Cucumber Salad with Vinegar – A Couple Cooks
This cucumber salad with vinegar is an easy healthy side dish made with thinly sliced cucumbers and onions in a tangy brine: ready in minutes and even better the next day!
Did you grow up with the tradition of eating cucumber salad? This cucumber salad with vinegar is everything summer (and I grew up eating it, so it brings on the nostalgia for me). It’s perfect for everything from summer potlucks to patio barbecues to picnics, and pairs perfectly with everything from salmon to a grilled burger.
Here’s a spin on my family recipe: the thinly sliced cucumbers and onions are salty, tangy, and lightly sweet all at once, and totally addicting. This cucumber salad is vegan, plant-based, and gluten-free, so it works for lots of diets too!
5 Star Reader Review
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “This is an amazing salad! Since discovering, I’ve already made it twice!! I really liked that having the onions sliced so thin, they weren’t overpowering in the dish. My husband too enjoyed it!” -Anonymous
Ingredients You’ll Need
There are only a few ingredients you need to whip up this cucumber salad with vinegar (for quantities see the recipe below):
- Cucumbers: English cucumbers are preferable if you can find them. They have a sweet flavor, delicate skin, and imperceptible seeds. You can use standard cucumbers as well, but we recommend English if you can find them (also called Persian cucumbers).
- White onion: The mild flavor of white onion is key in this recipe. You can also combine white onion and red onion as we do in our classic cucumber salad.
- Fresh dill: Here I’ve used fresh dill to add an herby flair. But it’s not a requirement: making the salad without it still tastes excellent. You can also substitute dried dill if desired.
- White vinegar, sugar, and kosher salt: These ingredients combine to make a tangy brine for the salad.
How to Make Cucumber Salad with Vinegar
This cucumber salad with vinegar is incredibly easy to make: the only hard part is waiting while it marinates in the refrigerator! The trick to mastering this cucumber salad is to slice the onions and cucumbers as thinly as possible. Slicing the cucumber and onion thinly allows the salt to draw out most of the moisture, and gives this salad the most incredible texture.
After 1 hour marinating time, you can enjoy your cucumber salad with vinegar salad anytime over the next 7 days. The flavor just gets better with time!
What to Serve with Vinegar Cucumber Salad
There are so many ways to accessorize this cucumber salad with vinegar! We eat it primarily in as a summer side dish, so naturally we think of meals full of summer produce. Of course you can eat this salad all year long. Here some ideas to get your wheels turning:
Summer Grill Night:
Easy Picnic Spread:
Storage
Store refrigerated in a covered container for up to 7 days. The liquid will accumulate: this is normal! Give it a good stir before serving and use a slotted spoon.
Dietary Notes
This cucumber salad with vinegar recipe is vegetarian, gluten-free, vegan, plant-based, and dairy-free.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! The flavors will meld and develop over time, making it even more delicious.
Stored in an airtight container, cucumber salad can last 7 days in the refrigerator. The cucumbers will soften slightly over time.
White distilled vinegar is a classic choice. We recommend using it if at all possible.
English cucumbers are ideal for their thin skin and fewer seeds, but regular cucumbers work too. Just peel them first if the skin is thick or waxed.
Cucumber Salad with Vinegar
This cucumber salad with vinegar is an easy healthy side dish made with thinly sliced cucumbers and onions in a tangy brine: ready in minutes and even better the next day!
- Prep Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 6 to 8 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: Raw
- Cuisine: German
- 2 large, thin cucumbers (English if possible)
- 1 small yellow or white onion
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill (optional)*
- ½ cup white vinegar
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Fresh ground black pepper
- Slice the cucumbers as thin as possible, using a mandolin if desired. Peel and thinly slice the onion into half moon shapes. Layer the cucumbers and onions in a large shallow bowl; add the dill (if using).
- In a small bowl, mix the white vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper. Pour the mixture over the cucumbers and onions, mixing everything together to ensure even coverage. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour**.
- Stir again to evenly mix the dressing, then serve with a slotted spoon. Store refrigerated for up to 7 days; the flavor even improves over time!
Notes
*You can also omit the dill, or use ½ teaspoon dried in place of fresh.
**If you’re pressed for time you can serve immediately, but it’s best after 1 hour marinating time.
Looking for salad recipes?
Outside of this salad, here are a few of our best salad recipes:
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