Cucumber and Tomato Salad Recipe
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Cucumber Tomato Salad pairs well with so many dishes! A summer favorite, this cucumber and tomato salad recipe is delicious and great to make ahead too!
The smell of the garden is pretty heady and intoxicating. As much as I sometimes dread having to go out and water, weed, and tend to our garden, once I am within a few feet, the smell of the plants draws me in. The sight of my ripe, juicy tomatoes and the crisp, green cucumbers growing on the vine makes me a happy girl. One of the first recipes I make with my bounty is this Cucumber Tomato Salad.
I didn’t always love to garden when I was a little girl. Maybe it was because we had one every year. Georgia summers are hot and I would have rather been playing than picking vegetables. I felt sure when I grew up I wouldn’t have anything to do with one.
Flash forward to when I married up to now and you’ll find me drawing out garden plans in the dead of winter, studying over seed packets, devouring the Farmer’s Almanac, and calling my great uncle to find out when he’s planting his beans. After I plant my garden, I stalk it like a criminal until the first blooms appear. Then, I’ll baby them like an overprotective mother.
Cucumber Tomato Salad Recipe
Once my garden starts producing cucumbers and tomatoes, this Cucumber and Tomato Salad is an immediate must-make in my kitchen. Even if you do not have a garden, this salad is definitely begging to be made. Just visit your farmer’s market or grocery store. This is delicious anytime you can get good, fresh veggies to make it.
How to Make Cucumber Tomato Salad
For this salad, you’ll only need a few items.
- Cucumbers
- Tomatoes
- Onions (optional)
- Easy Italian Dressing or store bought
To make it, begin by washing your tomatoes and cucumbers really well. Slice the cucumbers into thin slices and cut the cherry tomatoes in half lengthwise. If using another type of tomatoes, dice them. If you wish to add onion to your salad, dice it too.
Add sliced cucumbers, tomatoes, onions (if using) and dressing to a large bowl. Gently toss all of the ingredients together until veggies are well coated with dressing. Then serve or refrigerate until ready to enjoy!
When I first started making this salad, I made it with the dressing my Grandmother always used. (Recipe in the recipe notes). But a few years ago as I was making it, I tried it with my homemade Italian dressing instead. So delicious and so easy! My recipe includes both dressing options. I think you’ll love them both!
Make Ahead
It’s a perfect recipe to make ahead too! After you make it, place in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 7 days. Such a tasty salad for picnics and potlucks too!
How to Serve
This salad goes with everything, from a southern pinto bean supper to a light topping for grilled fish. It’s so good served alongside bbq chicken, pork or any other summertime menu you can think of. It is so crispy and refreshing that it always satisfies. And it’s also great on it’s own too!
Make this salad for yourself soon. You’ll be so glad you did.
Other Easy Salads
Try some of my other quick and simple side salads too!
Here’s my quick and easy cucumber and tomato salad recipe. I hope you love it as much as we do!
Cucumber and Tomato Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cucumber, sliced
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved or 2 medium tomatoes, diced
- 1 medium onion, diced, optional
- 1/2 cup Italian dressing, homemade or store-bought
Instructions
- Add the sliced cucumbers, tomatoes, onion (if using), and dressing to a large bowl. Gently toss all of the ingredients together to coat with the dressing.
Notes
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup water
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper Make-Ahead:
Store Cucumber Tomato Salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up 7 days.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Enjoy!
Robyn xo
From the Add a Pinch recipe archives. Originally posted 2012.
Hi Robyn,
Just made your Cucumber and Tomato Salad recipe. Really delicious and refreshing! Your recipes are wonderful!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Marilyn. I love this salad during the summer.
This is a world wide light salad dish and my favorite as I ate it as a youngster visiting my grandmother in Alabama, then again as a teenager over in Turkey where they take it up a delicious notch and sprinkle crumbled feta cheese on top before serving and with a side of cool & creamy plain yogurt seasoned with a little dill & garlic. As an adult stationed over in Germany I was thrilled to see it again on menu’s when summer came around. The German spin on this is adding some fresh sweet corn kernels right off the cob and tossing the vegetables with a champagne dressing…I’m drooling thinking about it! Ha! This summer salad is about the only way I get my 8 yr old twins to eat fresh veggies. No complaints here though. Last year they grew their own tomatoes and cukes straight out of a split open bag of soil staked with yard sticks. Yard to table…just don’t get any better then that. I am really enjoying your recipe blog and just so happened upon it by asking Siri how to make homemade Italian dressing…here I am and boy am I’m hooked🙂
I’m so happy to have you here, Amber and just loved reading your comment! I’ll have to try this with some fresh corn next summer! Thanks so much! xo
Love this recipe. I always add purple onions to mine. Will have to try your dressing tho. Sounds yummy
Yum! The purple onions sound like a great addition! xo
If you want the healthiest version of this recipe don’t use a commercial dressing; make your own from scratch.
I completely agree! This salad uses my homemade dressing. I hope you enjoy it! xo