Creamy Cucumber Salad

This creamy cucumber salad is perfect for summer barbecues, potlucks, or weeknight dinners when you want something fresh, and easy to prepare.

Whether served alongside grilled meats, sandwiches, or your favorite summer dishes, it’s a refreshing side that always disappears fast.

I also have two other popular cucumber salad recipes to check out: Spicy Cucumber Salad and Korean Cucumber Salad.

Glass bowl with cut cucumbers and onions.

Tips From Darcey’s Kitchen

Here are a few recipe tips I’ve compiled after making this creamy cucumber salad year after year:

Salt the cucumbers for extra crunch. Cucumbers contain a lot of water, so lightly salting them and letting them sit for 10 to 15 minutes can help draw out excess moisture and prevent the salad from becoming watery.
Use English cucumbers. They tend to be less bitter and contain fewer seeds.
Slice thinly. Thin slices allow the cucumbers to absorb the dressing better.
Cucumbers give off water as they sit. If you need to make this in advance, keep the cucumbers stored separately and drain before adding them to the prepared cucumber salad dressing.

Cucumber Salad Dressing Variations

Creamy Cucumber Salad With Mayo – If you’re a mayo fan, swap out up to half of the sour cream with your favorite brand of mayonnaise.

Herbed Cucumber Salad – Add more herbs like fresh parsley, chives or mint.

Add Extra Crunch. Thinly sliced radishes or celery add additional texture.

Sweet and Tangy Version. Increase the sugar slightly and add a splash more vinegar for a sweeter dressing. You can also throw in some Pickled Cucumbers.

Ceramic bowl with creamy cucumber salad.

Creamy Cucumber Salad Serving Ideas

Here are some killer recipes that will pair well with a side of this salad.

Would you like to save this?

We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!

Creamy Cucumber Salad

This Creamy Cucumber Salad is a cool, crisp, and refreshing side dish made with fresh cucumbers tossed in a tangy sour cream dressing with herbs and onions.

No ratings yet

Print Pin

Prep Time: 15

Total Time: 15

Servings: 10 servings

Calories: 59kcal

Author: Darcey Olson

Cost: $6

Ingredients

2-3 long cucumbers, thinly sliced (approx. 5 cups) (*Note 1)
½ cup red onion, thinly sliced and halved
¼ cup chopped fresh dill, plus more for garnish
½ tsp salt, plus more to taste
⅛ tsp white pepper (*Note 2)
1 cup sour cream (*Note 3)
2 tsp sugar

Instructions

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the sour cream, dill, salt, pepper, and sugar.
Add the cucumbers and onions to the same bowl and fold to combine. Keep folding until all cucumber and onion slices are well coated.
Serve immediately or chill for up to an hour before serving. *Note 4

Notes

Note 1 – Use any type of cucumber you prefer. You can leave the skin on or peel before slicing. You can also remove the seeds if you prefer.

Note 2 – Replace with regular black pepper if you don’t have white pepper on hand. I use white for the milder flavor.

Note 3 – Replace up to 1/2 cup of sour cream with mayonnaise or greek yogurt, if you prefer. I have not made it with 100% mayo or yogurt, so cannot provide input on the final flavor/product.

Note 4 – Cucumbers leech water the longer they sit. If you make it too far in advance, the salad will become looser and not as creamy.

Store leftover creamy cucumber salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.