You can never have too many salad recipes, and this Easy Cucumber Salad is quick, delicious and the perfect side for meat or fish.
Cucumbers, pickled red onions, and a creamy sour cream and dill dressing. Crunchy, refreshing, and the perfect side to any bbq meal.
Not only does this salad tickle your taste buds, but cucumbers are also packed with nutrition. Low in calories, high in hydration, they contain essential vitamins and minerals too. Perfect on their own as a snack, or in lots of great recipes.
- Smoked salmon salad with cucumber noodles is one of our favourite summer meals.
- Stuffed cucumbers make a great appetizer for any party.
- They are a great addition to this refreshing snap pea salad.
- This bagel sandwich is a must-try if you are a fan of cucumber tea sandwiches.
Salads are a stable, especially in the summer. I love the crunch of the raw vegetables. So crisp and refreshing. Cauliflower coleslaw is one of our favourites.
RECIPE and INSTRUCTIONS for this old-fashioned creamy cucumber and onion salad can be found at the bottom of this post.
Easy Cucumber Salad Ingredients
Easy to find ingredients, perfect for making this delicious creamy cucumber recipe.
- fresh cucumbers
- sour cream
- dried dill
- pickled onions
- salt
Be sure to check out the recipe tips below.
Preparing Cucumber Onion Salad
Full instructions can be found in the recipe card below.
- Wash and cut the cucumbers.
- Place in a mesh sieve, sprinkle with salt, and allow to sit. See recipe tips for more info.
- Mix the sour cream and dill dressing in a bowl and set aside.
- Rinse and squeeze dry cucumbers in paper towels or kitchen towel.
- Add them to a mixing bowl.
- Add in the pickled onions.
- Add the sour cream and dill dressing.
- Toss and serve.
Suggestions/Recipe Tips
Fresh cucumbers are the star of the show. With so many varieties, pick your favourite.
The cucumbers can be peeled (or not), cut in circles or chunks. Seeded by removing the pulp (or not), and some people like to sprinkle salt over the cucumber slices/pieces and let them drain (sweat) for a few minutes to release excess moisture.
Sour cream and cucumbers are a match for sure. I like to use the full-fat version. You can choose low-fat sour cream if you prefer. A great alternative is Greek yogurt.
Dill is such a wonderful herb. I love growing it during the summer in the garden. I used dried dill in this creamy dill dressing. Fresh dill is a great alternative. Adjust the amount according to your preference.
Red onions are so great in salads. I used my homemade pickled onions in this recipe. Feel free to use raw red onions, or sweet white onions like Vidalia. Green onions are always a great alternative.
Store leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge. This cucumber salad will last for a day or two. It may become a little watery the longer it is kept.
This cucumber pickled onion salad with sour cream and dill dressing is sure to be a hit. Cool and crunchy, easy to prepare refreshing side dish perfect for summer.
Serve it with: zucchini burgers, grilled chicken skewers, or kofta kebabs.
Cucumber and Onion Salad
Ingredients
- 1 English cucumber
- ¼ cup sour cream
- ¼ teaspoon dried dill
- ½ cup pickled onions
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Wash and slice the cucumber into ¼" rounds. Place in a mesh sieve (over a bowl or in the sink) and sprinkle with the salt and mix a bit to distribute.
- Place in a mesh sieve (over a bowl or in the sink) and sprinkle with the salt and mix a bit to distribute. Let the cucumbers sit for 10-30 minutes (depending on how much time you have).
- Mix the sour cream and dill in a bowl and set aside. Feel free to use more if you like.
- Slice the pickled onions into thin strips, and place in a bowl.
- Rinse and take the cucumbers out of the sieve, and place in either paper towels or a kitchen towel. Give this a good squeeze to release as much moisture as possible. Place the cucumbers in the bowl with the onions.
- Add the sour cream mixture, stir to combine. Serve.
Tina
The cool and refreshing look of this salad just grabs you and begs to be eaten! I love the addition of the pickled onions and can’t wait to try this with some tasty chicken kebabs!
Homemade & Yummy
The pickled onions really do bring it to a different level fo sure.
Veena Azmanov
Oh God, what a tasty looking this Best Cucumber Salad with Pickled Onions is! I am in love with the colors and how simple and short the ingredient list is. Yum!
Homemade & Yummy
Yes….easy summer cooking is the key!!
Sandhya Ramakrishnan
I am absolutely wishing for summer right now. The cucumber salad looks great and I can’t wait to try this out with the cucumbers fresh out of my garden. This will be a great side with any dish.
Homemade & Yummy
HAHHA….I am wishing for SPRING weather…it was snowing today!!
Claudia Lamascolo
I have a son and daughterinlaw who are crazy about cucumber anything .Wait until I make this at the next barbecue oh boy they will be thrilled and I will let them know about your site so they can follow your yummy recipe collections! This look awesome!
Homemade & Yummy
This is the perfect, easy summer salad for sure. Hope they enjoy it.
Marisa Franca
Yes, I have tried pickled eggs and they are delicious! They look really neat when you use pickled beet juice. And I think using the pickled onions a great idea. There are lots of people who can’t handle them so the brined ones solve the problem. I’m not a huge fan of mayo but I do like our cream and Greek Yogurt. This recipe is a keeper!!
Homemade & Yummy
Yup you can sub in Greek Yogurt if you like, it would be delicious too.
Arlene Mobley
I love simple cucumber salads like this. I have used fresh onion but never made pickled onions. I am going to have to try this soon!
Homemade & Yummy
The pickled onions work really well…especially if people don’t like raw onions.
kylee
I don’t think I’ve ever had a salad like this, and I certainly would like to! I love pickled onions! Giving this a try on the weekend!
Homemade & Yummy
I will say the pickled onions really do make a HUGE difference over raw onions.
Emily
I love the sound of this and so simple too, definitely trying asap!
Homemade & Yummy
ENJOY…it is so easy and delicious.
Priya @currynation
I love the dressing of this salad. This is undoubtedly the ultimate cucumber salad.
Homemade & Yummy
Yup sour cream is so good in this.
Nicole | Nourishing Wild
Oh wow, this is seriously the perfect recipe for spring! Love cucumber in pretty much anything 😛
Homemade & Yummy
It really is..hope you give it a try soon.
Neriz @ food and journeys
I will make this with fresh dill — to stick to Swedish flavor. 😉 Seriously though, I am taking a note of this when we finally experience ‘barbecue/grilling weather’ here in Stockholm. I bet it will go with any type of grilled meat!
Homemade & Yummy
Yes fresh dill works great too. My mom used fresh dill from the garden.
Traci
This looks so delicious…I can’t believe how much I want this right now, esp with the warmer weather! So simple, easy, and I’m sure great for any party! I’ll be making this soon!
Homemade & Yummy
YUP…this will be made a lot this summer for sure.
Jill
Our weather has been so weird here in Ohio. It’s April 4th and still only 40 degrees! I’m anxiously awaiting warmer weather and grilling season too! I love fresh cucumbers and pickled onions so I’d definitely love this salad.
Homemade & Yummy
Well it is snowing here today. I still don’t believe it is spring.
Lisa Bryan
Can’t go wrong with a good cucumber salad. It’s one of my favorites, especially in spring and summer!
Homemade & Yummy
So easy to make…and delicious too.
Alida | Simply Delicious
I also grew up with cucumber salad but my mom and gran made it with a vinegar and sugar dressing (almost pickling it). This sour cream version looks absolutely delicious!
Homemade & Yummy
See…just like I said, so many variations to this type of salad.