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Home Side Salads

Cucumber Salad with Herb Garlic Vinaigrette

By:Nagi
Published:19 Jan '20Updated:13 May '21
52 Comments
Recipe v Video v Dozer v

Crisp Cucumber Salad with a tasty Herb & Garlic Vinaigrette is beautifully refreshing with a boost of flavour from the dressing. A terrifically versatile quick side salad that pairs with literally everything!

Close up of a refreshing Cucumber Salad with a tasty Herb & Garlic Dressing

Cucumber Salad

Cucumber is probably one of my most consumed vegetables. They make an appearance in many of my salads – from Greek Salad and Ottolenghi’s Middle Eastern Chickpea Salad to epic Asian salads like Thai Beef Salad, exploding with spicy tangy lime flavours.

I serve them the classic South East Asian way – cut into wedges and served plain on the side of foods like Nasi Goreng (Indonesian Fried Rice) and Thai Fried Rice.

I cut them into sticks to serve with Hummus. And yep, I munch on them whole when I’m on the run!

So, it’s about time I started sharing some salads starring my favourite vegetable. 🙂 And here’s a classic one for you – a refreshing Cucumber Salad with a Herb & Garlic vinaigrette.

Bowl of Cucumber Salad with Herb & Garlic Dressing

Herb & Garlic Dressing for Cucumber Salad

It’s a super simple side salad, as many of my Side Salads are (and should be, in my opinion!). The thing that makes this Cucumber Salad so tasty is a terrific Herb & Garlic Dressing which adds tang and flavour to the juicy, crisp cucumber.

Type of Cucumber to use

This Cucumber Salad works equally well with long cucumbers (Telegraph / English cucumbers) or the more common standard cucumbers (called Lebanese cucumbers in Australia).

The difference between the two is that the long cucumbers are not as watery / juicy inside so they have a slightly more intense cucumber flavour. It’s useful when you don’t want the natural juiciness of cucumbers to water down the flavour in a salad when you munch your way through it.

For this particular Cucumber Salad, either will work. Use 2 long ones, or 3 to 4 standard cucumbers.

Difference between Telegraph / English cucumbers (long cucumbers) and Lebanese cucumbers, the most common variety

How to make it

Nothing complicated on the making part of this Cucumber Salad – shake dressing in a jar (the best way to make dressings, a vigorous shake makes the vinegar and oil emulsify really well which makes the dressing thick and cling to the vegetables).

Slice cucumbers pretty thinly (not too thin, we want crispiness in this salad), then toss it all together.

How to make Cucumber Salad

Drizzling Cucumber Salad with Herb & Garlic Vinaigrette (Dressing)

You will find that the dressing doesn’t cling to cucumber as well as it does leafy greens. That’s just life – cucumbers are naturally slippery!

If you want a dressing to coat cucumber well, try this Creamy Cucumber Salad (with a tangy lemon yogurt dressing) or German Cucumber Salad.

What to serve with Cucumber Salad

Though this is a year round salad in my world, it is in particular a summer staple. It’s made for hot weather!! Think – BBQ’s, picnics and gatherings with friends.

Because it’s so refreshing, it pairs equally well with rich foods like roasts as much as it does lighter food like fish, prawns/shrimp and chicken dishes.

I particularly love serving it with salmon – in fact, after photographing it, I serve it on the side of this Honey Lemon Glazed Salmon! – Nagi x


Watch how to make it

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Close up of a refreshing Cucumber Salad with a tasty Herb & Garlic Dressing

Cucumber Salad with Herb & Garlic Dressing (Vinaigrette)

Author: Nagi
Prep: 10 mins
Side Dish
Western
5 from 17 votes
Servings5 people
Tap or hover to scale
Print
Recipe video above. Crisp, juicy cucumber and a tasty Herb & Garlic Vinaigrette makes for a sensational salad!! It's refreshing with extra flavour from the dressing - I can eat SO MUCH of this!! A touch of mustard is key here - thickens the dressing to help it coat the cucumber slices.

Ingredients

  • 3 cucumbers , standard (or 2 long Telegraph/English cucumber(Note 1)
  • 1/2 red onion , finely diced

Herb & Garlic Dressing:

  • 1 1/2 tbsp red wine vinegar (Note 2)
  • 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 garlic clove , minced
  • 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 3/4 tsp mixed dried herbs (Note 3 sub)
  • 1/2 tsp white sugar (optional)
  • 1/2 tsp salt and black pepper , EACH

Instructions

  • Shake Dressing in a jar.
  • Cucumber: Trim ends then slice about 3 mm/ 1/8" thick.
  • Place in bowl with red onion.
  • Pour over Dressing, toss gently and serve immediately.

Recipe Notes:

1. Cucumber type - use 2 long cucumbers (Telegraph/English Cucumbers) or 3 medium standard cucumbers (called "Lebanese" cucumbers in Australia, these are the most common variety).
2. Red wine vinegar - a type of vinegar that is red in colour, also used in Greek Salad. Sub with white wine vinegar, champagne or sherry vinegar, or apple cider vinegar. If using normal white vinegar, reduce to 1 tbsp.
3. Mixed Herbs - sub or 1/4 tsp each basil or parsley, oregano and thyme (or other dried herbs of choice)
4. Nutrition per serving, assumes all Dressing consumed. Reality is that about 1/3 of it ends up in the bottom of the bowl - Dressing doesn't stick to cucumber as well as other vegetables.

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 110cal (6%)Carbohydrates: 7g (2%)Protein: 1g (2%)Fat: 9g (14%)Saturated Fat: 1g (6%)Sodium: 244mg (11%)Potassium: 283mg (8%)Fiber: 2g (8%)Sugar: 4g (4%)Vitamin A: 130IU (3%)Vitamin C: 8mg (10%)Calcium: 31mg (3%)Iron: 1mg (6%)
Keywords: Creamy Cucumber Salad, Dressing for cucumber salad
Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @RecipeTinEats.

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52 Comments

  1. Dana says

    July 31, 2022 at 8:18 pm

    5 stars
    Loved this! And so did my family, including 4yo and 2yo (the latter of whom is normally reluctant to eat cucumbers). Just kept the red onion off theirs, I thoroughly enjoyed it all together . Perfect accompaniment to the lamb borek!

    Reply
  2. Joseph says

    May 17, 2022 at 1:35 am

    5 stars
    Just picked Cucumber yesterday. goin in with fresh French breakfast radish , herb thyme dried herbs from last year garden . Fresh purple scallions and garlic chives just picked. ” Good Appetite ” Joseph !!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      May 17, 2022 at 3:39 pm

      YUUUUUUMMMM!!! N x

      Reply
  3. Joseph says

    May 17, 2022 at 1:33 am

    5 stars
    Just picked Cucumber yesterday. goin in with fresh herb thyme dried herbs from last year garden . Fresh purple scallions and garlic chives just picked. ” Good Appetite ” Joseph !!

    Reply
  4. Jules says

    March 19, 2022 at 6:47 pm

    5 stars
    A new taste level for cucumbers!

    Nagi… every dish I prepare from your site is an ABSOLUTE winner.
    If I’m looking for a recipe, I now check you first, if you have a solution, I look no further
    Thank you 🙂

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      March 21, 2022 at 1:48 pm

      I am happy you like the recipes Jules! N x

      Reply
  5. Christina Morse says

    March 4, 2022 at 12:39 pm

    5 stars
    I didn’t have red onions so I used my shallot.

    For dry herbs I used thyme, oregano & dill.

    I was happy w/the results.

    New to Nagi – I like her hints & ‘subs’.

    Reply
  6. Craig Carter says

    October 9, 2021 at 8:16 pm

    5 stars
    For a warm Sydney night – it is the perfect salad. Second time we have made it in two weeks, Hit with the kids too.

    Reply
  7. Adrienne Aiken says

    August 17, 2021 at 5:49 am

    5 stars
    It seemed simple, and was concerned it’d have too much of an Asian flavour (as I didn’t really fancy that) but – it was totally awesome!!! I love this. Easy and quick and whilst I did cook it longer (making the sauce thicken – and reduce more) it was soooo lovely. I made some brown rice and did your cucumber salad thing with it – which actually worked really well and I will definitely make this again.

    I can see how it’d work well with salmon, but I think that would taste more expected. With chicken, it tasted a bit ‘different’ – which I liked. Thank you.

    Reply
  8. Grace says

    August 13, 2021 at 8:56 am

    Hi! Love this! Thank you!
    Just wondering what can be a substitute for the mustard if we are not mustard fans? Thanks! 🙂

    Reply
  9. Carolyn Plant says

    July 21, 2021 at 11:11 am

    Morning Nagi, I have been following you for a long time and have never been disappointed in any of your wonderful recipes & hints. Thank you. My husband loves you too! 😋

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      July 21, 2021 at 7:16 pm

      Thanks you so much Carolyn!!! I really appreciate it! N x

      Reply
  10. Jan says

    July 15, 2021 at 6:04 pm

    Sounds amazing will make it tomorrow night

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      July 16, 2021 at 11:52 am

      Enjoy Jan!! N x

      Reply
      • Kindle says

        November 3, 2021 at 7:33 am

        5 stars
        Super yummy! Note: I tasted the recipe as it’s listed before making changes and it was very delicious as-is.

        I used two large English cucumbers. I prefer heavier seasoning so I added an extra pinch of thyme, parsley, and oregano. Another sub I made was rice wine vinegar instead of red, as I didn’t have any on hand. It keeps well and remains crunchy day after day. I’m eating the remainder of it on day 3 for lunch with a healthy bit of feta on top.

        Reply
  11. Marea says

    January 31, 2021 at 12:53 pm

    Yummo! Just made this for lunch. Thank you Nagi. Tomorrow will be green bean and avocado salad with creamy avocado dressing.

    Reply
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I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative! Read More

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