Published: August 27, 2025 | Updated: August 27, 2025
There’s nothing more refreshing on a hot summer day than a chilled Cucumber Dill Salad. This easy-to-follow recipe is made with fresh cucumbers, crisp red onion, and fragrant dill, all tossed in a simple dressing made of white vinegar, lemon juice, and sugar. It’s a summertime favorite thats not only light, but healthy. As someone who spends hours in the kitchen testing recipes with fresh herbs and garden cucumbers, I can tell you this is one of my favorite recipes for summer meals. Whether you’re using English cucumbers, Persian cucumbers, or even regular grocery store cucumbers, this salad has the perfect tangy flavor and crunch that makes it a refreshing side dish for family dinners, BBQs, or potlucks.
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Why You’ll Love This Cucumber Dill Salad
- Easy Recipe: You combine this recipe in 15 – 20 minutes with just a handful of fresh ingredients
- Cool & Crisp: Thin slices of cucumber stay crunchy thanks to a quick salting step that removes excess water
- Low Carb: This side dish not only taste good, but it’s super low carb and hydrating, perfect for any summer meal
What Does Cucumber Dill Salad Taste Like?
This salad is bright, tangy, and refreshing. If you have access to a mandolin, I recommend using it for this recipe to create perfectly thin slices of cucumber that stay crisp and savory. The raw onion in this recipe is not too strong since the onions re soaked in water before tossing. The simple dill vinaigrette, which is made with white vinegar, lemon juice, fresh dill and sugar, brings the perfect balance of sweet and sour. It’s the kind of simple salad that’s always a great addition to any summertime table.
Ingredients for Cucumber Dill Salad
Here’s what you’ll need for this easy salad:
- 3 cucumbers (English, Persian, or garden cucumbers all work)
- ½ medium red onion, thinly sliced
- ¼ cup chopped fresh dill
- ½ cup white vinegar
- ½ cup white sugar
- Juice of 1 lemon (¼ cup lemon juice)
- ½ tsp salt, plus more to taste
- ⅓ cup water
How to Make Cucumber Dill Salad
Step 1 – Prep the cucumbers: Wash and slice cucumbers thinly using a mandoline or sharp knife. Sprinkle with salt to keep them crispy and set aside.
Step 2 – Prep the onion & dill: Thinly slice the red onion and soak in water for 10 minutes to reduce sharpness. Chop the fresh dill and set aside.
Step 3 – Make the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the white vinegar, sugar, lemon juice, salt, water, and dill.
Step 4 – Assemble: Rinse the salted cucumbers in a colander, then pat dry with paper towels. Place cucumbers in a serving container, add sliced red onion, and pour the dill vinaigrette over the top.
Step 5 – Chill & Serve: Give everything a good toss, cover, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. This allows the flavors to meld into a refreshing side dish.
What to Serve with Cucumber Dill Salad
This simple cucumber salad is the perfect side dish for:
- Grilled lemon pepper chicken
- Mediterranean Chilean Sea Bass
- Grilled Lobster Tails
- Shrimp Pasta Salad
- Watermelon Feta Salad
How to Store Cucumber Dill Salad
- Place leftover cucumber dill salad in an airtight container and refrigerate.
- The salad keeps well for 2–3 days, but will release a lot of water over time.
- Best enjoyed chilled on warm days at room temperature straight from the fridge.
Cucumber Dill Salad
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 Cucumbers thinly sliced with mandoline
- 1/2 Red Onion thinly sliced with mandoline
- 1/4 cup Fresh Dill chopped
- 1/2 cup White Vinegar
- 1/2 cup White Sugar
- 1/4 cup Fresh Lemon Juice
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/3 cup Water
- Salt for soaking cucumbers
Instructions
- Wash and slice cucumbers thinly using a mandoline or sharp knife. Sprinkle cut cucumbers with salt to keep them crispy and set aside. Thinly slice the red onion and soak in water for 10 – 30 minutes to reduce sharpness. Chop the fresh dill and set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the ½ cup white vinegar, ½ cup sugar, ¼ cup lemon juice, ½ tsp salt, ⅓ cup water, and ¼ cup dill.
- Rinse the salted cucumbers in a colander, then pat dry with paper towels. Place cucumbers in a serving container, add sliced red onion, and pour the dill vinaigrette over the top. Give everything a good toss, cover, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. Enjoy!
Nutrition
What’s the Best Type of Cucumber for Cucumber Dill Salad?
Not all cucumbers are created equal. English cucumbers (the long, thin kind often wrapped in plastic at the grocery store) and Persian cucumbers (shorter, snacking-size ones) are the best choices. Both of these cucumbers have fewer seeds, thinner skin, and a naturally crisp cucumber texture, which means less excess water in your salad. This helps the cucumbers stay crunchy even after sitting in the tangy dressing. When I shot this recipe, I did not have any, but my recipe still turned out great.
Craving More?
This simple cucumber dill salad is one of my favorite recipes to cook when the weather is nice and warm outside. If you loved this refreshing salad, be sure to check out more of my summer salads, easy hosting recipes, and fresh ingredient dishes that bring a perfect balance of sweet and savory to your table. Don’t forget to Pin this recipe for later and tag @elicitfolio on Instagram if you make it! I’d love to see your take on this fantastic side dish!
I love this combination of sweet, savory, and tangy flavors. This is the perfect salad for summer.
I actually had all of these ingredients on hand, so I made this last night. It’s definitely my new go-to cucumber salad.