Creamy Cucumber Salad

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This creamy cucumber salad is a simple summer recipe that comes together quickly and goes well with any main dish. Crisp cucumbers and thinly sliced onions are tossed with a creamy dressing that has just the right balance of tang and flavor.

A serving bowl of creamy cucumber salad with red onions and dill dressing.

Cucumbers have always been one of my favorite summer veggies. We grow lots of cucumbers in our garden every year, and this simple summer salad is one of my favorite ways of using up cucumbers.

It’s a classic cucumber-onion salad that can be made with Miracle Whip or mayonnaise, whichever you prefer. It’s always a hit at BBQs and family dinners as a refreshing side dish.

A Quick Look At The Recipe

Recipe Name: Creamy Cucumber Salad
Time: About 1 hour and 25 minutes (including chilling time)
Servings: 8 servings
Main Ingredients: Cucumbers, red onion, Miracle Whip (or mayo), dill
Dietary Info: Vegetarian, gluten-free (always check your specific ingredients), dairy-free, family-friendly, budget-friendly
Difficulty Level: Easy

Why You’ll Love This Creamy Cucumber Salad

Quick And Easy To Make: This is an easy salad recipe that comes together with just a few simple steps. Most of the time is hands-off while the cucumbers rest and chill.
Simple Ingredients: You only need a handful of basic ingredients to make this creamy salad, making it an easy go-to side dish.
Cool And Refreshing: This cucumber dill salad is light, creamy, and perfect for warm weather, making it a great choice for summer meals.
Easy To Customize: You can make this salad with Miracle Whip or mayonnaise, depending on your taste, and adjust the seasoning to suit your family.

Ingredients

2 English cucumbers
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup Miracle Whip (or mayo)
2 teaspoons white sugar
4 teaspoons white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

How To Make Creamy Cucumber Salad

Sliced red onion was added to the cucumbers.

Start by slicing the cucumbers and thinly slicing the red onion. Place them in a medium-sized mixing bowl.

Salt was added to the sliced vegetables.

The sliced cucumbers and onions were tossed with salt.

The drained onions and cucumbers were placed back into the mixing bowl.

Sprinkle with the salt, and toss to coat well.

Cover the bowl and let it sit for 15 to 30 minutes. This helps to draw out the excess moisture from the cucumbers so the salad doesn’t get watery.

After resting, pour the cucumber mixture into a colander and let it drain until most of the liquid has been removed. Transfer the drained cucumbers and onions into a large bowl.

A small bowl with Miracle Whip, sugar, vinegar, and seasonings.

In a separate small mixing bowl, combine the Miracle Whip, sugar, vinegar, dill, garlic powder, and black pepper.

Homemade cucumber dressing mixed together.

Stir until the dressing is smooth and well mixed.

The creamy dressing was poured over the cucumbers and onion.

Cucumber salad is mixed together and ready to chill.

Pour the dressing over the cucumber mixture and stir until everything is evenly coated.

Homemade creamy cucumber salad in a brown serving bowl.

Cover and refrigerate for about an hour before serving so the salad can chill, and the flavors can come together. If all your ingredients are prechilled, you can skip this step.

Recipe Notes & Tips

Don’t skip salting the cucumbers – This step helps draw out the excess moisture so your creamy cucumber salad doesn’t turn watery.
Slice thin for the best texture – Thin slices of cucumber and onion give the best texture and help the dressing coat everything evenly.
Drain well – After the cucumbers sit, make sure to drain them well. This makes a big difference in how thick and creamy the final salad is.
Adjust to taste – You can easily tweak the dressing by adding a little more vinegar for tang or a little more sugar for sweetness.

Homemade creamy cucumber salad in a brown serving bowl with a forkful lifted up.

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FAQ’s

Salting the cucumbers helps draw out extra water. This keeps the cucumber salad from becoming watery after you add the dressing.

Yes, they work great in this recipe. Just peel them first, and then remove the seeds.

Yes, you can use mayonnaise if you prefer. The flavor will be a little less sweet, so you may want to adjust the sugar slightly.

It will keep in the fridge for about 4 to 5 days, but it’s best within the first couple of days while the cucumbers are still crisp.

Yes, you can make it a few hours or a few days ahead and let it chill until you need it. Just give it a quick stir before serving.

Yes, fresh dill works well and gives a brighter flavor. Use about 1 tablespoon of fresh dill in place of the dried dill weed.

This usually happens if the cucumbers weren’t salted and drained well enough. Cucumbers contain a lot of water, which they start to release after slicing.

Creamy Cucumber Salad

This creamy cucumber salad is a simple, refreshing side dish made with crisp cucumbers, sliced onions, and a creamy dill dressing. It’s easy to make and perfect for summer meals, BBQs, and everyday dinners.

Prep Time 25

Refrigerate 1

Total Time 1 25

Serving Size servings

Ingredients

2 English cucumbers sliced
1/2 small red onion thinly sliced
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup Miracle Whip
2 teaspoons white sugar
4 teaspoons white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

Slice the cucumbers and thinly slice the onion. Place into a bowl, sprinkle with salt, and toss to coat. Cover and let sit for 15-30 minutes.
Drain the cucumber mixture in a colander to remove excess liquid. Transfer to a large bowl.
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the Miracle Whip, sugar, vinegar, dill, garlic powder, and black pepper until smooth.
Pour the dressing over the cucumbers and stir until evenly coated.
Serve right away or cover and refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.

Notes

If you start with chilled ingredients, refrigerating the salad before serving is optional.

Nutrition

These values are from a nutritional database and automatically calculated, and should only be used as an approximation.

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Kim

Kim Mills is a homeschooling mom of 6 and lives on an urban homestead in Ontario, Canada. Blogging at Homestead Acres she enjoys sharing tips to help you save money, grow and preserve your own food.