Simple Cucumber and Tomato Salad Recipe with juicy tomatoes, crunchy cucumbers, sliced red onion and fresh dill will become your go-to side dish year round. It goes with everything!
It’s a staple in our house along with tomato cucumber bell pepper salad and lettuce salad.
This cucumber and tomato salad is something I ate every other day during the summer as a child. Grandma also loved to make creamy cucumber tomato salad when she had sour cream on hand and this simple cucumber salad just to add a variety to meals.
This is the most popular summer salad in Ukraine, Russia and many other Slavic countries. I also believe this fresh salad combination is incredibly popular all over the globe. With its own regional twist, of course.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It’s healthy and affordable.
- Easy to make any time of the year. There is nothing more cheerful on a dreary rainy winter night than a bowl of fresh tomato cucumber salad.
- I especially love to make this easy recipe during summer with my homegrown cucumbers and tomatoes or farmer’s market produce.
Ingredients for Cucumber and Tomato Salad
The key to making this salad recipe is to select ripe tomatoes and crispy cucumbers at the grocery store. And I am also using one ingredient that makes salad special but you can omit it.
- Cucumber: I like to use long English cucumber, Persian cucumbers or pickling cukes because you don’t have to peel skin of a cucumber. Select firm, plum and fresh cucumbers.
- Tomatoes: My preferred store-bought kind of tomatoes is “tomatoes on the vine”. During summer, any heirloom tomatoes, beefsteak tomatoes or Roma tomatoes in season will be great. Cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes are great too.
- Onion: I prefer to use red onion or shallots in fresh salads, as they aren’t as harsh. But yellow onion or white onion would also work. Alternatively, you could omit it entirely.
- Dill: It’s a classic herb in Ukrainian cooking. Alternatively use fresh parsley, fresh cilantro, fresh basil leaves or scallions for a punch of fresh flavor.
- Olive oil: I like good quality extra virgin olive oil for a simple dressing. Bonus is we do not have to make it separately.
- Toasted sesame oil: This is one of my secret dressing ingredients that is reminiscent of unrefined sunflower oil we always used to dress up this refreshing salad. You can omit it and use more of olive oil, it’s not a deal breaker.
- Salt and black pepper.
How to Make Cucumber and Tomato Salad
The key to making this salad is to prep it right before serving. That’s when its fresh ingredients truly shine!
- Chop the tomatoes and cucumbers into same sized pieces, ensuring the even distribution of ingredients in every bite.
- Then, finely slice the red onion and transfer all three to a large serving bowl. Chop the dill.
- Add the oils, salt and pepper to the bowl and toss lightly. We never made the dressing separately, there is no need.
- Then gently mix and taste it, adjust any of the seasonings, if necessary.
Tips for Best Results
- Make sure your knife is sharpened: There is nothing worse than a dull knife squishing juicy ripe tomatoes.
- On peeling cucumbers: I do not peel regular cucumbers unless it is full grown garden cucumber that has thick and bitter skin. Or any cucumber with a tough skin. No fun to eat that.
- Mixing: With soft salads like this cucumber tomato salad, it’s best to toss them gently with a large spoon rather than using tongs. This will help you avoid squashing the tomatoes or bruising any ingredients.
- Eat right away: I have to stress that it’s best to eat this salad within a few hours of making it. That’s when it tastes fresh and crunchy!
Variations and Add-Ins
Because of the simplicity of this salad recipe, there are tons of ways to adjust it and use as a foundation to layer other fresh and tasty ingredients!
- Acid: Add a splash of your favorite vinegar like red wine vinegar, white wine vinegar, white vinegar or apple cider vinegar. Or squeeze fresh lemon juice or lime juice for a zing.
- Creamy: Make it creamy with plain yogurt or sour cream and omit the oils like I do in creamy cucumber salad.
- Cheese: Toss in crumbled feta cheese or mini bocconcini (mozzarella balls) like I do in Italian chopped salad.
- Seasonings: Add 1 tablespoon of Italian seasoning to the dressing.
- Avocado: Add diced avocado and make it a cucumber tomato avocado salad. The sky’s the limit!
- Bell peppers: They add crunch, fiber and nutrients. Use one chopped yellow bell pepper or red bell pepper to add sweet and fruity flavor. Green bell pepper adds grassy, more bitter taste I personally love.
What to Serve Cucumber and Tomato Salad with?
Honestly, this salad is one of the most versatile salads on my website and can be served with practically any main dish.
Here are some of my favorite suggestions:
- With mashed potatoes and grandma’s chicken burger recipe (“kotlety”), that’s how I remember this salad most of the times!
- With turkey burgers, grilled shrimp skewers, Instant Pot ribs recipe or crock pot pulled pork at a BBQ.
- During a holiday meal with boneless leg of lamb.
To enjoy leftovers, I recommend using some rye bread or other crusty bread to dip into all the juices at the bottom of the bowl. I did that all the time as a child and my goodness, it’s delicious!
How Long Will It Last in the Fridge?
As both cucumber and tomatoes have high water content, this fresh vegetable salad can quickly go limp. For that reason, it’s best to enjoy it at soon as possible.
Though it can last 1-2 days in the fridge. If you want it to last as long as possible, only season the salad with oils, salt and pepper just before serving.
FAQs
If you are using long English cucumber, you don’t have to peel it. Just wash it well. Also no need to peel skin of smaller cucumbers and Persian cucumbers. You only have to peel tough skin on field cucumbers and some homegrown cukes.
Make sure to use sharp knife. There is no need to de-seed tomatoes, just make sure to cut them into even bite-sized pieces. Slice cherry tomatoes and grape tomatoes in halves.
I do not recommend it. Dried dill tastes very different from fresh dill. Instead use any other fresh herbs you like and have on hand.
Yes, if you want to prepare this salad in advance, add veggies and fresh herbs to a large bowl. Cover and store in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. When you’re ready to serve, add olive oil, toasted sesame oil, salt, and pepper.
As soon as you add the salt, pepper and oil to the salad, it will encourage the veggies to release their juices. Otherwise, keep salad ingredients “dry” and you can make it ahead for sure. It literally takes one minute to season the salad!
More Salad Recipes to Try
- Cucumber tomato feta salad
- Traditional Greek salad
- Thai cucumber salad
- My favorite coleslaw
- Avocado corn salad
You might also enjoy my list of 52 healthy salad recipes!
Cucumber and Tomato Salad
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 long English cucumbers chopped
- 1 1/2 lbs tomatoes chopped
- 1/4 cup red onion thinly sliced
- 3 tbsp dill finely chopped
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
- Ground black pepper to taste
- Vinegar to taste (optional)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add cucumbers, tomatoes, onion, dill, olive oil, toasted sesame oil, salt and pepper.
- Stir gently from the bottom in the center of the bowl until well combined.
- Salad tastes best when served immediately.
Video
Notes
- Store: Refrigerate salad for up to 24 hours.
- Best tomatoes to use: In summer heirloom varieties, and tomatoes on the vine when it comes to store-bought.
- Don’t add the salt too early. As soon as you add the salt, the juices from the tomato and cucumber will start to release.
- Substitute for toasted sesame oil: Use more of olive oil.
just read a couple of the comments and find it strange that people make comments that have nothing to do with the recipe.i chanced on your site and found this salad at odds with the usual salads i make in SCOTLAND and i will say i found them very much to my taste.your variations on your recipes are your culture and i for one like the variations. keep up your recipes and thank you very much.
Thank you Nelson, glad your enjoying the recipes!
was funny not to use lettuce for this salad but it works.really enjoyed this dish and made a chicken side dish which went down well.will now use your other salad recipes.thanks.
So glad you enjoyed it Nelson, sounds like a fantastic dinner!
Absolutely delicious! The sesame oil with minimal vinegar is a great spin on the traditional, vinegary tomato and cucumber salad.
My veggie fussy bestie adored it!
I am so happy to hear this, Lainee!
Super good especially when I use tomatoes and cukes from my garden as Ukrainian usually do! Yum!
So glad you enjoyed this jewel of a salad, Vicky! Yes, quality veggies make all the difference in this salad!
Since when this salad became an Ukrainian? Don’t make me laugh!
Laughter is healthy, so please laugh often. In fact, this is a Ukrainian way of making a salad that each culture and country has their own version of. There are many recipes that share same base ingredients with variations for each region. I am sharing this salad from my childhood how we ate it in Ukraine. Simple Google search reveals different versions of basic cucumber tomato salad. This is Ukrainian way. What do you find funny about it, Nina?
Everything is Ukrainian nowadays. Even this salad which is eaten casually by hair of the world differently became Ukrainian 😂
Yep. My Ukrainian cucumber tomato salad. Made differently by my part of the world where I am from and therefore called Ukrainian. And please note, I am from Ukraine and you are on my website where I can share any recipes I want, especially Ukrainian. I can call even chicken noodle soup Ukrainian cause it is my Ukrainian grandma’s soup. Now, if I were a black woman from let’s say Georgia, posting Ukrainian recipes, you could get on the rant train. But for now, Andrew, you go it right and if you have any issues with current political situation and would like to express your frustrations, websites like CNN and Foxnews are best places for you to have a discussion with like minded folks. Here we talk about recipes. Hope this helps and have a great weekend!
Hello, what can I use instead of toasted sesame oil? Can I use regular sesame oil?
yes.
Great – I halved the recipe. I didn’t have fresh dill so used dry. Didn’t have toasted sesame oil, but had regular sesame oil. Really enjoyed the ease and taste. I’m single so don’t often buy heads of lettuce because I end up throwing half of them out. Have enough cucumber and tomato to try it tonight with sour cream. Thanks!
Hi Olena,
I am so grateful to have found your website where I can put healthy but easy meals on the table.This recipe was simple but wonderful. Like your vegetable soup also 5 stars which I made in my dutch oven and the delicious and healthy slower cooker recipes. I have always loved the concept of the slow cooker but have never found recipes that were truly healthy and with simple healthy ingredients until your recipes which are amazing. They are what I have always wanted simple ingredients that I understand and are healthy. I am so happy that I found your website it is a game changer for me. I am going to do the freezer meals that your husband raved about as much as he did his truck. I am going to make them in the slow cook but am thinking of getting an instant pot for Christmas. It is so nice that you can make these recipes with either method. Since I just found your website I hope you are still actively giving tips and recipes every week. I know even more people will benefit from your website during these times. I have already shared your website with my sister, her husband Josef was born in the Ukraine and I will be sharing it with other friends and family . Thank you for reading my very long winded comment and God bless you, your husband and boys. PS Believe it or not I rarely subscribe or comment as I have here.
Hi Kate! Thank you for taking the time to send me a message. I really appreciate it! I hope you will continue to enjoy my recipes 🙂
Yummy. Easy to scale down for just the two of us.
So easy to make and super yummy!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Susan! Thank you for the wonderful review!