Forget the bland, old-fashioned cucumber salads you may have tasted in the past. This healthy Creamy Cucumber Salad is crisp, refreshing, and guaranteed to pair perfectly with the rest of your potluck spread.
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Eating this creamy cucumber salad made me realize that I overlook cucumbers more easily than I should.
For whatever reason, cucumbers aren’t usually an ingredient that I choose to make the centerpiece of a dish I bring to a barbecue or potluck. When I do, it’s as a supporting ingredient, like in this Greek Salad or Salmon Salad.
This creamy cucumber salad made me rethink my ways. I see now that not only do cucumbers have star power, they are an ideal addition to a larger potluck spread.
Cucumbers are delightfully fresh, meaning they provide just the bright accent that any summer meal needs to feel balanced and complete.
Since they’re mild, cucumbers blend nicely with a wide array of dishes, like these Grilled Chicken Tenders or these Salmon Burgers.
No matter what else ends up on the picnic table, your creamy cucumber salad will be right on trend.
A Better Creamy Cucumber Salad
Prior to making this recipe, I’d never been a big fan of typical cucumber salads.
- Most old-fashioned creamy cucumber salads have the same salad dressing base made with some combination of mayo, milk and sour cream (or if someone felt really wild, it would be a creamy cucumber salad with miracle whip).
- The dressings were all bland, gloopy, and took away from what I love about cucumbers most: their spa-like lightness and crunch.
5 Star Review
“Made this as a side with your King Ranch chicken. Perfection! Loved the colors, crispness and creamy dressing. Easy and delicious. It’s a keeper!”
— Marnie —
How to Make Creamy Cucumber Salad
With ten ingredients and only basic kitchen equipment needed to prepare this dish, this creamy cucumber salad is the perfect potluck recipe for beginners looking to impress their friends and family.
The Ingredients
- English Cucumbers. The star of the show! I also use English cucumbers in Avocado Salad.
- Greek Yogurt. Instead of mayo, I opted instead to make my creamy cucumber salad with Greek yogurt. It is still plenty creamy and tangy, while also making the recipe lower in fat and cholesterol.
- Radishes. Give the dish extra zip and crunch. The cucumbers and radishes play well off of each other and make this recipe much more interesting than standard cucumber salads you may have tried.
- Honey. Adds just the right amount of sweetness to the dressing.
- White Vinegar. Adding an acid, like vinegar, to your recipe will always help balance out the flavors.
- Dill. Cucumber’s perfect partner, dill adds not only extra color, but super-fresh flavor.
- Chives. Adds the perfect hint of onion flavor that compliments, rather than over powers, the cucumbers and radishes.
The Directions
- Toss the cucumbers, radishes and salt together in a medium bowl. Cover and let them rest for 30 minutes before draining to remove as much excess moisture as possible.
Tip!
DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP. It’s important to extract extra water from the cucumbers to ensure that your salad stays crisp and doesn’t become watery. I tried the recipe both ways (salting + draining and not), and I pinky promise you it’s worth the time.
- Whisk together the dressing ingredients. Toss the cucumbers and radishes together with the dressing gradually.
- Stir in dill and chives and then season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.
Make-Ahead and Storage Tips
- To Store. This salad is best enjoyed within a few hours of tossing with the dressing. However, leftovers may be kept covered in the fridge for up to two days.
- To Freeze. When frozen and thawed, cucumbers tend to lose their crunch. Therefore, I don’t recommend freezing this salad.
Meal Prep Tip
- This salad can be prepared up to 1 day in advance. Store the radishes and cucumbers separately from the dressing, then combine just before serving.
Pair this with
Recommended Tools to Make this Recipe
- Whisk. This is my favorite size! It’s easy to handle and mixes dry and wet ingredients more easily than larger whisks.
- Colander. This one is durable and drains quickly.
- Mixing Bowls. Durable and dishwasher safe, this set nests together for compact storage.
Creamy Cucumber Salad
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Ingredients
- 2 long English cucumbers peels left on, thinly sliced (if using regular cucumbers, peel first)
- 1 bunch radishes thinly sliced
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt divided, plus additional to taste
- ¾ cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- 2 teaspoons white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 clove garlic minced (about 1 teaspoon)
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill
- 3 tablespoons chopped chives
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, place the cucumbers and radishes. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt and stir to combine. Cover and let sit 30 minutes. This step is crucial to ensure your salad does not become watery.
- Pour the cucumbers and radishes into a colander and stir, draining out as much of the water as you can. Transfer to a dry bowl.
- In a separate bowl or large measuring cup, whisk together the Greek yogurt, vinegar, honey, garlic, pepper, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Pour half of the dressing over the cucumbers and radishes and stir to combine. Continue adding additional dressing until you reach your desired creaminess. You want the vegetables to be well coated but not soggy.
- Stir in the dill and chives. Taste and season with additional salt and/or pepper as desired. Refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.
Video
Notes
- This salad can be prepared up to 1 day in advance. Store the radishes and cucumbers separately from the dressing, then combine just before serving.
- This salad is best enjoyed within a few hours of tossing with the dressing. However, leftovers may be kept covered in the fridge for up to two days.
- For an extra super creamy salad, swap 3 tablespoons of the Greek yogurt for olive oil-based mayo.
Nutrition
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Can’t get enough cucumbers? Here are some of my other favorite healthy cucumber recipes:
If I don’t have, or want to buy, white vinegar which would you suggest to use in place. Red wine vinegar or rice wine vinegar?
I would suggest rice vinegar Emily! Apple cider would work as well.
What other herbs besides dill and chives would you recommend to go with this recipe?
Janine, parsley and/or mint would both be delicious and refreshing!
Made this last night and it was a hit! I have not been of fan of radishes but loved them in this. I ran out of time and only keep items salted for 15 mins and and the end of the meal had water in my bowl so agree that 30 minutes salted time is important. I also used 2% Greek Yogurt instead of 0% and found the dressing to be much thinker and helped dressing stay on the cucumbers and radishes. Will be making all summer long!
Thanks Erin!
Cindy, YAY! I am so glad to hear that you enjoyed this. Thanks for the tip and reminder on the Greek yogurt/salting too!
I attempted a non dairy substitute for the yogurt (made with coconut milk) and I wouldn’t recommend it! The taste was off so I’d highly recommend using real yogurt made from milk
Hi Angela! Thank you for giving me your feedback on the non dairy substitute.
What dairy free alternative would you recommend for the Greek yogurt?
Samantha, if there is a non-dairy yogurt with a flavor similar to sour cream you enjoy (such as a soy-based yogurt) I’d go that route! You could also look for a dairy free sour cream alternative (I think Daiya might make one).
Erin, I’ve made this a couple of times since you first posted this last month. When I lived in New Orleans, I used to make tzatziki with my unlimited summer crop of cucumbers, but here in Seattle, I produced a good crop of radishes, but my cucumbers at the Farmers Markets. This is a marriage made in salad heaven! I add fresh fennel and mint from our garden, and just can’t stop eating this! Thanks for this recipe, no one even misses my tzatziki anymore!
Alan, what a joy to read this! I’m glad this keeps you cool and has become a go-to for you. Thanks for sharing! I love the idea of the fennel too. YUM!
Delicious! Thanks for the recipe.
So glad you enjoyed it!!
I did no care for this recipe. However, my husband and daughter loved it.
I’m happy to hear they did enjoy it. Thanks for reporting back!
Yogurt and cucumber is such a great combination!
I couldn’t agree more! Thank you for sharing this kind comment!
Yum I am loving this amazing and refreshing salad
I’m so happy to hear that, Fatima! Thank you for sharing this kind comment!
Hi Erin. Your creamy cucumber salad looks and sounds amazing — I LOVE CUCS! But unfortunately they don’t love my husband so I don’t make recipes with them except to snack myself. Do you think this recipe would work with zucchini instead???
BTW congratulations on your new cookbook — I will be ordering it shortly when I get into “fall cooking mode”!
Thank you for your kind words, Sandra! I’ve never tried this swap myself, so it would be an experiment. If you decide to try it, I’d love to hear how it goes!
Made this as a side with your King Ranch chicken. Perfection! Loved the colors, crispness and creamy dressing. Easy and delicious. It’s a keeper!
I’m so happy that you enjoyed it, Marnie! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
Loved this!!! Perfect for a bbq or summer gathering. Quick and easy! I used to make something similar, but less healthy and without the radishes. LOVE the addition of the radishes!
So glad you all enjoyed it, Lacy! Thank you for this kind review!
Great flavor! (Don’t laugh . . . I pulled out my cucumbers . . . and they were zucchini! – It still worked!) #keeper
Hi Sally! So glad the zucchini worked! ;) Thank you for this kind review!
. . . made it again this weekend . . . it keeps disappearing!
Yay! So glad you enjoyed it Sally!
I enjoyed this recipe, great for when you are watching your calories!! I used apple cider vinegar instead of white vinegar. I don’t like radishes, so I won’t use next time!
Hi Patty! So glad you enjoyed them! Thank you for this kind review!
YUMMO!!! I used fresh parsley and scallions instead of chives and dill and it’s scrumptious! Have never commented on a recipe before!
Hi Jeanne! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Hi – I’m planning to try this and I want to buy the whisk you recommend, but when I go to Amazon, it’s not clear which size you are referring to? 9″ or 11″?
Thanks,
Debbie
Hi Debbie! Either one would work great for this. Larger whisk tend to run about 16 inches so I like the smaller ones for this recipe. Hope you enjoy it!
Thank you! By the way, I just discovered your site by chance. That led me to discovering your 2020 cookbook, and the reviews were so good that I ordered it! ;-) I’m using my Instant Pot a lot, so if you ever do an Instant Pot cookbook, I’ll probably order it, too! ;-) Any plans to do that?
Thanks so much Debbie! I’m sorry, no plans for an Instant Pot cookbook.
I am a major fanof cucumber salads/relishes. I haven’t tried this one (yet), but it looks very promising. However:
What brand of kosher salt are you using? There’s a significant difference between Morton’s and Diamond Crystal (and probably other brands). Not important for salting the veggies, but it will matter for the dressing.
Tkanks,
Loren Strunk
Hi Loren, I tend to use Morton’s. Hope you enjoy it!
Came here to comment that I don’t think everyone has the same idea of “old fashioned” cucumber salads that you do. Mayo, milk, sour cream??? Have you ever had tzatsiki?
I do like the idea of the radishes, dijon and scallion and look forward to trying this in the context of the old fashioned cucumber salad I’ve always used: cucumbers, full on greek yogurt (no thanks on the non-fat), dill and lemon juice. I generally peel even the english cucumbers because the family has a thing against even the most tender green skin.