onion and a sweet and tangy vinaigrette dressing.
I hate (Yes, hate is a strong word!) salads that are overdressed with a too-thick sauce that hides the other bright and beautiful ingredients.
That’s why this Tomato Cucumber Salad recipe is the perfect way to enjoy summer produce and use up your garden-grown veggies, because it’s lightly dressed to allow the salad flavor to shine and keep it feeling fresh.
For more easy side salads to serve this summer, try my Italian Pasta Salad, Caprese Pasta Salad, and Watermelon Salad.
Why We Love This Tomato Cucumber Salad Recipe
- Quick and easy to make in 15 minutes.
- Uses fresh produce plus pantry-staple ingredients for the dressing.
- Healthy recipe is rich in essential nutrients, such as potassium and vitamin C.
- Packs a punch of fresh flavor with a satisfying mix of taste and texture.
- Pairs well with most main dishes or sandwiches and looks pretty on a summer picnic table.
- Perfect for a casual side dish for dinner or for feeding a crowd at a potluck or BBQ.
Ingredients
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Red wine vinegar
- Honey
- Fresh thyme
- Fresh flat parsley
- Fresh minced garlic
- Balsamic vinegar
- Italian seasoning
- Kosher salt
- Fresh cracked black pepper
- Vine ripe tomatoes
- English cucumber
- Red onion
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Substitutions and Additions
- Pick Your Produce: You can use cherry tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes, or Roma tomatoes in your salad. You can also substitute 2 regular salad cucumbers for the English version.
- Vary The Vinegar: Feel free to use your favorite vinegar in your dressing. Some other options include white wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar, Champagne vinegar, rice wine vinegar, and white balsamic vinegar.
- Make It A Meal: This salad is delicious as is, but feel free to add other ingredients to make it a main meal.
- Go Greek: Add crumbled feta cheese and sliced kalamata olives.
- Make It Mexican: Mix in some diced avocado, corn kernels, and black beans.
- Instant Italian: Add small mozzarella balls, marinated artichoke hearts, diced salami. and white beans.
- Perfect Pasta Salad: Turn this into a pasta salad by adding cooked pasta and doubling the dressing.
Recommended Tools
- Pint size canning jar with lid
- Knife
- Large salad bowl
- Serving utensils
How to Make Tomato Cucumber Salad
Tomato Cucumber Salad is a quick and easy side dish that is perfectly cool and refreshing for warm weather. This simple recipe is bright, fresh, and full of flavor — the best bite of summer when produce is a’plenty!
- Make The Dressing: Combine the olive oil, red wine vinegar, thyme, parsley, balsamic vinegar, honey, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper in a jar with lid. Shake vigorously and set aside.
- Chop The Vegetables: Slice the tomatoes, cucumber, and onion and add to a salad bowl.
- Combine: Pour the dressing over the salad and toss. Enjoy!
Tips
- You can use a gallon size ziploc baggie to toss the salad in.
- If you do not have a pint size canning jar with a lid, you can add the dressing ingredients to a small mixing bowl and whisk to combine.
- You can substitute 2 teaspoons of dried thyme for the fresh thyme. You can also substitute 1 teaspoon of dried parsley for the fresh chopped parsley.
- Slice the tomatoes in ½ horizontally. Then slice into quarters, then slice each quarter in ½. (This should give you 6 cups.)
- Slice the cucumber in ½. Then slice the cucumber in ½ long ways. Slice each ½ cucumber into ¼ inch slices. (This should give you 2 ½ cups.)
Storage Tips
- To Store: Store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
Frequently Asked Questions
English cucumber is ideal for this recipe. The peels are tender enough that there’s no need to remove them, and the seeds are virtually nonexistent.
If you prefer to use regular salad cucumbers, those are perfectly suitable as well. You can peel them, and, if the seeds seem tough, scoop them out and then slice.
You do not have to peel your cucumber, but you can if you wish (and you may want to if using regular cucumbers with thicker skin)!
I love to leave the skin on because it provides the greatest amount of fiber and adds extra nutrients to my salad.
I think this salad is best and most fresh when made right before serving, but you can prep it ahead of time if necessary.
Cut vegetables and store them separately in the refrigerator. Toss with dressing when you are ready to serve.
This tomato cucumber salad pairs perfectly with your favorite meats, fish, and poultry. Get grilling this summer and serve this salad alongside my Grilled Tilapia, Grilled Chicken Breast, Grilled Salmon, and Grilled Rib Eye Steak with Ginger Teriyaki Sauce.
Other Easy Summer Salad Recipes
- Summer Corn Salad
- Pudding Fruit Salad
- 5 Cup Salad
- Ambrosia Salad
- Spring Salad Recipes
- Panera Fuji Apple Salad
- Mexican Pasta Salad
- Chinese Chicken Salad
Tomato Cucumber Salad
Ingredients
Dressing
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh flat parsley
- 2 teaspoons fresh minced garlic
- 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
Salad
- 6 medium vine ripe tomatoes
- 1 English cucumber (peeled -or- unpeeled)
- ½ cup thinly sliced red onion
Instructions
- Add the olive oil, red wine vinegar, fresh thyme, chopped parsley, balsamic vinegar, honey, Italian seasoning, kosher salt and cracked black pepper to a pint size canning jar with lid. Shake vigorously and set it aside.
- Slice the tomatoes in ½ horizontally. Then slice into quarters, then slice each quarter in ½. (This should give you 6 cups.)
- Slice the cucumber in ½. Then slice the cucumber in ½ long ways. Slice each ½ cucumber into ¼ inch slices. (This should give you 2 ½ cups.)
- Add the quartered tomatoes, sliced cucumber and red onion to a large salad bowl.
- Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to combine.
Jenn’s Notes
- You can use a gallon size ziploc baggie to toss the salad in.
- If you do not have a pint size canning jar with a lid, you can add the dressing ingredients to a small mixing bowl and whisk to combine.
- You can substitute 2 teaspoons of dried thyme for the fresh thyme. You can also substitute 1 teaspoon of dried parsley for the fresh chopped parsley.
- Slice the tomatoes in ½ horizontally. Then slice into quarters, then slice each quarter in ½. (This should give you 6 cups.)
- Slice the cucumber in ½. Then slice the cucumber in ½ long ways. Slice each ½ cucumber into ¼ inch slices. (This should give you 2 ½ cups.)
Thank You Jenn 😊 It LOOKS YUMMY 👍🏼♥️Thank You FOR Sharing❗️G-d♥️ Bless