Our Creamy Cucumber Salad is so DREAMY, so crunchy and so rich you’ll never believe it’s a salad! Laced in sour cream, Mayo, vinegar, lots of fresh dill, some onions and simple seasoning. This is our GO TO for easy side dishes that feel like a treat!
We have a things for cucumbers. And ironically, not too long ago I never was a particular fan of cucumbers. I felt it was too bland. I ate it, I never picked it out, but I wasn’t a “fan”. And now I realize, I just needed to REALLY dress it up, because I am a FAN of flavroful cucumbers!
Our Asian Cucumber Salad is SO GOOD! And the quick version of it would be this Easy Cucumber Salad. My Mediterranean in me always made these Feta Cucumber Salad Bites . And today we’re making a cooling, luscious and divine creamy cucumber salad that’s DIVINE!
What is A Creamy Cucumber Salad?
Creamy Cucumber Salad is a classic cold side dish made by tossing thinly sliced cucumbers and onions in a tangy, herb creamy dressing. The dressing is typically made with sour cream, mayonnaise or yogurt, vinegar, fresh dill, and simple seasonings. The result is a salad that is crisp, cool, creamy, and refreshing.
This salad is especially popular during the spring and summer months when cucumbers are at their peak. It is commonly served alongside grilled meats, barbecue, sandwiches, and Mediterranean dishes because its light, chilled texture balances rich and savory foods beautifully.
What makes Creamy Cucumber Salad so beloved is the contrast of textures and flavors. The cucumbers stay crisp and juicy, the dressing is smooth and tangy, and the dill adds a fresh herbal aroma that ties everything together. It is one of the simplest and most refreshing side dishes you can make, yet it delivers remarkable flavor with just a handful of ingredients.
Why You’ll Love it
- Ready in minutes
- Cool, creamy, and refreshing
- Perfect for hot summer days
- Ideal for barbecues and potluck
- Easy to make ahead
- Pairs with almost any main dish
- Naturally gluten-free
- Simple ingredients with big flavor
Creamy Cucumber Salad Ingredients
- Cucumbers. The start of the recipe, make sure you use two large cucumbers, even though it feels like alot. We love using large English cucumbers as they hold their shape and texture better compared to Persian cucumbers.
- Red onions. These are optional, as we have substituted them with green onions, or even chives. Use whatever level of onion taste you like, even use white onion if you prefer a strong astringent taste.
- Mayo & Sour Cream. The combo is the perfect level of creamy, and rich. You can use Greek yogurt for a light and healthy version. Like wise, you can make this creamy cucumber salad recipe with mayo only or sour cream. Make sure to use a light and healthy type of mayo so it doesn’t weigh you down. Today is more of a sour cream dressing.
- Seasoning. Salt and pepper of course and we add a touch of sugar to balance out the vinegar. We also love a pinch of garlic powder here.
- Dill. This is like one of our favorite herbs ever. And with cucumber, it’s such a DREAM! It pairs so well here. We have a pheonomanal Dill Sauce on our website which you need to try! We use fresh dill for this recipe, and you can substitute dried dill as well in much lower quantities.
- Apple Cider Vinegar. You can use white wine vinegar too, but we love the flavor of apple here. Also use lemon juice if you want a tang.
How to Make Creamy Cucumber Salad
Make the Dressing
- You’re going to start by mixing in the creamy dressing. In a bowl, add the mayo, sour cream, vinegar, dill, and seasoning.
- Stir everything well until creamy and smooth. Set that aside wile you prepare the cucumber.
Prepare the Cucumbers
- Thinly slice your cucumbers to about 1/8th inch thick. You can use a mandolin slicer or a food processor if you like. You don’t need super thin slices, but it’s best if they’re all the same size.
- Also finely dice your onions, chives or scallions and keep some dill aside.
- Mix all of these in a large bowl.
Why Salting the Cucumbers Matters
Cucumbers are made up mostly of water. If they are mixed directly with the dressing, they release moisture and dilute the creamy sauce.
Salting the slices draws out excess liquid, concentrates their flavor, and keeps the dressing thick and luscious. This is one of the most important techniques for making a creamy cucumber salad that stays crisp rather than watery.
Dress the Salad
- Now pour the creamy dressing right over the cucumbers and salad in the bowl.
- Pour all of it even if it feels too much! This is a creamy salad, so you’ll need to taste that richness 🙂
- Toss well and your creamy cucumber salad is ready! Garnish with extra dill if you’d like and serve right away!
Expert Tips for Creamy Cucumber Salad
- Use large cucumbers as they offer great texture and shape for this salad. The smaller cucumbers feel lost in the creamy sauce.
- When possible use fresh dill, as it has a fresher taste. However, dried dill can be used here too but use 1/3 rd of the amount.
- When it comes to onions, use the level and intensity of onion flavor that works for you! Some prefer a strong onion taste and use white onions while other love red onions. We have made it with chives only or scallions and it was just as great.
- To slice the cucumbers you can use a food processor or mandolin slicer. It’s not about having super thin slices, but rather having uniform thickness.
- For the dressing, we prefer a mix of mostly sour cream, and some mayo. We use avocado oil mayo as it’s our favorite.
- You can use entirely Greek yogurt for a healthy and tangier salad, but we love it creamier.
- You can mix. the dressing ahead of time and keep it in the fridge for 4 days.
- The creamy dressing is GREAT over other salads, sandwiches or used as a dip!
- It’s best to dress the salad right before serving to avoid the cucumbers being watery.
Variations on the Cucumber Salad
- Greek Yogurt Cucumber Salad: Replace some or all of the sour cream with full-fat Greek yogurt for a lighter, protein-rich version.
- German Cucumber Salad: Use all sour cream with a slightly sweeter dressing.
- Mediterranean Version: Add crumbled feta, garlic, and lemon zest.
- Keto Friendly Version: Omit the sugar.
How to Make this recipe ahead of time
It’s best to make the dressing up to 4 days ahead of time. Dress the salad up to 1 hour before serving, and no more. The cucumbers release some water after being salted, and you can end up with a soggy salad.
How to Store Creamy Cucumber Salad
The salad will keep up to 2 days in the fridge. If you feel the salad has gotten too soggy, simply drain some water out of it before serving. You can compensate that by adding 1 tablespoons of sour cream, or more as needed. Mix everything well and taste for seasoning.
Troubleshooting
- Why Is My Salad Watery?: The cucumbers were not salted and drained thoroughly.
- What if the Dressing Too Thick?: Add a small splash of vinegar or lemon juice.
- Why Does It Taste Bland?: Increase the dill, vinegar, salt, and pepper.
What is the best cucumber for creamy cucumber salad?
English and Persian cucumbers are best because they contain fewer seeds and less water.
Can I make creamy cucumber salad ahead of time?
Yes. It tastes even better after chilling, though it is best within one day.
Can I use Greek yogurt instead of sour cream?
Absolutely. Greek yogurt creates a lighter and tangier dressing.
How do I keep creamy cucumber salad from getting watery?
Salt and drain the cucumbers before combining them with the dressing.
Is creamy cucumber salad healthy?
Yes. It is low in carbohydrates and can be lightened further by using Greek yogurt.
Easy Salad Recipes
Black Bean and Corn Salad
Easy Cucumber Salad
Peach Burrata Salad
Panzanella Salad
Wedge Salad
Tomato Salad
Papaya Salad
Creamy Cucumber Salad
Ingredients
Dressing
- 2/3 cup cour cream
- 3 Tablespoons Mayo Avocado oil mayo
- 2 Tablespoons dill chopped
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Salad
- 2 cucumebrs sliced to 1/8 inch thick
- 1/2 red onion chives or scallions, minced
- 2 Tablespoons dill minced
Instructions
-
You're going to start by mixing in the creamy dressing. In a bowl, add the mayo, sour cream, vinegar, dill, and seasoning.
-
Mix everything well until creamy and smooth. Set that aside wile you prepare the cucumber.
-
Thinly slice your cucumbers to about 1/8th inch thick. You can use a mandolin slicer or a food processor if you like. You don't need super thin slices, but it's best if they're all the same size.
-
Also finely dice your onions, chives or scallions and keep some dill aside.
-
Mix all of these in a bowl.
-
Now pour the creamy dressing right over the cucumbers and salad in the bowl.
-
Pour all of it even if it feels too much! This is a creamy salad, so you'll need to taste that richness 🙂
-
Toss well and your creamy cucumber salad is ready! Garnish with extra dill if you'd like and serve right away!
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
Expert Tips for Creamy Cucumber Salad
- Use large cucumbers as they offer great texture and shape for this salad. The smaller cucumbers feel lost in the creamy sauce.
- When possible use fresh dill, as it has a fresher taste. However, dried dill can be used here too but use 1/3 rd of the amount.
- When it comes to onions, use the level and intensity of onion flavor that works for you! Some prefer a strong onion taste and use white onions while other love red onions. We have made it with chives only or scallions and it was just as great.
- To slice the cucumbers you can use a food processor or mandolin slicer. It's not about having super thin slices, but rather having uniform thickness.
- For the dressing, we prefer a mix of mostly sour cream, and some mayo. We use avocado oil mayo as it's our favorite.
- You can use entirely Greek yogurt for a healthy and tangier salad, but we love it creamier.
- You can mix. the dressing ahead of time and keep it in the fridge for 4 days.
- The creamy dressing is GREAT over other salads, sandwiches or used as a dip!
- It's best to dress the salad right before serving to avoid the cucumbers being watery.
Variations on the Cucumber Salad
- Greek Yogurt Cucumber Salad: Replace some or all of the sour cream with full-fat Greek yogurt for a lighter, protein-rich version.
- German Cucumber Salad: Use all sour cream with a slightly sweeter dressing.
- Mediterranean Version: Add crumbled feta, garlic, and lemon zest.
- Keto Friendly Version: Omit the sugar.
How to Make this recipe ahead of time
It's best to make the dressing up to 4 days ahead of time. Dress the salad up to 1 hour before serving, and no more. The cucumbers release some water after being salted, and you can end up with a soggy salad.
How to Store Creamy Cucumber Salad
The salad will keep up to 2 days in the fridge. If you feel the salad has gotten too soggy, simply drain some water out of it before serving. You can compensate that by adding 1 tablespoons of sour cream, or more as needed. Mix everything well and taste for seasoning.
Troubleshooting
- Why Is My Salad Watery?: The cucumbers were not salted and drained thoroughly.
- What if the Dressing Too Thick?: Add a small splash of vinegar or lemon juice.
- Why Does It Taste Bland?: Increase the dill, vinegar, salt, and pepper.
What is the best cucumber for creamy cucumber salad?
English and Persian cucumbers are best because they contain fewer seeds and less water.
Can I make creamy cucumber salad ahead of time?
Yes. It tastes even better after chilling, though it is best within one day.
Can I use Greek yogurt instead of sour cream?
Absolutely. Greek yogurt creates a lighter and tangier dressing.
How do I keep creamy cucumber salad from getting watery?
Salt and drain the cucumbers before combining them with the dressing.
Is creamy cucumber salad healthy?
Yes. It is low in carbohydrates and can be lightened further by using Greek yogurt.
This cucumber salad was amazing! I loved the creamy dressing, it was fantastic.
Such a refreshing salad (and easy to make btw). I love it. And just in time for the coming heat. Thank you, Mahy!
I whipped this up as a side for grilled chicken and it was so refreshing! The creamy dressing was just the right balance of tangy and sweet!
My Grandma made a salad just like this and I’ve been looking for something that tastes just like it. Thank you so much for the recipe!
We love having this cucumber salad. Its a great pair to have with meat or chicken along with rice! Its super delicious!
This is such a classic. I make cucumber salad all year long, so I’m glad to find such a tasty version.