This fresh cucumber salad is SO easy to make! This simple cucumber salad is made with red onions, cherry tomatoes, fresh basil, and a flavorful vinaigrette (and don’t forget cucumbers).

yield: 10 SERVINGS

prep time: 15 MINUTES

total time: 15 MINUTES

How to make a Cucumber Salad

Ingredients

• 4 medium English cucumbers, thinly sliced, peeled if desired
• 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
• 2 cups cherry tomatoes, cut in half
• 1/2 cup torn basil leaves, loosely packed

Vinaigrette:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions

1. Thinly slice the cucumber and red onion. If possible use a mandoline for slicing the veggies because it yields uniform, paper-thin slices. If you don’t have one, a sharp knife will work too. Do your best to slice the cucumbers and onion as thinly and evenly as you can.
2. Mix the sliced cucumber, red onion, and cherry tomatoes in a large bowl. Add the torn basil.
3. To make the vinaigrette: In a bowl, whisk together olive oil, apple cider vinegar, salt, and pepper. Pour the vinaigrette over the cucumber salad.
4. Toss the cucumber salad with the vinaigrette.
5. Chill the salad for 20 minutes. This step is super important, so don’t skip it! The chilling time gives the cucumbers a chance to soak up the dressing’s flavor. The salt will also cause them to release a lot of water. After the 20 minutes, you’ll transfer the salad to another bowl or serving dish, leaving the water behind. This way, your cucumber salad will be less soggy.
6. Enjoy!

Do you peel cucumbers for cucumber salad?

In this recipe, I call for English cucumbers, the variety that often comes wrapped in plastic at the grocery store. They have very thin, delicate skins, so there’s no need to peel them. If you can’t find English cucumbers, Persian cucumbers are a great substitute. Just note that because they are much smaller than English cucumbers, you’ll need to use more of them. I’d estimate that about 6 Persian cucumbers would work well here.