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TThis refreshing Cucumber Dill Salad tosses thinly sliced cucumbers, red onions, and fresh dill in a zingy red wine vinaigrette. Bring it to the picnic for a crunchy, dilly side dish! Vegan and Gluten-Free, Oil-Free Option.
I’ve got just the thing to keep you cool on a hot summer day: a bowl of this Crunchy Cucumber Dill Salad. From the crisp cucumbers to the fresh dill to the zingy 4-ingredient dressing, it’s got it all! Throw everything together in one bowl and it’s ready to eat in 10 minutes flat.
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A Cooling, Crunchy Summer Salad
There’s nothing worse than turning your oven on on a hot day, so I say skip that and stick with refreshing no-cook meals instead. Luckily, summer is the perfect time of year to bulk up your meals with cooling raw veggies. I got a taste of crisp, refreshing cucumbers in this delicious Tomato Cucumber Basil Salad, but now, I want to make them the star of the show.
I can’t resist making this Cucumber Dill Salad every single time it’s hot outside. The cucumbers cool me down, the salad dressing is as bright and flavorful as it gets, and the fresh dill plays into my dill pickle obsession (the same goes for my Dilly White Bean Cucumber Salad). Plus, it’s easy to prep and goes so great with everything else at the BBQ or picnic!
After the first bite, you’ll understand why I can’t stop eating this perfect spring and summer side dish.
What You Need for This Vegan Cucumber Salad
This easy vegan side dish calls for just 6 simple ingredients and a big salad bowl. It’s proof that you don’t need a long list of ingredients to make a flavor-packed salad:
- English Cucumber: opt for an English/hothouse cucumber. There’s no peeling or deseeding necessary for this thin-skinned variety! If you’d like, use Persian cucumbers as a substitute. I do not recommend using Kirby cucumbers or a variety with a thick skin because they’re better off being pickled.
- Red Onion: a very thinly sliced red onion adds a nice, punchy bite to this refreshing salad. Feel free to swap the raw onions for these Pickled Red Onions for an extra briny kick.
- Fresh Dill: combining this bright, tangy, almost lemon-y herb with crisp, refreshing cucumbers and red wine vinegar gives the salad an almost dill pickle flavor. If you’re out of dill, use fresh basil, parsley, mint, chives, or cilantro instead.
- Red Wine Vinaigrette: the salad is dressed in a homemade salad dressing made from red wine vinegar, EVOO, whole grain mustard, and salt. With lots of body and a mouth-puckering zing, it rounds out every bite perfectly. Apple cider vinegar can be used as a substitute for red wine vinegar.
How to Make Cucumber Dill Salad
- Whisk the vinegar, oil, mustard, and salt in a medium bowl until emulsified.
- Add the cucumber, onion, and dill to the bowl and toss in the dressing until coated. Set the salad aside to marinate.
- Serve the marinated cucumber salad on the side of your favorite main dishes.
Caitlin’s Cooking Tips
- Use a mandoline! The mandoline will be your BFF for this cucumber salad because it will give you paper-thin, evenly sized cucumber and onion slices. These thin slices create more surface volume for the dressing to stick to, which allows the marinade to absorb better and gives you a better-tasting salad overall.
- High-quality ingredients make all the difference. I know this is a simple cucumber salad made with a handful of budget-friendly ingredients; however, I’d encourage you to splurge a little where it counts! Skip the large grocery store and pick up the cucumbers and dill from the farmer’s market (garden-fresh produce tastes better, I promise). As for the dressing, make it with quality red wine vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, and flaky sea salt (I use Maldon Flaky Sea Salt) to really help those flavors shine.
Serving Suggestions
I personally always make this bright and crunchy cucumber salad when I’m hosting or heading to a backyard barbecue, potluck, or picnic. It adds a welcome burst of fresh flavor next to all kinds of hearty summer meals, like these Falafel Burgers, these BBQ Tempeh Tacos, and this savory Tomato Galette.
I’ll even throw the salad together when I want a crunchy snack. It only takes 10 minutes and satisfies my cravings instantly.
The leftovers even come in handy when I’m out of dill pickles but still want something crunchy and dilly on top of one of these Rainbow Veggie Sandwiches or this BBQ Jackfruit Sandwich.
If you’re looking for more simple and refreshing no-cook vegan salads, you’ll also love this Crunchy Broccoli Salad, this Strawberry Avocado Crunch Salad, and this Mediterranean Chickpea Salad!
How to Store Leftover Cucumber Salad
The cucumber salad is best served after marinating for 5 to 10 minutes. The flavors will be developed, and the cucumbers will still be firm and crunchy. If you do have leftovers, transfer them to an airtight container and store them in the fridge for up to 3 days.
If you’d like to save a little time, feel free to assemble the salad as normal and let it marinate in the fridge for up to 1 hour before serving.
Freezing is not recommended.
Substitutions and Variations
- Oil-Free Option: The oil plays a surprisingly important role in the dressing. It helps coat the vegetables and allows the vinegar and seasonings to stick to the salad ingredients. Feel free to omit it if you’d rather keep this recipe oil-free, but you may end up with a lot of dressing at the bottom of the bowl.
- Optional Add-Ins: You can add thinly sliced radishes, steamed and cooled edamame, a can of drained and rinsed creamy white beans, extra fresh herbs (like chives, mint, or basil), chopped capers, or halved cherry tomatoes.
- Creamy Variation: Make this a creamy cucumber salad by whisking a heaping spoonful of vegan plain yogurt into the dressing.
Recipe FAQs
Simply slice the cucumbers and onions very thinly (and carefully) with a sharp chef’s knife instead.
No, salting the cucumbers (a technique that uses salt to draw out excess moisture from the cucumber slices) isn’t necessary for this recipe.
This will likely happen if you omitted the oil from the dressing or if the salad sat too long. As they sit, cucumber slices will naturally release their liquid and make the salad watery. Plan to eat it within 24 hours for the best textures and flavors.
Enjoy! If you make this recipe and decide to share it on Facebook or Instagram, don’t forget to tag me @FromMyBowl + #FromMyBowl! I would also love it if you could leave a comment below with a recipe rating! Thank you for the support 😊
Crunchy Cucumber Dill Salad
Ingredients
- 1 english cucumber thinly sliced
- 1/4 small red onion thinly sliced (or sub Pickled Red Onions for an extra kick)
- 1/3 cup fresh dill, chopped
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons whole grain mustard
- Flaky salt or to taste
Instructions
- Dressing: Add the vinegar, oil, mustard, and salt to the base of a medium bowl and whisk until emulsified
- Combine: Toss in the cucumber, onion, and dill and fold into the dressing until everything is well incorporated. Allow to sit and marinate at room temperature for 5-10 minutes before serving, to allow the flavors to combine. You can also let this marinate in the fridge for up to 1 hour before serving.
- Serve: Serve as desired; this salad is best served fresh, as leftovers will become soggy over time.
Recipe Notes
- I recommend using a mandoline to slice the cucumber and red onion as thinly as possible.
- Red wine vinegar can be replaced with balsamic vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or another vinegar of your choice.
- Oil-Free: The oil in this recipe helps to coat the vegetables and allow the vinegar and seasonings to stick; you can omit it if you’d like, but don’t be surprised if everything slides to the bottom of the bowl.
I have made this salad forever. We had it often in Germany where I grew up
The mustard does not complement this salad.
Sorry to hear you didn’t enjoy it, I think it’s a matter of preference. 🙂
Amazing! Perfect for the summer – never ate veggies quicker 🙂
I’ve made this recipe 3 times already with the cucumbers from our garden and it’s delicious! We’ve tried it with 1 tsp of dried dill instead of fresh as well and it was still amazing.
Glad you enjoy it, Ari!
So easy. Nice instead of our usual salad dressing rotation. I added the dressed cukes to some baby salad greens and mixed it in. Used spring onion since we didn’t have red.
Glad you liked it, Mary!
I have another super quick, three (or four) ingredient recipe for cucumbers that I’ve been making for 20+ years.
Peel one cucumber, cut lengthwise, remove seeds with a spoon, cut in half lengthwise (four seeded sections). Cut into 1/4-1/2” slices.
Heat vegan butter in pan. Sautéed cucumber slices till soft. Add one bag of frozen baby peas and cook till heated through. Season with dill and s/p.
Thanks, Lee.
Super easy with normal ingredients I can find during the pandemic, thanks Caitlin! Our family lunched it up!
Glad it’s an easy recipe for you during these weird times!