Creamy Cucumber Salad Recipe
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This German cucumber salad is easy, creamy and good. The cucumbers crunch under a coating of sauce that reminds me very much of tzatziki sauce (and I could put that stuff on anything!). Creamy Cucumber Salad is also very similar in flavor to our creamy cucumber and tomato salad which we’re crazy about.
This salad is great any time of year but is especially delicious with fresh garden-grown cucumbers. You’ll be surprised how simple the ingredients are; staples in most refrigerators. Side note – you should rinse, dry, chop and freeze dill while it’s in season, abundant and inexpensive so you can enjoy it all winter long.
Cucumber Salad Recipe Tips:
*For best results, add the creamy sour cream dressing to the cucumber salad just before serving.
*Fresh lemon juice works best.
*I’ve tested plain Greek yogurt and it works (although not quite as good), just omit lemon juice if using.
Ingredients for the Creamy Cucumber Salad:
1 1/2 lbs cucumbers (2 english cucumbers or 7-10 small ones)
1/2 medium purple or yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 Tbsp fresh or frozen dill, chopped
3/4 cup sour cream (reduced fat is ok)
1/2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice (from 1/2 small lemon)
1 large or 2 small garlic cloves, pressed
1/2 tsp sea salt and pinch black pepper, or to taste
How to Make German Cucumber Salad:
1. In a small bowl, combine 3/4 cup sour cream, 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice, 2 pressed garlic cloves, 1 Tbsp dill, 1/2 tsp salt or to taste and a pinch of pepper. Stir and set aside while prepping salad.
2. Slice cucumbers into thin rounds or half rounds if using large cucumbers. Place in a large mixing bowl. Add thinly sliced onion. Just before serving stir sauce into the salad and mix to coat cucumbers. After adding sauce, the salad will stay fresh for about 2-3 hours if refrigerated.
Creamy Cucumber Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs cucumbers 2 english cucumbers or 7-10 small ones
- 1/2 medium purple or yellow onion thinly sliced
- 1 Tbsp fresh or frozen dill chopped
- 3/4 cup sour cream reduced fat is ok
- 1/2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice from 1/2 small lemon
- 1 large or 2 small garlic cloves pressed
- 1/2 tsp sea salt and pinch black pepper or to taste
Instructions
-
In a small bowl, combine 3/4 cup sour cream, 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice, 2 pressed garlic cloves, 1 Tbsp dill, 1/2 tsp salt or to taste and a pinch of pepper. Stir and set aside while prepping salad.
-
Slice cucumbers into thin rounds or half rounds if using large cucumbers. Place in a large mixing bowl. Add thinly sliced onion. Just before serving stir sauce into the salad and mix to coat cucumbers. After adding sauce, the salad will stay fresh for about 2-3 hours if refrigerated.
Recipe Notes
*For best results, add the creamy sour cream dressing to the cucumber salad just before serving.
*Fresh lemon juice works best.
*I've tested plain Greek yogurt and it works (although not quite as good), just omit lemon juice if using.
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
What’s your favorite use for fresh cucumbers? Or do you just crunch on them with a little s&p? 😉
natashaskitchen
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Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
My mother (Russian/Ukrainian) used to make a salad similar to this on the holidays (Thanksgiving/Christmas/New Years). She would soak the lettuce overnight in salty water. Anyone know what kind of salad this is? I cannot find the name or a recipe similar anywhere.
Hi Theresa, could it be sauerkraut (that is cabbage though) – I haven’t seen anything where lettuce was soaked overnight.
This is delicious! I halved the recipe and used dried dill. Definitely a keeper! Thanks!
You’re welcome! I’m glad you enjoy the recipe, thank for sharing!
So yummy! Highly recommended 🙂
I’m glad you love it Katie! Thanks for sharing 😀
Outstanding salad! This is a keeper. I used Greek yogurt in place of the sour cream. I also salted the cucumber slices for an hour and let them drain. I also added a bit of julienned carrot for a bit of color. Delicious and enjoyed by the Thai family as well. And I can testify that 13 hours later, the cucumber is perfect and crunchy, as I enjoy some salad for breakfast 😉 Thank you Natasha for the wonderful recipe!
I love how you made it healthier and your tip about the cucumber is great! Thanks for sharing that Lee 🙂
THIS IS A BANGIN RECIPE CUTE GIRL!! OK, I did not have fresh dill, so I used dry and put it in the microwave for 15 sec. with the lemon juice. I also added a lot more pepper and crumbled feta cheese at the end — just because it sounded like a great idea, and was!! And because — sorry — I can’t leave a recipe alone. Loved this salad and your blog!!!
Awesome! I’m happy to hear how much you love the recipe Melody! Thanks for following and sharing your excellent review! 🙂
Do you think this would work if you made small cubes of cucumber instead of slices? If salting to weep the cucumbers, would you leave the salt out of the sauce?
I am not very familiar with making cucumber salad =)
Hi Anne, this salad is intended to be eaten after it is made because the salt does cause the cucumbers to get juicy so I would recommend not adding the salt until ready to serve.
is it 1/2 tsp salt or 1 tsp..i added the tsp as it says at end but ingredient list calls only for 1/2 tsp..
thanks
Rebecca, thank you for noticing that. I would use 1/2 tsp to start and add more to taste. I would love to hear what you think of the salad 😬.
hey i made it for xmas for husband and myself..and used the 1 tsp..it tasted great..i think either on would work spending on peoples preference..and the 1 tsp def didnt make it too salty..
thanks..;)
It’s also great with dried crushed mint sprinkled into it.
I haven’t tried that. Thank you for sharing! 🙂
Natasha, could I slice cucumbers and salt them for an hour then rinse and add dressing to keep them crisp?
Hi Kristi, I’ve never tried that but I have seen it done to salt and let them sit for 30 minutes then squeeze out the excess moisture and proceed. If you aren’t serving it soon after it’s made, it might be worthwhile to try that or you could just prep all of the ingredients and dressing in advance and add the dressing before serving. If you try the salting method, let me know how you like it 🙂
I use the salt method and it works great!! The cucumbers stay crispy for at least 3 days and the dressing doesn’t get watery. I just slice the cucumbers, salt them and let them sit about an hour in a sieve.
I used rice wine vinegar instead of lemon juice and it rocked!
That’s great to know it works as a substitute! Thanks for sharing 🙂
I made this for dinner tonight. We have SO many cucumbers coming out of our garden right now, so I’m looking for every possible way to prepare them. It was delicious! A nice addition to our meal!
That’s just awesome! I’m so happy you enjoyed the salad. We also have an abundance of cucumbers right now. They are the best! We’re just savoring them as long as possible 🙂
Made this a couple days ago… Had a bunch of fresh from the garden cukes to use up. It was very yummy. I added cherry tomatoes cut in half which was a hit for the tomato eaters (I don’t like them or onions). I think the next I make this I’m adding shredded cheese, like parmesan or maybe cheddar. Thanks for the recipe!
I love the idea of adding cheese. Sounds so yummy!
This look delish….
What is the shelf life? It’s just my husband and me I want to make sure leftovers taste goo.
Melissa, the salad will stay fresh for about 2-3 hours if refrigerated. Cucumbers get soggy if left any longer.
how long will the cucumber salad last in the fridge ?
Hi Cathy, after you add the dressing (which has salt), the salad starts to get juicy and soft with time. It’s best to eat this salad soon after it is made.
Easy and tastes great!
Hi Krissy, thank you so much for the great review! 🙂
We will be adding this Delicious cucumber salad to our Thanksgiving dinner this year..and your tip really helps, so all my guests will enjoy the salad…so thanks Krissy really appreciate the tip… Ill give my rating after we’ve given it a try…BonAppetit
This looks delicious and easy to make. I’m on a diet right now – I need to eat light and fresh food and nothing cooked and baked. No stews, no barbeque… nothing. But that doesn’t mean that I have to torture myself, I can still eat delicious food, just need to be picky. This recipe goes straight in my cookbook and I’m making it at the moment xD Can’t wait!
Thanks, Natasha, good luck with everything!
Thank you Jessica, I hope that you’ll find many more favorites on the site :).
Hi, your cucumbers looks so delicious. What is their kind?
Thank you
I’m not sure what the specific variety is, but I know my Mom brought the seeds over from Ukraine. Sorry I know that’s not very helpful.
Lovely. Refreshing. Just what a hot summer supper needs!
Thank you for the great review and thank you for giving me the idea on what to make tonight :).
Hi,
My mother used to make this cucumber salad in the summer mostly, as they had huge gardens and abundant everything.
At the age of 30 I developed a lactose intolerance and have changed out the sour cream for a good, preferably organic, Greek yogurt and I use champagne vinegar in place of the lemon juice. Delicious. Just wanted to share this with you. Enjoy your website very much. Bev
Thank you so much for sharing that substitution with me! That actually sounds really good and healthy 🙂
I just love this salad, it’s so refreshing! I’ll sometimes add radishes too, sliced into “coins” like the cucumbers. But I’ve never added garlic to the dressing – next time will have to try that 🙂
It does add some really good flavor to the salad, specially after you let it meld in the dressing for a little bit while you chop the rest of your ingredients.
Natasha –
The salad looks so yummy…My son loves cucumbers with a little s&p before he starts his lunch.
I wish my son did. He’ll eat them when forced, but he also doesn’t like watermelon. He has interesting tastes ;).
Yes, my son does not like watermelon either… It took awhile to like the cucumbers :-)..Thank you so much for your great recipes and the hard work/effort that goes into making them.
How interesting! I bet they would be good friends! 😉