This cool and Creamy Cucumber Salad is made with a tangy sauce, crisp cucumbers, and fresh dill for a delicious summer side dish!
My AMAZING cucumber salad is a favorite and a delicious cousin to my Cucumber Tomato Salad.
I don’t know about you, but I’m always craving those cool and crisp cucumbers in the summer months. My garden is usually producing tons of cucumbers, so it makes sense to make new recipes with cucumbers in it.
There’s nothing like a chilled creamy summer salad on a warm day. This is a FANTASTIC side dish for any casual gathering or meal, but elegant enough for a more formal celebration.
Creamy Cucumber Salad
This delicious summer cucumber salad has a sauce similar to Creamy Tzatziki Sauce; simple and so easy to make! The creamy saucy base is a little tangy thanks to the sour cream, and full of flavor, mixed with crisp cucumbers and purple onions for a pop of color. It’s a simple summer salad recipe that uses some of my favorite in-season produce and fresh herbs.
Ingredients
Here’s the basic list of ingredients you’ll need in order to make cucumber salad with a creamy sauce. As always, you can find the full list of ingredients located in the printable recipe card below.
- Purple Onion
- English Cucumbers – this variety has a thinner skin that doesn’t require peeling before use.
- Sour Cream – light or regular is fine.
- Mayonnaise – regular is best.
- White Vinegar
- Sugar – white granulated
- Fresh Dill – use half if dried
- Salt
- Pepper – fresh ground is amazing!
Which Cucumber Is Best in Salads
We’re using my favorite cucumber for this recipe, the English cucumber! The peel on the English cucumber is very thin and doesn’t require removing it before slicing and enjoying. If you’re wanting to use a regular cucumber, give it a few strokes around the outside edge with a vegetable peeler to remove the tough coating.
My mother in law just recently brought me some Arminian cucumbers from her garden and those peels are also thin like an English cucumber. The color of an Arminian cucumber is more pale green, with a lot more ridges around the perimeter. These would work great in this salad.
How To Make Creamy Cucumber Salad
The BEST thing about cucumber salad is that it comes together in minutes. So quick and easy you guys! We start with the vegetable prep and then move on to whisking together the creamy dressing.
Prepare Veggies
Combine the thinly sliced cucumbers and thinly sliced purple onion in a large bowl and set aside.
Make Dressing
In another bowl, whisk together the sour cream, mayo, vinegar, sugar, dill, salt, and black pepper. Pour over cucumbers and toss to combine.
Cover and chill cucumber salad in the fridge for two hours to let flavors blend. Toss before serving and garnish with extra dill and pepper. Enjoy!
PRO TIP: You don’t have to chill the salad for a full two hours, but it is definitely recommended to help those flavors blend and pop!
Tips and Variations
- Substitute sour cream with plain greek yogurt for a higher protein salad.
- Don’t skip the mayo, as this will help to give the dressing it’s creamy texture.
- Add a bit of lemon zest and juice to the salad for a lemony pop of flavor!
- Not a fan of dill? You can try basil or thyme instead.
Make Ahead and Storage
Make Ahead: You can make this 1-2 days ahead of time and refrigerate, fresh is best for the texture.
Refrigerate: You can store this salad covered for up to 3 days, after that the texture can become mushy.
Freezing: Freezing cucumbers is not recommended as they will lose their “crisp factor.”
More Summer Salad Recipes
You can never have enough salad recipes for summer! Here are a few of my favorites. Make sure to try at least one!
- Pineapple Cucumber Salad (with Chili Lime Broiled Chicken Thighs)
- Creamy Corn Pasta Salad
- Lemon Capellini Salad
- Shrimp Orzo Pasta Salad
I know you’ll love this nostalgic creamy summer salad as much as we do. It tastes just like my childhood!
Creamy Cucumber Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 large English Cucumbers, thinly sliced
- ½ cup purple onion, thinly sliced
For The Dressing
- ½ cup sour cream, or plain Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup mayo
- 2 tbsp white vinegar
- 1 tsp sugar
- ¼ cup fresh dill, chopped
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Combine the cucumbers and purple onion in a large bowl and set aside.
- In another bowl, whisk together the sour cream, mayo, vinegar, sugar, dill, salt and black pepper. Pour over cucumbers and toss to combine.
- Cover and chill cucumber salad in fridge for two hours* to let flavors blend. Toss before serving and garnish with extra dill and pepper. Enjoy!
Sounded so good had to try it. Was wonderful, thank you
Looks amazing!
I have made this before! Great recipe Shawn!
My mother used to make a version of this when we were young. This is a perfect summertime salad that I made as a side dish for a cookout.