Easy Cucumber Salad (Creamy and Refreshing)

This easy cucumber salad recipe is ever so creamy with a fantastic lime flavor that is perfect for slicing and enjoying on a bed of lettuce! This creamy cucumber spread is light and refreshing that takes minutes to prepare using minimal ingredients, and it's perfect for a hot summer's day.

Contents

🌟 Why this recipe works
🍽 Key Ingredients
🔪 How to make
💭 Cooking tips
📖 Recipe Variations
🥗 What to serve with
🙋 Frequently Asked Questions
🧊 Storage
🍳 Related Cucumber Recipes
👪 Serving Size
Easy Cucumber Salad (Creamy and Refreshing)
💬 Comments

🌟 Why this recipe works

Unlike the traditional cucumber & onion salad that comes in salad form with sliced cucumber, red onion, herbs, and apple cider vinegar, this creamy recipe is more like a refreshing light spread that is perfect for summer weather.

You can enjoy this delicious cucumber spread with salad recipes, on toast, or as a refreshing side dish to accompany healthy main meals.

The creamy texture from the sour cream and cottage cheese balances perfectly with the shredded cucumber and onion. And the lime jello holds it all together while adding a slightly tangy flavor.

If you're looking for something new and easy to make in less than 10 minutes that uses just 5 ingredients and is super delicious - this refreshing cucumber salad recipe is it!

It's also cheap to make, which is great for families on a budget and so easy to prepare that any home cook can make it with no special kitchen equipment necessary.

🍽 Key Ingredients

This is the best cucumber salad recipe that uses fresh ingredients commonly found in your pantry and fridge.

Dairy - To give the cucumber spread its creaminess, use sour cream and cottage cheese.

Cucumbers - Use fresh cucumbers (peeled) from the garden, if possible, or from the veg market. English cucumbers are the best for salad cucumber recipes.

Onion - For this creamy cucumber salad, it's best to use sweet onions rather than ordinary white onions as they are too tarty. And we want a slight sweetness to aid the cucumber.

Jello - To hold the ingredients together and add a bit of lime flavor, buy lime jello from the grocery store.

Substitutions

Sour cream

If you don't have sour cream in your fridge, you can use natural yogurt as an equal substitute.

Cheese

Feta cheese or cream cheese will also work in this recipe in place of cottage cheese.

🔪 How to make

This creamy cucumber salad is easy to prepare with 5 simple steps to follow. You need to mix all the ingredients and chill the cucumber spread overnight before consuming.

Step 1
First, you will need to combine one (3 ounce) package lime jello with ¾ cup of hot water in an 8 inch x 8 inch Pyrex baking dish.

Tip: You could use a mold, if desired. Set aside to cool but do not refrigerate.

Step 2
In the meantime, you will need 2 medium size or 3 small cucumbers. These are pickling cucumbers that we grew in our garden, but you could use any type of cucumber.

Step 3
Wash and peel the cucumbers and then grate them using a box grater. You will need about ¾ cup of grated cucumber.

Step 4
Grate ½ of a small sweet onion until you have about 2 tablespoons of grated onion. We grew this onion in our garden, but you could use a Vidalia or Texas Sweet onion.

Place the grated cucumber and the grated onion in a colander and let drain. Press the top with a paper towel to remove more moisture.

Step 5
Whisk in 1 cup sour cream into the cooled lime jello.

Step 6
Add 1 cup cottage cheese along with the grated onion and cucumber.

Cottage cheese with grated onion and cucumber

Step 7
Stir until it's all mixed together and then place the cucumber salad in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours or overnight.

Step 8
To serve, cut into squares and place on lettuce leaves. Add a dollop of sour cream and garnish with chopped parsley, if desired.

💭 Cooking tips

Smoother consistency

If you want a smoother consistency, use a food processor to blend the fresh cucumbers and onions and drain the juices before mixing with the dairy products.

📖 Recipe Variations

You can make many variations of this easy cucumber salad recipe by adding some flavorsome ingredients.

Cucumber & avocado salad

This variation is amazingly tasty with a smooth texture and cool refreshing taste! Mash 1 ripe avocado, swap the cottage cheese for cream cheese and mix it with the other ingredients.

Cucumber salad with fresh dill

If you have some fresh dill in your pantry, finely chop a small bunch (around 1 tablespoon) and mix it into the cucumber spread. Dill is an amazing herb that is flavorful and perfect with cucumber salad.

Cucumber salad with pickling cucumbers

Give the creamy cucumber salad a touch of acidity and crunch by adding 2 tablespoons of finely diced pickled cucumbers.

🥗 What to serve with

Cucumber salad is best eaten for breakfast or lunch with lettuce or avocado toast. It also pairs nicely with these easy flavorsome summer creations:

Garden pea fritters

Garden peas are not always to everyone's liking, but garden pea fritters are entirely different! They're easy to make and have subtle flavors of mint and onion with a creamy center and a breadcrumb, crunchy texture that pairs beautifully with a slice of cucumber salad.

Italian zucchini pie

Use any garden zucchinis with this simple creamy Italian zucchini pie with a crescent roll pie crust and a cheesy egg custard center full of cooked zucchini. It's absolutely delicious and perfect for hot summer days.

Roasted cherry tomato pie

This is another delicious pie that is filled with summer cherry tomatoes and Italian flavors of basil, olive oil, Italian seasoning, and balsamic vinegar. It's a simple pie with puff pastry and a sweet cherry tomato filling that is irresistibly moreish with a slice of cucumber salad.

🙋 Frequently Asked Questions

Should you peel cucumbers for a salad?

For this salad, it is necessary to peel the skins. In other salad recipes, you may not need to, depending on the type of cucumber. For example, English or Persian cucumbers have very thin skins that are fine to eat.

Why is my cucumber salad watery?

If your cucumber salad is watery, you may not have drained all the excess moisture from them before mixing it in the jello mixture. Alternatively, you may not have used enough jello for the cucumber salad to set properly.

🧊 Storage

Fresh recipes, like cucumber salad, are great for refrigerating but not so much for freezing because it contains jello.

Fridge - You can keep the creamy cucumber spread in the fridge in the dish covered in plastic wrap for 5 to 6 days.

Looking for ways to use up your fresh garden cucumbers? Try one of my cumber recipes or consider canning your cucumbers.

👪 Serving Size

This cucumber salad recipe will give you approximately 8 thick slices, depending on the size of your dish. Each slice is equal to one portion, and it is easy to double or triple the recipe amount to cater to bigger crowds.

I love making this cucumber salad spread in the summer because it is so creamy and delicious, especially with the added lime jello ingredient that instantly lifts the flavor. Once you make it, you will fall in love with it - and you will be making it again and again!