Cucumber Salad with Sour Cream and Dill

Cucumbers are wonderful to have during the summer for salads and snacking. One of my favorite cucumber salads is a cream based cucumber salad that uses sour cream as the basis.

This recipe was handed down from my dad and it’s one that I make time and time again because it’s dependable and never fails to please. It reminds me of potlucks with grandmas and summer cookouts.

Cucumber Salad with Sour Cream and Dill is wonderful served immediately, but it’s even better when you’ve given it time to chill in the fridge. It will easily keep in the fridge for days and it’s the ultimate make ahead side for potlucks and cookouts.

Why This Works

You’ll never make a cucumber salad without salting the cucumbers again after experiencing how much better this is. Cucumbers hold a lot of moisture.

When sliced and tossed with a dressing, the cucumbers release their moisture which waters down the dressing leaving it thin and soupy. The cucumbers are also less crisp.

By salting the cucumbers first, you’re getting that moisture out of the cucumbers leaving them crispier and firmer in texture. This cucumber salad holds up even after sitting in the fridge overnight.

The sour cream lends a creamy, rich quality to this salad but isn’t too heavy. White vinegar brings a tangy kick to balance out the sour cream.

Dried dill weed brings a wonderful herby flavor that intensifies the longer the salad sits in the fridge. Just a hint of sugar balances out the other flavors in the dressing and brings out a subtle sweetness.

What You Need to Know Before You Start

This Cucumber Salad with Sour Cream and Dill recipe makes a pretty large salad. It’s perfect for entertaining or bringing to a cookout.

You can easily halve the recipe if you’re not interested in having leftover salad.

If you like your cucumbers to be extra crispy, choose fresh cucumbers as they tend to be firmer in texture. You can also peel the cucumbers to help with this.

This salad is good immediately, but it tastes much better after chilling for 12 to 24 hours.

Cucumber Salad with Sour Cream and Dill Recipe

Trust me, use a glass bowl that has a lid that seals well. It saves dishwashing if it is large enough to serve from, especially at cookouts.

It makes it easier to mix it right before serving. And it keeps well for days, which is always a plus in my book.

Invest in a mandolin, about $17 for mine, if you are going to make this recipe more than once. They are a time saver by half, at least, and will give you uniform slices, which is important.

Mine is a Norpro brand and it couldn’t be easier to use and clean. You could use a knife, but it takes longer.

Do not skip this part, trust me, salting the cucumbers does take longer, maybe an extra 20-30 min, but it really is necessary to make sure you have nice crisp cucumbers that will soak up the dressing and will not make your salad watery. And, DO rinse them off after letting them sit with the extra 1/2 teaspoon salt, otherwise you’ll be swimming in the ocean when you take your first bite.

Taste is best after chilling. If you make this and try a bite right away, the dressing will not really be itself yet, a bit thin, and the cucumbers will be a tad underdressed.

Let it chill for at least 12 hours, but, if you can, make this either the morning of or even better, the day before. The cucumbers soak up the dressing and the dressing develops some serious flavor.

Chilling also firms up the dressing and melds all of the flavors together. It is good for 12 hrs. at a minimum.

Try to slice the cucumbers as uniformly as possible. It is not necessary for them to be paper-thin, but, if they are too thick they will not be as pliable and won’t soak up the dressing as well.

About 1/8 of an inch is ideal. Too thin and they fall apart.

Ingredients and What to Look For

Cucumbers

Four large cucumbers are required for this recipe. It’s a great way to feed a crowd.

You can use your typical garden/slicing cucumbers and look for cucumbers that are firm to the ends, with no soft spots. If you give them a little squeeze and they sound or feel hollow, skip them.

Stay away from cucumbers with soft ends, but you will need to discard the ends. English cucumbers, the ones in plastic wrap at the grocery store, work well in this recipe as well.

They are a bit less seedy and watery.

If your garden/slicing cucumbers have a particularly thick skin you can always peel them before slicing. If there is an abundance of seeds, use a spoon to scrape out the seeds before slicing.

As mentioned above, english cucumbers do not typically have as many seeds. Mid-summer cucumbers, both english and regular, tend to be extra large so use your own judgement.

Sour Cream

Full-fat sour cream is recommended for the best flavor and texture. Low-fat sour cream will yield a runnier dressing.

Greek yogurt will change the flavor of this recipe but can be substituted if that’s what you have on hand, though I’m not crazy about the results but others love it.

Dried Dill Weed

I love the flavor of dill in this recipe and find that it shines through the most using dried dill once the recipe has had a chance to sit and marinate. If you prefer the flavor of fresh dill you can substitute 1-1/2 Tbsp fresh dill in lieu of the dried dill.

White Vinegar

The tangy, bright flavor of white vinegar complements the salad nicely but apple cider vinegar would work well as a sub. Rice vinegar is a third option that is more mild.

Balsamic or red wine vinegar would not complement the sour cream/dill combo.

Optional Ingredient, sweet onion adds a nice bite to the cucumber salad and deepens the flavor. Slice it as thin as possible, and try to match the width of your cucumber slices.

Vidalia or Walla Walla sweet onions are the mildest.

Soak the onion slices in a bowl of cold water for 10 minutes to take the edge off them.

How to Make Cucumber Salad

Step 1: Peel and Slice the Cucumbers

Peel cucumbers and slice to approximately 1/8 inch thickness. If you’re going to use onion in your cucumber salad, slice them now, thinly, and soak in cold water for 10 minutes.

A mandoline slicer is a great way to slice cucumbers and many other things quickly and evenly. Make sure to use a sharp knife, as dull knives bruise cucumbers.

Step 2: Salt and Drain

Add sliced cucumbers to a large colander, sprinkling approximately 1/2 teaspoon of salt in layers as you go. Set aside for 20 to 30 minutes for cucumbers to release some of their liquid.

After sitting, rinse cucumbers with cold water. If using onion, drain and add to cucumbers.

Removing as much of the water from the cucumbers as possible, and onion too, is key to making a great cucumber salad, because you don’t want a watery cucumber salad. The quickest and most efficient way to dry cucumbers is to add them to a salad spinner and give ’em a whirl.

If you don’t have a salad spinner, pat cucumbers as dry as you can with paper towel.

Step 3: Make the Dressing

In a medium bowl, whisk together sour cream, sugar, white vinegar, dill weed, salt and pepper. Adjust the seasoning if necessary with additional salt and/or sugar.

It should be creamy, but slightly tangy. Do this step now, as the flavor will be more difficult to adjust after the cucumbers and dressing are combined.

Step 4: Combine and Refrigerate

If using, add drained cucumber and drained onion to the bowl with the sour cream mixture and mix to combine. Cover well and refrigerate overnight or for at least 12 hours but no more than 24 hours.

The cucumbers will become slightly softer and will absorb some of the dressing. Your salad will be much tastier the next day.

This is another step that cannot be slacked, because cucumber salad simply does not taste as good when given only 30 minutes in the fridge as it does overnight, as the flavors really need that long to mingle and infuse into each other.

Step 5: Toss and Serve

Give it one last toss to ensure all cucumbers are well-coated with dressing. Serve!

Tips

• I find that this cucumber salad is better the second day, so plan accordingly.
• The cucumbers will be crispest during the first 24 to 48 hours and will slowly become softer as the salad sits. If you’re making this recipe in advance, try to keep the dressing separate until you’re ready to serve.
• Feel free to add more or less sugar and vinegar to the dressing to suit your preferences. It’s helpful to taste the dressing before you add the cucumbers so you can adjust it if necessary.
• This recipe can easily be halved, just cut the ingredient amounts in half.
• Salting the cucumbers helps draw out any extra liquid and prevents your cucumber salad from being watery.
• If using fresh dill instead of dried, use 3x the amount called for.
• Try adding a few slices of sweet onion if you’re a fan of onion. Vidalia onions are super sweet and mild, I’d recommend those.
• A mandoline slicer is SO helpful during cucumber season. It makes it so easy to get thin, even slices of cucumber in a timely manner.

Storage

Cucumber salad will keep for 3 to 4 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. The cucumbers will be crispest during the first 24 to 48 hours.

I wouldn’t recommend freezing cucumber salad, the cucumbers will get mushy, and the sour cream based dressing doesn’t freeze well either because it separates and doesn’t reconstitute properly upon thawing.

Frequently Asked Questions

What else can I serve cucumber salad with?

Cucumber salad is a summer side dish that goes great with pretty much everything. Serve alongside grilled meats, pack it into your lunch as a sandwich topper, or pass it at the cookout.

It’s a crowd-pleaser, I promise.

Can I substitute Greek yogurt for sour cream?

Yes, plain, full-fat Greek yogurt can be substituted for sour cream in an equal quantity. Note that using Greek yogurt will make this cucumber salad less creamy and give it a thinner consistency.

It will also make it a bit tangier as well. If you find that it’s too tangy you can add a touch more sugar or use a little less vinegar.

Should the cucumber be peeled?

English cucumbers = those long, skinny, shrink wrapped cucumbers you see in the grocery store. They have much thinner skins.

Most people prefer cucumber salad without cucumber skins but it’s up to you. With the common garden/grocery store/slicing cucumbers it is best to peel them since they have a thick, waxy skin which doesn’t cook down and become as tender as the rest of the cucumber.

What vegetables can be added to cucumber salad?

Radishes make a good addition to cucumber salad, both for their spicy flavor and crisp texture. Some people like to add cherry tomatoes, add them halved right before serving since they will get pretty soft and mushy.

Sweet cherry tomatoes are the best choice. You can also add sliced bell peppers for sweetness and crispness.

Basically, if you’re going to add another veggie, it needs to be something that will hold its own in a dressed salad without turning to mush.

Why is my cucumber salad watery?

Cucumbers release a LOT of liquid when placed in a salty environment, this is why we drain them for 20 to 30 minutes, rinse, dry, then add the rest of the dressing. If you add the dressing before draining the cucumbers your cucumber salad will be extremely watery and unpleasant.

Also, cucumber salad will continue to release some of its liquid if exposed to air, so keep it in the refrigerator in an air-tight, well-sealed container.

Can cucumber salad be made in advance?

Cucumber salad is MUCH better if you prepare it in advance. It needs a long, long time in the refrigerator, about 12 to 24 hours, to allow the cucumber to absorb all of that yummy dressing and become thoroughly seasoned.

Making this cucumber salad for a cookout or potluck? Make it the night before and trust me, it will be much better.

Number of Servings: 8

This classic cucumber salad recipe with sour cream and dill is refreshing and delicious. It’s a summertime must-have side dish!

This cucumber salad with sour cream and dill is the perfect summertime side dish recipe. It’s similar to the traditional German cucumber salad, Gurkensalat , which consists of cucumbers mixed with dill, vinegar, and sour cream, though some versions use heavy cream and others do not add the sugar.

You’ll find variations of this tasty combination of ingredients in salads from many different cuisines.

The type of cucumber to use in this cucumber salad recipe

This recipe calls for garden cucumbers, also called slicing cucumbers,. You can also make it with:

• English cucumbers, which have a thinner skin and fewer seeds
• Kirby cucumbers, which are firmer so you’ll need more of them
• Persian cucumbers, which are small and mild-flavored with a tender skin

Choose fresh, firm cucumbers, avoiding cucumbers late in the season that are more likely to be watery and seedy. Some can also have a bitter taste.

• large cucumbers, peeled, ends removed and sliced very thin (about 1/8 inch)*
• medium sweet onion (optional), thinly sliced
• teaspoon(s) salt, divided, to taste
• cup(s) sour cream
• teaspoon(s) sugar
• tablespoon(s) white vinegar
• 1 1/2 teaspoon(s) dried dill weed
• black pepper, to taste
• Rinse cucumbers in colander. Transfer to large bowl, add onions, salt, sour cream, sugar, vinegar, dried dill, and pepper; stir to combine. Chill at least 12 hours so cucumbers have a chance to absorb some of the dressing. Serve with additional salt and pepper.

What This Salad Belongs Next To

The coolness and sharpness in this cucumber salad cuts through rich foods. Pair with fried chicken, or grilled brats and creamy casseroles.

It’s a side dish that acts like a pickle.

August, When Cucumbers Arrive in Grocery Bags

Although I don’t have a garden, August brings an abundance of cucumbers to me. Church acquaintances or neighbors with gardens know that we love cucumbers and bring them over or leave them on our doorstep.

They come in grocery bags.

The Mandoline Makes it a Five-Minute Recipe

It will take about ten minutes to slice cucumbers by hand, but a mandoline, a handheld slicer with a blade at an angle, reduces that to about ninety seconds. It makes thin, even slices of cucumber that pickle evenly.

It makes thin slices that pick up the flavor of the dressing evenly. And be sure to use the guard, or you’ll join the club of mandoline users who have a tale of woe to share.

One Side that Fits almost everyone’s Plate

If you want “a side” for a barbecue that’ll be vegetarian, gluten-free, and low-carb friendly, give this recipe for cucumber salad a shot. If someone can’t have carbohydrates, reduce the amount of sugar, or substitute it with a sweetener.

Fresh Dill, if the Farmers Market has it

If you can lay your hands on fresh dill (check the farmers market) use that instead of the dried. Use 1 Tbsp of chopped fresh dill instead of 1 tsp of the dried.

Half will go into the dressing and half will be sprinkled over top of the salad before serving. It’s a piece of cake and will give the salad a brighter, fresher taste and those little flecks of green give the false impression that you spent hours in the kitchen!