Basically a quick pickle, this old-fashioned cucumber onion salad is a delicious low calorie salad that can be made ahead. Try it as a side or even on a sandwich!
Recipe Overview
Why you’ll love it: This salad is easy, inexpensive to make, versatile and delicious!
How long it takes: 15 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: sharp knife or mandoline, mixing bowl, measuring utensils
Servings: 4
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Thinly sliced cucumbers and onions are marinated in a simple vinegar dressing and topped with aromatic fresh dill in this very uncomplicated salad. With just five ingredients (not counting salt, pepper, and water), cucumber onion salad is flavorful, versatile, and so, so easy.
This cucumber salad recipe may remind you of the old-fashioned cucumber and onions in vinegar that your grandma may have served. Quite honestly, this recipe has been around for awhile and different versions can be found in many cultures.
Why You’ll Love This Cucumber Salad
Cucumbers are available year round. While you may have cucumbers aplenty growing in your garden right now, this salad really is great for any time of the year. Cucumbers and onions are always available and quite inexpensive.
A light side for summer months. In the hot months of summer, cucumber onion salad tastes great alongside grilled chicken or steak. It’s refreshingly tangy and light, with no oil added. If you have a nice ripe tomato, slice it and top each slice with an artfully arranged spoonful of cucumber and onion salad for a simple low calorie salad.
Complements richer dishes. When winter rolls around, this salad is perfect with heavier stews or roasts. Its vinegary tang complements rich meats like short ribs or pot roasts.
Perfect on sandwiches. And in any season, enjoy the thinly sliced cucumbers and onions as a topping on bun sandwiches. A few slices add a nice crisp bite to pulled pork, burgers, or Cuban sandwiches. Vegetarian? Try this salad on a homemade black bean burger.
With so many uses, you’ll always want to have a bowl of this salad in your fridge!
You’ll find a printable recipe card with measurements, instructions, and notes at the end of the post. To help you get started, I’ll run through the recipe here and give you a few tips.
Ingredients in Cucumber Salad
- Cucumber: Look for a tender-skinned variety such as English cucumbers, hot-house, seedless, or Persian. If you use a thicker skinned cucumber, you’ll want to peel it and remove some of the seeds, which can be bitter and tend to water the salad down.
- Onion: Any type of onion will work but sweet onions won’t overpower your salad. Red onions are also good.
- Vinegar: Plain ol’ white distilled vinegar is all you need. Other types of vinegar such as apple cider vinegar or rice vinegar may be used but they will change the flavor of this salad.
- Dill: Fresh dill adds so much piquant flavor, there’s really nothing like it. If fresh isn’t an option, substitute dried dill but only use 2 teaspoons instead of 2 tablespoons of fresh. I don’t really measure the dill too carefully — I love it so much, the more the better!
- Sugar, Salt, Pepper: Simple seasonings that round out the marinade, they’re basic but essential.
How To Make Cucumber Onion Salad
Begin by prepping the cucumber and onion. Wash, dry, and trim the ends of both. With a sharp knife, very thinly slice the cucumber and onion. A mandoline makes really quick work of this if you have one. Just be careful of your fingers.
Cooking Tip
How thick you cut the slices is up to you. Some people prefer thin slices, others thicker slices. Thinner slices absorb more of the marinade.
Make the marinade (dressing). Next, mix the marinade ingredients in a bowl large enough to contain the salad. Doing it this way saves you a dirty dish! Whisk the marinade until the sugar and salt are mostly dissolved.
Add the cucumber and onion slices to the marinade.
Chill. Stir well, cover and refrigerate for an hour or so. Stir in dill before serving, and your salad is ready to serve!
Serving Tip: If you’re not plating the salad, I like to scoop the salad out of the marinade and put just the cucumber and onions slices into a serving bowl.
Like quick pickles?
Cucumbers and onions aren’t the only vegetables that can be “quick pickled.” You don’t need a canner to make refrigerator pickles.
Try:
- Pickled Cauliflower
- Pickled Red Onions
- Pickled Green Beans
- Pickled Vegetables
- Pickled Asparagus Recipe
- Refrigerator Dill Pickles
- Quick Pickled Radish Recipe
FAQs
Can cucumbers in vinegar go bad?
This cucumber onion salad will keep about three days in the fridge. Any longer than that and the cucumbers will lose their crispness. Any time you notice mold, cloudiness, or a bad smell, the salad should be discarded immediately.
Should you salt cucumbers?
If you’re used to making canned pickles, you may recall soaking the cucumbers overnight in brine. It helps draw out the excess moisture. This step really isn’t necessary with quick pickles.
Make It Your Own
- Replace the dill with a different fresh herb, such as basil, oregano, parsley, mint, or lemon balm. Be adventurous! Different herbs will add a distinctively unique flavor to this simple salad. Combinations of herbs are great, too. My favorite is dill, parsley, and just a few chives.
- More veggies: Add thinly sliced radishes or carrots for a more colorful salad.
- Looking for a creamy cucumber salad? Try this reduced calorie cucumber ribbon salad with yogurt herb dressing or more traditional German cucumber salad.
- Like things a bit spicier? Try Korean pickles, an easy quick pickle with spicy gochugaru (Korean red pepper) and garlic.
Make-Ahead Ideas and Storage
These marinated cucumber and onion slices are an ideal make-ahead salad. The salad should be made at least 60 minutes before serving but it will keep for three days in the fridge. It actually gets a little better as it marinates. Store it in a tightly covered container.
Store leftover salad in the brine for best results.
More Cucumber Recipes
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @rachelcooksblog on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
Recipe
Get the Recipe: Cucumber Onion Salad
4.89 from 9 votesPrep Time: 15 minutes mins
Chilling time: 1 hour hr
Total Time: 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins
4 servings
Print Rate Recipe
Basically a quick pickle, this old-fashioned cucumber onion salad is a delicious low calorie salad that can be made ahead. Try it as a side or even on a sandwich!
Ingredients
- ½ cup cup distilled white vinegar
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- 1 large English cucumber, thinly sliced (about 1 pound)
- ½ red or sweet onion, cut into quarters and very thinly sliced (about ⅛-inch thick)
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh dill
Instructions
In a large bowl, whisk together vinegar, water, sugar, salt, and pepper, until salt and sugar are mostly dissolved. Add cucumber and onion, stir to combine.
Cover and refrigerate for 60 minutes, stirring once or twice.
When ready to serve, drain liquid, stir in dill, and serve immediately (see note).
Notes
- If not serving all the cucumbers at once, use a slotted spoon to take out desired portion, leaving the rest in the liquid.
- Cucumber onion salad will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Add thinly sliced radishes and/or carrots for a more colorful salad.
Nutrition Information
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 42kcal, Carbohydrates: 9g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 1g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 878mg, Potassium: 164mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 6g, Vitamin A: 95IU, Vitamin C: 4mg, Calcium: 24mg, Iron: 1mg
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
© Author: Rachel Gurk
