Shop
My
Custom
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!
FREE 5-Ingredient Recipe EBook
GET IT NOW
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.
-
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.
-
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.
📖 Want more recipes like this? Find this one and many more in my Low Carb Holiday Cookbook and Keto Ebook Bundle!
I provide nutrition facts as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see my nutrition policy.
Add Your Notes Your Notes
Try More Of My Recipes
© Copyright Maya Krampf for Wholesome Yum. Please DO NOT SCREENSHOT OR COPY/PASTE recipes to social media or websites. We’d LOVE for you to share a link with photo instead.
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
Cheryl
0Great recipe! Made it exactly as written but combined it with another cucumber recipe and added feta cheese and avocado. Yummy!
Pam
0I love this recipe. So tasty and refreshing. I made it for the 4th of July and everyone loved it. I have made thus before and I will continue to make it. Always a hit and it’s easy and inexpensive.
Mélinda
0This recipe is so good and easy to make. My husbands keeps asking for it. He said “from now on when we talk about making cucumber salad, it will always be this one”
He also said that it was the best cucumber salad he ever had. I agree.
Thank you for sharing all your wonderful recipes.
Donna
0Made it it for a girls night and everyone wanted the recipe.
Diana Fernandez
0It was very easy to make, and delicious. Gave me an opportunity to use my cucumbers from the garden, my onions and my dill. Thank you!
Aimee
0Forgot the olive oil, but it’s still amazing!
Will
0Hi, What can you use instead of dill? Will celery salt suffice? Thanks.
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Will, I have never used celery salt in this recipe but if you do please let me know the results.
Kay
0Easy and very good. I did use Avocado oil and dry dill weed. Tasted fine.
Kate
0Don’t recommend using avocado oil…. Use what the recipe states (olive oil). Thank you for the great recipe.
Anita
0Absolutely delicious. Day three on Keto – this tastes so creamy. Really quick to make. Thank you.
Tammy
0Hello, If I don’t have dill, is there any good substitituion?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Tammy, Dill is a pretty key component, but you could try other fresh herbs, like fresh chives (my first choice) or parsley.
Marie Alm
0FANTASTIC!!!!!
Marie Alm
0Hi. I scaled this down to use 1 English cucumber which is 3 1/2 servings for a 14oz cuc. Thanks for the servings adjuster! It is delicious!
Dianne
0Followed recipe suggestions. One of the best cucumber, sour cream recipes I’ve tried. Will be exploring her other recipes. Highly recommended!
Deborah
0Very nice recipe. I added a capful of apple cider vinegar and garlic all purpose seasoning for extra flavor because I used Armenian Metki white cucumbers. They need extra flavor but they’re delicious in recipes. Thank you
Ellyhfre
0It’s good but there’s too much writing before you get to The Amount of ingredients to be used very frustrating
peachy
0LOL … that’s what blogs are all about … the story! But almost all of them have a place to click to go straight to the recipe and bypass all the yakkity yak.
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi, There is a ‘jump to recipe’ button at the top of the page that will take you right to the recipe.
Nicole
0This was delicious! I get sick of salads as my side with burgers, etc. I had a fresh sliced cucumber that I didn’t want to go to waste so I whipped this up and halved the recipe for one large cucumber. I also prefer vinegar with cucumbers instead of lemon juice so I subbed that per other comments. So good!
CAROL
0The only thing I did differently was salt the cucumber and onions and let them sit for 1half hour. Squeeze out the water and add the sauce. The German version. Loved the sauce.
Michelle Ford
0Love it so rich and creamy!
Sharon A.
0I grew up with this salad and it definitely is an excellent side on a hot summer day. It’s an excellent side on a non-hot summer day as well. My mom never added garlic to this dish so that threw me off a bit and I prefer distilled white vinegar vs. lemon juice (just wasn’t the punch I was used to or looking for) but that’s the beauty of food; tweak any recipe to your liking! If you don’t like the first round, try it again and again until it’s how you prefer. Thanks, Maya for including this old-time favorite into the mix!
Kristen
0My kids are really picky eaters and they liked this, a great way to get them to eat their vegetables.