Looking for quick and easy recipes for food that is delicious and nutritious? Then we've got you covered with this refreshing cucumber salad. Packed with taste, this salad offers a crunchy texture, bold flavors, and customization options to make it to your liking.
Ready in just 5 minutes, this refreshing salad is just the ticket whether you are looking for a light meal or a vibrant side dish.
Table of Contents
Recipe Video
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Why This Recipe Works
This refreshing cucumber salad recipe works on a number of different levels.
This cucumber salad is a quick and easy dish that you can eat on its own or as a side dish in a meal. Preparing it takes just 5 minutes, and all you do is toss the ingredients together in a bowl. It couldn't get any quicker or easier than that!
Additionally, this healthy cucumber salad is incredibly versatile. You can serve it alongside your favorite grilled proteins, with a sandwich as part of a light lunch, or alongside a variety of dishes as part of a hearty meal.
This quick and easy cucumber salad is also incredibly adaptable to suit your taste preferences. Whether you want to make your cucumber salad spicy, sweet, or somewhere in between, you can add or replace ingredients to your liking.
Ingredients
Cucumbers:
You can use various types of cucumbers for your salad, such as English cucumbers, Persian cucumbers, or regular slicing cucumbers. While English cucumbers are preferred for their thin skin and mild flavor, you can also peel the cucumber to eliminate any thick or bitter-tasting skin.
Red Onion:
Red onion adds a delightful pungent flavor and vibrant color to cucumber salad, enhancing its overall taste and visual appeal. However, if red onion isn't preferred or available, alternatives like shallots, scallions, or sweet onions can be used.
Green Onion:
Green onions add color and mild flavor to this refreshing cucumber salad. However, there are a number of additional herbs that can be used in addition to or in place of green onions. Dill, sage, basil, thyme, and chives are all delicious options that will impart their own unique characteristics to your cucumber salad.
Seasonings:
Sea salt is used in this recipe as it is the best option for enhancing the crisp texture of the cucumber and the other flavors found in this simple cucumber salad. Pepper and garlic powder are also used to further enhance the flavors of this salad. However, you can experiment with additional seasonings such as red pepper flakes, paprika, or onion powder.
Lime Juice:
Lime juice adds a bright, tangy acidity to cucumber salad, elevating its freshness and flavor. Alternatively, lemon juice can be used as a substitute for lime juice, providing a similar acidic punch
Vinegar:
You can use any kind of vinegar that you have on hand and can complement the other ingredients you've used in your cucumber salad. If you've chosen to make an Asian cucumber salad, rice vinegar would complement those flavors, while balsamic vinegar would support a more Mediterranean-inspired salad. White vinegar, on the other hand, is a great all-encompassing option.
Honey:
The honey adds just enough sweetness to balance the acidity of the vinegar and the lime juice. You can achieve the same effect by adding maple syrup, agave syrup, or brown sugar to the recipe if you don't have any honey on hand.
How to Make Cucumber Salad
Step One:
Combine cucumbers, red onion, green onion, sea salt, pepper, dried garlic, lime juice, vinegar, and honey in a bowl.
Step Two:
Stir to combine.
Step Three:
Serve as a side dish or light meal, and enjoy!
Tips
- To get the most refreshing cucumber salad possible, chill it in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before serving. This allows the flavors to meld together and enhance the texture of the cucumbers, giving you the crispiest and freshest results.
- Taste your cucumber salad before serving it, and adjust the seasoning as needed. You may want to add more salt, pepper, or acidity (lime juice or vinegar) to balance the flavors of your cucumber salad and to suit your taste preferences.
- Don't be afraid to experiment with different ingredients and taste combinations. For example, you can use lemon juice instead of lime and add tomatoes and feta to make a Greek cucumber salad. Alternatively, you can use rice vinegar, sesame oil, and red chili flakes to make an Asian cucumber salad. You can take this easy cucumber salad recipe in any direction you like.
What to Serve With Cucumber Salad
This fresh cucumber salad pairs exceptionally well with a variety of dishes, making it a versatile and refreshing side dish for any occasion. Its light and crisp texture complements the rich and savory nature of grilled meats such as chicken, fish, or steak, making it an ideal accompaniment for summer cookouts or picnics. Additionally, serve cucumber salad alongside Mediterranean-inspired dishes like falafel, hummus, or tabbouleh for a fresh and satisfying combination of flavors. Any way you choose to serve it, this refreshing cucumber salad can act as a light meal in itself or a vibrant side dish.
FAQs
How do I prevent the cucumbers from turning mushy?
In order to prevent your cucumbers from becoming mushy, avoid overmixing them with the dressing and other ingredients. Additionally, ensure that the cucumbers are fresh and not overripe when preparing the salad. Overripe and overmixed cucumbers will add more water to the salad. Additionally, salting and draining the cucumbers before adding them to the salad can help remove excess moisture and prevent the salad from becoming too watery.
Is this cucumber salad recipe vegan? Gluten-Free?
Since this particular recipe contains honey, it is not technically vegan. However, you can swap the honey for maple syrup, agave syrup, or brown sugar to make it a vegan cucumber salad. This is already a gluten-free cucumber salad, but you will want to ensure that whatever brand of garlic powder you use is processed in a gluten-free environment, free of cross-contamination.
How long can leftover cucumber salad be kept fresh?
If you have any leftover cucumber salad, it can be kept fresh for about 1 to 2 days when stored properly in an airtight container in the refrigerator. However, keep in mind that the longer the salad sits, the more the cucumbers will release moisture and soften, potentially affecting its texture. For this reason, it is not recommended to freeze your cucumber salad for any duration.
More Salad Recipes
Did you love how quick and easy this healthy cucumber salad is? Then you are going to love this collection of more salad recipes to help inspire your culinary creativity at meal-time.
Cucumber Salad
Ingredients
- 2 cucumbers thinly sliced
- ½ red onion thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons green onion diced
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried garlic
- ½ lime juice
- ¼ cup white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
Instructions
- Combine cucumbers, red onion, green onion, sea salt, pepper, dried garlic, lime juice, vinegar, and honey in a bowl.
- Stir to combine.
- Serve as a side dish or light meal, and enjoy!
Nutrition
Video
Notes
- To get the most refreshing cucumber salad possible, chill it in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before serving. This allows the flavors to meld together and enhance the texture of the cucumbers, giving you the crispiest and freshest results.
- Taste your cucumber salad before serving it, and adjust the seasoning as needed. You may want to add more salt, pepper, or acidity (lime juice or vinegar) to balance the flavors of your cucumber salad and to suit your taste preferences.
- Don't be afraid to experiment with different ingredients and taste combinations. For example, you can use lemon juice instead of lime and add tomatoes and feta to make a Greek cucumber salad. Alternatively, you can use rice vinegar, sesame oil, and red chili flakes to make an Asian cucumber salad. You can take this easy cucumber salad recipe in any direction you like.
I made this for an outdoor get together luncheon with friends. It was perfect. Super easy to make. Tasted delicious. Held up well from the time it was made to the time it was served which was about 3.5 hours. It complimented the other dishes well. I'll make it again and again.