Dressing Ingredients
The dressing for this cucumber onion salad is so simple. Simple ingredients you likely already have on hand whisk together to create a creamy dressing that perfectly complements cucumbers. Fresh cucumbers are no different, they are so delicious when they are fresh. Cucumbers are the star of this easy creamy cucumber and onion salad recipe. The easy dressing on this salad highlights all there is to love about cucumbers.
English cucumbers: I share more about what cucumbers to use in this salad below. You don’t have to peel the cucumbers, just be sure to wash them thoroughly to remove any dirt and debris, and be sure to slice them very thin. Small red onion: I love the subtle sweetness that the red onions bring to this recipe. Don’t cut them too thin for this recipe or they won’t hold up.
Sour cream: The combination of mayonnaise and sour cream make the base of the dressing. Light sour cream can be used here, but I wouldn’t recommend fat free as it will be too thin. Mayonnaise: As with the sour cream, you can use light mayo, but I would not suggest fat free mayonnaise. Additionally, you want to use actual mayonnaise not something like Miracle Whip as it will drastically change the flavors. Vinegar: I use white vinegar here, and I wouldn’t recommend a different type. It gives the dressing a great zip without adding more flavor. Lemon juice: This both gives the dressing a delightful zing and a beautiful freshness. As with a recipes, I recommend using fresh lemon juice, but bottled will work in a pinch. Fresh dill weed: I love adding fresh dill to dressings, it brings great flavor. If you are in an absolute pinch, you could replace it with dried dill, but you will want to reduce the amount by half. Salt and pepper
How to Make Cucumber Salad
This creamy cucumber salad with sour cream comes together in under 30 minutes. Here is a brief overview of how to make it. Be sure to see the recipe card at the bottom of the post for the full recipe including all ingredients and their measurements.
What Type of Cucumber to Use
I used English Cucumbers for this recipe. I love how crisp they are with the minimal number of seeds they have. That being said, use whatever type of cucumber you have. As I mentioned above, I think that cucumbers from the garden and the farmer’s market are amazing in this salad.
Fresh Dill
I would encourage you to use fresh dill in this recipe and not dried dill. I have some recipes, like my Ranch Dressing, where either will work. Because of the small amount of ingredients in this recipe, I really think this is a place to use fresh dill. If it will lead to you skipping this recipe, then use the dried dill instead but reduce the amount by half.
Making This Recipe Ahead
This is not my favorite recipe to make the day before. So if you are planning an event and want to make some side dishes the night before, this might not be one to add to that list. With it’s short prep time, this is a great one to whip up an hour before your event. That being said, I do think you should make it one to two hours before you plan on serving it. The vinegar and the lemon juice soften the cucumbers and onion and the flavors have a chance to really come together.
Other Great Summer Salads
Refreshing and full of flavor, these are my current favorite vegetable side dishes:
Panzanella Salad: This classic Italian recipe makes for such a great summer salad. Corn Salad: I could eat an entire bowl of just this for lunch. Easy Beet Salad: The simple flavors of this recipe are so amazing.
If you make this creamy cucumber salad recipe or any of my other recipes, leave me a comment and let me know what you think. I love hearing from you!
