Classic Creamy Cucumber Salad

🥒 Classic Creamy Cucumber Salad

Cool, creamy, tangy, and incredibly refreshing, this classic cucumber salad is the perfect side dish for summer meals. Thinly sliced cucumbers and onions are tossed in a simple sour cream dressing with a little vinegar, sugar, and fresh dill.

It comes together quickly and tastes even better after chilling in the refrigerator.

🥒 Ingredients

For the Salad

  • 4 medium cucumbers, thinly sliced
  • ½ medium sweet onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped

For the Creamy Dressing

  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 2 tablespoons white vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1–2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped

👩‍🍳 Instructions

1. Slice the Cucumbers

Wash the cucumbers and slice them thinly. A mandoline can make quick, even slices, but a sharp knife works perfectly.

Thin slices absorb more of the creamy dressing and make the salad especially tender and flavorful.

2. Salt the Cucumbers

Place the sliced cucumbers in a large bowl and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt.

Toss gently and let them sit for about 20–30 minutes.

The salt draws excess water from the cucumbers, helping prevent the finished salad from becoming watery.

3. Drain

Drain the liquid released by the cucumbers.

For an especially thick salad, gently pat the cucumbers dry with paper towels or a clean kitchen towel.

Don’t squeeze them too aggressively—you want to keep the cucumber slices intact.

4. Make the Dressing

In a separate bowl, whisk together:

  • Sour cream
  • Vinegar
  • Sugar
  • Dijon mustard
  • Garlic powder
  • Black pepper
  • Salt
  • Fresh dill

Mix until smooth and creamy.

Taste the dressing and adjust the vinegar, sugar, salt, or pepper according to your preference.

5. Add the Onion

Add the thinly sliced onion to the drained cucumbers.

Sweet onion works especially well because it provides a mild onion flavor without overpowering the refreshing cucumbers.

6. Combine Everything

Pour the creamy dressing over the cucumbers and onions.

Gently toss until everything is evenly coated.

7. Chill

Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.

For even better flavor, let it chill for about 1–2 hours.

Give it a gentle stir before serving.

🥒 Recipe Tips

Use fresh cucumbers. Firm cucumbers give the salad a better texture.

Don’t skip draining. Cucumbers contain a lot of water, and salting them first helps keep the dressing creamy.

Adjust the sweetness. If you prefer a more tangy cucumber salad, reduce the sugar. If you like the classic slightly sweet flavor, keep the full tablespoon.

Fresh dill makes a difference. Dried dill can be substituted, but fresh dill gives the salad a brighter flavor.

For extra tang: Add another teaspoon of vinegar.

For extra creaminess: Add a tablespoon or two of mayonnaise to the dressing.

🧊 Make Ahead

This salad can be prepared several hours ahead of serving and kept refrigerated.

In fact, chilling gives the cucumbers, onions, dill, and dressing time to mingle.

However, because cucumbers continue releasing water as they sit, the salad is generally best enjoyed within a day or so.

If it becomes slightly watery, simply stir it well before serving.

🍽️ What to Serve With Cucumber Salad

This creamy cucumber salad goes beautifully with:

  • Grilled chicken
  • Hamburgers
  • BBQ ribs
  • Grilled steak
  • Fried chicken
  • Baked potatoes
  • Pulled pork
  • Grilled sausages
  • Sandwiches
  • Picnic and barbecue dishes

It’s especially good alongside anything smoky, grilled, salty, or heavily seasoned.

🥒 Classic Creamy Cucumber Salad

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Salting Time: 20–30 minutes
Chill Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: About 1 hour
Servings: 6

Ingredients

  • 4 medium cucumbers
  • ½ medium sweet onion
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 2 tablespoons white vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 3–4 tablespoons fresh dill, divided

Directions

  1. Thinly slice the cucumbers and onion.
  2. Toss cucumbers with 1 teaspoon salt and let sit for 20–30 minutes.
  3. Drain and gently pat dry.
  4. Whisk together sour cream, vinegar, sugar, Dijon mustard, garlic powder, pepper, salt, and dill.
  5. Add cucumbers and onion to the dressing.
  6. Toss gently until coated.
  7. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
  8. Stir before serving and garnish with a little extra fresh dill.

🥒 The Result

Creamy, cool, crunchy, slightly tangy, and just a little sweet—the kind of old-fashioned side dish that disappears surprisingly fast at a summer dinner.

ADVERTISEMENT