Fresh cucumbers are fantastic to snack on, seeds and all, but seeding a cucumber is sometimes a key step when cooking. If a recipe calls for a seeded cucumber, it’s aiming for a light, earthy, refreshing taste—for example, this cucumber melon smoothie.
Why? Like tomato and pepper seeds, cucumber seeds add excess moisture to recipes if they’re left intact. This can cause your crunchy cucumber salad boats or cheese-stuffed cuke snacks to get soggy.
2 Easy Ways to Seed a Cucumber
Here are two methods that will have your cucumbers seed-free in no time flat.
Method 1: Halves
Thoroughly rinse the cucumber in cool water. Lay the cucumber on a cutting board and cut the cucumber in half lengthwise with a sharp knife. Gently scoop out the seeds by gliding the tip of a spoon or a butter knife across the length of the flesh. Be careful to only remove the seeds and not too much of the flesh.
Method 2: Quarters
Just like in the above method, rinse the cucumber with cool water and cut it in half lengthwise with a sharp knife. Then, after the cucumber is cut in half, lay the halves flesh side down on the cutting board. Once more, cut the cucumber halves down the middle lengthwise, creating four quarters in total. Using the tip of a spoon or butter knife, carefully remove the seeds with a gliding motion.
Pro Tip: After removing the seeds, the cucumber can be sliced, diced, cut into straws or peeled. If a recipe calls for peeled cucumber, be sure to use a sturdy, ergonomic vegetable peeler to get the job done.
But Wait—Here’s a Reason to Keep the Seeds
After you remove a cucumber’s seeds, think before you ditch ’em! Cucumber seeds are packed with plenty of proteins, minerals and healthy fats. As a matter of fact, the seeds and skin of cucumbers are the most nutrient-rich parts of the cucumber. They offer all kinds of health and beauty benefits, including the power to hydrate thirsty skin, keep your digestive system moving and more.
So if you’re just snacking, keep the seeds in.
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