Easy Cucumber Salad Recipe
This easy cucumber salad is one of those go-to summer sides you’ll find yourself making on repeat. It’s fresh, flavorful, and comes together in minutes with no fancy ingredients or fuss needed. You can chill it before serving alongside anything as well as foods off the grill.
Suitable for vegan, low carb, and gluten free diets.
Whenever I am craving something light, crisp, and over the top easy, I pull out this cucumber salad recipe. It’s the kind of side dish that shows up with zero fuss and still manages to steal the spotlight at any summer meal.
I love how refreshing it tastes, especially when everything else feels a little too heavy. No fancy skills needed here, just simple everyday pantry ingredients, a quick toss and voila, the perfect side dish. This cucumber and onion salad is one of those eats that goes with EVERYTHING including these summer salads and everyday bbq side dish recipes.
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Table of Contents
Why I Love This Recipe
- Quick and easy: This tasty yet frugal salad comes together in less than 10 minutes. And it is so easy that you can set the kiddoes to make this.
- Beats the heat: It is crisp, flavorful and perfect when the stove’s a no-go.
- Make ahead and portable: Make in advance and simply remix and adjust the seasoning just before serving. Triple or quadruple the recipe to feed a crowd and take along to your picnic, barbeque, potluck, etc.
Ingredient Notes
- Cucumber – I prefer using English cucumbers because they’re crisp, mild, and don’t need peeling. If using regular ones or large cucumbers, peel if the skin’s tough and scoop out seeds to avoid a watery salad. Little sweeter Lebanese ones work too, you would need to toss in a few extra.I slice the cucumber thinly with a mandoline or a very sharp knife.
- Lime juice – I use freshly squeezed juice for the best taste.
- Red onion – Just a few very thin slices go a long way. I soak them in cold water for 10 minutes if I want to mellow out the bite. Use scallions for a milder taste.
- Oregano – I prefer fresh oregano but dried is what is more easily available.
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How To Make Cucumber Salad
If you have 10 minutes, you can make this easy cucumber salad recipe! Do check out the recipe card for the full list of recipe instructions.
- Whisk up the magic sauce: yeap whip up the olive oil, a good squeeze of lime, the best flaky sea salt, a pinch of chilli, a oregano and a pinch of lemon zest and set aside.
- Mix your cucumber slices and chopped red onion into a big non reactive bowl.
- Drizzle that zesty dressing all over the cucumber mix and toss everything together.
- Feel free to dive in right away or chill in refrigerator for 1-2 hours for the flavors to get all cozy.
Bintu’s Tips and Variations
Here are some tips to make a great salad.
- Vary the liquid – I have used apple cider vinegar and lemon juice instead. You may need to adjust the salt content if you try these.
- Add more veggies – Like green onions, tomatoes, radishes or bell peppers. So good.
- Make it creamier – If you prefer to make this a creamy cucumber salad – then add in a little bit of Greek Yogurt or Creme Fraiche into your salad dressing.
- Change up the herbs – Up to you to try like parsley, basil, dill and more.
- Add sweetness – Feel free to add some sweetness with 1/2 a teaspoon of maple syrup or sweetener to your taste.
- Storage – Slice and then soak the cucumbers in salted water a couple of hours ahead. You can also make the lime dressing a few hours ahead of time. Ideally mix together just before serving.
FAQs
So try and stick with small cucumbers like Persian, Lebanese and smaller English ones. Just scoop out the seeds if they’re a bit big or watery. For more watery cucumbers, sprinkle some salt over the slices for about 20 minutes, to pull out some moisture and then pat dry before using.
Hold off on the dressing until just before serving to keep everything crisp. And if you’re after that extra bite, a quick chill in the fridge or a dip in ice water does wonders.
Serving Suggestions
I definitely eat it just as is (as an after-work snack), but it rocks alongside the treats below.
I love serving it alongside crispy Air Fryer Fish, as well as easy Baked Salmon and the best Air Fryer Salmon Patties. It will make a great addition to a picnic along Hawaiian Pasta Salad, easy Italian Pinwheels or these Veggie Pinwheels as well as the Grilled Chicken Wrap.
Serve alongside mains like Air Fryer Whole Chicken, really juicy Grilled Steak and these Grilled Chicken Skewers, spiced up Jerk Shrimp Tacos and weeknight Lemon Pasta.
More Favorite Summer Salads You’ll Love
For more summer salad recipes, why not try some of my favs from below.
- Italian Chopped Salad.
- Easy Wedge Salad Recipe.
- A colorful Summer Fruit Salad.
- Crunchy Turkey Salad.
- Instant pot Thai Quinoa Salad.
- Chinese Chicken Salad.
Weight Watchers Points
One serving contains 2 BluePlan Smartpoints.
Thank you for reading my Cucumber Onion Salad recipe post. And please visit again as I continue dreaming up recipes, traditional African recipes, African fusion recipes, Sierra Leone recipes, travel plans and much more for you. Thanks for supporting Recipes from a Pantry.
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Easy Cucumber Salad
Ingredients
For the salad:
- 2 English cucumbers peeled and thinly sliced
- 2-3 tbsp finely chopped red onion
For the dressing:
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 4 tbsp lime juice or more, to taste
- 1 pinch salt
- red pepper flakes to taste
- 1 Pinch lemon zest
- 3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
Instructions
- Make the dressing by mixing the lime juice, salt, red pepper flakes, lemon zest and dried oregano together in a small bowl.
- Place the sliced cucumber and red onion in a large bowl and then pour in the dressing.
- Gently mix to coat and adjust seasonings, to taste.
- Serve immediately, or cover, refrigerate and allow to marinate for a couple of hours.
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Ebube says. ………This is heavenly all from Sierra Leone ? Thank you for a well explained recipe Bintu am working on open house day for my sister who is a teacher her class is showcasing every thing on Sierra Leone but still looking for drinks to prepare for the toddlers .
Oh wow, this looks wonderful. I have two big cucumbers in my fridge right now. Looks like I’m sorted for lunch today 😉
You are bringing back memories Bintu!! I would love some of this now 🙂 With some bonga fish grinded in 😉
Hehehehe. I was thinking about the bonga fish and may do a verion with that in.
it sounds amazing. I’m not great with chilli, so I don’t think I would be adding more chilli in the winter months, but it does sound very tasty
You can easily omit the chili. All to your taste Barefoot.
this looks so yum might give this a go! 🙂 xo
😀
Oh my… I used to love this when I was a kid – I learned how to make it from our neighbour’s kid – it was kind of my specialty because no one in my family knew how to make it. I made it all the time… fun times!
Your folks must have loved you Elsa. yes fun, fun, fun times
That looks lovely. My gran used to do a variety of pickled cucumber salad that I loved, sadly I never got the recipe. Will have to try this.
Enjoy it Alison – so often I wish I had lots of recipes from my gran too.
Love this idea Bintu. Other than tzatziki and just adding them to salads and sandwiches, I’m never really sure what to do with cucumbers.
I know what you mean. we have quite a lot of cucumbers too so time to bring out the cucumber brains.
I would never have thought of that combo. It sounds great. Cooper just about eats his body weight in cucumber. He’s made about it.
Wow – lucky you to have a kid that likes cucumbers that much.
How ironic that you mention fish as an accompaniment because I was thinking that too! Interesting that it’s got the spice to it…I’m intrigued. Once again your photography is off the charts awesome, Bintu 🙂
I am blushing Mike……
I bet this is delicious, perfect for my homegrown cucumbers. GG
Yeap – you know what I think I will spend the weekend making some pickles from my home grown cucumbers.
This looks delicious. I am definitely trying this out. It’s Paleo friendly too.
Enjoy it Nadine-Johanna.
Love it! My dad made something like this the other day, love chilli kick in it 🙂
Try polish version called mizeria (misery) – with sour cream and loads of dill 🙂
Ohhh, I def have to try that variation Sylvia.
This sounds super easy and looks delicious! I’m going to have to try it! Thanks for sharing 🙂 xx
That is what is great about this dish – easy.
Jeeeez this sounds so appetising. A perfect summer side dish or what?! I’m do this for our next bbq… an just wait for the compliments to come flowing haha!
Its all about the compliments Jo. I like ’em too.
This looks delicious, I will actually try it out because it really doesn’t need any sort of cooking time. Thanks for sharing.
The no cooking is probably one of the reasons why it is so popular.