Creamy Cucumber Salad: A Refreshing Side Dish
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Creamy Cucumber Salad is light, refreshing, and easy to prepare in just minutes. Although it’s often thought of as a summer salad, cucumbers are available in my area all year, so we enjoy them year-round.
Key Takeaways
- Creamy cucumber salad is easy to prepare and refreshing for any season.
- Use English cucumbers for fewer seeds, along with pickled red onions for added flavor.
- Sour cream or Greek yogurt provides richness; opt for dairy-free yogurt if needed.
- Fresh dill is preferred, but dried dill works in a pinch; red wine vinegar adds tang.
- Pair the salad with dishes like Cajun
Butter Chicken Bites or BBQ Shrimp for a complete meal.
Creamy Cucumber Salad
Creamy Cucumber Salad pairs well with any main dish, such as Cajun Butter Chicken Bites, Steak Bites, and Creamy BBQ Shrimp. We like it with Smoked BBQ and in Dynamite Shrimp Tacos instead of traditional slaw.
Pickled vs Raw Onions
Fresh red onions have a firm bite with a light sharpness and a hint of sweetness, making them great for adding crunch to salads. In contrast, pickled red onions have a zesty, tangy flavor with a brighter taste and a softer, more tender texture, thanks to soaking in vinegar and sugar. The pickling process tones down the strong bite while bringing out their natural sweetness.
I prefer pickled red onions in this creamy cucumber salad.
What you’ll need for Creamy Cucumber Salad
Cucumbers: I usually reach for English cucumbers because they have fewer seeds. That said, any cucumber you’ve got will work just fine.
Red onions: I like using pickled red onions. You can use pickled or fresh red, white, or yellow onions.
Sour cream: I use full-fat sour cream for a richer taste, though lighter or fat-free options are fine if that’s what you prefer. You can also use Greek yogurt. Greek yogurt adds protein, which I struggle to get enough of. For a dairy-free version, plain unsweetened coconut yogurt or almond yogurt works well, too.
Dill: Fresh dill gives the best flavor, but if you only have dried on hand, you can use about 1 teaspoon instead. Keep in mind dried dill is more concentrated, so a little goes a long way.
Red wine vinegar: This ingredient adds an acidic, sharp, and fruity tang to salads. It enhances flavor and balances the richness of the sour cream. No red wine vinegar? No problem. You can swap it out with an equal amount of white wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or even a squeeze of lemon juice.
Seasonings: Sugar to mellow out the tang. Salt and pepper complete the flavor profile.
Conclusion
Creamy Cucumber Salad is cool, crisp, and full of fresh flavor 🥒✨ Thin sliced cucumbers coated in a smooth, tangy dressing make the perfect side for warm days 💕 Quick to make and great for cookouts, picnics, or weeknight meals 🌿🥄
Here are a few more recipes you’ll enjoy
Chicken Cucumber Salad {Keto}
Shrimp Cucumber Bites (low-carb, low calorie)
Fresh and Tangy Cucumber Salad Recipe
Watermelon Cucumber Mojito
Gin Spiked Cucumber Lemonade
Creamy Cucumber Salad
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Ingredients
- ½ cup sour cream or unflavored Greek yogurt
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 tablespoon white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar for more tang
- ½ tablespoon fresh dill
- 3 to 4 cups cucumber thinly sliced
- ¼ cup pickled red onion thinly sliced, *recipe link in notes
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon Ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine dressing ingredients: sour cream, dill, white wine vinegar, sugar, and salt. Stir until creamy.½ cup sour cream, 1 teaspoon sea salt, 1 tablespoon sugar, 2 tablespoon white wine vinegar, ½ tablespoon fresh dill
- Stir in the pickled red onions and cucumber. Refrigerate 1 to 2 hours before serving.3 to 4 cups cucumber, ¼ cup pickled red onion