Creamy Cucumber Salad is a crazy popular, super easy side dish for cookouts and picnics. Tastes like Grandma's old fashioned cucumber salad with fresh cucumbers tossed in an irresistible dill and sour cream dressing.
Old fashioned creamy cucumber salad
- The ingredients are readily available in grocery stores any season of the year.
- Cucumber salad with sour cream is a great way to use fresh summer cucumbers.
- This recipe is quick to make and ready to enjoy in 15 minutes.
- This creamy cucumber and onion salad is a classic old fashioned recipe that is reminiscent of Grandma's handed down recipe.
- Approved for restricted diets like vegetarian, gluten free, and keto/low carb.
- Cucumbers have tons of nutritional value and antioxidants too!
- It's the perfect side to accompany entrees like baked chicken thighs, baked chicken legs, grilled salmon, air fryer whole chicken, broiled salmon, and slow cooker pulled pork.
Key ingredients
- cucumbers - Very thinly sliced cucumbers make up the bulk of this salad.
- sea salt - salt not only flavors cucumber salad, but is used as a treatment to remove some of their moisture to prevent the dressing becoming watery.
- sour cream - Sour cream is a classic ingredient in this salad, but plain Greek yogurt can work too. The flavor with yogurt is a bit more tart, but equally delicious.
- garlic - A finely minced garlic clove adds warm, bold flavor to the salad.
- fresh dill - Dill sprigs are a must for old fashioned cucumber salad, however dried dill weed will work in a pinch.
- black pepper - Adds a mild bite to the salad.
- white vinegar - this adds zingy flavor and helps create the perfect sour cream dressing consistency.
- red onion - Thinly sliced onion is a spicy, crunchy addition. I love the color of the red onions against the green cucumbers too!
How to make cucumber salad with sour cream
You'll want to remove moisture from the cucumbers to prevent the sour cream dressing from becoming watery. To do this, layer cucumber slices on paper towels, sprinkle a little salt over them, and rest 15 minutes. Use another paper towel to dab the salted cucumbers dry to remove excess moisture.
Make the sour cream dressing by combining sour cream, garlic, dill, black pepper, and vinegar in a bowl. Add this dressing mixture to the sliced cucumbers and onions. Toss to coat. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate.
Best cucumbers for this recipe
I love to use English cucumbers (or European Cucumbers) for this recipe because they're seedless and the skin is soft and edible. Other cucumber varieties often have seeds and waxy skin, so I recommending peeling the skin and removing seeds for optimal texture.
How to slice cucumbers
The size of cucumber slices is a key factor to make the texture of this salad amazing. You want the cucumbers sliced thin, but not so thin that they fall apart, so about ⅛ inch to ¼ inch is perfect. You can use a chef knife, a mandoline slicer, or food processor fitted with the slicing blade.
Can I substitute Greek yogurt for sour cream?
Yes! Greek yogurt is an excellent substitute for sour cream in most cold salads and one of my favorite healthy kitchen hacks. Greek yogurt is a healthy swap because it can be any fat percentage you prefer. I personally love the flavor and texture of nonfat Greek yogurt ... much better than non-fat sour cream.
More cucumber recipes
- Cucumber Tomato Salad
- Refrigerator Dill Pickles (Pickled Cucumbers)
- Thai Cucumber Salad
Creamy Cucumber Salad Recipe
Equipment
- chef's knife or mandoline slicer
- paper towels
INGREDIENTS
- 1 pound Cucumbers, sliced (about 4 cups)
- ½ teaspoon Sea Salt
- ½ cup Sour Cream, or plain Greek yogurt
- 1 clove Garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon Fresh Dill, or 1 tsp dried dill
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
- 1 tablespoon White Vinegar
- ½ small Red Onion, thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
Instructions
Remove excess moisture from the cucumbers
- Line a baking sheet or wide bowl with 1-2 paper towels.
- Scatter CUCUMBER slices on paper towel in a single layer and lightly sprinkle SEA SALT over the surface. Repeat this with a second layer.
- Allow cucumbers to rest 15 minutes (this brings moisture to the surface). Use a towel to pat the resting cucumbers dry, then transfer to a mixing bowl.
Make the creamy cucumber salad
- For the dressing: In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together SOUR CREAM, GARLIC, DILL, BLACK PEPPER, and WHITE VINEGAR.
- For the salad: Add RED ONIONS and DRESSING to the sliced cucumbers and toss until well-combined. Serve immediately or refrigerate in an airtight container until ready to serve.
NUTRITION
Nutrition data provided as courtesy estimates using unbranded ingredients from a nutrition database. Please consult preferred resource for precise data.
Tara says
Incredibly light and refreshing salad! Took it with me for a spring picnic and we ate all of it!
The Kitchen Girl says
Yayy! So glad you enjoyed and thanks for letting me know 🙂 Cheers!
veenaazmanov says
This looks definitely healthy and refreshing. Perfect for the Summers too. Combination of Dill sounds unique to this salad. A must try.
The Kitchen Girl says
Yay! Glad you can enjoy it 🙂 Thanks!
Angela says
I love this salad! I grew up eating it and it's so perfect for the summer. Super refreshing and yummy!
The Kitchen Girl says
Yay! Such a great memory 🙂
Anita says
This cucumber salad is so delicious and refreshing. It's perfect for hot summer days.
The Kitchen Girl says
Yesss! Yay cucumber season 🙂
Kris says
This was so refreshing and delicious. Can't wait to make again!
Lois says
Sounds like my Mom’s recipe but I don’t know why it doesn’t list how many servings.
The Kitchen Girl says
Hiya, the servings are listed in the recipe card. It yields 4 cups and the nutrition information is calculated as .5 cup (1/2 cup) servings. Enjoy!
Jeffrey says
This is SO good and (as always) easy as ever. It really does remind me of the old fashioned cucumber salad my family made back in the day. Great recipe KG!
The Kitchen Girl says
Yay! Glad you love it as much as I do 🙂
Beth says
My hubby is going to love this salad to go with his lunch today! Excited to try this recipe! Looks so delicious and refreshing!
The Kitchen Girl says
Yay Beth! So glad you can enjoy this one ... thanks 🙂
Alison says
This is such a great salad to make this weekend for Memorial Day! Easy and flavorful!
The Kitchen Girl says
Yes! Couldn't agree more ... glad you love it like we do 🙂
Anjali says
We love this cucumber salad and make it all the time - it's the perfect side dish for just about anything! Great for summer picnics too!
The Kitchen Girl says
Very cool! So glad you enjoy this one 🙂 Thanks so much!
Sara Welch says
Love a light cucumber salad and this recipe was no exception! Such a cool and refreshing recipe with the perfect amount of crunch! Delish!
The Kitchen Girl says
Yay! Glad you're enjoying it 🙂 Thanks for the feedback!
Cathleen says
I have so much cucumber in the fridge, so I am so glad I found this recipe!! Making this as soon as I get home, thank you so much for the recipe!!
The Kitchen Girl says
You're so welcome! Cucumber salad really is the perfect thing to make with extra cucumber 🙂 Enjoy!