Easy 10-Minute Cucumber Salad
by Katie Webster
May 24, 2021 (updated 4/9/24) Jump To Recipe
Have you tried this 10-minute recipe for cucumber salad yet? If you have loads of fresh cucumbers on hand, make this side dish for a weeknight dinner, backyard barbecues and summer cookouts. It is crunchy, deliciously refreshing and only 19 calories per serving.
I originally shared this recipe on May 20th, 2014. I have updated some of the text today.
Table of contents
When cucumbers are in season, and you want an easy and fast side dish you can never go wrong with a simple cucumber salad.
As an avid veggie gardener, I love growing cucumbers. Along with 15 minute Greek Cucumber Salad or Cucumber Tomato Salad, this easy Cucumber Salad with vinegar and chives is my go-to recipe for when I want to make a super fast and easy side dish with cucumbers. It takes 10 minutes (or less) and it doesn’t have any oil in it, so it is really low in calories!
Ingredients For This Recipe
Here are the ingredients you will need. Please check the full measurements in the recipe card below and check out our substitutions and variations info if you want to improvise.
- Cucumbers: You will need six cups of sliced cucumbers for this recipe. One large garden cucumber yields about 2 cups of sliced cucumbers.
- Chives: Chop the chives fine. You will need two tablespoons. If using red onion, mince or thinly slice it. You will only want about 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion.
- Rice Vinegar: This is also called rice wine vinegar. You want to look for natural or unseasoned rice vinegar. Seasoned is slightly different because it is sweetened and has sodium added to it. If you can only find seasoned, omit the sugar and only add salt to taste.
- Salt: The salt brings out the flavors
- Sugar: I love to add a little sugar to my cucumber salad. Especially one like this that is so lean. It really brings out the natural sweetness in the fresh cukes and they taste more floral and almost melon-like in a way.
Do you need to peel cucumbers for salad?
If you have a thin skinned variety of cucumber, such as European or Lebanese, you do not need to peel them before slicing. If you have regular “garden” cucumbers, you can either peel them entirely, or remove strips of the peel off with a vegetable peeler. This will result in a more pleasant and tender texture.
How to Make Cucumber Salad
This 10 minute cucumber salad recipe is so easy to make that it hardly counts as a real recipe. But I do have a couple tips to share with you all.
Step 1: Peel the cucumbers if using garden cucumbers. Or for thinner skinned varieties like European or Persian cucumbers you can skip peeling them.
Slice them into rounds. If you slice them very thinly the salad will become watery quickly. So if you plan to serve this at a barbecue or cookout and it will sit for more than an hour, slice the cumbers about 1/4 to 1/3-inch thick.
Step 2: Stir or whisk the vinegar, sugar and salt in a bowl to dissolve them. Stir until you cannot see or feel any grains of the sugar and salt in the bowl.
Step 3: Stir the chives into the dressing.
Step 4: Add the cucumbers and toss to coat.
FAQs for This Recipe
This recipe can be made up to three hours ahead. Because of their high water content, cucumbers let off their water when they are sliced and come in contact with salt or anything salty. If it becomes watery, use a slotted spoon to serve it.
To make a creamy version of this recipe. After dissolving the sugar and salt into the vinegar, add 3 tablespoons of full fat Greek yogurt to the dressing and whisk well. Add sour cream for a richer result. Sub chopped dill (or use 1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed) for the chives and add 1/4 cup sliced red onion. 
What Goes With Cucumber Salad?
I pair this cucumber salad with grilled meats, poultry and fish. It goes best with Middle Eastern and Mediterranean influenced dishes as well as classic barbecue flavors
Ingredient Substitutions and Variations To Try
- Instead of chives: try thinly sliced red onion
- Instead of rice vinegar: You can also substitute red wine vinegar, white wine vinegar or even white vinegar. I don’t recommend cider vinegar or balsamic for this recipe as their flavors are too assertive and sweet. Read more here: guide to vinegar.
- Herbs: You can also add a fresh herb such as basil or dill. Use 2 tablespoons chopped.
- Vinaigrette: This is a low calorie cucumber salad, but if you want a traditional salad dressing with oil instead use our Red Wine Vinegar Salad Dressing or Lemon Juice Salad dressing.
More Summer Salad Recipes:
Thanks so much for reading! If you are new here, you may want to sign up for my email newsletter to get a free weekly menu plan and the latest recipes right to your inbox. If you make this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review. I would love to hear what you thought!
Happy Cooking! ~Katie
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10 Minute Cucumber Salad
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 6 cups 1x
Description
Here is a simple 10 minute recipe for cucumber salad with chives and rice vinegar dressing. This easy salad is the perfect low-calorie side dish for cookouts or barbecues.
Ingredients
- 3 large cucumbers (enough to make 6 cups sliced)
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons chopped chives, optional
Instructions
- Peel cucumber if necessary (see note below) and cut into rounds.
- Stir vinegar, sugar and salt in a bowl until the salt and sugar are dissolved. Stir in chives if using.
- Add cucumbers and toss to coat with the dressing. Serve immediately or chill up to 3 hours.
Notes
If you have a thin skinned variety of cucumber, such as European or Lebanese, you do not need to peel them before slicing. If you have regular “garden” cucumbers, you can either peel them, or remove strips of the peel off with a vegetable peeler. This will result in a more pleasant and tender texture.
If you prefer to use another vinegar, I would recommend red wine vinegar.
You can omit the sugar if you are sugar free.
If you would prefer to add oil to this, use 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil.
This recipe does not keep well because the cucumbers become soft and let off their water. I recommend serving right away or within three hours. Serve with a slotted spoon.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Category: Salad
- Method: Raw
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup each
- Calories: 19
- Sugar: 3 g
- Fat: 0 g
- Saturated Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 5 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 1 g
Katie Webster
Katie Webster studied art and photography at Skidmore College and is a graduate of the New England Culinary Institute. She has been a professional recipe developer since 2001 when she first started working in the test kitchen at EatingWell magazine. Her recipes have been featured in numerous magazines including Shape, Fitness, Parents and several Edible Communities publications among others. Her cookbook, Maple {Quirk Books} was published in 2015. She launched Healthy Seasonal Recipes in 2009. She lives in Vermont with her husband, two teenage daughters and two yellow labs. In her free time, you can find her at the gym, cooking, stacking firewood, making maple syrup, and tending to her overgrown perennial garden.
Since this doesn’t keep well, how do you recommend doing a single serving? Go with one or 2 cucumbers and just add the ingredients to taste? I’ve had this before and it’s great, but with just and my Daughter, which she wont’ eat it, I don’t need to make a lot at one time.
That’s exactly what I would do myself. Thanks Craig.
You have listed a 1/2 teaspoon of salt in the ingredients, Yet you you don’t list the amount of sodium in the nutrition value. I am on a low sodium diet and so need to track all my sodium intake.
I just did some quick math and the added salt adds 193 mg of salt per cup serving. Hope that helps!
Alan, low sodium means 2000 mg or less as a rule. One teaspoon of salt equals about 2300 mg. With a little math that should help you determine your sodium intake. A meal should consist of about 500 mg each.
Just an FYI, with the vinegar, you can really leave the salt out. I leave salt out of all my cooking. I get more than I need from take out and eating out!
so light and refreshing, and EASY! My 3 favorite things about a recipe
I love super simple recipes in the summer and this definitely fits the bill, so perfect as a side to anything barbecued!
Fresh, delightful dish for summer! Garden cucumbers will be great in this. 🙂