Creamy Cucumber Salad with onion and dill is a simple summer side dish that is a true classic. Enjoy making this fresh cucumber salad just like your grandmother made!
I grew up eating cucumber salads all summer long. Sometimes it was sliced cucumbers with an oil and vinegar dressing, or they were simply tossed with tomatoes, fresh herbs, salt, and pepper.
Most often though, we ate this creamy cucumber salad, dressed with dill, garlic, and onion in a slightly sweet and savory sour cream sauce.
This salad recipe is the best way to use up extra garden cucumbers, and the perfect easy side dish for a hot summer day. You can even double this recipe to bring to that barbecue you were invited to this weekend!
Creamy Cucumber Salad is simple to make, and everyone loves it. You might also enjoy making a big Seven Layer Salad, Greek Salad with cucumbers and feta cheese, or a Mediterranean Shirazi Salad.
Deviled Egg Potato Salad is another summer salad favorite to try!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- A Nostalgic Favorite– I hope you remember this delicious salad from your childhood, but even if you’ve never had this before, you are going to love it!
- Packed with Flavor– Cucumbers on their own are not very flavorful, but their cool texture is enhanced with fresh herbs, garlic, and seasonings to make them the most amazing cucumbers you’ve ever had.
- Easy to Make – You can mix this salad up in just a few minutes, with one bowl and a handful of delicious ingredients.
Ingredients In This Creamy Cucumber Salad Recipe
Here’s what you need to make this refreshing cucumber salad.
Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
- Sour Cream: This is what makes the dressing creamy! You can use plain greek yogurt instead of sour cream if you prefer. Both are tasty, just a little bit different.
- White Vinegar, Sugar, Salt, and Pepper: This salad has all of the flavor notes in it!
- Garlic: Freshly minced garlic adds delicious flavor to this simple salad.
- Dill: Fresh dill is a MUST for creamy cucumber salad. In the summer I like to grow a bit on my counter, but you can find fresh dill in most grocery stores year-round.
- Cucumbers: I’m using English cucumbers in this salad, but any variety of cucumbers will work just fine.
- Onion: I like red onion for the color it adds, but white or yellow onion will also work. You’ll want to slice the onion thinly for this recipe.
How To Make Creamy Cucumber Salad
- Make Creamy Dressing: In a large bowl, combine sour cream with vinegar, garlic, sugar, salt, and dill.
- Slice Cucumbers: Use a mandoline or a sharp knife to slice the cucumbers thinly.
- Mix the Salad: Add the cucumbers to the bowl with the dressing, along with the sliced onions. Toss to combine.
- Serve: You can serve this salad immediately, or refrigerate it for 30 to 60 minutes to chill and allow the flavors to develop. Transfer the salad to a serving bowl and sprinkle with fresh cracked black pepper before serving.
Tip!
A Mandoline Slicer makes getting thin slices of cucumber and onions super simple!
Recipe Tips
- Make Substitutions. You can adjust the ingredients in this recipe to suit your own tastes. Feel free to adjust the amount of sugar, try a different style of vinegar (white wine vinegar and apple cider vinegar are both tasty options), or add in veggies like bell pepper or tomatoes.
- Mince Garlic Finely. Unless you like large pieces of garlic in your salad, I think it’s best to mince it very finely when adding to dressings. Use a garlic press or grate the garlic to get it really smooth.
Storing Tips
You can store this salad in the fridge for 3-4 days in an airtight container. I find that it’s best eaten the same day that you make it, as it can become watery with time.
What To Serve With Creamy Cucumber Salad
You are going to want to enjoy this easy cool cumber salad with all of your summer meals! Try some of these grilling favorites:
- Cedar Plank Salmon
- Grilled Salmon Filets
- Ground Chicken Burgers
- Grilled BBQ Chicken
- Garlic Grilled Shrimp
More Easy Side Salads
All Salads→
FAQs
This comes down to preference and the type of cucumber you use. English and Persian cucumbers have very thin skin, and so I typically just wash them and slice them with the skins on.
Sometimes if you’re using homegrown cucumbers or large ones, you’ll find many seeds in the center. You can slice the cucumber in half lengthwise and take out the seeds with a spoon if you’d like to.
I think dill is a must for this creamy salad, but it can also be delicious with other fresh herbs like basil or thyme.
Learn how to make this easy creamy cucumber salad and you’ll never be without a summer side dish idea! Be sure to Pin this recipe for more people to find.
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
creamy cucumber salad
Equipment
- Mandoline
Ingredients
- ½ cup sour cream or Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
- 2 small cloves garlic minced (about 1 teaspoon)
- ½ teaspoon granulated sugar or honey
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoon fresh dill
- 2 English cucumbers about 1 ½ pounds
- ½ red or yellow onion thinly sliced
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine sour cream with vinegar, garlic, sugar, salt and dill.
- Using a sharp knife or a mandoline, slice the cucumbers into ¼ inch thick slices.
- To the bowl with the dressing, add the cucumbers and the sliced onions. Toss well for the dressing to coat the cucumbers.
- Optional: chill in the fridge before serving for 30 minutes to an hour.
- Transfer to a serving bowl, sprinkle with a grind of fresh cracked black pepper and serve.
Notes:
- Feel free to experiment with the ingredients in this recipe to suit your preferences. Increase or decrease the amount of sugar, use a different style of vinegar, or leave out the onions if you prefer.
- You can make this salad with any variety of cucumbers.
- You can peel and remove the seeds from your cucumbers if necessary preferred. With English cucumbers, I don’t typically remove the peel.
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
© Little Sunny Kitchen
Lisa says
It was easy to make and so refreshing and delicious!
Little Sunny Kitchen says
Thanks Lisa! I appreciate the feedback and the review so much.
Karen says
How much salt, it’s not listed
Diana says
Hi Karen, you need ¾ of a teaspoon of salt.