Cucumber Salad – A traditional, old-school classic recipe. Refreshing, cool and crisp, perfect on hot summer days. This is the perfect side dish for any family gathering, picnic, BBQ or potluck – even better, it’s budget friendly!
Every time my grandpa grilled steaks, burgers or hot dogs in the summer, this was always one of the side dishes. My great-grandma, (Grandma B), loved this salad, hence the name.
Over the years I have changed the recipe a smidgen, adding tomatoes and dill for another layer of flavor. I also like mixing in a little red onion along with a white or Vidalia onion.
Sometimes the simplest recipes are the best ones. This salad allows the garden fresh cucumbers and onions (and tomatoes) to shine.
I love lots and lots of dill in the salad (optional). Fresh dill weed is best, but dry dill weed works well too.
Grandma B’s Cucumber Salad
- 2 large cucumbers, peeled and sliced thin
- 1 small onion, sliced thin (use your favorite onion – Vidalia is great, sweet onion or white). I like to mix in a little red onion for color, I also love the taste.
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup water
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup sugar (use less or more to your liking)
- salt and pepper to taste
Optional
- toss in fresh tomatoes (use your favorite – cherry, plum, fresh from the garden)
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon dried dill or 3 teaspoons fresh dill weed
- English cucumbers are great for this salad
Sharing this recipe at Weekend Potluck!
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I made this yesterday for a family get together added tomatoes and dill from my garden and I am making it again today for the family!! Everyone loved it!
Yes I love this with red onions and tomatoes too !
I make it the same way…Grandfathers recipe…only thing different is I add 3 tablespoons of dill. I love it even left over
My grandma’s recipe was similar except she always “sweated” the cucumber slices and onions by adding a bunch of salt and letting them sit for about 5 yours. Then they were rinsed and the dressing added. The sweating process takes out the “burps”.
WE have been eating that salad since I was a kid, tomatoes are the main ingredient of our cucumber salad and it has to have red onions and Italian seasoning and garlic salt and salt and pepper. Best salad ever. we also use it as side veggies.
Add celery and mustard seed. Delicious. Red wine vinegar is also good
my mother-in-law made this and added tomatoes and i loved it but cukes don’t like me so i ate them after i ate them.
Try topping the cucummber salad off with some feta cheese!!!
I make this quite often, somtimes with tomatoes, sometimes not…depends what I have. I am not a big dill fan so I don’t use it. I do use garlic pepper instead!
I heat the vinegar/water/sugar to a simmer before pouring over veggies.
Very good, but subjective—”to taste” with S&P can vary widely. Also, I substituted no-calorie sweetener for the sugar but had no problem getting it to my desired preference. Served with smoked salmon and Ritz crackers with watermelon for dessert. Easy, no bake, no heat summertime salad recipe and meal.
I’ made this for years, too. I always add avocado and use Asian rice vinegar often. Everyone does love it. Kinda like deviled eggs are the first thing to go at pot luck.
With the tomatoes added it’s called Fire and Ice salad. Love to make this in the summer. It’s also good with strips of bell pepper added.
My Grandma made a cucumber salad too. She soaked sliced cukes in white vinegar then drained them and added Mayonnaise to them. Sometimes she put tomatoes and sliced onions in them.
My Gramma added crushed ice on hot summer days!
My grandma made this and I make it every summer, several times. She added a sprinkle of paprika. We call these ‘belly aches’ because they are so delicious, you may eat so much, that you get a belly ache.
My mother did the same.recipe except she mixed the vinegar, water and sugar and heats it on the stove to just below boiling point. Then pours over cucumbers and onions. My son loves them. I make them weekly in the summer and he like’s the crushed red pepper flakes in them.
Yummy. I will have to try it. I usually use sour cream in my recipe. I love the tomatoes in yours.