Grandma’s Cucumber SaladA 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!
Read great reviews from people who tried this recipe on Pinterest (photos)!
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
Thanks for stopping by!
Cheers!
Lilly Arnold
My MNL was from Austria and taught me to make this 50 yrs. ago. She made it the same except she sliced the cucumbers paper thin. She had a special slicer that did the job. Wish I still had it.
Barbee
How long will this last in the refrigerator?
Mary Neumann
Hello Barbee – 3 days.
Barbee
Thank you for such a fast reply. I appreciate it.
Kathi
I made this last night – but since cucumbers give me the burps and English burpless cucumbers are a bit too expensive for my pocket book. But, I found out that if you remove or cut out the seeds – that removes the burps. Thanks so much for posting this.
Patricia Haynes Hamler
That’s all correct except 2 things are missing dill and spoon of sour cream or my mom used a splash of canned cream. Can all all some parsley if preferred.
Judith
We had my mother’s Hungarian version of cucumber salad last night. It’s traditional to have it with paprikas Csirke ( papriked chicken). We slice the cucumber into very thin slices (
I use a mandoline) then we salt it and let it sit and to release it’s juices for about 20 -30 minutes. We then squeeze out the cucumber between our hands and place them in a bowl, and add vinegar, water and pepper and a bit of parsley and suhar to taste. Mix it all and then sprinkle paprika on top. Sometimes onions are added to the cucumber mixture. You can also make a version with sour cream.
Mary Neumann
Hi Sharon,
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Rachelle McKay
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!
Elaine
Yes I love this with red onions and tomatoes too !
Debbie C
I make it the same way…Grandfathers recipe…only thing different is I add 3 tablespoons of dill. I love it even left over
Peter Huegel
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”.
ginny
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.
Nancy
Add celery and mustard seed. Delicious. Red wine vinegar is also good
Denise Smith
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.
Jackprevatt10
Try topping the cucummber salad off with some feta cheese!!!
Jacki Chavie
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!
Dale Kirchhofer
I heat the vinegar/water/sugar to a simmer before pouring over veggies.
AZ1971
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.
Elayna
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.
Nora
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.
Cathie
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.
Linda
My Gramma added crushed ice on hot summer days!
Jacelyn
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.
Debbie
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.
Carol
Yummy. I will have to try it. I usually use sour cream in my recipe. I love the tomatoes in yours.