If you’re looking for a light and refreshing salad that is easy to make and bursting with flavor, this Creamy German Cucumber Salad is it. Made with crisp cucumbers, tangy sour cream, and fresh herbs, this salad is the perfect side dish for any summer meal.
My family is German and Italian, so I grew up eating a variety of foods. My dad is a German potato salad aficionado, but I was always the queen of pickles. (My grandfather even called me pickles!) As an adult, I now make all kinds of cucumber salads, and since cucumbers seem to grow like weeds in the summer, I try to use them in lots of different ways.
This easy summer salad is a great way to make use of my favorite crunchy cucumbers, and they are a welcome addition on hot summer days. This is also the perfect salad to serve with some burgers at a summer barbecue.
Table of Contents
- Cucumber Salad Ingredients
- Best Cucumbers for Cucumber Salad
- Dried Dill or Fresh Dill
- How to Make Creamy German Cucumber Salad
- Cucumber Slicing Tip
- How to Sweat Cucumbers
- Soak the Onion
- How to Store Creamy Cucumber Salad
- Creamy Cucumber Salad Recipe
- What is Gurkensalat?
- Helpful Tips
- What to Serve with Gurkensalat
Cucumber Salad Ingredients
- Fresh Cucumbers
- Kosher Salt
- White Onions – I like to use a sweet onion like a Vidalia onion, but you can also use a red onion.
- Sour Cream – You can substitute Greek yogurt for the sour cream as well, or use buttermilk and reduce the vinegar!
- Distilled White Vinegar
- Fresh Dill Weed
- Sugar
- Black Pepper
- Optional, a sprinkle of crushed red pepper flakes
This is just a quick overview of the ingredients that you’ll need for this gurkensalat recipe. As always, specific measurements and complete cooking instructions are included in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Best Cucumbers for Cucumber Salad
I like to use large English cucumbers or small cucumbers, like Persian cucumbers. You can use just about any fresh garden cucumbers in this recipe, just try to make sure they are burpless so your salad isn’t bitter.
Dried Dill or Fresh Dill
You can use dried dill as well, but the freshness of the dill really takes this salad over the top. (If you need some, come on over… mine reseeded from last year and accidentally grew a jungle!)
How to Make Creamy German Cucumber Salad
This creamy cucumber salad is a summer staple at our house. While I love the classic pickled cucumber salad without sour cream, this recipe is also a favorite at our house because the cool cucumbers are so refreshing in the summer!
- First, peel the cucumbers if desired. I like to make stripes on the cucumbers because I love the presentation and pop of color.
Cucumber Slicing Tip
I highly recommend using a mandoline slicer to slice the cucumbers and onions evenly. It will allow you to cut the slices nice and thin. Just be careful of your fingers!
Some people also like to keep the cucumbers thick – it’s a personal preference!
- Next, evenly slice the cucumbers with a mandolin, then salt them to draw out the moisture. I like to slice them really thin, but you can cut them as thin or as thick as you like. (Picture 1)
- I lay them in layers in a colander over a bowl, then set another bowl on top of the cucumbers to press the moisture out. Save the liquid to make cucumber cocktails! (Picture 2-5)
How to Sweat Cucumbers
This recipe requires you to “sweat” the cucumbers. Sweating the cucumbers means that you are going to use kosher salt to draw out excess liquid. This will allow the cucumbers to absorb more of the creamy sauce and be extra flavorful. You can skip this step if you want, but your salad will be a little watery and less flavorful.
I recommend using a coarse salt like kosher salt.
- Once the cucumbers are salted, finely slice the onions and soak them in cold water while the cucumbers sit.
Soak the Onion
Because the onion is not being pickled in this recipe like it would be in a vinegar-based cucumber salad, I highly recommend not skipping the step of soaking the onion in cold water. This will calm down the punch of the raw onion.
- After about an hour has passed, pat down the cucumbers with a clean towel or use a paper towel to remove excess water. (You can save the water that drained off the cucumbers for cocktails!) I like to spread the cucumbers out on a clean dish towel and roll it up.
- Let that sit for a minute while you whisk together the sour cream, vinegar, sugar, and black pepper in a small bowl.
- Drain the onions over the sink – you don’t need to save that liquid.
- In a large bowl, combine the onions and sliced cucumbers, then toss them with the sour cream dressing until the salad is fully coated.
- Let this sit for at least 30 minutes before serving, then enjoy the salad with your favorite summer meals!
Sprinkle with a pinch of red pepper flakes if desired.
How to Store Creamy Cucumber Salad
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Cream-based cucumber salad will not last as long as its pickled counterpart – it can get a little watery. Try to finish it up within 2 or 3 days.
Have You Tried This Recipe?
Please rate it and leave a comment below. I would love to hear what you think!
Creamy Cucumber Salad
Ingredients
- 2 English cucumbers or Persian cucumbers
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- ½ small sweet onion thinly sliced
- ½ cup sour cream or full fat plain Greek yogurt
- 3 tablespoons fresh dill chopped
- 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
- ½-1 teaspoon granulated sugar you don't need a lot, just a little bit to balance out the acidity
- 1-2 pinches black pepper
- 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Slice the cucumbers to your desired thickness. (Use a mandolin to keep them the same size.)2 English cucumbers
- Toss the cucumbers with salt for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour to "sweat" out excess liquid.2 teaspoons kosher salt
- If desired, while the cucumbers sweat, soak the onions in cold water to reduce the "raw" taste.½ small sweet onion
- After 30 minutes, dry the cucumbers with a clean kitchen towel and drain the onions.
- Whisk together the sour cream, dill, vinegar, black pepper, and sugar in a medium bowl.½ cup sour cream, 3 tablespoons fresh dill, 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar, ½-1 teaspoon granulated sugar, 1-2 pinches black pepper
- Combine the dressing with the cucumbers and onions and toss until coated.
- Refrigerate for 1 hour for the flavor of the dressing to develop, then serve.
- Sprinkle with a pinch of red pepper flakes if desired and add extra salt and pepper if needed.1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
Notes
Storage
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.Nutrition
Nutrition information is approximate and is automatically calculated, so should only be used as a guide.
What is Gurkensalat?
Gurkensalat means Cucumbers + Salad in German. Immigrants brought Cucumber Salad to the United States, where it is now a Southern staple. There are two different ways to make delicious cucumber salad that you might come across; one is almost pickled and is in a vinegar sauce, and the other is a creamy salad. This is the creamy version.
Just like in the US, different regions of Germany make their cucumber salad differently, but if you hear Gurkensalat, it more commonly refers to the creamy version.
Helpful Tips
- You can substitute Greek yogurt for sour cream in the creamy sauce, or you can use buttermilk – thick buttermilk is actually pretty traditional in gurkensalat – just reduce the vinegar a little bit.
- Cucumber skin does not have to be removed – it’s delicious and great for you, but can be a little fibrous. I like to peel it in stripes because it makes the green really pop in the bowl and looks really pretty. If you buy cucumbers at the grocery store that have a thick, waxy peel, those should be peeled.
What to Serve with Gurkensalat
Serve your cucumber salad with your favorite summer main dishes.
Some of our favorites are cheeseburgers, fried catfish, barbecue pork chops, fried shrimp, and baby back ribs.
