A cucumber salad with a creamy dressing made with sour cream is one of the easiest ways to round out a meal, any time of year. It’s inexpensive, it’s pretty, it’s so easy to make, and it takes about 15 minutes from start to finish.

This version presents such a nice contrast between the crunch of the cucumbers and the onions and the creaminess of the dressing. The addition of feta or goat cheese is optional, but it adds even more creaminess and flavor to the salad. If you don’t have time to refrigerate the salad before serving to meld the flavors, that’s ok — it will still be delicious.

Think of this recipe for cookouts, potlucks, and picnics. It would be terrific alongside a burger (try a Greek Turkey Burger and hold the tzatziki). It would also be a great addition to a brunch spread as a companion to a Breakfast Bagel Sandwich.

A cucumber salad is one of the easiest and cleanest ways to round out a meal, any time of year. This version presents such a nice contrast between the crunch of the cucumbers and the onions, and the creaminess of the dressing.

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Ingredients

• Sour cream – Provides the creamy base for the dressing.
• Lemon – The juice adds a bit of acidity to balance out the richness of the dairy and the zest a bit of pure lemony flavor.
• Fresh dill – The fresh, herby flavor of dill and cucumber are excellent partners.
• Fresh chives
• Cucumbers – I like to use baby cucumbers, but you can also use long English seedless cucumbers, halved lengthwise and sliced.
• Onion – I like to use a red onion here, halved and very thinly sliced, for a bit of color.
• Crumbled feta or goat cheese – This is optional but adds a big flavor punch.

Variations

• Sub in 1 cup of sliced scallions (white and green parts) for the red onions if you prefer.
• You might also think of adding a cup of cooked corn kernels to this for a summery twist.
• For the holidays, a half cup or more of pomegranate seeds would be absolutely gorgeous strewn over the top. (I also like reasons to say and write the word strewn.)

How to Make Creamy Cucumber Salad

1. Mix together the dressing ingredients.
2. Mix the salad: Add the cucumbers and onion, and toss well to coat evenly with the dressing.
3. Refrigerate and serve: Cover and refrigerate for 1 to 5 hours. Distribute the feta or goat cheese over, if using, and toss again.

Cooking Tips

• If the skin of your cucumber is quite thin and tender, you don’t have to peel them. Otherwise, peeling the cucumber makes for a more delicate salad. You can also use regular cucumbers, sliced in half, lengthwise, seeded, and cut into half moons.
• Try to use seedless or English cucumbers if you can, as they have fewer seeds and a thinner skin than regular old cucumbers. (Funny that this is one case where being thin-skinned is a good thing, said the person who no one would mistake for a thick-skinned person.)
• If you want to use regular cucumbers, halve them lengthwise, scrape out the seeds, and then slice them. Removing the seeds will prevent the salad from becoming watery.
• Refrigerating the salad even briefly helps the flavors blend together.
• If you choose to add goat cheese to the salad, you might think about a goat cheese with a twist, like this orange blossom honey goat cheese.

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More Cucumber Salads

• Tomato, Avocado, and Cucumber Salad
• Thai Cucumber Salad
• Greek Tomato and Cucumber Salad
• Corn, Cucumber, and Cantaloupe Salsa
• Vietnamese Cucumber Salad