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My Creamy Cucumber Salad Recipe Brings All The Nostalgic Vibes
I’ve been loving this creamy cucumber salad since before I even liked most salads. My mom, both my grandmas, even my extended family made it. They all had their own versions, but the combination of crisp cucumbers with rich sour cream and bright dill was always there. And here’s why I’ve made my own version for the last 10-ish years:
- Cool, crunchy contrast of textures and flavors – The crispness of the cucumbers, the sharp bite of red onions, the herby dill, the creamy dressing. I may be biased because in my Eastern European culture we put sour cream on… pretty much everything (ha!) — but I seriously think the creamy herb dressing makes this cucumber dill salad.
- Fresh, simple ingredients – A couple fresh basics, a handful of pantry staples. If you want to get “fancy” (not really), throw in some radishes and turn it into my radish salad.
- Fast and easy – Just around 10 minutes. You can even make it ahead if you like.
- Versatile – This is certainly the ultimate summer dish, but my mom made it year round, and so do I. Grilling steaks or burgers for a cookout? Make this cucumber salad with sour cream. Need an easy holiday side? It was always on our table. Having a picnic or potluck? Bring it along. Regular weeknight? It’s here for you.
This salad is nostalgic for me, but not just me! So many readers have told me they have memories of creamy cucumber salad recipes, whether German, Russian, Ukrainian, Polish, or even American. Maybe you grew up eating it, too? And even if you didn’t, make it with me and see why we all did!
Ingredients & Substitutions
Here I explain the best ingredients for my creamy cucumber salad recipe, what each one does, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card.
- Fresh Cucumbers – Fresh ones from the farmers’ market are hands down the best (they remind me of the fresh garden cucumbers from my grandma’s “dacha”), but of course store-bought work. I don’t peel them because I like the nutrients in the skin and extra crunch. See my tips below for more notes about the cukes.
- Onion – I like the sharpness (and secretly, the color contrast) of red onions here. Feel free to use a white, yellow, or sweet onion for milder sweetness.
- Sour Cream – The creamy base, and the only way I make it. But if you need alternatives, you can substitute mayo (with a splash of white vinegar or apple cider vinegar for tang), or plain Greek yogurt, as I’ve done this in other salads.
- Fresh Dill – There’s nothing quite like fresh, aromatic dill in this creamy cucumber salad. If you need a substitute, my closest recommendation would be fresh chives, or maybe parsley. I really don’t recommend dried herbs here, but if you must, use only a teaspoon because they are more concentrated than fresh herbs.
- Olive Oil – I use this to thin out the dressing just a bit. Any neutral oil is fine.
- Lemon Juice – Although fresh lemons taste best, you can use bottled lemon juice or vinegar if you need to.
- Seasonings – I don’t often see this in cucumber dill salad, but I like garlic powder in mine. Feel free to skip it, but don’t skip the salt and pepper!
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How To Make Creamy Cucumber Salad
I have step-by-step photos here to help you visualize the recipe. For full instructions with amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card.
- Make the dressing. In a large bowl, whisk together sour cream, fresh dill, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
- Toss together. Add the sliced cucumbers and onions, and toss to coat. Serve immediately, or refrigerate the mixture for half an hour to let flavors develop.
My Recipe Tips
- Persian cucumbers taste the best. I always get these mini cucumbers for their sweetness, tender skin, very few seeds, and easier chopping (just slice). The next best would be English cucumbers, though I recommend cutting those into half moons because they’re large. Avoid American cucumbers if you can — they have thick skin and are kind of tasteless, so they’ll make your creamy cucumber salad kind of tasteless, too.
- Thin slices have a better texture. This applies to the cucumbers too, but for the onions especially, thin half moons prevent them from overpowering everything else.
- For even thinner slices, use a mandoline slicer. I have this one and it makes slicing so fast.
- Drain the cucumbers in a colander if you’re making the salad ahead. I usually skip this when I’ll be serving it within 30 minutes, but draining makes the salad less watery if you don’t eat it right away. Simply place the cucumbers in a colander over the sink, sprinkle with salt, and let sit for 15-30 minutes. Pat dry with a paper towel, then proceed with my creamy cucumber salad recipe.
- Feel free to use 2 bowls if you prefer. I’m always looking for ways to have fewer dirty dishes, so I mix the dressing in my salad bowl first, then add the cucumbers and onions. You can totally whisk the dressing in a smaller bowl and pour it on top your salad for easier mixing, though.
- Have extra cucumbers to use up? Toss them into my quick cucumber soup!
- Want a lighter version without the creamy dressing? My cucumber onion salad is perfect for that.
Creamy Cucumber Salad
By
Make my easy, creamy cucumber salad recipe with sour cream, dill, lemon, and onions. It's crisp, refreshing, and ready in 10 minutes!
Instructions
[ See step photos See my tips ]Tap on the times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer.
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In a large bowl, whisk together the sour cream, dill, olive oil, lemon juice, and garlic powder. Season with sea salt and black pepper to taste.
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Stir in the sliced cucumbers and red onions.
Did you make it? Leave a review or tag me @wholesomeyum on Instagram!
Maya’s Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1 cup
- Tips: Check out my recipe tips above to help you get the best flavor and texture in your creamy cucumber salad, how to make it ahead, and more.
- Storage: Cover and store your creamy cucumber salad in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. It does get watery over time and the cucumbers soften a bit, but in my opinion it’s still delicious.
- Meal prep: Although you can whip up the salad in advance and store it, for meal prep I prefer to keep the sliced cucumbers and onions separately from the dressing. Just toss together right before serving.
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I provide nutrition facts as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see my nutrition policy.
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Creamy Cucumber Salad Recipe
Serving Ideas
I make this creamy cucumber salad for literally any occasion, from cookouts and potlucks to weeknights and holidays. So, what it goes with has just as much variety:
- Grilled Dishes – This salad goes with virtually any of my healthy grilling recipes! Everyone seems to love it with juicy burgers or grilled chicken breast, but my personal faves are chicken kabobs and grilled salmon.
- Chicken – Keep weeknights simple with my crispy air fryer chicken wings, chicken leg quarters, or cast iron chicken thighs. If you want something more interesting, try my spinach stuffed chicken (more creaminess alert!) or garlic butter chicken bites.
- Beef – Even though it’s not a classic side, I think my creamy cucumber salad tastes refreshing with a sirloin steak, filet mignon, or New York strip. For comfort food inspired by the same region, try my stuffed cabbage rolls.
- Pork Or Lamb – If my cucumber salad with sour cream brings back nostalgic vibes for you, chances are my kielbasa and sauerkraut might do the same. Otherwise, just throw together some quick seared pork chops or lamb shoulder chops.
More Cucumber Salad Recipes
If you like this cucumber dill salad, change it up next time with one of my others starring this crisp vegetable:
200 Comments
Lorena M Huerta
0Loved this salad!!! I am hooked, and it’s so easy to make.
Rachael
0How long can this last in the fridge? Is it any good after 2 days? Thanks
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Rachael, This recipe will last for several days in the fridge, however, the longer it sits, the softer the cucumber will get. It’s best enjoyed in the first couple of days.
Reagan
0Love taking this to potlucks. It’s always a hit.
Nicolas Murray
0You say further up in your article that this only has 2g of carbs per serving but in the nutritional information it says 7g per serving. Which is correct please?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Nicolas, There ae 7g per 1 cup serving in the recipe. The mentioned 2g are for a 1/2 cup of just the cucumbers.
John Karr
0Do you mean sliced cucumbers rather than chopped?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi John, Either way is fine. The images for the recipe are shown sliced. Depends on how large you want your cucumber pieces to be. Enjoy!
Mary
0This cucumber salad is awesome! Keeps well in frig for tomorrow’s lunch. Love it!
Angel Hancock
0Thank you, I’m learning so much.
Suze
0Very tasty!! You may want to add one more step to make it better… After slicing the cukes and onion, salt them and put in a colinder over a bowl and put in the fridge for a couple hours to drain. This removes alot of water that waters down the creamy dressing!
May
0I forgot to add- THANK YOU FOR THE NO SUGAR RECIPE.
May
0We have been eating this a lot lately. I assemble it a couple of hours before dinner, scaled 1/3 for one good size cucumber from the garden. I’ve used air dried shallots instead of onion, and rice wine vinegar instead of lemon juice. Penzeys fox point can be used in place of garlic/salt/pepper. I tend to add quite a bit more dill – love dill! Thank you for the recipe, it has helped us keep up with the bumper crop we are enjoying this summer!
Melissa
0How many cups in a serving?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Melissa, The serving size is in the Recipe Notes above.
Robert
0I like the Cucumber salad but it’s missing something. There needs to be another spice to compliment the rest.
Shirley
0This salad is so refreshing and quick to make. I found sitting overnight really have it now flavor from the onion which was delicious.
Kerry V
0I can’t Pin it – it keeps coming up with an error saying “something went wrong – You need to upload an image or provide the ‘image_url’ parameter”.
Wholesome Yum
0Hi Kerry, try pinning directly from this link: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/513832638737081142/
Wendy
0I made this last night and refrigerated for 30 mins. The flavor was great when I first mixed up. Then when I served it, there was alot of liquid. I drained it but the flavor was pretty flat as it became very diluted. Today was the same. . What can I do to prevent this?
Wholesome Yum
0Hi Wendy, some people have had better luck salting their sliced cucumbers and squeezing out excess water after 30 minutes.
Ann
0I tried it and followed the recipe to a T. Put in the fridge for the next day. The next morning I looked at it and it was very watery. I didn’t taste or look appetizing so I threw it out
Wholesome Yum
0Hi Ann, I’m sorry to hear that. Some people have had better luck salting their sliced cucumbers and squeezing out excess water after 30 minutes.
Janet
0This was the most flavorful cucumber dill salad I’ve ever had. It’s a keeper!! I added two extra tbsp of dill because I love dill but that’s the only change. Thanks for the recipe!
Jen
0Have you tried mayo as a non-dairy substitute for the sour cream? Would love to know how that turned out, this sounds wonderful! Thanks!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Jen, Sure you can use mayo if you prefer! You could also add a bit of lemon juice if you want it to be tangy like sour cream.
Tina Waldrep
0Quick, easy, refreshing. Served with dinner tonight. Hubby could have eaten the entire batch, but I insisted he leave some for me! This would be a great side to take to a summertime picnic potluck. It’s great for keto-ers and normies.
Kiracargue
0Love this, I add some shredded cheese and crumbled bacon once in a while to switch it up. My favorite summer salad!