Simple Cucumber Salad-The Almond Eater

June 21, 2025

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This crunchy, refreshing, and dilly Cucumber Salad is a simple side dish or sandwich topper you need at all of your summer get-togethers. Easy to make with less than 10 ingredients in 10 minutes!

close up on a simple cucumber salad in a wood bowl.

This Simple Cucumber Salad tosses thinly sliced cucumbers, red onion, and fresh dill in a tangy and bright 3-ingredient vinaigrette. That’s it! Honestly, I never thought I would get excited about cucumbers until this recipe walked into my kitchen.

Aside from the great flavors, this summer salad is just plain quick and easy. Just gather the simple 6-ish ingredients, toss them together in one bowl, and there you have it: the easiest dish to bring to the summer potluck, picnic, or party.

What I love most about this recipe is that it’s great both as a side dish and as a salad topper. Once the dill, cucumbers, and vinegar get together, it feels like you’re eating lightly seasoned dill pickles. Whether you serve this on top of a veggie sandwich or next to my BBQ chicken burgers, I know you’ll love every bite!

Recipe features

One of the easiest summer salads you can make. All you need is a mix of 6-ish fresh and pantry staple ingredients!
Tossed in a simple 3-ingredient cucumber salad dressing with tangy flavors that dance on your tongue.
One bite and you’ll be instantly refreshed. Serve it with my stone fruit panzanella salad to cool down on a hot day!

Ingredients

Cucumbers – I made this salad with English cucumbers because they’re crisp, have very few seeds, and have a thin, crunchy skin. Persian cucumbers will also work well here, but because of their small size, you’ll need to use 4 to 5 cucumbers instead.

Red onion – Finely shredded red onion adds a nice bite to this otherwise mild, crisp, and sweet salad. If the taste of raw red onion is too strong for you, soak the sliced onion in cold water for 10 minutes before draining and patting the slices dry. You can also replace the onion with half of a shallot instead, or omit it from the recipe.

Vinegar – Use either champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar for the dressing. White vinegar or apple cider vinegar will also work as substitutes, but the flavors will be different.

Honey – A little sweetness is needed to balance the tartness of the dressing. Maple syrup or agave syrup should work well, too.

Dill – Make sure the dill is fresh! Dry dill can be used instead, but the salad won’t taste as refreshing.

Instructions

Step 1: Make the dressing. Whisk the vinegar, honey, and salt together in a large bowl.

Step 2: Add the veggies. Add the cucumber, red onion, and dill to the bowl with the dressing and toss to coat.

Step 3: Serve. Add black pepper and extra salt to taste, then serve the cucumber salad. Enjoy!

Tips and FAQs

If your cucumbers are particularly “seedy,” slice the cucumber in half and scrape out the excess seeds with a spoon before slicing.
Paper-thin cucumber slices are what you want for this salad recipe. It keeps the prep as quick and easy as possible!
A mandoline will make slicing the cucumbers so much easier. You’ll get consistent slices, too. If you don’t have a mandoline, slice the cucumber with a sharp chef’s knife instead.
Either leave the peel on or peel the cucumber skins ahead of time—up to you! I prefer to keep the skins intact for a little more color and texture.

Tip

You can serve the cucumber salad once it’s assembled or let it marinate for a few hours before serving. There are benefits to both: The cucumbers and onions will be extra crunchy when served immediately, but all of the flavors will deepen and get even better after marinating.

Variations

I love this cucumber salad for its simplicity and refreshing taste, but you can easily play around with the recipe to make it your own. Here are some tasty suggestions:

Veggie add-ins – Sliced radishes, arugula, green beans, sliced scallions, or diced avocado would all go well here.
Protein add-ins – Toss the salad with diced shrimp, shredded chicken, edamame, or soft white beans to make it extra satisfying.
Change the dressing – Make it a creamy cucumber salad by tossing it in ranch dressing instead, or swap the 3-ingredient dressing for a zesty lemon dressing.
Garnish ideas – Top the salad with more fresh herbs (like cilantro, basil, chives, or mint leaves), sesame seeds for more crunch, or feta cheese for a little salty creaminess.

Serving suggestions

Like any refreshingly crisp salad, this cucumber salad is a perfect fit for any summer meal or get-together. It pairs well with all of the classics, from grilled bison burgers to corn on the cob to Greek chicken skewers, and more.

What’s better is that this salad doubles as a sandwich topper! Ditch the pickles because the fresh dill and vinegar in this salad give each bite an almost dill pickle-esque flavor. Perfect for layering on turkey burgers, roasted veggie sandwiches, or BBQ chicken sliders.

Should I salt the cucumbers ahead of time?

This cucumber salad is designed to be quick and easy, which is why there’s no salting required! You can, however, salt the cucumbers if you want the salad to stay fresher longer without becoming watery. Just follow the instructions in my spicy cucumber salad recipe to learn how it’s done (it’s really easy!).

Storage

Make ahead: Assemble the salad as normal, cover the bowl, and let the salad marinate in the fridge for 3 to 4 hours before serving.

Refrigerator: The leftover salad can be packed into an airtight container and refrigerated for up to 3 days. The cucumbers will soften and start to pickle over time, but the salad will still taste good.

More summer salad recipes

If you made this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and star rating below. Thanks!