Cucumber Onion Salad

This Easy Cucumber Onion Salad is a light, refreshing, summertime side dish, made with just six ingredients and done in 10 minutes!

If you’re looking for a light, fresh side dish to serve at your next barbecue, picnic, or potluck, look no further than our Cucumber Onion Salad. This vinegar-marinated cucumber salad is a perfect complement to the flavors of summer, whether you’re cooking out on the grill or enjoying a picnic in the park. It’s the perfect side for grilled chicken, hot dogs, steaks, burgers, you name it!

You can serve them as an appetizer, snack, or side dish. They’re perfect for picnics because they keep well in the fridge and can be made ahead of time.This Easy Cucumber Onion Salad is a light, refreshing, summertime side dish. Add regular or cherry tomatoes to make it an even more colorful cucumber salad.

Types of Cucumber to use in this Salad

You can use any variety of slicing cucumber for this salad and it will taste great. Cucumbers fresh from the garden are always a first choice, no matter what the variety. However, English cucumbers, Persian cucumbers, or the regular grocery store variety cucumbers are also delicious. If purchasing cucumbers, choose cucumbers that are firm without any blemishes or soft spots.

The Best Dressing for Cucumber Salad

It is hard to beat cucumbers in vinegar with a little sugar, which is the basis of the dressing in this recipe. The vinegar enhances the natural flavor in the cucumbers, and every crunchy bite is refreshing. The flavor of vinegar used in the dressing is a matter of preference. Apple cider vinegar, rice vinegar, red wine vinegar, and white vinegar all give their own unique flavor to the dressing.

Salad Dressing Substitutions

There are also creamy cucumber salads that use a sour cream and mayonnaise based dressing. Again, it’s a matter of preference. This adds calories to the salad, and makes a heavier dressing that can dominate the fresh cucumber taste. With the vinegar based dressing, this cucumber salad is only 66 calories per serving.

Is Cucumber Salad Keto Friendly?

Leave the sugar out or replace the sugar with a monk fruit sweetener (or your favorite keto sweetener) to make this cucumber salad keto-friendly! Even if you decide to add mayonnaise, it will still be ok to eat on the keto diet. It is also gluten-free!

Suggestions for Cucumber Onion Salad

Turn the vinegar marinated cucumbers into a colorful summertime salad by adding cherry tomatoes or sliced tomatoes, some red onions, and a splash of olive oil.

You could also add green bell pepper, red or yellow peppers, slices of squash, or fresh herbs to the mix. Fresh basil or fresh dill add a burst of flavor. There is no wrong way to dress up this salad.

Any kind of onion will work for this cucumber salad recipe. I like red or purple onion for the color, but any onion you have on hand is great.

You can make this recipe right before serving or ahead of time to let the cucumbers have longer to marinate. To do this, divide the cucumbers into a couple of quart jars and pour the vinegar mixture over the top instead of putting in Ziploc bags (as directed in the recipe card below). This makes it easier for snacking right out of the jar. 

You can store these vinegar marinated cucumbers in your fridge in a jar or air-tight container for up to three days. Any longer than that and the cucumbers will lose their “crisp-ness” and become limp. There is also a slight risk for microbes forming after three days, but I know some people keep them in their fridge and continue to eat them for up to a week without any issues.

Cucumber Onion Salad Recipe:

This Easy Cucumber Onion Salad is a light, refreshing, summertime side dish. Add regular or cherry tomatoes for a more colorful cucumber salad.

Prep Time 10mins

Cook Time 0mins

Total Time 10mins

Course: Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine: American

 Servings: 10 people

Calories: 66kcal

Ingredients:

• 5 cucumbers

• 1 red onion

• 1 cup apple cider vinegar (or white vinegar, red wine vinegar, rice vinegar)

• 1/2 cup sugar (or more to taste)

• 1/2 cup water

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 tsp celery flakes

Instructions:

1. Peel and slice cucumbers into thin slices.

2. Cut onion in half and cut into very thin slices.

3. Combine onions and cucumbers in a large bowl.

4. In a separate, medium-sized bowl, combine remaining ingredients. Stir until sugar dissolves.

5. Pour vinegar mixture over cucumbers and onions. Stir until the cucumbers are evenly coated in the dressing.*

6. Refrigerate at least 20 minutes. Before serving, drain liquid and place in a serving bowl to serve.

Notes:

• You can also combine the cucumbers, onions, and dressing in a resealable plastic bag to marinade. Drain liquid from the bag and pour the salad into a bowl to serve.

• You can store these vinegar marinated cucumbers in your fridge in a jar or air-tight container for up to three days.

• Any longer than that and the cucumbers will lose their “crisp-ness” and become limp.

• There is also a slight risk for microbes forming after three days, but I know some people keep them in their fridge and continue to eat them for up to a week without any issues.

Nutritional Info:

Calories: 66kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 237mg | Potassium: 220mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 108IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 25mg | Iron: 1mg