• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Explore Cook Eat

  • Recipes Home
  • 1,000 Foods to Eat Project
  • MUST Try Korean Dishes!
  • About Me
  • Recipes
    • USA
    • Asia
    • Salads
    • Soups
    • Europe
  • Travel
    • USA
      • New Mexico
      • Texas
      • Utah
      • North Carolina
    • Japan
  • Navigation Menu: Social Icons

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube

Home » Recipes

Refreshing Southern Cucumber Salad!

Jun 14, 2022Last Modified: October 21, 2022

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

This page may contain affiliate links. I receive a small commission at no cost to you when you make a purchase using my link. This post is about an easy and Refreshing Southern Cucumber Salad!

Southern Cucumber Salad in a gold rimmed bowl
Jump to:
  • How I Discovered This Dish!
  • Ingredients Needed For This Classic Side Dish
  • Instructions
  • For Best Results
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • How To Serve This Fresh Salad!
  • Some Other Recipes You May Enjoy
  • Join Me On A Fun Food Journey!
  • Refreshing Southern Cucumber Salad Recipe!

This easy Southern Cucumber Onion Salad will help you beat the heat on a hot summer day!

Perfect during the summer months, you will love this refreshing cucumber salad for the following reasons:

  • It's a great side dish!
  • This simple recipe is an absolute snap to put together!
  • Great summer salad with fresh flavors!
  • You only need a few simple fresh ingredients to make this easy cucumber salad!
  • The tangy vinegar dressing is sooo delicious!

How I Discovered This Dish!

I discovered this dish while on a trip to Oxford, Mississippi. A great place to try some Mississippi regional fare when in Oxford is at the Ajax Diner. We stopped by for some take out and pictured below was our delicious lunch!

Hot tamale pie, butter beans and corn bread in a styrofoam container, cutlery and napkins, various condiments, cucumber and onions in a styrofoam container and a cup of coffee.

I ordered the Hot Tamale Pie, which was recommended in the Mississippi Tour Guide. The sides that I chose to go along with my Hot Tamale Pie (so good!) were corn bread, butter beans, and cucumber and onions. I loved the cucumber and onions so much that I couldn't wait to get back home to recreate it in my kitchen!

Ingredients Needed For This Classic Side Dish

You only need 6 ingredients for this simple salad! These are common ingredients which you can find at your local grocery store!

Salt, vinegar, sugar, red onion, and cucumber.
  • Fresh Cucumbers - English cucumbers with their thin skin and fewer seeds are perfect for this dish! But feel free to use regular cucumbers it's all good!
  • Red onion (could also sub Vidalia onion, sweet onion, or white onion according to your personal preference)
  • White Vinegar (could sub apple cider vinegar)
  • A little salt
  • A liittle sugar
  • Water

Once you've gathered these ingredients, you are on your way to making what may become one of your favorite healthy recipes!

Instructions

Here are the super simple instructions to make this easy cucumber salad recipe!

First, use your vegetable peeler to peel the cucumber in stripes (lengthwise) for aesthetic purposes. This is not necessary, but it does definitely make this dish much more appealing! Then, cut the cucumber into thin cucumber slices.

Next, cut the red onion into thin slices.

Sliced cucumber and red onion on a white plate, glass bowls filled with water and vinegar, small white dishes with sugar and salt.

Place the sliced cucumber and onion in a large bowl.  In a separate bowl mix together the vinegar, water, salt, and sugar.  Pour this mixture over the cucumber and onion, and mix well. 

That's it! You have made this cool cucumber salad, which you may may consider one of your go to salad recipes from now on!

For Best Results

Southern Cucumber Salad in a gold rimmed bowl

You can eat this immediately, however for the best flavor, allow the flavors to meld overnight in the fridge. This onion and cucumber vinegar salad definitely tastes better the next day!

Place the salad in an airtight container that is preferably shallow. That way more of the the cucumber and onion slices are in contact with the tangy dressing. If you get a chance, stir the marinated cucumbers and onions a few times while the dish is marinating.

You can also use a jar, which makes it easy to turn it over from time to time while marinating.

Frequently Asked Questions

What kind of cucumber should I use for this Southern Cucumber salad?

English cucumbers with their thinner skin and fewer seeds are recommended. But feel free to use regular cucumbers if you can't get the English cucumber.

What kind of onion should I use?

It's fine to use red onion, sweet onion, white onion, or Vidalia onion for this salad! I enjoy using red to give the salad an extra pop of color though!

What other ingredients could I add to enhance this salad?

Some ingredients you might consider adding include black pepper, and/or fresh herbs such as fresh dill weed or parsley. You could even throw in a few halved cherry tomatoes to make this a Southern tomato cucumber salad!

How To Serve This Fresh Salad!

Southern Cucumber Salad in a gold rimmed bowl.

This salad is a perfect and versatile side dish! It's great with your favorite main meals, and especially wonderful with barbecued meats.

Enjoy the delightful taste of cucumbers in this salad as part of a light lunch, or as an essential part of a summer meal.

I do hope this will become a favorite recipe that you go to time and time again!

Some Other Recipes You May Enjoy

Southern Macaroni Salad

Creamy macaroni salad with chopped hard boiled eggs and green peppers garnished with green onion slices in a white bowl with the stem of a spoon in the background.

Perfect Baby Back Pork Ribs From The Oven

Baby back pork ribs with baked potato and Central BBQ Jerk Seasoning

Absolutely MUST Try Nashville Hot Chicken!

Nashville Hot Chicken

Join Me On A Fun Food Journey!

If you'd like to come along on this food journey with me, please sign up to get the latest recipes and inspiration for you to expand your food comfort zone! It's an incredible journey, please join me by signing up here. 🙂

Cheers!

Grace

Southern Cucumber Salad which is slices of cucumber and slices of red onion in a gold rimmed bowl.

Refreshing Southern Cucumber Salad Recipe!

Grace
This Southern Cucumber Salad is so refreshing, and a perfect side dish for the summer months!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 5 mins
Marinating Time (Recommended) 12 hrs
Total Time 12 hrs 5 mins
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 5 people
Calories 16 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cucumber English cucumber is preferred; peeled in stripes lengthwise and thinly sliced
  • ½ red onion sliced thinly (can sub Vidalia, white, sweet or yellow onion)
  • ¼ cup vinegar
  • ¼ cup water
  • ¾ ts salt
  • ¾ ts sugar

Instructions
 

  • Peel the skin of the cucumber lengthwise with your vegetable peeler, and then slice the cucumber thinly. Thinly slice the red onion. Place the onion and cucumber in a large bowl.  
    Sliced cucumber and red onion on a white plate, glass bowls filled with water and vinegar, small white dishes with sugar and salt.
  • In a separate bowl mix together the vinegar, water, salt, and sugar.  Pour this mixture over the cucumber and onion, and mix well.  You can eat this immediately, however it's best to allow the flavors to meld overnight in the fridge!
    Southern Cucumber Salad in a gold rimmed bowl

Notes

You can eat this immediately, however for the best flavor, allow the flavors to meld overnight in the fridge. This onion and cucumber vinegar salad definitely tastes better the next day!
Place the salad in an airtight container that is preferably shallow. That way more of the the cucumber and onion slices are in contact with the tangy dressing.
If you get a chance, stir the marinated cucumbers and onions a few times while the dish is marinating.

Nutrition

Calories: 16kcalCarbohydrates: 3gProtein: 0.5gFat: 0.1gSaturated Fat: 0.01gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.004gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.004gSodium: 351mgPotassium: 98mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 43IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 12mgIron: 0.2mg
Keyword cucumber and onion salad, cucumber salad, side dish, side salad, southern cucumber salad
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
« Easy Cilantro Lime Rice Recipe
Delicious and Hearty Pink Beans Recipe! »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Sign up so that you never miss the greatest recipes!

About Me

Hi I’m Grace! I'm married and a mom to my fur baby, Toby, and food and travel are two of my greatest passions! Since our bank account does not allow us to travel or eat out as much as we'd like, I decided I would cook delicious meals that could give us a taste of all the places we'd like to go. My goal is to get you in the kitchen, and inspire you to cook and taste delightful meals that will transport you too. Let’s throw some actual travel in from time to time, all with an emphasis on keeping your wallet full and happy as well. Let’s get cooking and let’s start exploring!! I'm excited to be on this journey with you!!

By the way most of these recipes are Toby taste tested and Toby approved!!

Chief Taste Tester Toby

Toby Chief Taste Tester

Recent Posts

  • Crispy Garlicky Roast Chicken Recipe
  • DELISH South Carolina Benne Wafers Recipe
  • Middle Eastern Style Cabbage Salad Recipe
  • Roasted Carrots With Berbere Spice Recipe
  • Perfectly Pan Fried Rainbow Trout Recipe

Recent Comments

  • Grace on All About Samyang 2x Spicy Buldak Ramen!
  • Alexis on All About Samyang 2x Spicy Buldak Ramen!
  • Grace on Easy and Delicious Connecticut Steamed Cheeseburgers!
  • Grace L Henrie on Easy and Delicious Connecticut Steamed Cheeseburgers!
  • Grace on How To Cook Korean Short Ribs In The Oven

Archives

Categories

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

Footer

Amazon Associates Disclosure

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Copyright © 2023 Explore Cook Eat on the Foodie Pro Theme