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Cucumber Salad, bright, refreshing and perfect for summer with red onions and ripe tomatoes!
A colorful side dish that goes with any meal. Cucumber salad is especially great for cookouts!
Cucumber Salad
I have always loved these types of vinegar salads. They are acidic, slightly sweet and so crisp!
HERE IS WHAT OUR READERS ARE SAYING:
“This salad was AMAZING. I’ve tried so many pickling recipes that turned out awful. Not this one – this was sooooo tasty. Never seen one with whole garlic cloves like this, they infused great flavor. Major yum!” – Lara
This tomato, cucumber and onion salad just screams summer to me. It is the perfect side to any menu.
Also, it is great on its own as a snack or even added to a larger salad with greens.
That’s how I have been eating it for lunch lately, in a large salad with romaine and other goodies. The best part, you don’t even need any other dressing, the brightness from it is enough. Talk about one healthy salad!
As you know, I am often on “diets”. I guess it just comes with the territory of working with food every day, amirite??
So, adding something healthy to a salad instead of creamy dressing like this vibrant cucumber and onion salad really helps to add TONS of flavor without those extra calories.
How to make creamy cucumber and onion salad
Of course, if you did want to add another layer of flavor and creaminess to this salad, by all means, you can! Just drain a portion of the salad that you want to eat, toss it with a little mayo (or creamy Italian dressing!!) and you are in creamy cucumber salad business!
Yum! I used grape tomatoes for this, I really think small tomatoes work best for these salads. They hold up a lot better than dicing a steak or Roma tomato.
How long does cucumber salad last?
Cucumber salad is very hearty and basically what we are doing in this recipe is called a “quick pickle” (pickled cucumber). So, we are pickling the vegetables and naturally, that makes anything last longer.
Keeping this cucumber salad in the fridge in an airtight container is key. It will last a week in the fridge. However, if the tomatoes are excluded it will last longer, up to three weeks.
I have noticed the tomatoes wilting before the cucumber and onions. So, it’s really your call if you want to make this with or without the tomatoes, depending on how long you need it to keep for.
Can cucumber salad be made ahead?
Absolutely, like stated above, this cucumber salad can last up to three weeks without tomatoes. If you are making it as-is I suggest not making this any more than a week ahead.
How do you make cucumber salad?
- First, we make our pickling liquid consisting of apple cider vinegar, water, sugar, and salt. We dissolve this mixture on the stovetop. Add ice to make the liquid come back down to room temperature.
- Them, slice and dice our veggies. Pour the liquid on top and let it sit.
- It needs to sit for at least one hour before serving. However, the longer it sits the better it gets! I make this the day before.
That’s it! Amazingly easy.
What vinegar for cucumber salad?
This recipe calls for apple cider vinegar. I have made it with white distilled vinegar and it was still good but, I feel like apple cider isn’t quite as harsh
This is pretty acidic as these salads tend to be, it is almost as if the veggies are being pickled. I love it, personally. I think the sugar balances it out well.
However, if you find it too harsh, add some more water or use just half of the vinegar.
What goes with cucumber salad?
With a bright salad like this, I love to pair it with a dish that is more decadent like fried fish or southern fried chicken. It is also an all-around summer staple around here so anything grilled; grilled shrimp, steak kabobs, or grilled chicken wings!
If you like this recipe, check out these others:
- Easy Five Bean Salad Recipe with Vinaigrette Dressing
- Creamy Green Pea Salad with Ham (Best & Easy Recipe)
- Chopped Lettuce Salad (The Best Simple Starter Salad)
How to make cucumber salad
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Tomato, Cucumber and Onion Salad
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Apple CIder Vinegar
- 1/2 Cup ice water fill 1/2 cup measure with ice, then add water to fill
- 1/2 Cup granulated sugar
- 4 garlic cloves
- 2 pints grape tomatoes
- 1 English cucumber
- 1/4 red onion
- kosher salt to taste
Instructions
- Place vinegar and sugar in a small saucepot. Bring to simmer and stir until sugar is dissolved, set aside. Add the garlic and ice water.
- Cut tomatoes in half lengthwise and place in large bowl.
- Using a mandolin (or thinly slice by hand) slice the cucumber and onion. Place in a bowl with tomatoes, mix together.
- Add vinegar mixture and place in refrigerator for at least an hour. Stirring every 20 minutes or so. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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This salad is so yummy! I’ve tried so many pickling recipes that were major duds, not this one. This is a definite keeper. I’ve never seen a recipe in this genre that included full garlic cloves, they really infused a lot of good flavor. Can’t wait to make it again.
This salad was AMAZING. I’ve tried so many pickling recipes that turned out awful. Not this one – this was sooooo tasty. Never seen one with whole garlic cloves like this, they infused great flavor. Major yum!
I stopped using cider vinegar years ago in favor of Balsamic and Sushi vinegar.
I got the bowls from Pier 1 years and years ago. I just checked online but they are no longer available 🙁
Where can I get the bowls for this beautiful salad?
This looks beautiful! Ideal for a summer cookout.
We adore salads at our house so this sounds perfect!! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Looks so delicious, i want to eat it.