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This Cold Cucumber Dill Salad is the perfect refreshing, crunchy snack or side dish to enjoy on a hot summer day. All you need is a handful of simple ingredients. Vegan & Gluten-Free.
Bring this Cucumber Dill Salad to your next summer bbq or family picnic. It’s refreshing coolness pairs with any dish that could use a tangy, robust, flavorful crunch. Have it on the table in 10 minutes flat!
Table of Contents
A Cool, Refreshing Simple Salad
When the sunshine and warm weather returns, I’m always looking for new fuss-free, tasty ways to chow down on as many raw veggies as possible. And after getting a taste of crisp, refreshing cucumber in this delicious Tomato Cucumber Basil Salad, I knew I wanted to find a way to make cucumbers the star of the show.
Believe me when I say this Cucumber Dill Salad can’t be beat. It’s crunchy, fresh, bright, and as flavorful as it gets. Plus, it’s easy to prep while you’re cooking other entrees, making this recipe a no-brainer. After the first bite, you’ll understand why this can’t-stop-eating side dish has been on repeat in my house.
Ingredients for Cucumber Dill Salad
You only need 6 simple ingredients and your favorite salad bowl to whip up this easy side dish. Minimal ingredients for maximum flavor here, my friends.
- Cucumber: Thin skinned cucumbers such as English/hothouse cucumbers or Persian cucumbers are best. Avoid Kirby cucumbers or cucumbers with a thick skin. These are better suited for pickling or sautéing.
- Red Onion: adds a nice textural contrast. Feel free to add or swap in my Quick Pickled Red Onions for an extra pop!
- Red Wine Vinegar: gives this fresh cucumber salad the *zing* it needs to pass the flavor test. If you’re out of red wine vinegar, sub in apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar.
- Oil: A couple of tablespoons of high-quality extra virgin olive oil helps to coat the onion and cucumber slices and allow the vinegar and seasonings to stick. If oil-free, it can be omitted, but note that this will cause the remaining marinade ingredients to slide to the bottom of your salad bowl.
- Fresh Dill: this fresh herb has a bright, tangy, almost lemon-y flavor that pairs so nicely with the crisp, refreshing cucumbers and the robust flavor of red wine vinegar. If you’re not a fan of dill, feel free to swap in your favorite fresh herbs such as fresh basil, parsley, mint, or cilantro.
- Whole Grain Mustard: adds a delicious, spicy kick that balances the sweetness from the onions. If you don’t have whole grain mustard on hand, no worries — just sub in some yellow mustard seeds, spicy brown mustard, or dijon mustard.
How to Make Cucumber Dill Salad
- Whisk the vinegar, oil, mustard, and a large sprinkle of salt together until the simple dressing is emulsified.
- Add in the thin slices of cucumber, onion, and fresh dill.
- Fold together until well combined.
- Marinate for 5-10 minutes, or for up to 1 hour in the fridge.
- Serve at room temperature or chilled, as desired!
Caitlin’s Cooking Tips
- Use a mandoline. Aside from making the prep work a breeze, when the cucumbers and onions are thinly sliced, we create more surface volume for the dressing to stick to. This allows the marinade to be absorbed better and yields a better tasting salad overall.
- Purchase a quality, flaky sea salt. Learning how to properly salt your home cooking is key to creating flavorful dishes that will knock your socks off. Sprinkling fresh, simple salads like this Cucumber Dill Salad with flaky sea salt not only adds visual appeal, but enhances the flavor and texture in a way that table salt simply can’t. I use Maldon Flaky Sea Salt.
Serving Suggestions
Just like any bright, crunchy salad recipe on the blog, this cucumber salad is a great side dish for backyard bbqs, potlucks & summer picnics. It’s also a great 10 minute snack to throw together on a whim any day of the week.
I personally love serving it with my Falafel Burgers, Beet Burgers, BBQ Tempeh Tacos, and hearty sandwiches like this Vegan Chickpea Salad Sandwich or this Rainbow Veggie Sandwich with Hummus.
If you’re looking for more potluck worthy salad recipes, you’ll also love this Everything Bagel Potato Salad and this Mediterranean Pasta Salad!
How to Store Cucumber Dill Salad
Once the cucumber slices have been marinated, this Cucumber Dill Salad is best enjoyed immediately. However, it can be stored for up to 3 days in an airtight container in the fridge.
Freezing is not recommended.
Recipe FAQs
The best way to prevent cucumbers from going soggy in a salad is to prepare the salad with crisp, crunchy cucumbers. The firmer the cucumbers, the better the salad. Additionally, plan to enjoy the salad within 24 hours (ideally within a few hours). The longer the salad sits, the more likely the cucumbers will become soggy and nobody wants a soggy cucumber salad.
No need! English cucumbers are thin-skinned and are tender enough to eat without peeling. The skin also contains most of the nutritional value so keep it on to reap the most health benefits.
To maximize the freshness of fresh cucumbers, it’s best to prevent their exposure to moisture. Wrap the fresh, unwashed cucumbers wrapped in a paper towel then place them together in an airtight container. The paper towel will help soak up any excess water and keep them as crisp as possible.
When stored well, fresh dill can last for up to 2 weeks. If you have extra fresh dill to use up, you may enjoy this Creamy Dill Pickle Pasta Salad, this Creamy White Bean Soup with Dill, or this Dill White Bean & Cucumber Salad.
Enjoy! If you make this recipe and decide to share it on Facebook or Instagram, don’t forget to tag me @FromMyBowl + #FromMyBowl! I would also love it if you could leave a comment below with a recipe rating! Thank you for the support 😊
Crunchy Cucumber Dill Salad
Ingredients
- 1 english cucumber thinly sliced
- 1/4 small red onion thinly sliced (or sub Pickled Red Onions for an extra kick)
- 1/3 cup fresh dill, chopped
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons whole grain mustard
- Flaky salt or to taste
Instructions
- Dressing: Add the vinegar, oil, mustard, and salt to the base of a medium bowl and whisk until emulsified
- Combine: Toss in the cucumber, onion, and dill and fold into the dressing until everything is well incorporated. Allow to sit and marinate at room temperature for 5-10 minutes before serving, to allow the flavors to combine. You can also let this marinate in the fridge for up to 1 hour before serving.
- Serve: Serve as desired; this salad is best served fresh, as leftovers will become soggy over time.
Recipe Notes
- I recommend using a mandoline to slice the cucumber and red onion as thinly as possible.
- Red wine vinegar can be replaced with balsamic vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or another vinegar of your choice.
- Oil-Free: The oil in this recipe helps to coat the vegetables and allow the vinegar and seasonings to stick; you can omit it if you’d like, but don’t be surprised if everything slides to the bottom of the bowl.
I’ve made this recipe 3 times already with the cucumbers from our garden and it’s delicious! We’ve tried it with 1 tsp of dried dill instead of fresh as well and it was still amazing.
Glad you enjoy it, Ari!
So easy. Nice instead of our usual salad dressing rotation. I added the dressed cukes to some baby salad greens and mixed it in. Used spring onion since we didn’t have red.
Glad you liked it, Mary!
I have another super quick, three (or four) ingredient recipe for cucumbers that I’ve been making for 20+ years.
Peel one cucumber, cut lengthwise, remove seeds with a spoon, cut in half lengthwise (four seeded sections). Cut into 1/4-1/2” slices.
Heat vegan butter in pan. Sautéed cucumber slices till soft. Add one bag of frozen baby peas and cook till heated through. Season with dill and s/p.
Thanks, Lee.
Super easy with normal ingredients I can find during the pandemic, thanks Caitlin! Our family lunched it up!
Glad it’s an easy recipe for you during these weird times!