While this cooling, creamy cucumber salad is absolutely made for summer and grilling weather, it’s also the perfect refreshing salad for richer dishes like slow cooked meats.
I serve this salad most often with my Greek seasoned chicken and 3 ingredient flatbreads. Try pulled pork burgers with this in place of coleslaw and you’ll be an immediate convert.
Why you’ll love creamy cucumber salad
Creamy, crisp, flavourful and incredibly tasty, this creamy cucumber salad is a great side dish everyone will love.
A bit herby, a bit tangy and a lot creamy, creamy cucumber salad is so easy to make and great alongside grilled meats and fish but it also works wonderfully alongside rich slow cooked meats.
This is a super-easy side dish that takes literally minutes to throw together. You don’t even need to peel the cucumbers. I add avocado to my cucumber salad which gives it a softer texture next to those crunchy cucumbers and onions.
Creamy cucumber salad ingredients
Have you ever had tzatziki? This salad is bit like tzatziki in chunky form. With all those same flavours, and the tangy, creamy dressing, this salad doesn’t have a long list of ingredients.
Detailed quantities and directions in the recipe card below.
- Cucumber: I use Lebanese or burpless cucumbers – terrible name! You may know them as English cucumbers.
- Red onion: for crunch and flavour. Red onion is quite mild and you can chop it into smaller or thinner pieces. If you prefer, you can also replace it with spring onions (green onions / scallions).
- Avocado: While not traditional, I love adding avocado for so many reasons. It adds more body to the salad, more creaminess and a little nutty flavour along with it’s softer texture.
- Yoghurt or sour cream: I most often use plain Greek yoghurt in my cucumber salad but you can certainly swap it for sour cream – light or full fat.
- Mayonnaise: I use just a regular light egg mayonnaise, since that’s what we keep in the house but use your favourite. A salad cream would be too tangy though so stick with mayo.
- Lemon juice: The flavour and tang of the lemon are both lovely in this salad.
- Fresh dill: Use fresh dill as it has a much better flavour that permeates through the cold salad much better than dry ever could.
- Garlic and onion powder: I use a pinch of garlic and a pinch of onion powder in my dressing. Add it to taste. It adds balance to all the tang.
- Salt and pepper: Always season with just a little salt and pepper to your taste.
Choosing the best cucumbers for cucumber salad
Below are the most common types of cucumber in order of which suits this salad best.
- Burpless / English / Telegraph / Continental Cucumbers: Many names for the same, or at the very least, extremely similar cucumbers. These are long and slim with a pointy end and have a thin dark skin. The flesh is mild, with minimal seeds and are nice and crisp. No need to peel.
- Lebanese: Looking similar to burpless cucumbers but much shorter at about 16-20cm / 6-8 inches and with rounder ends. They have a thin dark skin, minimal seeds and are crunchy. There is no need to peel these.
- Qukes / Baby Cucumbers: Qukes are crunchy with minimal seeds and very similar to both the Lebanese and Burpless cucumbers but much smaller – around 10-12cm / 4-5in long. A little more expensive.
- Green / Slicing / American Cucumbers: These are stubby in shape, with larger seeds that are tougher. The skin is also tougher and these are often best peeled.
Tips: Always choose firm cucumbers with shiny, blemish-free skin. If your cucumbers are waxed (as some places do to preserve them longer), make sure to peel the skin off.
Tools you’ll need
- A bowl
- A sharp knife
- A chopping board
How to make cucumber salad
One of the easiest salads to make, this creamy cucumber salad takes 5-10 minutes, maximum.
See the recipe card below for the full recipe details.
- Mix the dressing: First, whisk together the yoghurt, mayo, onion powder, garlic powder, lemon juice and dill (photo 1). Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Chop the vegetables: Slice the cucumbers quite thinly, but you still want them to have some body. Slice the onions and chop up chunks of avocado (photo 2).
- Mix it all together: In a large bowl, mix the sliced cucumbers, onions and avocado to the dressing, toss it together and place in the fridge until required.
Variations
Try these little variations to make it to your own taste.
- Swap the yoghurt for sour cream.
- Swap the red onion for spring (green) onions or leave them out altogether.
- Use a simple vinaigrette instead of the creamy dressing.
- Swap all or some of the dill for mint, parsley or basil.
- Tomatoes are a popular addition.
- Peel the cucumbers if you don’t like the skin.
Ways to use cucumber salad
This light and creamy salad is great served with grilled meats like chicken and steak. It’s great alongside fried chicken or inside burgers, in place of coleslaw.
I serve it with grilled chicken, often – this Greek seasoned chicken being our favourite.
How to store it
Creamy cucumber salad is best served fresh – leave the dressing separate to the vegetables until serving time. Leftovers will keep for a day or two in the fridge in an airtight container but you may need to give it a mix up before serving.
More easy salads you’ll love
- Air Fryer Corn on the Cob
- Simple Potato Salad
- Apple Coleslaw
- Roasted Beetroot Feta Salad
- Warm Potato Asparagus Salad
- Asparagus, Rocket and Parmesan Salad
If you try this creamy cucumber salad recipe, please take a moment to leave a rating and comment below.
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Creamy Cucumber Salad
Ingredients
- 2 medium burpless / continental cucumbers (4 cups, sliced)
- 1 small red onion
- 1 avocado
- ⅔ cup greek yoghurt (or sour cream)
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 3 teaspoons lemon juice
- 3 teaspoons chopped fresh dill
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- Salt and pepper to taste
For best results, always weigh ingredients where a weight is provided
Instructions
- Slice the cucumber into rounds about 3mm thick. Slice the onion fairly finely, the chop the avocado flesh into small chunks.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the yoghurt, mayonnaise, lemon juice, dill, garlic powder and onion powder. Taste, then season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Add the sliced vegetables and mix to combine everything. Serve immediately or chill until required.
Notes
- Best served fresh. If making ahead, don’t combine the dressing with the vegetables until the last minute.
- Great on burgers or alongside grilled meats.
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