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A classic and delicious salad, this Cucumber Tomato Salad recipe is light, refreshing and so so easy to make! Made with sweet English cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, and a simple homemade dressing, you will want to add this to your regular meal rotation, regardless of the time of year. The combination of tomatoes, cucumbers, and onions is so tasty and a refreshing side dish to my Country BBQ Pizza or a simple Roasted Chicken.
Why You’ll Fall in Love With This Cucumber Tomato Salad
I don’t know about you, but I am head over heels in love with this salad! It’s a suuuuper basic recipe that I’ve been making for years. It tastes more delicious the longer it sits and pairs perfectly with just about any main course. Whether you’re making this with freshly grown veggies from your garden, farmer’s market in the summer or store bought veggies from the grocery store, I promise MY version of Tomato Cucumber Salad will be one of the best salads you’ve ever eaten. Throw it together in a cinch tonight as your side salad for dinner.
Ingredients Needed For Cucumber Tomato Salad
Cucumber Tomato Salad is a pretty simple and straight forward recipe that you can change and modify to make it just how you like it. Here’s what you’ll need to make this cucumber tomato salad recipe:
- English cucumbers: These crisp cucumbers have thinner skin and fewer seeds, but regular cucumbers work too.
- Cherry tomatoes: Sweet, juicy and has the best flavor for this salad. Roma tomatoes or grape tomatoes can also be used.
- Red onion: Adds a nice bite. Yellow onions can be a more mild flavor substitute.
Dressing Ingredients
- Grape seed oil: You can also use extra virgin olive oil for a richer flavor.
- White wine vinegar: Red wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or balsamic vinegar are great alternatives.
- Salt & black pepper: To taste.
- Garlic powder: Adds a subtle depth of flavor.
- Onion powder: Enhances the onion taste without overpowering.
- Granulated sugar: Balances the acidity of the vinegar.
Variations
Because this dressing is so versatile, it would taste delicious with fresh herbs, different juicy tomatoes, cheese, etc. Here are a couple of common ingredients I’d recommend trying:
- Persian cucumbers: For a crunchier texture.
- Roma tomatoes: For a meatier, less juicy salad.
- Kalamata olives: For a Mediterranean twist.
- avocado
- feta cheese crumbles
- fresh mozzarella pearls
- fresh basil leaves (I love adding this! So so good!)
- fresh corn
- fresh dill
- canned chickpeas (drained and rinsed well)
- quinoa
How to Make Cucumber Tomato Salad
Because this is a no-cooking required recipe, it’s probably one of the easiest recipes on my site! Trim and slice up your veggies, add the dressing and that’s it! For full recipe details, including ingredient measurements see the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post. Here’s a step by step run down of how to make this simple cucumber tomato salad:
1. Prep your Cucumbers + Tomatoes
Wash your english cucumber and tomatoes. In a large bowl, halve the cherry tomatoes and slice the cucumbers into half moons. I like slicing my cucumbers slightly thinner, but feel free to keep this salad nice and chunky. Also, slice your red onions and add them to the bowl.
2. Make the Dressing
In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, add grape seed oil, white wine vinegar, garlic powder, onion powder, sugar, salt and black pepper. Whisk vigorously until emulsified.
3. Toss Together
Pour the dressing over the veggies and toss to coat. You can serve immediately, or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate them for about an hour to marinate the veggies so they really absorb the flavors from the dressing. Serve!
Pro Tip: Giving this salad time to sit and marinate in the fridge gives the tomatoes time to release some of their (sweet) juices and allows the onions to mellow out and not be so ‘spicy’ or strong. So, even though you can enjoy this immediately, I’d highly recommend letting it sit an hour in the fridge for maximum deliciousness. Totally personal preference.
Storing + Make Ahead Directions For Cucumber Tomato Salad
Store leftovers in a mason jar or an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. The salad is best eaten fresh, as cucumbers can become soggy over time.
Make Ahead: You can prepare the salad a few hours in advance. The flavors will deepen, making it even more delicious. Store it in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to serve.
Freezing: This cucumber tomato salad does not freeze well due to the high water content of the cucumbers and tomatoes, which can become mushy upon thawing.
FAQ About Cucumber Tomato Salad
I was very particular in choosing which tomatoes I’d prefer to use for this salad. Because this salad is basically just two ingredients with a few red onions and a homemade vinegarette dressing, the cucumbers and tomatoes absolutely need to be delicious. In my opinion, cherry and grape tomatoes are sweet and delicious year round. I live in a place that has four seasons and I can’t grow delicious garden tomatoes in January, unfortunately. In the winter and sometimes even in the summer, store bought Roma tomatoes, beefsteak tomatoes and “on the vine” tomatoes can be a little grainy. The quality goes down in the winter months. But, I’ve found cherry and grape tomatoes are fabulous regardless of the month I’m buying them in. So that is what I recommend using for this salad.
No, you are welcome to use any cucumbers you can find! I definitely prefer the English (or Hothouse) Cucumbers because you don’t have to peel them, they are longer, skinnier, and sweeter than a regular cucumber you’d get at the store, plus they are all seedless. Yes, they tend to have a higher price tag, but for good reason! You will fall in love with English Cucumbers.
If you’d prefer a regular cucumber, be sure to peel the thicker skin off and de-seed it.
More Salad Recipes to Try!
- Watermelon Mint Salad
- Greek Salad
- Chinese Cabbage Salad
- Cucumber Salad Recipe
- Iceberg Wedge Salad
- Broccoli Salad with Bacon
Enjoy this Cucumber Tomato Salad on the side with some meaty dish or just as a light afternoon snack. The printable recipe card is below. Be sure to print/pin/save/bookmark/share this recipe because it’s a classic recipe you won’t want to lose. Have a great day, friends!
If you make this recipe, I would really appreciate it if you would give it a star rating and leave your review in the comments! If you have a picture of your finished dish, post it on Instagram using the hashtag #laurenslatest and tagging me @laurens_latest.
Cucumber Tomato Salad
Ingredients
- 2 english cucumbers halved and sliced
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes halved
- 1/4 red onion sliced
For the dressing
- 3 tablespoons grape seed oil or olive oil
- 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar or red wine vinegar
- salt & pepper to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
Instructions
- Wash your english cucumber and tomatoes. Halve the cherry tomatoes and slice the cucumbers into half moons. I link slicing my cucumbers slightly thinner, but feel free to keep this salad nice and chunky. Also, slice your red onions and add them to the bowl.
- In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, add grapeseed oil, white wine vinegar, garlic powder, onion powder, sugar, salt and pepper. Whisk vigorously until emulsified.
- Pour the dressing over the veggies and toss to coat. You can serve immediately, or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate about an hour to marinate the veggies so they really absorb the flavors from the dressing. Serve!
Two cucumbers and a pint of cherry tomatoes and onion but only six tablespoons of liquid in the recipe it doesn’t seem like enough??
I make this all the time and add feta cheese if I have it. So yummy and refreshing!