Cucumber dill salad is a classic summer salad recipe. It’s easy to make and refreshing to eat with a creamy dressing.
The hottest day of the summer and the last thing you want is something heavy and hot.
This cucumber dill salad will do the trick perfectly. With the light flavors of cucumber with slices of onion wrapped in a creamy tangy yogurt dressing.
Hints of lemon and vinegar in the creamy dressing giving a cool feeling in every bite.
Cucumber salad is as classic as grilled recipes during the summer.
It’s easier to make than you think and I have some great tips along the way.
How To Make Cucumber Dill Salad
You need these ingredients
- English cucumber
- Red onion
- Fresh dill
- Non fat greek yogurt
- Sour cream
- Lemon
- Balsamic vinegar
- Salt & black pepper
Here are the mistakes everyone makes, helpful tips
- Watery cucumber salad, salting and allowing the cucumbers to sit for at least an hour is your best friend. If you don’t there will be a ton of liquid that pools in the bottom of the salad. Making the creamy salad really soupy. Below, I will show you how to help with this. It won’t stop it but you will get rid of most of the water.
- If you don’t want a creamy salad, this salad is changeable and you can skip the sour cream and yogurt altogether. However, you’ll need to play around with the vinegar and the lemon to get the flavors just right.
- Make the dressing ahead of time. The dressing is where the flavor is and some people will say allow the dressing to sit on the ingredients but that’s not what you are waiting for. The dressing will not absorb into the ingredients. Instead the dressing sits and starts to develop a stronger flavor. This has nothing to do with the ingredients in the salad itself.
- Do not add the dressing until you are ready to serve the salad. That way if you notice any excess water you can drain it before adding the dressing.
Starting the cucumber dill salad recipe
- First make the dressing. The night before if possible.
- To start, you want to thinly slice the cucumbers and the onion. You can do this with a knife or for perfect slices like you see in the photos I used this cheap vegetable slicer.
- Now, salt the cucumbers heavy and toss them in a bowl and cover. Place them in the refrigerator for an hour. At the 30 minute mark pour out the excess water then place back in the fridge. With the red onion cover them in a bowl of warm water. This will soften them a bit so they aren’t so raw.
- When the hour hits, rinse all that excess salt from the cucumbers and give them a little pat to dry. Nothing major, you are just drying them a little from the rinsing you did. Drain the red onions as well.
- In a large bowl, add the cucumbers and the red onion.
- Add in the dressing and mix well. Garnish with more dill and black pepper serve immediately.
Storing the cucumber salad
When I made this recipe I allowed it to sit for some time to test out how well it stored. You may need to season the salad again the next day due to any excess water released.
The salad will hold for an hour or more for serving when you prepare it. Cucumbers are a water based vegetable/fruit so there will still be water releasing over time. This is not a recipe to be frozen. The salad should last about 2-3 days in the refrigerator.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Why do you salt cucumbers before salad?
The soggy salad is terrible and destroys the flavor. Salting the cucumbers before making the salt draws out excess water. This makes a big difference when you make the salad later. As the cucumbers sit you can see how much water is being pulled out. Would you want to destroy your dressing that way?
Can you cut cucumbers ahead of time for a salad?
Yes and in this cucumber dill salad it is recommended you do so.
What to serve with cucumber dill salad?
Cucumber Dill Salad
Equipment
Ingredients
Dressing
- 1 cup non fat greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Salad
- 2 English cucumbers, sliced (3 regular cucumbers)
- 1/2 medium red onion, sliced
Instructions
Dressing
- For the dressing toss all the ingredients together and mix well. Cover and leave overnight or in the refridgerator a few hours before adding to salad.
Salad
- First make the dressing. The night before if possible.
- To start, you want to thinly slice the cucumbers and the onion. You can do this with a knife or for perfect slices like you see in the photos I used this cheap vegetable slicer.
- Now, salt the cucumbers heavy and toss them in a bowl and cover. Place them in the refrigerator for an hour. At the 30 minute mark pour out the excess water then place back in the fridge. With the red onion cover them in a bowl of warm water. This will soften them a bit so they aren't so raw.
- When the hour hits, rinse all that excess salt from the cucumbers and give them a little pat to dry. Nothing major, you are just drying them a little from the rinsing you did. Drain the red onions as well.
- In a large bowl, add the cucumbers and the red onion.
- Add in the dressing and mix well. Garnish with more dill and black pepper serve immediately.