Creamy Cucumber Salad
Creamy Cucumber Salad is one of the most refreshing, easy-to-make salads!
The creamy dressing, made with fresh herbs, is the perfect side salad for many other recipes, such as German Chicken Schnitzel, Frikadellen, or Tuna Croquettes.
Oma’s German Cucumber Salad is a reader’s favorite. And if you’ve been to Germany, you know that you’ll often find two kinds of cucumber salad: creamy and non-creamy. Thankfully, she taught me how to make both kinds.
Today, we’re going to make the older German cucumber salad – classic creamy cucumber salad.
Creamy German cucumber is actually quite different from the sweet and sour version.
It’s made of a creamy base and a variety of fresh herbs: parsley, dill, and chives. They are finely chopped and make for a savory and delicious cucumber salad.
Creamy Cucumber Salad Recipe Highlights
- Ready in just a few steps, perfect for busy days.
- Refreshing & Light
- Great with grilled meats or as part of a vegetarian spread.
- Mild flavors that kids love make healthy eating fun.
- Ideal for preparing in advance for gatherings.
Ingredient Notes
Please check the recipe card below for a detailed, printable ingredient list.
CUCUMBERS – These are the main part of our salad. They make it really crisp and refreshing. If you can, try to use English cucumbers because they have thin skin and not too many seeds, but any cucumber you have will be just fine.
PARSLEY – This herb makes our salad taste really fresh. It’s kind of like adding a bit of spring to the dish.
DILL – Dill has a special flavor that’s a bit like lemon and a bit like grass. It makes the salad taste even more fresh and interesting.
SCALLION – This is a type of onion, but it’s not too strong. It adds a nice, mild flavor that makes everything else taste better.
SOUR CREAM – This makes our dressing creamy and adds a little tangy taste that goes really well with the cucumbers.
WHITE WINE VINEGAR – This adds a bit of zing and helps balance out the creaminess of the sour cream.
SUGAR – Just a little bit of sugar can make all the difference. It doesn’t make the salad sweet; it just makes all the flavors shine.
How To Make Creamy Cucumber Salad Recipe
Please check the printable recipe card below for more detailed instructions.
- Slice the cucumber. For this recipe, you don’t remove the seeds.
- Use a large bowl and whisk sour cream, vinegar, salt, pepper, and sugar.
- Add parsley, dill, and scallions to the dressing. Use a whisk and combine well.
- Add sliced cucumbers and combine well.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and store for at least 15 minutes in the fridge.
📌 PIN THE CREAMY CUCUMBER SALAD HERE TO SAVE FOR LATER!
Leftovers and Storage
STORE – This salad can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 days. Use an airtight container. If you’re storing it from lunchtime to dinnertime, you can cover it with plastic wrap and keep it refrigerated.
Recipe Success Tips
- The dressing will initially appear quite thick and creamy, and if you taste-test it, you might be tempted to dilute it. There is no need to do that!
- Roughly 95% of cucumbers are water. The salt in the dressing helps to draw the water out, naturally diluting the dressing, resulting in a perfectly balanced creamy dressing.
- You can certainly use Garden Cucumbers, but I recommend the longer, skinnier English cucumbers (also called hot-house cucumbers). This variety is readily available in most supermarkets, seedless, and perfect for this salad.
- You can use Greek yogurt instead of sour cream if you want fewer calories.
More Traditional German Recipes
Variations
Sometimes, you’ll find this salad with red onion included. But I don’t recall ever seeing an authentic German cucumber salad recipe with red onions.
So if you’re looking for classic creamy German cucumber salad, omit the onions. But if you like a little bit of extra color and texture, there’s no harm in adding some onion.
If you don’t have fresh herbs on hand, by all means, substitute dried for fresh herbs. Use one tablespoon of dried dill and one tablespoon of dried parsley.
Commonly Asked Questions
To peel or not to peel?
The answer is simple. It’s up to you!
I usually serve creamy cucumber salad with peeled cucumbers because that’s my family tradition. If you ever go to Germany and order ‘Gurkensalat mit Sahne’ (creamy cucumber salad), you’re just as likely to be served peeled as unpeeled cucumbers.
More Easy and Delicious Salads
Blueberry and Goat Cheese Salad
Watermelon Salad – This is a perfect, refreshing summer salad.
Creamy Cucumber Salad
Ingredients
- 2 large Cucumber preferably English, not seeded
Dressing
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon sugar
Instructions
- Peel the cucumber and slice them very thin (don't remove the seeds).
- Use a large mixing bowl and combine sour cream, white wine vinegar, salt, pepper, and sugar. Use a whisk and whisk until very well blended.
- Add the chopped parsley and dill to the dressing. Combine well.
- Mix in the cucumbers and top the salad with the sliced scallions.
- Chill in the fridge for a minimum of 15 minutes (better if you can chill it for longer).
Nutritional Information
Nutritional Disclaimer
Cheerful Cook team members are not trained nutritionists or medical professionals. Calorie information and nutritional values are estimates. If you have nutritional concerns, we recommend using a nutritional calculator.
Maike Corbett is the founder and food blogger of Cheerful Cook, a popular recipe website featuring comfort food recipes from the US and Germany. She has been featured in numerous media outlets, including the AP Wire and MSN.
I love this recipe, is this the same dressing used for creamy beats salad?
I love this recipe.