This easy vinegar cucumber salad is made with fresh cucumbers, thinly sliced red onion, and a simple vinegar dressing. This Southern recipe is a family favorite and the ultimate summer comfort food. Serve it next to our grilled seitan chicken and roasted corn for an easy vegan dinner.
A Classic Side Dish
I can’t remember a summer when this delicious cucumber and onion salad didn’t make an appearance at least once a week.
My mom would switch it up and serve this vinegar-based version, and then her creamy version, to keep things interesting.
However, my husband and kids are not fans of the creamy version, so I make this one and my cucumber and tomato salad for them.
Try them both!
What Kind of Cucumbers Should You Use for This Salad?
Some people prefer English cucumbers because they’re seedless.
The problem with those, in our opinion, is that they’re usually wrapped in plastic if you don’t grow them, and we’re not about adding more plastic to the environment.
We actually enjoy Kirby cucumbers, because they’re crisp, have thin skin and tiny seeds, are easy to grow, and you can find them in almost every grocery store.
Should You Sweat Them?
Sweating cucumbers, or salting them to draw out the excess liquid, isn’t necessary for this salad.
We reduce the amount of water in the dressing and let the cucumbers add their own to the mix.
What Kind of Onion is Best for This Salad?
You can use any kind of onion you want, although we love red onion in this salad.
Red onion adds color and we love its peppery flavor.
How to Make It
STEP ONE
Wash and dry the cucumbers and with a vegetable peeler, peel stripes into the cucumber.
This is optional. You can also peel all of it (it won’t be as crisp) or none of it.
Thinly slice the cucumber and place in a large bowl.
STEP TWO
Peel the onion and cut it in half and thinly slice half of the onion and put it in the bowl with the cucumber.
STEP THREE
Pour the dressing over the cucumber slices and onion and toss to coat.
Cover and refrigerate for approximately an hour to chill.
How to Make Cucumber Salad Dressing
You could do this with your eyes closed. Not really, but it’s so easy!
Whisk the vinegar, water, lemon juice, sugar, and salt and pepper together, or shake it up in a jar with a lid.
That’s it! See, we said it was going to be easy.
What’s the Best Vinegar for Cucumber Dressing?
We love using champagne or white wine vinegar.
It has a lighter, more delicate flavor than other white vinegars, so it doesn’t overpower the beautiful freshness of the cucumbers.
You can use apple cider vinegar if you want a fruitier dressing or distilled white vinegar if you don’t mind a more acidic and sharp dressing.
How Should You Store It?
Cover it and store it in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
The longer it’s stored, the less crisp the cucumbers will be.
How to Serve It
Our easy cucumber salad is the perfect vegan side dish for almost any entrée. We especially like it with these delicious mains.
Smokey Southern-Style Vegan Meatloaf
Spicy Black Bean & Quinoa Burger
More Simple Salad Recipes You’ll Love
Make our easy vinegar cucumber salad recipe and let us know what you think. We love to hear from you! And, don’t forget to take a picture of your gorgeous creation and tag us @veganosity on Instagram.
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Easy Vinegar Cucumber Salad
Equipment
- knife
Ingredients
- 3 medium cucumbers
- ½ small red onion
- FOR THE DRESSING
- ¾ cup champagne or white wine vinegar SEE NOTE
- ¼ cup water
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon sugar add more if the dressing tastes to acidic for your taste
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Wash and dry the cucumbers and with a vegetable peeler, peel stripes into the cucumber.
- This is optional. You can also peel all of it (it won’t be as crisp) or none of it. Thinly slice the cucumber and place in a large bowl.
- Peel the onion and cut it in half and thinly slice half of the onion and put it in the bowl with the cucumber.
- FOR THE DRESSING
- Whisk the ¾ cups vinegar, ¼ cup water, 2 tablespoon lemon juice, ½ teaspoon sugar, and salt and pepper until fully combined.
- Pour the dressing over the cucumber slices and onion and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for approximately an hour to chill.
- Enjoy!
Dorothy MacRae says
how long will this keep in refrigerator and love it only has 1 tsp
sugar as I am diabetic could I use splenda?
Linda Meyer says
Hi Dorothy, this is best if eaten within a day or two of making it. The vinegar breaks down the cucumber, so it loses it's crispiness after a few day.
We're so happy that this recipe works for you. 🙂
Linda Meyer says
Yes, you could use Splenda.
Dave Russell says
Can’t wait to try this and I’d love to see your creamy version recipe as well
Linda Meyer says
Thank you, Dave! We'll post a creamy version, soon. 🙂
Christine @ Run Plant Based says
Wow, this looks wonderful and such a great side dish. We we had more party opportunities for it. Thanks!
Linda Meyer says
Thank you so much, Christine. We hope you enjoyed it!