Our light and healthy cucumber dill salad recipe has no sour cream or mayonnaise. It is a great side dish or snack to serve in the summertime that takes 15 minutes to make. Bright and vibrant like our viral Korean Cucumber Salad dish.

Bowl of cucumber salad with crisp red onion slices and fresh dill, all mixed together with a wooden spoon.

When summertime hits we are all about cool snacks and side dishes like this one. With a few ingredients you can make a tangy dressing to pour on top of your thinly sliced cucumber dials and enjoy in less than 15 minutes flat!

We mean when it is HOT outside the last thing we want to do is turn on an oven, to make anything. If we can get away with it we like to make lunches that require NO heat, like this and our crab salad sandwich is always a winner.

a little chopping with a knife or mandoline is all you need, in a bowl, and it is even better the next day if you ask us. Allowing the flavors to meld together, we take this often to the beach and it never lasts long.

Sliced cucumber, red onion, fresh dill, vinegar, water, salt, pepper, and sugar in bowls on a white background—solid ingredients for a refreshing cucumber salad.

Glass bowl with sliced cucumbers, onions, and fresh dill, creating a crisp cucumber salad, surrounded by vinegar, water, salt, sugar, and pepper.

Cucumber Dill Salad Ingredients

As far as the vegetables go you need the main star of the show, either a regular or English cucumber. We like to use the latter. They are long, slender, and have thin, smooth skin, making them sweeter and less bitter than the typical ones because their seeds are less mature and nearly undetectable.

Adding some thinly sliced red onions are great for more color, texture and adding more flavor. Of course this is optional and could be left out but they do add a bit of sweetness actually which even our girls love.

Cucumber Dill Salad Dressing

Of course you could use a bottled Italian dressing and add some diced fresh dill but homemade is better. Beyond that you need a bit of sugar to sweeten white vinegar will give it that tang olive oil provides a smooth moisture to coat every piece and salt and pepper is a given.

A hand pours dressing over sliced cucumber and onion in a glass bowl with a white spatula, creating a fresh salad solid for adding dill.

How do you make it creamy?

This is a healthy version but if you wanted to make it creamier you could add a dollop of sour cream, mayonnaise or plain Greek yogurt. This will make it more like a potato salad type of texture which will add more calories but is a nice tweak if you wanted to offer two versions to your guests.

We prefer to leave that out. Like our raw carrot salad you can taste the natural flavors and sweetness from the vegetables as it is here. It is your choice either way though.

Can you make this ahead of time?

For sure, this is a great potluck or party food you can make the day before but a few hours ahead of time is ideal. create, cover with saran wrap and keep in the fridge until later in the day when you're ready to serve it. After sitting to marinate a while it is actually better…like we do with our Muffuletta Olive Salad Recipe!

Fresh cucumber salad with red onion and dill served in a white bowl.

Cucumber Dill Salad Recipe

By Our light and healthy cucumber dill salad recipe has no sour cream or mayonnaise. It is a great side dish or snack to serve in the summertime! Prep: 15 minutes minsCook: 0 minutes minsServings: 6 Save Recipe Saved! Pin Recipe Comment Print Recipe

Equipment

1 Bowl
1 knife
1 cutting board

Ingredients

2 large cucumbers, thinly sliced
1/4 small red onion, sliced thin
2 tbsp dill, fresh, chopped
1/3 cup white vinegar
1 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Instructions

Slice cucumbers and red onions thin, add to a bowl. Dice fresh dill and add, gently fold everything together.
In a small dish whisk together dressing ingredients, whisk together and pour on top of veggies. Gently toss to coat.
Can serve immediately but ideally to generate more flavor, cover bowl with plastic wrap and put into fridge for 1 hour and then serve!

Nutrition

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Side DishCuisine: American, korean Tried this recipe?Mention @thetypical_mom or tag #thetypicalmom!

Kitchen questions

How thin should you slice cucumbers for cucumber salad?

That depends on whom you ask but we think the thinner the better! Remember that the thinner your slices are the more flavor they will soak up from the dressing it is coated with. The best way to thinly slice is with a mandoline so you don't risk cutting yourself in the process.

How long should you let the dressing sit on cucumber dill salad?

1-2 hours is ideal to allow the flavors to deepen and marinate the veggie slices better. It can sit up to overnight in a sealed container too though. Always cover and store in the fridge as it sits, stir before serving and enjoy.