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This Creamy Cucumber Salad is a classic German recipe, an all-around summer favorite, and an easy, tasty way to use up your cucumber bumper crop.
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Cucumbers: If you use thick-skinned cucumbers, you may want to peel them for this salad. To remove any large seeds, cut them in half lengthwise, then scrape out the seeds with a spoon. Slice and salt as direct in the recipe.
- Dill: Or substitute 2 teaspoons dried dill.
- Lemon juice: Or substitute 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar.
Step-by-step instructions
- Add cucumbers to a colander set over a medium bowl, salting in layers (I do about 4 layers, ¼ teaspoon per layer). Let stand for 1 hour.
- In a medium bowl combine sour cream, mayonnaise, dill, lemon juice, garlic, and salt and pepper to taste (I like ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper). In a large bowl, add drained cucumbers and sour cream mixture, tossing until evenly coated.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This recipe makes 8 cups of cucumber salad (8 servings, 1 cup each).
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator. The dressing will begin to break down and turn watery and the cucumbers will become soggy (but the salad is safe to eat for up to 4 days).
- Make ahead: This dressing is best assembled right before serving (30-60 minutes in advance is okay; store it covered in the refrigerator until serving time).
- Ranch dressing: This creamy dressing here is similar to classic Ranch, so grab a bottle if you’re looking for a shortcut.
- More mix-ins: Stir in minced fresh parsley or chives if you have more herbs on hand.
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Creamy Cucumber Salad
This Creamy Cucumber Salad is a classic German recipe, an all-around summer favorite, and an easy, tasty way to use up your cucumber bumper crop.
Ingredients
- 4 hothouse cucumbers thinly sliced (see note 1)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2/3 cup sour cream
- 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill minced (see note 2)
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (see note 3)
- 3 cloves garlic minced
Instructions
- Add cucumbers to a colander set over a medium bowl, salting in layers (I do about 4 layers, ¼ teaspoon per layer). Let stand for 1 hour. Drain excess liquid and pat cucumbers dry.
- Meanwhile, in a medium bowl combine sour cream, mayonnaise, dill, lemon juice, garlic, and salt and pepper to taste (I like ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper). Cover and chill while the cucumbers are draining.
- In a large bowl, add drained cucumbers and sour cream mixture, tossing until evenly coated. Serve immediately (see notes).
Recipe Video
Notes
- Cucumbers: If you use thick-skinned cucumbers, you may want to peel them for this salad. To remove any large seeds, cut them in half lengthwise, then scrape out the seeds with a spoon. Slice and salt as direct in the recipe.
- Dill: Or substitute 2 teaspoons dried dill.
- Lemon juice: Or substitute 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar.
- Yield: This recipe makes 8 cups of cucumber salad (8 servings, 1 cup each).
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator. The dressing will begin to break down and turn watery and the cucumbers will become soggy (but the salad is safe to eat for up to 4 days).
- Make ahead: This dressing is best assembled right before serving (30-60 minutes in advance is okay; store it covered in the refrigerator until serving time).
- Ranch dressing: This creamy dressing here is similar to classic Ranch, so grab a bottle if you’re looking for a shortcut.
- More mix-ins: Stir in minced fresh parsley or chives if you have more herbs on hand.
Nutrition
Calories: 97kcalCarbohydrates: 7gProtein: 2gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 12mgSodium: 52mgPotassium: 252mgFiber: 1gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 285IUVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 47mgIron: 1mg
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Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.
Ok, what’s the recipe for 1 cake, thank you
Hi Geoff, if you click the jump to recipe card at the top of the page, it will take you to the recipe card. Once there, there is an underlined “8” under servings. You can click that and use the slider to adjust the number of servings. Each serving is about 1 cup each, depending on the type and size of cucumber you’re using. So for one serving it is:
1/2 hothouse cucumbers thinly sliced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon sour cream
a little more than one teaspoon mayonnaise
3/4 teaspoons fresh dill minced
a little less than 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
less than 1/2 clove garlic minced
And you can adjust to your liking! I hope this helps, take care! – Meggan
Love ,love this creamy salad, I added some dill pickles finely chopped. So refreshing thanks. Also I’m new to your blog , your taste buds are so like mine, Yeah,keep them coming.thx
Going to make this tonight to go with pork chops.
What time should I be over for dinner? Sorry I sound like my dad there. :) -Meggan
Made this tonight with the fresh cucumbers in my garden it’s so yummy. I did add white onion to the recipe. It was really food!
Hello…excited that I just discovered your site. I’m wondering a couple of things, do you use a garlic press that you like? I haven’t yet found one that is perfect for me. Also, do you ever use jarred or tube garlic?
Thanks!
Hi Sharon, I don’t use a garlic press anymore. But, back in the day when I did, I loved the OXO Good Grips Soft-Handle garlic press. It’s great! As far as jarred garlic, no, I don’t use it. It is heat-treated so it doesn’t taste the same as fresh garlic, in my opinion. However, I know a lot of people who love that convenience. So, if you want to use it, I would say use it in cooked recipes like spaghetti sauce or gravy, but not in raw recipes like salad dressing. But I cannot honestly recommend it. The tube garlic, however, is NOT heat-treated and it tastes just like fresh. I have that in my fridge all the time, and I love it. I think its great. Most of the time I just mince fresh cloves, but sometimes if I have to hold my baby or something, a squeeze from the tube is all that is happening LOL. :) If you have any other questions, please let me know! Thanks a lot! So glad you found me. -Meggan
Hello! Just wondering if you have a garlic press that you prefer. I haven’t yet found the perfect one for me. Also, do you ever use jarred or tube garlic? Thanks!
Can’t wait to try this. Sounds like what my grandmother used to make. She used red wine vinegar instead of lemon juice