Creamy Cucumber Salad

This creamy cucumber salad is another perfect summer salad. This old-fashioned classic is made with thinly sliced Persian cucumbers, red onion, dill, and sour cream to create a creamy summer side salad!

This creamy cucumber salad is the perfect summer salad!

In fact, this salad is one that made an appearance at almost every single family potluck, get-together, or BBQ. And, if this salad wasn’t present it’s equally delicious side salad cousin as there – The Best Cucumber Salad.

The thing I love most about this salad is that it only takes about 15 minutes to throw it all together and then it just rests in the fridge until it’s ready to be served.

How easy is that?

And, if you’re looking to add more protein and less fat you can use Greek yogurt in place of sour cream.

Make sure to read the post to get tips and tricks on how to store this salad and make substitutions.

Ingredients to make creamy cucumber salad

• Persian cucumbers – These are my favorite type of cucumbers to use for any cucumber salad but peeled sliced cucumbers or English cucumbers can be used as well.
• Red onion – I love the crunch and flavor red onion brings to a salad like this. You can use sweet sliced onions in its place but red onions are my favorite.
• Sour cream – Just a touch to bring in creaminess to
• Apple cider vinegar – This helps to soften and “pickle” the cucumbers to bring in a zippy flavor. You can use white vinegar in its place if you do not have apple cider vinegar on hand.
• Sugar – Just a touch to add a bit more flavor. Optional but I like the little snap of sweetness.
• Dill – I really like to use fresh dill in this salad but you can use dried dill if needed. You’ll want to use less dried than fresh so I recommend adding in 1 teaspoon, tasting, and adding more if needed.

The best cucumbers to use

There are a lot of different cucumbers found in stores. Typically I see the traditional slicing cucumbers along with English, Persian mini, Kirby pickling cucumbers, etc. 

Yes, there really are that many different cucumbers! 

Lucky for you I’m going to make this salad super simple! 

I prefer to use English cucumbers because they are thin-skinned, not overly seedy, and super crunchy. These are all good things when it comes to making an easy summer salad. 

However, you can use mini Persian cucumbers pretty interchangeably with this creamy cucumber salad recipe. They are equally as thinned skinned are just smaller. They are typically sold in 2-pound bags.  

If you can only find traditional slicing cucumbers you might want to peel the cucumber as its skin is MUCH thicker and waxier than the English or Persian variety. 

I would leave Kirby cucumbers to pickling. They are the traditional “pickle” type of cucumber and work really well for most pickling recipes. Including my dad’s pickle recipe! 

Using Greek yogurt

Looking to replace that sour cream with plain Greek yogurt?

It’s an easy substitution and you’ll use the same amount of Greek yogurt in place of sour cream. 

Storage and leftovers

You will want to store this creamy cucumber salad covered and in the refrigerator.

Since it contains dairy you’ll want to make sure you don’t leave it sitting out in the summer sun. My mother-in-law always puts salads like this in a bowl of ice for parties and picnics. 

The longer this salad sits in the refrigerator the more water it will give off. So while it will still be creamy it’s always recommended to give it a good store before serving.

More cucumber salad recipes

• Love a tangy vinegar-based cucumber salad? Try my The Best Cucumber Salad.
• Need a jazzed-up creamy cucumber salad? Try my Creamy Horseradish Cucumber Salad.
• Craving a creamy salad with a zippy ranch taste? Try my Greek Yogurt Ranch Cucumber Salad.
• Want a use for both cucumbers and tomatoes? Try my Grilled Sourdough Panzanella Salad.