Nana’s Cucumber and Onion Salad
This make-ahead Cucumber and Onion Salad is a summertime superstar. Simple and delicious, the fresh ingredients let the garden-fresh produce shine in this easy cucumber salad. From my Nana’s kitchen to yours, be the hit of your next BBQ or potluck with this classic cucumber salad recipe.
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My Nana always made the best food. She was the head of our family’s tradition of “dump cooking”, as in you dump stuff in without really measuring. “Oh hell, just eyeball it” was her way to share the recipe.
One of Nana’s best savory dishes was a sliced cucumber and onion salad. It was refreshing and usually served during family BBQs in summer. It was always best when the cucumbers were grown in her garden.
Each time I’ve brought this dish to an event, I’m asked for the recipe. My sister has taken it to BBQs and got cornered for the details.
This cucumber and onion salad is delicious, but more importantly, I think it is so popular because it reminds people of childhood. It reminds them of grandmas, nanas, and nonnas.
And while it is the exact opposite of this easy cucumber salad recipe, you may also be interested in my Nana’s Almond Roca Recipe. It was a 10-year quest by my aunt to recreate it after Nana’s passing.
Why You’ll Love This Easy Cucumber Salad
- It’s so fast to make! Like 5 minutes total of hands-on time.
- You can keep in the fridge for days and days. Total make-ahead/meal prep game changer.
- It can be safely served at room temperature, which makes it the best dish for BBQs and potlucks.
- Cucumber salad is super affordable!
Do you love make-ahead salads? Sure you do! You have to check out Instant Pot Potato Salad, Zesty Instant Pot Quinoa Salad and Instant Pot Farro Salad. Both have alternative cooking instructions if you don’t have an Instant Pot!
What to Serve With Cucumbers and Onions?
This dish is awesome at BBQs because it is a light side dish that goes really well with heavier main dishes like burgers.
It’s also great alongside Paleo Salmon Cakes or Fried Halloumi With Bruschetta Zoodles.
What Ingredients are in Cucumber and Onion Salad?
Try not to be overcome with surprise, but the main two ingredients are cucumbers and onions. I’ll pause to pick you up off the floor. So glad you didn’t hit your head.
If you’re smart, you’ll use Walla Walla sweet onions because they rule, and I am a proud Washingtonian.
You’ll also find vinegar, dill, sea salt, celery seed, and a little bit of sugar.
I really dialed down the sugar content compared with what Nana used and other recipes you may see. Maybe it is just me, but when I am eating cucumbers and onions, I am not looking for a candied veg side dish.
What is the Best Vinegar for Cucumber and Onion Salad?
I use plain ol’ white vinegar but have also had great success with apple cider vinegar. Rice vinegar is also pretty dang delicious.
In my experience, red wine vinegar and flavored vinegar fought with the “dillness” of this recipe.
What Kind of Cucumbers to Use For Cucumber Onion Salad
Three types of cucumbers are typically available at most stores – slicing, pickling, and English.
Slicing cukes are uniform in size and have dark green skin. Pickling cukes are smaller and squat with tiny seeds.
English cucumbers are sweeter than slicing cucumbers and have teeny tiny seeds. They’re also ridiculously sold wrapped in plastic (to protect their more delicate skin).
Conventional grocery store cucumbers are coated in wax for appearances. This wax can make the peel extremely tough and unappetizing in this cucumber salad recipe. Either peel fully or use the “tiger stripe” method listed below in the Tips/Tricks section.
This great post from The Spruce goes more in-depth into the cucumber differences. Because I know you’re berzerkin for the gherkin.
I use slicing or Persian cucumbers (tiny, extra crispy slicers) for this cucumber salad. When our DIY garden trellises are covered in cukes, this dish gets made on the daily.
Can This Dish Be Made Whole30 Compliant? What about Keto?
You betcha. Just leave out the sugar and then go rock on with your bad self.
How To Make Cucumber and Onion Salad
In a microwave-proof container (I used a 4-cup glass measuring cup), microwave the vinegar and sugar on high for 2 minutes. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Set aside to cool.
To make this dish extra fast, I use a mandoline, but a sharp knife works too. Slice the cukes and onion thinly, and add to a large container that has a lid. 
Sprinkle the dill, sea salt, and celery seed into the bowl.
Pour the cooled vinegar mixture over the top. Stir to combine. Refrigerate for 1-12 hours.
Pro Tips/Recipe Notes for Cucumber and Onion Salad
- Need to make more or less of the recipe? Click and slide the “servings” number on the recipe card and the ingredients will adjust as needed. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.
- Unpeeled cucumbers become tough. If you peel the cucumbers all the way, they get mushy. If you’re going to be using regular cucumbers, peel a few strips off (will give a bitchin’ striped effect) and it is the perfect texture compromise.
- The brine (liquid) won’t cover all the veggies completely. That’s ok! As the cucumbers sit in the brine, they will release their own liquids. Give everything a stir after a few hours and you’ll be good to go.
Variations
- If you want to turn this into a creamy cucumber salad, add 1/3 cup of sour cream with 1/4 cup of white vinegar to the seasoning. Leave out the water.
- To make this a cucumber tomato salad, add thinly sliced tomatoes just prior to serving.
More Healthy Vegetable Recipes
- Blistered Shishito Peppers
- Air Fryer Asparagus
- Hasselback Roasted Beets With Goat Cheese
- Air Fryer Zucchini Chips
- Spicy Green Beans
- Addicting Feta Stuffed Grilled Tomatoes
- All my vegetable recipes
Nana’s Cucumber and Onion Salad WEIGHT WATCHERS POINTS
One serving of Nana’s Cucumber and Onion Salad has 1 WW Freestyle SmartPoints.
Nana's Cucumber and Onion Salad
Ingredients
- 6 cups cucumbers, thinly sliced 3 regular cukes or 6 pickling
- 1 1/2 cup white vinegar
- 2 tbsp sugar {leave out to make Whole30 compliant}
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 tsp dried dill
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 3/4 tsp celery seed
- 1/2 onion thinly sliced
Instructions
- In a microwave-proof container, microwave the vinegar, water, and sugar on high for 2 minutes. Set aside to cool.
- Slice the cucumbers and onion thinly, and add to a large container that has a lid.
- Add the dill, sea salt, and celery seed.
- Pour the cooled vinegar water solution over the top. Stir to combine. Refrigerate for at least 12 hours.
Notes
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This post was originally published in August 2013. It has been retested and updated with reader feedback. New photos have been added and the recipe has been made printable.
Can regular brown or white onions be used with apple cider vinegar? This is my first time trying this. Will let you know how it turns out.
Yes, apple cider vinegar will work too! The flavor will be more intense than regular white vinegar but still it will be tasty.
This is always a huge hit in the summer when the garden is exploding with cucumbers and I don’t want to heat up the kitchen making long-term pickles. Even my little eats these! He requests them by name, “I have frugalpants cucs, Mom?” Note: We call Sarah by MrFrugalpants…
Oh my gosh I forgot the stars!!!
This is always a huge hit in the summer when the garden is exploding with cucumbers and I don’t want to heat up the kitchen making long-term pickles. Even my little eats these! He requests them by name, “I have frugalpants cucs, Mom?” Note: We call Sarah by MrFrugalpants…
LOL, thanks for taking the time to leave a review and stars!
The fact that D calls me frugalpants just made my WHOLE YEAR!!!
Super easy to make and so tasty, it’s going to become a summer staple in our house
Awww, Heather, that would make my Nana so happy! I’m thrilled you guys liked it! Thanks for taking the time to post a review. 🙂
Hey Sarah! How would this be without sugar? A touch of coconut aminos maybe? I’m missing something on my salads, would normally have gherkins or beetroot.
P
Honestly, I like it just as much without sugar! Half the time I don’t even add it. I don’t think it would need coconut aminos, but give it a shot and see how it works for you.
If you want something more crouton like, have you tried these: https://www.sustainablecooks.com/crunchy-salad-toppers/
My Nana used to make something like this. I don’t know what she put in it. I was too busy wanting to be the one who opened the can of peaches or making sure I got the ‘pink plate’
Ha, I was that kid too!
You know those dinners made of this and that – whatever is in the refrigerator? Well, it was one of those days and I knew it wouldn’t add up to quite enough. Nana to the rescue! I started my dinner prep with this recipe and threw it in the refrigerator to chill while I finished the rest. It MAY be better with more time to marinate, but everyone in this family enjoyed it after about an hour! Cool, crisp, flavorful – a nice addition to any meal! (I seeded regular cucumbers for this.)
So glad to hear that A! It is one of those dishes that invites lots of substitution and personalization.
I actually just updated the post and will be republishing it tomorrow. Good timing on your part!
Oh man, this recipe makes me miss Walla Walla onions so much! There’s nothing over here that replicates that perfect sweetness. Cucumbers + onions is such a genius yet simple combination, and I love how the quick picking mellows out the bite of the onions and gives the salad tang. Perfection!
Super refreshing salad and I really appreciated the recipe going easy on the sugar! As an aside, I had no idea English cucumbers were the only ones sold in plastic. Here, we just call them cucumbers!
I love cucumber salad! This recipe is very similar to the one I make!! Thanks for sharing!
I think it is one of the most summery dishes around. What are the differences in our recipes?
I can smell this dish just looking at your pictures. I totally remember my parents making this as a kid and thinking it was just nasty…but I’d like to think my tastebuds are more mature nowadays! No way I’d ever get hubby to try it though :/
Not even a no thank you bite for the hubs?
Ugh, probably not. The vinegar would be too strong for him…he won’t eat vinegar/sea salt chips either. More for me I guess! Although man, I wish I’d ever be able to make this with home grown cucumbers…but mine are looking terrible this year! Some of them are yellowed/shriveled (too much water? Not enough? I don’t even know anymore) and the squirrels have been digging in my planter box too 🙁
I have such a terrible track record with cucumbers so I wouldn’t be of any help with diagnosing the problem. With my tomatoes, crispy leaves are lack of water, but yellow sad leaves are generally over watering or they need a nice dressing of composted chicken crap.
Freaking squirrels!
The recipe calls for cool water-at what point do I add the water? Thanks!
Hi Amy, yes it is noted in the first step of the recipe. I updated it on Saturday after I published the recipe (when another reader pointed that question out), so you may need to refresh your browser if the changes are showing up. Basically, you just add it with the vinegar and sugar.