This post may contain affiliate links. See our disclosure policy.
This easy Cucumber Onion Salad is a light, refreshing, summertime side dish, made with just six ingredients and done in 10 minutes!
Featured with this recipe
- Ingredients in Cucumber Onion Salad
- Where this Recipe Came From
- Types of Cucumber to use in this Salad
- The Best Dressing for Cucumber Salad
- Salad Dressing Substitutions
- Is Cucumber Salad Keto Friendly?
- Suggestions for Cucumber Onion Salad
- Frequently Asked Questions
- More Fresh Side Dishes
- How to Make Cucumber Onion Salad
- Cucumber Onion Salad Recipe
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!
Ingredients in Cucumber Onion Salad
This is one of those easy recipes that I always keep on hand, because it’s so easy and goes so well with everything summer. Six simple ingredients:
- Cucumbers – I usually start with five fresh, crisp cucumbers from my garden or the grocery store. Add more or less, , depending on how many you’re serving.
- Red onion – The color of this onion is so gorgeous in this salad. It really pops against the onion. If you prefer a more sweet onion, you can include a Vidalia onion as well.
- Apple cider vinegar – This vinegar is so flavorful and tangy, it’s delicious in this salad. You can also substitute white vinegar, red wine vinegar, or rice vinegar.
- Sugar – about half a cup, or more depending on your personal preference for sweetness.
- Water – half a cup
- Salt – one teaspoon, along with some black pepper to taste.
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.
Where this Recipe Came From
In our humble opinion, this is the best cucumber salad recipe out there! Our mom made this salad often when we were growing up, and we still make it today. It’s the perfect side dish and a great way to bring some freshness into your meal! The sliced cucumbers and red onions soak up the sweet and tangy vinegar dressing so well. It tastes so fresh and delicious. This is definitely one of my favorite salads for summer nights. You can serve immediately or store in the fridge in an airtight container to eat as a snack or to complement a quick lunch.
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, grape tomatoes, or sliced tomatoes, and a splash of olive oil.
- You could also toss in a diced green bell pepper, red or yellow peppers, slices of squash, feta cheese, fresh parsley, mint or other 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.
- Season the salad with minced garlic, or spice it up with a sprinkle of red pepper flakes.
- 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
Apple cider vinegar has a nice crispness to it that isn’t too strong. It is perfect for cucumber salad. For a brighter flavor you can use red wine vinegar. You can also use plain white vinegar or rice vinegar.
At least 20 minutes and up to 3 days.
If the skin of the cucumber is light and thin, you can totally leave it on. Just remember to wash it first. If the peels are thick and tough, it is best to peel them.
The most basic cucumber salad is made from sliced cucumbers, sliced onion, and a vinegar based dressing. Herbs, tomatoes, chickpeas, feta cheeses, and other ingredients can be added according to your taste.
More Fresh Side Dishes
Looking for more summer side dish ideas? Check out some of our favorite BBQ side dishes, including our Chopped Broccoli Salad and our refreshing Watermelon Feta Salad.
How to Make Cucumber Onion Salad
Cucumber Onion Salad
Video
Ingredients
- 5 cucumbers
- 1 red onion
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar (or white vinegar, red wine vinegar, rice vinegar)
- ½ cup sugar (or more to taste)
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Peel and slice cucumbers into thin slices.
- Cut onion in half and cut into very thin slices.
- Combine onions and cucumbers in a large bowl.
- In a separate, medium-sized bowl, combine remaining ingredients. Stir until sugar dissolves.
- Pour vinegar mixture over cucumbers and onions. Stir until the cucumbers are evenly coated in the dressing.*
- Refrigerate at least 20 minutes. Before serving, drain liquid and place in a serving bowl to serve.
Could I just use this marinade as a dressing (instead of a marinade) and pour it on vegetables, baby greens. etc? I plan on mixing small batches because I only cook for one more person. Thanks so much Erica !
Sure! I think that would work!
simple and delicious….easy for anyone and tastes great, certainly in my rotation.
I make this salad frequently. My young grandchildren love it with cherry tomatoes. I have always used a sweet onion. I will be trying a purple onion next time.
My daughter hates vinegar (but likes red onion) and she loved loved loved this dish. Served it as a side for turkey burgers and crunchy smashed potatoes. This recipe is a keeper!
I am 70 years old and my dad made this when I was a kid. I always loved it; very refreshing. When I married I found out husband hated watermelon, and, by extension, cucumbers because they tasted like watermelon rind. But when he tasted this way of serving cucumbers, he was completely blown away by how much he liked it.
Excellent recipe! I tripled it after making 1 batch – shared it with family and friends! The rating continues to be a 5 from all who are sharing in the amazingly, cool, crisp, refreshing taste of summer all year around!
Best recipe closest to my Dads and Grandmas. I did add a bit more sugar. Very refreshing on days that are over 100.
Best r
I only used 1/4 cup sugar. The first time I used 1/2 and it was way to sweet. Otherwise perfect.
I have made this salad with rice vinegar and a teaspoon of sesame seed oil, it bumps up the flavor another notch.
Love this salad. We also like to put tomatoes in with it!
Leave the liquid, at least I do and I been making this for 40 years. The first recipe my Grandmother taught me at 5 yrs old
I made this and it’s DELICIOUS!!! Perfect recipe. I only used 1jumbo cucumber and used apple cider vinegar. Everything else used what was called for. I love it ! Thanks
Relatively tasteless. Texture was nice, flavors came through but definitely needed more spices.
This was delicious! I added halved, cherry tomatoes. Yum. Next time I’d cut back a little on the sugar, though…it was just a tiny bit too sweet for me.
This is so good…. I just made this. I made it with yellow onions(all I had). I didn’t use the water, as I figured the cucumbers and the tomatoes I added would give them enough water. This is a nice change from my sour cream dressing I make. I’ve been looking for a recipe like this, and this hit the spot!!! Thank you so much for the recipe!!
Easy and DELICIOUS!!!!
Loved this recipe! I added an 1/8 tsp.
of dried dill but followed the recipe other than that. Right amount of sweet tart flavor. Thanks for sharing.
Love, love, love, love…… I have an abundance of cucumbers. This recipe is a very tasty solution to my bumper cucumber crop. Thank you.
That is amazing you have so many cucumbers! This is the perfect dish and so easy to make!
Dianna,
My mom used to sprinkle salt on the cucumbers first let’s sit for a few minutes and then with clean hands squeeze the cucumber and you will get lots of juice. So where it says add salt in the recipe you’re going to sprinkle it on the cucumbers and you’re going to use this liquid to make the dressing. Then continue with the recipe
I cut the recipe in half and it’s delicious!
My grandmother use to make this all the time for us for dinner and tasted real good.
I have read other recipes that call for sprinkling kosher salt over the sliced cucumbers and let sit 30 minutes. Then rinse well and pat dry before adding to dressing. This takes out a lot of the water in the cukes. This adds more water. Why is that? Just curious. Haven’t made but hoping to this weekend. It’s so hot to eat hot.
This recipe has a little bit more of a dressing to it, I think.
I have not made it yet, but it is very similar to what I’ve made in the past. I usually, substitute the sugar with Splenda and it tastes just as good.
I will be making this in a couple days.
How much is a serving size?
We don’t have an exact serving size but the whole recipe feeds 10 people as a side dish.
How can this be reduced to 1 or two cucumbers?
You can just reduce all the other ingredients in proportion to the cucumbers!
Recipe calls for 5 cucumbers, just cut everything in half. Once you get it put together you should taste and adjust ingredients to your desired taste. I noticed that it did not indicate salt and pepper. I would definitely add some. Adding some diced fresh tomatoes is always good too.
**On another note I do not use regular sugar. I substitute Splenda instead.
Good Luck
I make cucumber onion salad using zero sugar, then zesty italian dressing w copious amts of fresh ground course black pepper. Always a hit.
This is so good! Tastes just like what my mom used to make! Thank You so much!
This takes me back to summers spent at my grandmothers farm. We would pick the cucumbers, get them sliced, and grandma would make this with cider vinegar, water, sugar, and celery salt instead of regular salt. It was perfection. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Thank you for sharing this – I’m glad it brought back a sweet memory for you!
Yes, heat the liquid then cool. But for crisp cukes and onions, soak in crushed ice in water for an hour or so. Then continue with the recipe. After they are in the fridge, they will keep for a long time – a month or so.
Debbie Claitior,
Interesting tips on heating the liquid and putting the cucumbers in ice. I will be trying it that way.
The dressing is much silkier and combined if cooked on stove.
Yes my Mom always heated it and then let it cool too!
Couldn’t be easier! Thanks, girls, it was so good!
Good taste but too sweet for me; reduced sugar to 1/4 cup
Can we freeze this or eat within 2-3 days?
I haven’t tried freezing this recipe before, so I’m not sure! We usually eat it within a couple of days.
My hubby and I absolutely love this recipe! I can’t wait to make this again. Such a great side for dinner and went will with our burgers the other night!
This was sooo tasty, and I took the keto recommendations and made it Keto-friendly, so tasty!!
What sweetener did you use and how much? Thanks!!!
I used monk fruit. 5T plus 1t.
I made these pickles and loved them. Wondering if I can use this recipe and hot water bath jars for long term shelf life
We haven’t tried it that way, so I can’t speak to the canning safety of this recipe specifically.
Enjoyed this for lunch today and it did not disappoint! Light, refreshing and perfectly crisp!
Quick. Easy. Flavorful. Family and friends love it!
My moma used to grace the summer time table with this finisher ( the last item placed ).
And we couldn’t start eating until she finished and was seated. Then dad said the blessing and then the goodness came to all four of us. Cucumbers, sliced, with onions, ice cubes in water, and vinegar. She used white vinegar, with sugar. OH GOD YUMMMM Put a smile on all our faces, along with the ears of steamed corn I shucked on the back porch. I was mom’s prep guy. Thank you for having this entry.
This is the go to recipe I use! It’s so good. One thing I do is add several ice cubes in with salad too to chill quicker and keep it crisp and marinate faster.
I have been eating this for 45 yrs and making it for 27. We’ve always called it ” Brazilian salad” as my mom was from Brazil and taught everyone in the fam and my friends how to make it. I DON’T think you birthed this recipie. I ATE IT YESTERDAY, BEFORE READING THIS.
We definitely don’t take credit for creating cucumber salad! We just wanted to share the recipe that we use!
thanks for the share, it’s delish!!!
Well, my Grandmother was from Alabama, USA & was making this when I was a child in the 70s. This is a great side dish or snack.
Andrea, do you know how easy it is to grow cucumbers just outside the back door? This makes it available in hard times and easy times. What a jewel during the depression it was, must have been and good things carry far. The strength of the Americans when far and wide outside of the country. And of course returned in its own way, people with it. Of course, everyone will claim a good thing. Had a beginning chef try to steal a grilled peach half recipe I guided him to do. Know where I got it from? The internet. He had never tried it before and loved it and everyone else did too. I try to use my head instead of my emotions. THANKS you GIRLS.
Andrea, did you read a different post than I did? Nowhere does it say they created the salad. They only wanted to share it, and I am grateful that they did!
Where does any recipe post claim to have “birthed” a version of a popular dish? There are many variations of this cucumber dish, this one is fantastic.
Love this salad. So healthy. I even added thinly sliced radishes in this recipe. Extra color and another vegetable.
Delicious & easy, Nutritious & satisfying! I add a chopped tomato & sometimes use white onions or sweet onions because that’s what I have on hand. I’m trying to lower my cholesterol & a recipe that doesn’t use mayo is perfect!
This reminds me of the cucumbers and onions served by my grandmother. The only thing missing is a bit of high quality ground pepper. Otherwise, it’s just perfect — especially on a warm summer afternoon. Thank you!
This salad always reminds me of summertime and is one of my favorite ways to enjoy cucumbers. So refreshing!
This salad is one of my favorites because it’s so easy but everyone loves it. Perfect for a light snack too.
i just love how easy this is! It’s the perfect fresh light recipe to snack on!
Such a light and fresh salad. I can’t wait to try it.
A quick, healthy and crunchy way of enjoying some refreshing Cucumber Salad.
I love this recipe. I prefer to use rice vinegar to prepare it.
I will try and can like a regular pickle. But,I’ll slice them a little thicker to see if they’ll hole a crispness to them.someone ask about that.ill be that Guinea pig gladly.
lovely fresh and tasty recipe
Question not comment – how long can you keep this in the fridge in a glass jar?
They will stay crisp for up to a week and then start to lose crispiness. I wouldn’t go more than 10 days.
Easy and versatile. Tastes great adding your own herbs or additions as suggested.
I made this and it’s been in my refrigerator now for a month, the cucumbers and onions are still crisp and so infused with flavor i put it on my salad along with spoonfuls of the vinegar. Sooo refreshing.
So delicious, for the life of me, I had totally forgotten this one….haven’t made this in almost 15 years!
thanks for bringing it back to mind! BTW, your blog is beautiful & great!
Excellent base recipe. I use about a teaspoon of sugar and the salad is really delicious and so quick and easy to prepare.
Thank you, Sharon! I’m glad you enjoyed!
Very good. I put 1/4 cup sugar and less sweet,more to our liking.
Great idea!
I have eaten these a few times at restaurants around Baltimore and I grew a lot of cumbers this year, so…
This tastes excellent!
Thank you so much Lawrence! So glad you liked this recipe!
Yummy! I follow the recipe exactly and it was so good! Thank you.
I’m so glad you liked it, thanks for the review!
Can I use regular vinegar?
Easy to do tastes great!
My mom always added crushed red pepper!
Soo…. I’ve been making this since last summer when I needed to change things up. Made if for Labor Day, Thanksgiving, a family reunion, basically at least once or twice a week… It’s THAT AMAZING! However the second time I made it, I mistakenly grabbed the wrong bottle and switched the apple cider vinegar with RED WINE vinegar!! It made the perfect sweet/tart combination… and I also added cherry tomatoes sliced in half… and now, all anyone asks when they are come over is if I made any of the Cherry Tomato Cucumer Onion Salad!?! All the rest of the ingredients stay the same!!!
#HugeHit
Mark
Hi Mark– red wine vinegar would be delicious! I also love the idea of adding some cherry tomatoes. So glad it was such a hit for you and your friends/family! Thanks for the nice comment and 5 stars!
Looks good
As others have said, this recipe is quite close to what my mother made growing up. The only difference is that after slicing the cucumbers, she would heavily salt the slices and let them sit for a few hours. The cucumbers were not crisp, but somehow I think it brought out the flavor. Before marinating she would rinse and drain the cucumbers. Delicious!
That sounds great! I’ll have to try that next time!
I am 70 and remember this as made by my grandmother and mother, so it goes back a ways. Both of them salted the cucumber slices after slicing to “sweat” the cucumber. They cucumbers were not crisp, but they tasted great. They did not rinse the cucumbers, but did not have salt in the rest of the recipe.
My mother always used wine vinegar, it has a more refined taste. Frankly, this is something that doesn’t require a recipe, it’s so simple, second nature.
Loved this recipe. I didn’t have any Apple Cider Vinegar so I substituted with Balsamic Vinegar. It came out great with a slightly darker color and a bit sweeter taste. I think I will keep doing it with Balsamic.
Yum! That sounds delicious! I love a good balsamic. Will definitely try it that way next time, just for fun!
Try this recipe with white balsamic vinegar or rice vinegar (I buy both of these at Trader Joe’s). I also put in a teaspoon of sesame oil and a few green onions, sliced diagonally. For a little heat, put in as much or as little crushed peppers as you would like.
When storing in frig for a few days, should you drain the marinade?
I like to keep it in the marinade when storing. It gets a more infused flavor that is delicious!
After searching Pinterest for a cucumber/onion salad~I stumbled upon your recipe. I am taking the plunge as will follow the recipe as written, then add make a comment. I can not wait to make, also making cucumber/lemon water as well. Now I need to find a recipe for rhubarb since my friends have gifted me an abundance of this sweet treat. I also am now a “follower”!!!.
Hi Sue! Welcome to Favorite Family Recipes! We are so excited that you found us 😀 We don’t have many rhubarb recipes (in fact I don’t think we have any on the site yet) we will have to put it on our “to-do” list. Our mom has a great strawberry rhubarb pie recipe but none of us have made it in years. Maybe we need to pull it out and get it on the site!
My mom use to make this but without the onions. I read in comments about rubarb recipe. I have a simple one. Just take rubarb(washed well) cut up into pieses anout a inch long. Put into a pot and add enough water to get rubarb to start to boil. Ten stalks about 2 cups water. Bring water to boil add rubarb. After it softens stir and boil till starts to get stringy. Add about a 1/2 cip of sugar and boil till it gets thick. Sweeten to your liking. Serve and enjoy. You can add sliced strawberys to your liking and about a 1/4 cup of corn starch mixed with cold water till corn starch is thick. Add to sweetened rubarb and bake in a pastry pie shell.
325° oven till crust is lightly browned. Strawberry rubarb pie. If you want no strawberries just leave them out. Yum
Thanks for sharing your delicious rhubarb recipe, YUM!
I hadn’t made these for a while, and forgot ratios of ingredients– your post is easy to follow and perfect. I don’t peel the cucumbers, just wash well. Thanks!!
Love it, one of my kids favorites and so easy! Try cucumbers with tajin seasoning too! Just sprinkle some on some sliced or diced cucumbers and enjoy! Sooooooo good! It’s also really good on fresh fruit.
Google rhubarb cake. I was not a rhubarb fan, but rhubarb cake converted me.
My mother made this recipe for years and now I have done the same. I double the water and use 2 T of sugar. One comment and request. I’m on an anti-plastic campaign after seeing a documentary about the plastic island in the Pacific Ocean. Could we find other ways to marinate than using a plastic bag?
Sure, you can absolutely marinate it in a glass bowl if you would prefer. Or glass jars.
Use a glass bowl with fitted lid that seals.
Yes , you can use a glass mason jar……..
Hi, use a plastic bowl with a lid. Still plastic but reusable!
Great idea Lynn!
My mom would make this yummy cucumber salad every summer, all summer long. That was many many moons ago. Your recipe is as close to my mom’s as you can get! I’m going to make this for Memorial Day. Brings back so many memories.
So glad this beings back happy memories for you! That is what FFR is all about! So so happy you like this recipe!
This is excellent as I love the vinegar flavor. Another spice I found good is adding mustard seed and some garlic cloves then you really have something. lol.
I love it with the sugar. My mom used to make this when we were kids. What a treat, and great memories to boot!
We love these kind of comments! We love it when our recipes bring happy memories to our readers! Thank you for sharing!
Excellent! Tastes great & so easy to make.
My mother made this all the time when we were growing up, minus the sugar which frankly doesn’t appeal to me – I dislike sweet pickles. For that reason: 3 stars. Without sugar, 5 stars! A great side dish, and a nice addition to other kinds of salad.
My mother always made this without the sugar also. I love the vinegar taste with the salt and pepper.
Same here. No sugar and with salt, pepper and Walla Walla sweet onions too. Mmm!
I grew up with these and still make the cucumbers, no sugar!! But you may want to finish them off in a day or two. The longer they sit the stronger the vinegar taste. I do sometimes add sliced or chopped tomatoes. Tried onions a couple of times, but don’t care for them, so I don’t add anymore. In mine I add cucumbers, with generous seasonings of salt, pepper, onion powder and a couple tablespoons of minced garlic.
Put all in a decent size bowl that has its own top, add cider vinegar. Put quite a bit of cider vinegar in, trying to cover the cucumbers. Put lid on shake vigorously. Put in refrigerator, shake often. When you want them for a side, pull out of the fridge and put bowl on the table. YUM YUM!!!
Hi Lynn- Thank you for all the wonderful suggestions! I love the idea of using garlic and tomatoes. I bet that adds such a good flavor. YUM!
I was hoping to find a recipe without the sugar… maybe I can use sugar substitute
Have you tried Stevia? Stevia works great in this recipe, but it is much sweeter than sugar. According to the Stevia website, you only need 1/2 teaspoon of powdered Stevia or Stevia liquid concentrate to replace 1/2 cup of sugar. https://www.stevia.net/conversion.html
The sugar offsets the acidity of the vinegar. I usually find adding the sugar doesn’t actually sweeten it. I add a little sugar to my tomato sauces and chili. Never sweetens it.
Your exactly right about the sugar! It definitely adds to the flavor and my mom always added the sugar. I don’t like sweet pickles either as another comment was made and feel these still taste like vinegar, onion and cucumbers. Also can use white vinegar too. Delicious!
Very good!!! I added diced tomatoes! Made exactly by the recipe.
Thank you!
Can I use malt vinegar to soak cucumbers in?
Do not ever put radishes in it ruins the batch totally.
This looks delicious! It almost reminds me of a type of greek salad if you add tomatoes and feta! Thank you for sharing, I can’t wait to make this at home! Sounds so refreshing.
I used Truvia instead of sugar. Fantastic.
This recipe reminds me of Sunday dinner at grandma’s.
Easy to make and very good in taste