Fresh, healthy and delicious, this easy to make English Cucumber Salad is the perfect choice for a quick lunch or potluck side–and it only has five simple (but mighty) ingredients.
Why We Love It
Cucumbers are an amazing fruit (yes, that’s right: they are a fruit) and a secret super food. They are so low in calories, yet packed full of vitamins. Best of all, because they’re mainly water, they also help to fill you up so that you feel full for longer after eating them!
We often indulge in cucumbers throughout the day as a healthy hydrating low-calorie snack. When we’re in the mood for more, this salad is our go-to! It’s hard to beat the wonderful flavors that come together when English cucumbers are paired with deliciously juicy and sweet Campari tomatoes, red onions and light balsamic vinaigrette!
Top that all off with some wonderful crumbled feta and you’ve got yourself a bowl of yum!
Why You’ll Love It
This delicious salad is so easy to make. You don’t have to cook anything–just chop and mix! Plus this is a great lunch option due to its star, the English cucumber, which helps to prevent mid-day cravings (and hydrates you too, bonus!).
This salad is also beautifully elegant and vibrant in its presentation of color and flavor. You can’t go wrong taking English Cucumber Salad to any summer gathering–or winter gathering–due to its beautiful reds and greens!
Craving more cucumber salad ideas? Check out Cucumber Sour Cream Salad–which also uses English cucumbers!
English Cucumber Salad Ingredients
- 2 English cucumbers, cut into approximately 1 inch pieces
- 3 Campari tomatoes, cut into small wedges or eighths
- 1/3 cup red onion, diced
- 4–5 Tablespoons light balsamic vinaigrette dressing (we love Ken’s Steakhouse)
- Crumbled Feta cheese (optional, but a delicious add-on for protein and flavor)
How to make English Cucumber Salad
You’ll want to gather the following equipment:
- cutting board
- chef’s knife
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- one medium sized mixing bowl
- mixing spoon
- slotted spoon (for serving)
Prep the cucumbers. Rinse, pat dry and place on the cutting board. Using your chef’s knife, trim off both ends, then slice each cucumber lengthwise in half. Slice the halves lengthwise once more so that you now have quarters. Slice the quarters into small chunks, roughly 1 inch wide. Place the cucumber chunks into your bowl.
English cucumbers (the long ones often wrapped individually in plastic wrap) are the best cucumbers for this recipe! Their skin is edible, they have smaller seeds and have a pleasing taste.
Prep the tomatoes and red onion. Place the tomatoes on the cutting board. Using your knife, cut the tomatoes in half, then once more. Continue this process until you have 6-8 wedges from each tomato. Place the tomatoes in the bowl. Dice the red onion on the cutting board and add to the bowl.
Campari tomatoes are excellent for this salad. They are vibrant and juicy, and deliciously sweet and flavorful.
Red onions make this salad‘s appearance even more appealing!
Toss all ingredients together and add the dressing. Use a tablespoon to measure the dressing, and remember: less is sometimes more. Start with 4 tablespoons, then mix it all together. You want everything to be lightly coated by the dressing. You can always add an extra tablespoon or two to achieve this.
Kitchen Ready Betty tip: Please keep in mind that adding too much dressing will make the salad too saturated (remember that it’s already naturally juicy from the cucumbers and tomatoes). A heavy hand with the dressing will also make the salad taste a little bitter.
Ken’s Steakhouse light balsamic dressing is delicious and works great for this salad!
Cover and chill. You can eat this salad right away, but I find it tastes best after sitting in the fridge for about 1 hour.
Sprinkle on the feta. This is a completely optional step, but such a good one! Feta really pairs well with English Cucumber Salad and adds some extra taste, texture and protein, especially if you’re enjoying this as a main dish for lunch. Sprinkle on your desired amount just before serving and then mix it in!
English Cucumber Salad Leftovers?
Store them in an airtight container and refrigerate. Enjoy within two-three days.
A Note About English Cucumbers
To English cucumber or not to English cucumber? Please don’t make it a question!!! They are the best for this salad hands down! Why? They have tiny seeds. You can eat their skin. They don’t taste bitter. They are fleshier and more dense than other varieties, which gives the salad more substance and charm.
And, because they aren’t as watery, they hold up better, which comes in handy–especially if you have leftovers.
For the Love of Cucumbers!
Have you seen the post floating around on social media about all the wonderful things that cucumbers can do for you? It references a variety of interesting powers that cucumbers possess, from hydrating you after a hangover to warding off cancer and diabetes. to also cleaning your bathroom sinks and giving them a sparkly shine.
I often chuckle when I read the post, which has been circulating forever, though I’m sure some parts of it are true. I don’t profess or lay claim to any of the said benefits I just mentioned, and I certainly didn’t need to read that list a first time to fall in love with cucumbers. I simply adore their taste and flavor! I love the fact that cucumbers are so low in calories, yet also packed with vitamins and antioxidants.
How often can you say that about a food and feel good about eating so much of it???
English Cucumber Salad
Description
This elegant and beautiful salad is delicious and amazingly healthy! With just a few simple ingredients, you will have a cucumber lover's dream! Light and breezy as a summer's day, this salad makes an excellent side or main dish, especially when topped with crumbled feta. If you truly love cucumbers and the taste of fresh ingredients, this salad is for you!
English Cucumber Salad
Instructions
Prepare the fresh ingredients.
-
Prep the English cucumbers.
After rinsing, place cucumbers on cutting board. Use a chef's knife to trim off both ends. Slice each cucumber lengthwise in half; then slice halves lengthwise once more to create quarters. Slice the quarters into small chunks, roughly 1 inch wide. Place cucumber chunks into a bowl.
English cucumbers are strongly recommended for this recipe. They are often found wrapped individually in plastic wrap. They are sometimes called hothouse cucumbers or European cucumbers. -
Prep the Campari tomatoes and red onions.
After rinsing, place tomatoes on cutting board. Use a chef's knife to cut tomatoes in half, then once more. Continue this process until you have 6-8 wedges from each tomato. Add tomatoes to cucumber bowl. Dice the red onion on the cutting board and add to bowl. Mix.
Campari tomatoes are a hybrid tomato. They are also known as "tomatoes on the vine". The Campari tomatoes used in this recipe are packaged by Sunset, and tend to be on the smaller side.
Put it all together!
-
Add the balsamic vinaigrette.
Start by adding 4 tablespoons, then mix it all together. All ingredients should be lightly coated by the dressing. If needed, add one additional tablespoon of dressing at a time to ensure even coating without oversaturating the salad.
-
Optional topping.
Feta pairs very well with this salad. Sprinkle desired amount on top just before serving.
Enjoy!
-
Serve immediately or chill for later.
Leftovers will keep 2-3 days.
While the salad can be eaten immediately, it is recommended to let it sit for 1 hour in the refrigerator in order for flavors to fully incorporate.
Note
I always use Ken's Steakhouse light balsamic vinaigrette for this recipe.
You can swap out the Campari tomatoes for a different variety, though it is hard to beat their vibrant color and sweetness!
When serving this salad, it is helpful to use a slotted spoon. The extra dressing and juices can stay in the serving bowl!
