This simple vinegar dressed German cucumber salad with dill is fresh, light and such a delicious way to enjoy cucumbers. Made from a handful of simple ingredients, and ready in under 10 minutes, this refreshing summer salad is also a tasty recipe to use up a glut of cucumbers.
For a simple cucumber recipe in the height of summer, cucumber salads like this vinegar based German salad (as well as this creamy Polish cucumber salad) are always popular. This dairy free salad is a wonderful option for vegans or those on a dairy free diet, or for if you are just wanting a lighter salad option.
Perfect for serving alongside grilled meats, fish, or burgers, it is very quick and easy to make: just chop, mix and serve.
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What is gurkensalat?
Gurkensalat is a German cucumber salad: Gurken = cucumbers and salat = in this case, salad (it can also mean lettuce). While creamy cucumber salads are common throughout Germany; this non creamy variation, instead made with a vinaigrette dressing, is a traditional Southern Germany dish.
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Ingredient notes and substitutions
- Cucumbers – use English cucumbers (hothouse cucumbers) or Lebanese (Persian) cucumbers as they have thinner skins meaning you don’t need to peel them.
- Dill – this fresh aniseedy herb is popular in Southern Germany, but you could use finely chopped parsley as is often used when making gurkensalat in Northern Germany.
- Sugar – white granulated sugar.
- Spring onion – aka green onions. You can substitute with a little finely diced onion. If you don’t want the harsh onion taste then soak the onion in hot water for 2 minutes and drain before adding it to your cucumber salad.
- Oil – I often use a mild olive oil, you could use another neutral tasting oil such as avocado oil or grapeseed oil.
- Vinegar – white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar.
How to make this Gurkensalat recipe
- Make the dressing: Mix the olive oil, vinegar, salt and sugar together.
- Assemble the salad: Thinly slice the cucumbers and mix with the chopped spring onions and fresh dill. Pour the dressing over the sliced cucumbers and stir to combine.
FAQ
The liquid released from cut cucumbers seeps in to the dressing, making the cucumber salad watery. To prevent this from happening, remove as much liquid as possible from the cucumbers by salting them and leaving them for a few minutes before patting dry. The salt removes the moisture from the cucumbers, meaning it won’t seep in to your salad.
Salting the sliced cucumber will help to keep it crunchy. When storing cucumbers in the fridge, make sure they are dry, and keep them cold but not too cold – you don’t want them to freeze as this makes them go mushy.
If your cucumber has large seeds in the centre, these watery seeds can make your cucumber salad watery. You can remove them by using a spoon to scrape down the centre of the cucumber.
My recipe tips
- Slice the cucumbers really thinly. Either carefully with a sharp knife or use a mandolin.
- Sugar – whilst I often try not to use sugar when not necessary, this is an important ingredient in authentic German salad recipes like this one. If you don’t mind not authentic and would rather not have the sugar, you can simply leave it out.
- Let the salad rest in the fridge for 3 hours to chill down. It will become slightly watery, but don’t worry.
Serving Ideas
You can serve this German cucumber salad cold or at room temperature.
- Pork – it goes so well as a side to grilled or baked pork chops, sausages,
- Chicken – we love it with this chicken traybake
- At a bbq or potluck alongside sausage rolls, beetroot and feta salad, ezme, kisir
Make ahead/storage
This salad will keep in the fridge, covered, for 24-48 hours. I find the cucumber becomes a bit too soft for my liking after 24 hours, but Mr Jones still liked it after that time.
If you are making the cucumber salad ahead and don’t want a watery salad, salt the cucumbers, leave for 15 minutes in a colander to drain, then pat dry with kitchen paper towel before adding to the dressing.
Why not try…
You may also like these other German recipes:
German Cucumber Salad (Gurkensalat)
Author: Robyn
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar or cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- pinch granulated sugar to taste
- pinch sea salt to taste
- 1 cucumber or 2 Lebanese cucumbers
- 1 spring onion
- ½ tablespoon dill finely chopped
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk the vinegar and olive oil with a pinch of white sugar and salt. Check seasonings and place to one side.
- Finely slice the cucumbers and the spring onions and finely chop the dill, and place on a plate or in a bowl.
- Pour the dressing over the cucumbers and mix well.
- Serve immediately or keep in the fridge for up to 2 days. (If you intend to keep in the fridge overnight I recommend salting the cucumbers first to avoid a watery salad, see tip below.)
Notes
Nutrition
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