Cool, crisp and tangy, this fresh vegan cucumber salad will delight your taste buds, bite after flavorful bite. Simple to make in as little as 15 minutes, and great any time of year, especially during those hot summer days.
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I love a good salad, and this one starring crisp and cool cucumbers is right up there among my favorites! I often enjoyed cucumber in my lettuce salad because it added such a unique fresh accent to the collection of other veggies in the mix.
I liked cucumber so much, why not try some cucumber salads. Many were so tasty, I decided to create my own spin on this salad. I finally came up with one I really loved.
This vegan cucumber salad would be a perfect summer salad for your cookouts and picnics – a refreshing accompaniment to any of your grilled entrees.
Is cucumber salad healthy?
While most cucumber salads contain mayonnaise or oil adding unnecessary fat, this one is totally oil free!
This cucumber salad is a medley of thinly sliced cucumber, diced tomato, chopped onion, dill and parsley, tossed together with a wonderfully oil free vinaigrette like dressing. It’s crisp, and refreshing with a burst of lemony herbal spice and a hint of sweetness.
Cucumbers are great for hydration and are a great source of vitamins A, C, and K, as well as many other phytonutrients.
This chilled salad is delightful when the weather is warm.
Vegan Cucumber Salad Ingredients
Here’s the ingredients for this delicious salad:
- Cucumber – Any variety of cucumber can be used for this cucumber salad, but the most common are garden or English types. English cucumbers are seedless and tend to have a thinner skin and than garden cucumbers. You can avoid the skin altogether by trimming it off. However, trimming will diminish some of the more intense flavor and many healthy nutrients that the cucumber skin provides.
- Tomato – Cherry or Roma varieties, quartered or diced add rich flavor and mild sweetness.
- Onion – Red for more spiciness or sweet for more mild flavor.
- Dill – fresh dill or dried, adds bright herbal accents.
- Parsley – adds more fresh herbal zest to the salad.
- Lemon Juice – gives a vibrant tang.
- Red Wine Vinegar – adds sharp, tangy, and full bodied notes. Substitute apple cider vinegar if needed.
- Maple syrup – to offset the tang of the lemon juice and vinegar.
- Mustard – Dijon mustard or standard yellow,
- Salt/Pepper – to personal taste.
Variations:
You can adjust the ingredients, adding or subtracting to your personal tastes. Decide if you want fresh dill or parsley versus dried, or throw in some basil. How about Italian, seasonings? Add some of our oil free Vegan Mayonnaise to make a healthy creamy cucumber salad as a wonderful alternative. Be bold and have fun with it!
How to make this Vegan Cucumber Salad Recipe
First add all the salad dressing ingredients to a small bowl and using a whisk or spoon, stir everything until it’s well mixed. Lemons vary in tartness, so taste the dressing and add more maple syrup if necessary. Set the dressing aside while preparing the vegetables.
Next, cut the cucumber into approximately 1/8″ thick slices. You can slice them with a mandolin or just a knife. Dice the onion to 1/8″chunks. Quarter cherry tomatoes or chop larger tomatoes into 1/2″ or 1/4″ pieces. Then finely chop the fresh dill and parsley. Add the vegetables to a mixing bowl.
Finally, add the dressing to the prepared vegetables and gently toss until everything is well coated with the dressing.
Serve immediately, or cover and chill the salad in the refrigerator for about 20 to 30 minutes to crisp up the salad and allow the flavors to blend more to enhance the salad’s deliciousness.
Vegan Cucumber Salad Serving Suggestions
You can have this vegan cucumber salad with any main dish. How about with a sandwich like our Buffalo Soy Curl Sub, or a burger like our Vegan Chickpea burger or our Black Bean Burgers. It would also go nicely with an entree like our Lentil Loaf. Formal or informal, this cucumber salad pairs with most any entree.
Frequently Asked Questions
Most any other vegetable can be substituted for the cucumbers, though this recipe is specifically created for cucumbers. Other vegetables such as zucchini would produce a similar type of salad.
This vegan cucumber salad can be made in advance. It is actually more tasty after it is left to marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to an hour or so.
This salad will stay fresh for about 2-3 days in an airtight container stored in the refrigerator, but the longer it is stored, the softer the cucumbers will become. For the crispiest cucumbers, eat this salad the same day.
Freezing is not recommended, since cucumbers do not freeze well.
Looking for other salad recipes?
- Vegan Wedge Salad
- Vegan Caesar Salad
- Vegan Southwest Salad
- Vegan Potato Salad
- Vegan Macaroni Salad
- Pesto Pasta Salad
- Vegan Coleslaw
- Mexican Coleslaw
- Taco Salad
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Vegan Cucumber Salad
Ingredients
- 3 cups Cucumber ⅛" sliced
- ⅓ cup Onion red, or sweet variety
- ⅔ cup Tomato cherry or roma, diced
- 2 tbsp Vinegar red wine or apple cider type
- 2 tbsp Lemon juice fresh squeezed or bottled
- ⅛ cup Dill Fresh chopped
- ⅛ cup Parsley Fresh chopped
- 1 tsp Maple syrup
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- ½ tsp Salt or to taste
- ¼ tsp Pepper or to taste
Instructions
- Cut the cucumber into 1/8" slices (or use a mandolin to slice to desired thickness).
- Quarter cherry tomatoes or dice Roma tomatoes to desired thickness.
- Dice or slice red or sweet onion to desired thickness.
- Chop the fresh dill and parsley. (For dried herbs use 1/3 the amount to fresh.)
- Whisk together the wet ingredients with the salt and pepper in a small bowl to make the dressing.
- Place the sliced and chopped ingredients in a bowl. Add the dressing and toss to coat thoroughly.
- For best flavor, chill for about 30 minutes before serving.
