Creamy Cucumber Salad is so easy, creamy, and refreshing. The nostalgic flavors feature crisp summer cucumbers and onions coated with fresh dill and a sour cream dressing. It’s a must-have summer side dish!
This creamy cucumber salad recipe, sometimes called German Cucumber Salad, is in our top 3 cucumber recipes along with our Cucumber Tomato Avocado Salad and Ceviche. Our entire family loves this salad even our youngest, so it is on the regular rotation all summer long.
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The Best Cucumber Salad Dressing
The thick creamy sauce made with fresh lemon, dill, and sour cream, reminds me of Tzatziki Sauce (and I could put that stuff on anything!) This is the perfect cucumber salad recipe for when the fruit is in season from May through August. Each bite is more refreshing than the last.
Fresh dill and crispy cucumbers pair perfectly! Then, you coat that flavor combination in the creamy sour cream dressing making this creamy cucumber salad recipe truly an iconic dish that tastes of summer.
Creamy Cucumber Salad Video
Watch how easy it is to bring the dish together in a few simple steps. It will quickly become a summer side dish you’ll make year after year.
Ingredients
You don’t need a long list of ingredients to make the best cucumber salad. Try this recipe with fresh garden-grown cucumbers and you will be hooked!
- Cucumbers – Fresh garden-grown cucumbers are my favorite for this dish, however, you can make this dish year-round with cucumbers from the grocery store.
- Onions – I love using red onions for their sweetness and bright pop of color against the green cucumbers. Sweet Vidalia onions or chopped green onions also work for a milder onion flavor.
- Sour Cream – provides a tangy and thick base for this yummy salad. You can substitute Greek yogurt for sour cream, but it thins the dressing, and it adds more tangy flavor.
- Lemon Juice – Fresh lemon juice works the best (trust me!) and helps cut the thick sour cream to make the sauce taste lighter.
- Garlic – Again, fresh garlic is best, but pre-minced or even garlic powder will work.
- Dill – Fresh or frozen dill tastes the freshest. We love to freeze the abundant fresh dill from summer and use it for this salad in the colder months. You can substitute dill with finely chopped parsley or chives (whatever you have growing in your garden).
Pro Tip: To freeze fresh dill – rinse, dry, chop, and then lightly pack into freezer zip bags and freeze flat. You can enjoy it right out of the freezer for any recipe that calls for dill, from Egg Salad to Tartar Sauce.
How to Make Creamy Cucumber Salad
- Stir together the sour cream, lemon, garlic, dill, and salt and pepper in a small bowl to make the scrumptious creamy dressing. Then, set the bowl aside.
- Slice the cucumbers and onions thinly using a mandoline set to 1/8″ or a sharp knife. Remember to peel the cucumber if wax-coated. Place in a serving bowl.
- Pour the creamy sour cream dressing into the serving bowl, and then mix to evenly coat the onions and cucumbers. Serve immediately.
Pro Tip: Wait until right before serving to add the creamy dressing. After adding sauce, the salad will only stay fresh for about 2-3 hours if refrigerated
What Cucumbers are Best for Salad?
The varieties of cucumbers are almost as endless as the types of cucumber salads. These are my favorite cucumbers to include in salads and whether or not you need to peel before slicing:
- Garden Cucumbers: Crisp, crunchy, and our favorite when they come fresh from the garden. They can be served peeled or unpeeled.
- English Cucumbers: Also known as European cucumbers. This variety is mild in flavor, almost seedless. They are typically sold wrapped in plastic to protect their thin skin, so there is no need to peel them.
- Cocktail Cucumbers: Deliciously crunchy and much smaller than other varieties of cucumbers. They are also more expensive per pound, but there’s no need to peel them.
- Wax-Coated Cucumbers: Found at most grocery stores year round. They have a wax covering to help preserve the cucumber and will need to be peeled prior to eating.
How to Keep Cucumbers from Getting Soggy
This recipe is best eaten immediately and only stays truly crispy for three to four hours in the fridge. After that, the cucumbers release water, thinning the dressing.
- Dry the cucumbers before using– Pat the cut cucumbers dry with a paper towel before adding the dressing. You can also use a salad spinner.
- Try salting– You can add a teaspoon of salt to the cucumbers in a colander for 30 minutes before making the salad to draw some of the water out, but the texture will be softer and not as crispy.
Variations
If you’re feeling adventurous, try some of these other variations and ways to serve this cucumber salad:
- Change the herbs– you can swap the dill for fresh parsley or chives. If you don’t have fresh herbs, you can use about a third of the amount of dried dill.
- Opt for Mayo– substitute mayo for the lemon juice for a thicker sauce.
- Add heat – add some red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper to taste.
- Include other fresh vegetables – try adding sliced radishes for an extra crunch, or add grape tomatoes, corn, or even avocado
What to Serve with Creamy Cucumber Salad
This delicious summer side salad pairs perfectly with meaty main dishes at summer barbecues and picnics, or all year around:
- BBQ Chicken Thighs
- Grilled Pork Tenderloin
- Hamburgers (or Smashburgers)
- Instant Pot Ribs
- Grilled Steak
Make-Ahead
- To Refrigerate: The salad is best served immediately, but it will last for two or three days in the fridge. If the salad gets watery, you can drain the water and add a bit more sour cream for leftovers the next day.
- Freezing: This isn’t a good recipe to freeze as cucumbers and sour cream do not freeze well.
Try this iconic salad recipe as a simple side for your next barbecue or picnic, and you’ll see why this creamy cucumber salad recipe is handed down for generations in so many families.
More Cucumber Recipes
If you love summer cucumbers as much as we do, you will find some new favorite cucumber recipes in this list. When cucumbers are abundant in our garden, these are the recipes we make most often:
- Avocado Cucumber Shrimp Bites
- Creamy Cucumber and Tomato Salad
- Avocado Cucumber Salad
- Cucumber Feta Salad
- Refrigerator Pickles
- Tomato Cucumber Mozzarella Salad
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
- 1/2 cup sour cream, reduced fat is ok
- 1/2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 garlic clove, pressed or grated
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt and pinch black pepper, or to taste
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine sour cream, lemon juice, garlic, dill, salt and pepper to taste. Stir and set aside while prepping salad.
- Peel (if necessary) and 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, pour the dressing over the cucumbers and onions, and mix to coat. After adding sauce, the salad will stay fresh for about 2-3 hours if refrigerated.
Notes
Variations:
- Chives – add 1/3 cup chives or green onion instead of onion for a milder onion flavor.
- Mayo – lately we’ve been loving the addition of 1-2 Tbsp mayo to the dressing instead of lemon juice.
- Greek yogurt – I’ve tested plain Greek yogurt and it works (although not quite as good), just omit lemon juice if using.
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
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! 😉