Greek Cucumber Salad
This tangy Greek cucumber salad with marinated red onions and a creamy tzatziki-inspired dressing is a 5-star favorite! It’s fresh, flavorful, and has just the right zing. Easy to make and always a hit!
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I Make This Cucumber Greek Salad All Summer Long
Who doesn’t love a good cucumber salad? It’s fresh, tasty, and does not require a lot of ingredients. Not to mention it makes the perfect side to just about any meal. We personally love it with grilled chicken drumsticks.
I personally grew up eating cucumber salad tossed in sour cream and dill. My mom would make it every summer with homegrown veggies from our garden.
So today I’m putting my own spin on this childhood favorite with a lot of Greek-inspired flavors. Oh, and the most delicious marinated red onions. The combination of flavors is just so good and adds so much flavor.
What is Cucumber Yogurt Salad Made Of?
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
- Red onions
- Olive oil
- Red wine vinegar
- Dried oregano
- English cucumbers
- Greek yogurt, full fat
- Fresh lemon juice
- Garlic
- Fresh dill
Greek Yogurt Dressing
The Greek yogurt dressing is very similar to a traditional tzatziki sauce. Except it doesn’t have any shredded cucumbers in the dressing.
It’s simply Greek yogurt combined with lemon juice, garlic, and dill. I recommend using full-fat Greek yogurt and fresh dill to get the best flavor. It’s tangy and fresh, with a slight bite from the garlic.
How to Make Greek Yogurt Cucumber Salad
- Step 1: Marinate the Onions – in a small bowl combine the sliced red onions with olive oil, red wine vinegar, and oregano. Let the onions sit at room temperature while you prepare the dressing and the rest of the salad.
- Step 2: Prepare the Dressing – combine the Greek yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, and dill. Season the mixture with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Step 3: Toss with Cucumbers – in a large salad bowl, combine the sliced cucumbers with marinated onions and dressing. Mix to combine. Taste for salt before serving. Enjoy immediately or refrigerate for up to 30 minutes.
Leftovers: If you like the crisp taste of cucumbers, I recommend serving this salad immediately or within half an hour of prep. If planning on serving later, slice the cucumbers a little thicker to help them stay crisp longer and prevent them from becoming soggy. You can store the leftover salad in the refrigerator for up 1 day. The cucumbers just won’t be as crisp.
How to Keep Cucumber Salad Crisp
One way to guarantee that your cucumber salad is crisp and fresh every single time is to buy the freshest cucumbers. Look for firm cucumbers, without blemishes or soft spots. They should be dark green without any yellow spots.
Another way to guarantee a crisp cucumber salad is to toss the salad with the dressing just before serving. Otherwise, if you prepare the salad way in advance the cucumbers will release water and begin to soften.
Another technique I have yet to try, but apparently if you salt the sliced cucumbers beforehand, they release some of their water and stay crisp even after you add the dressing.
How to Serve Greek Cucumber Salad
This Greek cucumber salad is creamy, light, and refreshing. It’s a great salad to serve on a warm summer day with:
- Grilled Meats – Yogurt Marinated Chicken Kebabs or Spicy Honey Chicken and Sweet Potato Kebabs with a side of Cilantro Rice
- Seafood – Shrimp Pesto Pasta or Artichoke and Spinach Roasted Salmon or Bruschetta Baked Cod with Panko
- One Pan Meals – Lemon Roasted Chicken and Potatoes or Cod in Creamy Red Roasted Pepper Sauce
- Simply some fresh naan bread or crusty bread
More Cucumber Salad Recipes
If you make this recipe, please leave a ⭐️ STAR rating and COMMENT letting us know how you liked the recipe.
Greek Yogurt Cucumber Salad
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 15 mins
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: Chop
- Cuisine: Greek
Description
Greek cucumber salad with marinated red onions tossed in a tzatziki inspired Greek yogurt dressing. It’s fresh, creamy, and has a good punch of flavor, and makes a perfect side for all of your summer get togethers.
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup thinly sliced red onion
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 ½ tsp. red wine vinegar
- 1 ½ tsp. dried oregano
- 2–3 English cucumbers, thinly sliced
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt (full fat)
- 1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic, pressed
- ¼ cup fresh chopped dill
- 1 tsp. kosher salt, plus more to taste
- fresh ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine the red onion, olive oil, vinegar, and oregano. Let the onions marinate at room temperature while preparing the rest of the salad.
- Place the sliced cucumbers into a large salad bowl.
- Combine the Greek yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, dill, salt, and black pepper. Add to the cucumbers, along with the marinated onions, including the liquid from the onions. Toss everything together really well. Taste for salt and pepper.
- Enjoy immediately or refrigerate for up to 30 minutes before serving.
Notes
- For best flavor, use full-fat Greek yogurt and fresh dill. Don’t like dill? Try fresh parsley instead.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 160
- Sugar: 4.8 g
- Sodium: 412 mg
- Fat: 12 g
- Carbohydrates: 10 g
- Protein: 5.8 g
- Cholesterol: 6.2 mg
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Hi! I'm Katya -- a former corporate paralegal turned full-time recipe developer and blogger behind Little Broken. Here you'll find family-friendly and seasonal recipes made from real ingredients.
How many ounces or grams in a serving size?
It’s about 12 ounces per serving.
I added a Roma tomato, black olives, green olives, lemon pepper, and sharp cheddar cheese. So good!!
Delicious! thanks for sharing. my cucumber plants have grown up into the trees and I’m stocked up on pickles!
Don’t forget the Klamata Olives! We added chicken and grapes to our and pickled the red onions.
Very delicious salad. I didn’t have all the same ingredients. Here’s what I replaced & used instead : 1 cup plain yogurt instead of Greek yogurt, 1 1/2 tsp rice vinegar instead of red wine vinegar, 1 tsp of dried dill instead of fresh dill. I used all the other ingredients the same and I just diced up half of a long cucumber because it’s all we had. I also added 1/2 tsp salt instead of 1 tsp and a 1/4 tsp black pepper. It turned out so good. I think I could have even added a 1/4 tsp of salt but it was still great.
Absolutely delicious!
Love this salad. Growing up our close family friend who was Austrian used to make one all the time with similar ingredients, but with sour cream instead of Greek yoghurt. This tasted very similar and I prefer the yoghurt over the cream, as it’s much healthier. My 2 year old and 4 year old enjoyed it too, which is a huge plus! This will be one of my regular salads that everyone can enjoy. Thank you 🙂
Great, one of the few recipes I make following the ingredients, qty very closely. Guests are always satisfied.
If you prepare it ahead of time, even with English cucumber remove the seeds to reduce water content.
Thank you for the tip!