Tangy 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.
It pairs amazingly with our Vodka Sauce Recipe and noodles for an easy meal!
Greek Cucumber Salad
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.
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.
What is Cucumber Yogurt Salad Made Of?
I recently started following Teri on IG and everything she makes looks insanely delicious, including her marinated onions. We make them all the time as they go with everything.
The combination of flavors is just so good. Not to mention the overall salad is so basic and easy. But that’s what I love about it. You can pretty much whip up a bowl of this salad any day of the week.
You’ll need the following ingredients to make Greek cucumber salad:
- 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 a half-hour of prep. Otherwise, the cucumbers will begin to soften as they release some of their water. 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.
Lastly, a 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.
Serving Suggestions
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 – 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 Easy Cucumber Salads
- Tomato Cucumber Mozzarella Salad
- House Salad Recipe
- Watermelon Salad
- Pasta Salad with Italian Dressing
- Caprese Orzo Salad
Greek 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
- 1/3 cup thinly sliced red onion
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 1/2 tsp. red wine vinegar
- 1 1/2 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
- 1/4 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.
Keywords: Greek, easy, summer, cucumber salad
Recipe published on 6/14/2017. Updated on 6/3/2021.
Paula says
So I only had some of the ingredients so I had to improvise! Still turned out amazing!! Thank you!
★★★★★
Gerri B. says
Delicious! Had to use what I had on hand – full-fat regular yogurt, sweet onion, and dried dill, and the salad was still yummy. Was the perfect way to use up the end-of-season garden cucumbers (I’m in Florida – our spring gardens are ending now.) This recipe is a keeper.
★★★★★
Helga Diggelmann says
Even using fat free Greek yogurt and dried dill, the salad was delicious. My two cucumbers may have been smaller, but the sauce was enough for three. Still good the next day.
★★★★★
Katya says
That’s good to hear! Thank you.
Anita says
I made this with a twist and and turned out great. My husband hates onions and we were out anyway. I wanted something similar so I chopped up some Greek peperoncini peppers and threw them in with just a little of the juice. It added that but if crunch and tang the onions usually gives. It was great in a pinch and my husband loved it.
★★★★★
Katya says
I love that! Thank you.
Janet says
You should definitely try salting and draining the cucumbers first. My Greek mother-in-law would put them in a colander with a glass bowl loaded with some cans to press them down to drain.
Katya says
Thanks for the tip!
Lisa says
This was SOOOOO good! I’ve never made this dish. I hope it will last more than 1 day, even if it gets soggy. I kinda added more of everything so now I have too much on hand, but that makes me happy. It’s just delicious and the fresh dill is key and fresh lemon juice… I could go on. I had so much fun making this and it’s just as tasty as can be. I couldn’t stop eating it with Naan bread! Thank you!
★★★★★
Katya says
Eating it with naan bread sounds so amazing! So glad you enjoyed the salad Lisa. Thanks for feedback.
Momma D says
Used freshly picked cucumbers from our garden but didn’t have fresh dill or full fat Greek yogurt. I used dried dill (2 Tbsp – instead of 1/4 cup of fresh) and fat free Kroger brand Greek yogurt. The recipe was refreshing and delicious. Can’t wait to get some fresh dill! This is one of my favorite summer salads, especially with fresh picked garden ingredients!
★★★★★
Katya says
Thank you!
Lorna Pretorius says
Loved this recipe. May I check though, after marinating the onions, do you drain the onions or add everything in, ‘dressing’ too? I drained them and it was delicious, huge thumbs up from my husband too. Thank you ????
Katya says
Yes, you add all the liquid from the onions to the dressing. So happy you hear you love the salad!
MLS says
Was looking for a traditional salad with fresh dill. Was horrified about how many recipes used dried!!! So this was EXACTLY what I was looking for. It was just very fresh, aromatic and flavorful. Almost doesn’t matter how you riff on it. I didn’t have wine vinegar for the onions so I used rice vinegar and threw in some old acidic red wine that was too awful to drink – but sits in the fridge for cooking.
My salad also sat too long before serving – my guests were late, but the bit of runniness that occurred was fine. I just soaked some up with a paper towel and mixed the cucumbers up some more. The consistency was then like a restaurants cuke salad instead of a tzatsiki- but fine none the less. I probably ate half of it myself!!! Thanks Katya.
★★★★★
Katya says
Thank you! So glad you loved the salad and totally made it work.
Jen says
I made this today; couldn’t stop eating it so I had to make another batch so no one would notice how much I ate before dinner.
It was fantastic!!
★★★★★
Katya says
I’m so glad to hear that! I appreciate you leaving feedback.
Andy says
Great! I didn’t think marinating the onions would matter that much, but it made them really good!
★★★★★
Katya says
Thank you! Glad you loved the onions 🙂
Med is well fed says
I followed the recipe to the letter but the salad was very runny. I’m at a loss in what went wrong.
Katya says
It could be the cucumbers or the type of greek yogurt you used. Did you serve the salad right away? If the cucumbers sit out for too long they release a lot of juice.
Jaime says
I love how this looks and I’ll be trying it out tonight! I personally LOVE dill but many in my family (who I’m making it for, simply don’t…what are your thoughts on substituting parsley for dill?
Katya says
Hi Jamie: I think parsley or chives would be a great substitute. Hope you enjoy it 🙂
Stacy Davis says
This is delicious. I used plain Coconut yogurt and added a little just mayo to the dressing. I also added fresh chives. Thanks for the recipe!
★★★★★
Katya says
That sounds delicious! So glad you enjoyed it Stacy.
Drocah says
Do you add the onion marinade along with onions, or do you drain them? Thanks.
Katya says
Hi Drocah: Yes…you want to add everything in, including the marinade. Hope you enjoy the salad!
Ben Myhre says
This looks creamy and tasty!
Katya says
Thanks!