Cucumber tomato salad is of those refreshing salad recipes with a tangy pop of flavor in every single bite. It’s one of the classic side dishes that’s withstood the test of time offering a welcome and scrumptious reprieve from the summer heat.
I know that cucumber salad recipes are kind of a dime a dozen. So, when you come across one of these amazing tomato salad recipes that are simple and delicious – it’s a keeper! When you’re ready for some variety, make it a creamy cucumber salad instead but today we’re gonna’ talk about the original recipe.
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What I Love About This Recipe
My cucumber tomato salad takes me right back to my Grandma’s little pink kitchen. She had a table for four at one end with a beautiful corner window where she and I would sit, eating this old-fashioned salad and watching the squirrels and birds play in her garden.
Every time I make this salad, I’m immediately transported back to that table and the special lunches we shared. That’s why I love this salad so much!
- This salad is full of crisp cucumbers, perky tomatoes, and peppery red onion.
- It also makes for perfect potlucks and afternoon picnics
How To Make Cucumber Tomato Salad Recipe
Whipping up this yummy salad is so easy and it’s sinfully delicious. Just slice up your veggies and mix your tangy vinaigrette while you’re sweating the cucumbers. Then combine everything and garnish. You can serve immediately or give it some chill time beforehand.
Cucumber Salad Recipe Notes
You’ll want to sweat your cucumbers with a little salt before mixing up your cucumber salad to pull out some of the moisture. This keeps your salad from being watered down after it sits in the fridge.
I recommend an hour of chill time in the icebox before serving but everyone has different tastes. My family loves this cucumber tomato salad immediately after it’s made while those cukes are super crunchy. Chill time will soften them just a little, but it also gives all those flavors time to mingle and soak in.
Ingredient Notes
Cucumbers –I like to use English cucumbers in my salad rather than the shorter, slicing variety mainly because they have smaller seeds.
- If you can’t find English cucumbers or those kitchen countertops are full of the slicing of Kirby varieties, you can definitely substitute five or six in this recipe.
- If you’re concerned at all about the bitterness, cut the cucumbers in half lengthwise, then scoop out the seeds with a spoon and discard them before slicing the cucumbers.
Tomatoes – When choosing tomatoes, I prefer grape to their larger cousins because they’re predictably sweet and lower on the acid scale, plus they hold their shape better, especially since the skins are intact.
Vinegar – If you’re looking for a vinegar substitute because you’re not a fan of balsamic, you can definitely stick with my grandmother’s choice of apple cider vinegar. Feel free to experiment with white or red wine vinegar too. You just may find you need an extra pinch or two of sugar if you use something other than the balsamic.
Balsamic vinegar – The tangy Balsamic vinaigrette is a big part of this cucumber salad, but you can make it with store-bought dressing. Of course, I love the homemade stuff, but I totally understand the need for convenience too.
Raw Onions- I know some people shy away from raw onion in salads, but they’re a wonderful contrast to the cucumbers in my cucumber tomato onion salad. The subtle heat gets toned down by the cooling quality of the cucumbers, plus they add extra crunch and color. The balsamic vinegar helps to smooth out the flavors a bit too, so trust me on this one.
Tools to Make
Whipping up this zesty salad doesn’t take any tools beyond what you’ve already got sitting in the kitchen. Just a couple of bowls, a whisk, and a chopping knife and you’re off to the races!
How Long Can You Keep This In The Fridge?
This refreshing salad will stay fresh and yummy in the fridge for up to 5 or 6 days when stored properly. You’ll want to keep it in an airtight container to protect the integrity of the ingredients.
Can You Freeze This?
Well – the good news is that this salad only has 10-minute prep time. Unfortunately, it just doesn’t freeze well but who needs to freeze it? The FAM is gonna’ want to gobble this up as soon as it’s ready.
Make Ahead Tips
This is one of those outstanding salads that gets even better as it chills in the fridge. The flavors mingle and coat the veggies for an extraordinary burst of flavor in every single bite. If time is a factor, you can make the entire salad a day or so ahead, or you can whip up the tangy vinaigrette and add it to the veggies a couple of hours before serving.
It is important to observe the FDA recommended a 2-hour serving rule.
Serving Recommendations
I absolutely love the way this cucumber tomato salad complements the flavor of million dollar chicken. They make a phenomenal flavor pair for dinner. If you’re short on time after a long hard day, then whip up a batch of Italian dressing chicken to go with your salad.
I also like to serve this as a side dish for one of our backyard grill fests and ladies’ lunch, but you can also serve it like my Grandma did, as a great, light lunch with some crusty French bread.
Summer Salad Recipes Variations
There are so many different variations of this cucumber tomato salad, it’s one of my favorite summer salad recipes. Here are some simple ways to jazz it up.
- Swap out avocado for tomato and make a scrumptious cucumber avocado salad.
- Use avocado as a healthy stand-in for cucumbers in a super healthy avocado tomato salad.
- Whip up a deliciously refreshing watermelon cucumber salad with a few simple swaps.
- Make tomatoes the star of the show with a marinated tomato salad at the height of the season.
- Turn it into a crunchy cucumber onion salad that’ll have them begging for seconds.
Cucumber Tomato Salad
Ingredients
Dressing:
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Salad
- 3 English cucumbers thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups grape tomatoes cut in half
- 2 cups Mozzarella cut into small cubes
- 1 cup red onions thinly sliced
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together all dressing ingredients. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, toss the sliced cucumbers with 1 teaspoon salt, then allow to sit 1 hour at room temperature to "sweat". Drain off liquid.
- Add tomatoes, mozzarella, onions and dressing to drained cucumbers and toss until ingredients are evenly coated. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour before serving. Adjust seasoning and serve. Store leftovers in the fridge.
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More Vegetable Salad Recipes
Here are even more awesome vegetable salad recipes you may want to try.
- Broccoli Salad – Nutrient-dense and delicious, just like grandma used to make.
- Pea Salad – Delightfully tasty and goes with almost anything.
- Strawberry Salad – A healthy salad that tastes like dessert.
- Strawberry Spinach Salad – Liven up any salad with a burst of luscious strawberry.
- Cucumber Dill Salad – Crisp, refreshing, and altogether lovely.
Conclusion
A bright beautiful cucumber tomato salad is just what the doctor ordered to complete any summer meal. It’s simple, delicious, and versatile. What more could you ask for? Take a reprieve from the summer heat with this refreshing warm-weather salad and get your veggies in too!
Haven’t tried it yet.
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I hope you enjoy this one!
I have made this 3X and it works so well, even when I don’t have the right ingredients. The key is the balsamic because everything is less … harsh. I have never had English cukes so I’m stuck de-seeding regular ones. Not easy to cut on a mandolin, however, after de-watering them with salt for an hour. I have even de-seeded my tomatoes, not having any grape or cherry, even. Both the de-seeded tomatoes and cuke slices get DRIED before adding together to decrease water content. Never needed to substitute another oil for the olive, and I’d never sub in jarred garlic bits-only fresh will do! And keep in mind, the vinaigrette amounts can be halved because leftovers tend to get marinaded. Love the idea of adding pasta to the salad if you end up making the full amounts for the vinaigrette!
(As for the blog write up, I think “sinfully” delicious is a poor choice of adjective and there’s no call to push alcohol when the correct word is “beverage” for “All you need is a drink to complete a meal!” but I do love all of your explanations and descriptions of ingredients.)
Made it with hot house cucumbers but still salted them for an hour and then drained with colander and amazed at the amount of liquid that came through. However, I cheated, instead of the dressing i used an italian salad dressing, about two tbs and left it to marinate overnight and i was quite happy with the way the salad came out.
Oooh glad to hear it turned out great! Love your tweaks. <3
Olive oil don’t have can I use regular canola oil?
Hi Bonnie! I haven’t tried using canoli oil on salad yet but I think you can. If you give it a try, let us know how it turns out for you. Good luck!
This sounds amazing, I was wondering if you have ever added a brown rice pasta to it? Or if you have a similar recipe that would have pasta noodles included.
Hi Kristin. No, I haven’t added any pasta to this salad. The recipe makes a lot of dressing. It serves as a marinade as well. I think it the old fashioned way to make it. Anyway, the reason I mention this is you could likely add a good amount of cooked pasta and have enough dressing to cover it without having to increase the recipe. Let us know if you try it! 🙂
I made this recipe but halved the amount for the dressing, and I only had 2 cucumbers, not 3. It is fantastic and so much less bitter than any cucumber salads I’ve made previously.
So happy to hear that, Mary Eileen <3
Sounds so tasty, can I double or triple the recipe for a crowd?
Hey Pat. You absolutely can. I do often when I’m bringing it to a potluck. It’s a big hit <3
This is so darn delicious and addicting. I love how easy it is to make and best when nice and cold. Thank you. So yummy!
Oh, that makes my day, Mary! So glad you enjoyed. I LOVE it when it’s super cold, too <3
I don’t like cucumbers at all! What might be a good substitute because everything else in this salad sounds so good with the balsamic dressing!
Oh Carol! Hmmmm, what about some grilled zucchini. Grill it just until its tender, but firm (Not mushy) then cool it and cube it up. I think that would be AMAZING! I love grilling extra veggies whenever I light up my grill and saving them to use the next day. Thanks for the question, I’m totally going to make it that way <3
I just found your blog on Facebook and I absolutely loved the pecan bars which I pinned to make later . I also like this salad , I will make that tonight with feta cheese.
Hi Gerlinde!So happy to have you join us. Enjoy the salad. It’s wonderful with Feta <3
Kathleen where can I find your blog? I love your everyday style recipes and would love to see what other great recipes you have to offer!! Thank you!!
Thanks Debbie, you can find more recipes here at gonnawantseconds.com
Do I Have to use cheese or can I leave it out?
You can leave it out <3