Creamy Cucumber Salad

Total Time

Prep: 20 min. + chilling

Makes

6 servings

Updated: Jun. 30, 2023
This creamy cucumber salad, a Norwegian favorite, was a staple at all of our family holidays. —Patty LaNoue Stearns, Traverse City, Michigan
Creamy Cucumber Salad Recipe photo by Taste of Home

Ingredients

  • 2 English cucumbers, thinly sliced
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1-1/2 cups sour cream
  • 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
  • 1/4 cup snipped fresh dill
  • 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper

Directions

  1. Place cucumbers in a colander over a bowl; sprinkle with salt and toss. Let stand 15 minutes. Squeeze and blot dry with paper towels.
  2. In a large bowl, combine the remaining ingredients; stir in cucumbers. Refrigerate, covered, at least 1 hour.
Creamy Cucumber Salad Tips

Can you use other cucumbers in a creamy cucumber salad?

This recipe calls for English cucumbers, which have delicate skin, fewer seeds and a sweeter flavor than most other varieties of cucumbers. You can certainly use other cucumbers, especially if you have a bumper crop in your backyard garden, but you might want to peel and seed them for this salad. However, keep in mind that pickling cucumbers aren't necessarily the best for salads, and English cucumbers aren't necessarily the best for pickling recipes.

How do you keep cucumber salad from getting watery?

The first step in many cucumber salad recipes is to place the slices in a colander over a bowl and toss with salt. The salt draws out some of the water from cucumbers to help prevent the salad from becoming watery. It's important not to skip this step. After letting the slices stand with salt, the salt is rinsed off and slices are patted dry to get rid of extra moisture.

How long will creamy cucumber salad last?

Cucumber salad will last 2 to 3 days in the refrigerator. With time, the flavors will meld, but the cucumber slices will lose their crispy texture, and the water from the cucumbers will dilute the dressing. This salad tastes best during the first day or two.

What do you serve with creamy cucumber salad?

Creamy cucumber salad is cool, crisp and refreshing. Serve it with grilled steak, spicy chicken or meaty slow-cooker sandwiches.

—Peggy Woodward, Taste of Home Senior Food Editor