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Cucumber Tomato Onion Salad

Cucumber Tomato Salad is my absolute favorite summer salad. Fresh cucumbers, summer tomatoes, shallots and a quick vinaigrette make this perfect for all of your summer cookouts. 

Every summer growing up our family would host lots of BBQs and summer cookouts. Of course hot dogs, burgersgrilled chicken and spicy pepper steak were staples. But one of the things that I looked forward to the most was my mom’s Cucumber Tomato Onion Salad.

Cucumber Tomato Salad is my absolute favorite summer salad. Fresh cucumbers, summer tomatoes, shallots and a quick vinaigrette make this perfect for all of your summer cookouts. 

The way that mom would traditionally make this salad was to dice tomatoes, cucumbers and red onions. Then she would pour Italian dressing over the top and let the the whole salad marinate for a few hours in the refrigerator.

Over the years I have made this cucumber tomato salad my own by making a few small changes.

INGREDIENTS:

This recipe is essentially split in two: The salad ingredients and the vinaigrette.

  • CUCUMBERS: You can use common cucumbers or english cucumbers. If you use English cucumbers feel free to leave the peel on.
  • TOMATOES: Vine ripened tomatoes are my favorite in this because they have the best flavor.
  • SHALLOTS: I like to use shallots in this recipe because they are a bit more mild than the traditional red onion. If you’d like even more mild onion flavor, use a white onion.

To make the vinaigrette you’ll need:

  • EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL: I like to use extra virgin olive oil in vinaigrettes because it is more flavorful than other oils.
  • RED WINE VINEGAR: It is sharp and tangy. It also has a bit more flavor than white vinegars.
  • WATER
  • OREGANO AND BASIL: I use dried in vinaigrettes because they seem to hold up a bit better.
  • SALT AND PEPPER
  • GARLIC: Since it’s fresh be sure to chop it small so that you don’t get whole bites of raw garlic in your salad.
Cucumber Tomato Salad is my absolute favorite summer salad. Fresh cucumbers, summer tomatoes, shallots and a quick vinaigrette make this perfect for all of your summer cookouts. 

How to make cucumber tomato salad:

  • 1. The dressing. My mom would use a bottle of our favorite Italian dressing and it was always good. I don’t usually have it on hand but it is really easy to make your own vinaigrette. All you need is red wine vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, water, garlic and a few seasonings.
  • 2. The cucumber. I prefer english cucumbers. They are the long cucumbers that you find usually wrapped in plastic at the grocery store. They are seedless, often less bitter and they don’t need to be peeled. Although you can peel them if you like. With that said, a regular cucumber would be just fine.
  • 3. The tomatoes. Obviously, fresh summer tomatoes shine in this recipe. You’ll want tomatoes that are large and firm.
  • 4. The onion. My mom would make this salad using diced red onions. And while I loved the salad, I do remember leaving the onions on the plate more often than not. For this cucumber salad recipe, I use thinly sliced shallots instead. You will still get a subtle oniony flavor but they aren’t overpowering.
  • 5. Waiting. That’s the hardest part. This salad is best when it’s allowed to marinate for at least a few hours in the fridge, even better the next day. I usually let it set at room temperature an hour or so before serving too which makes it even better.
Classic Cucumber Tomato Salad

This Easy Cucumber Tomato Salad is right at home at any summer bbq. It’s great when served with a grilled flat iron steak or even all on it’s own with some pita for a light lunch.

Looking for more summer salad recipes? Try these!

Broccoli Salad is a classic! Loaded with fresh broccoli, cranberries, bacon and sunflower seeds in a creamy dressing.

Celery isn’t just for soups and a dip for ranch, this crisp and cool Celery Salad is full of flavor!

Green beans in a salad? YES! You will love this cold green bean salad bursting with summer flavor!

Note: This post was originally written in 2018. It was updated in 2022.

Classic Cucumber Tomato Salad

Cucumber Tomato Salad

This Easy Cucumber Tomato Salad is right at home at summer BBQs. Cucumbers, tomatoes, shallots & a quick vinaigrette is all you need for this summer salad.
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 4 hrs 5 mins
Total Time 4 hrs 5 mins
Course Side Dishes
Cuisine American
Servings 4 Servings
Calories 135 kcal

Ingredients
  

Vinaigrette Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
  • 2 cloves garlic minced

Cucumber Tomato Salad Ingredients:

  • 2 large firm tomatoes such as beefsteak diced
  • 1 English cucumber halved lengthwise and sliced
  • 1 small shallot sliced thin

Instructions
 

  • Whisk together all ingredients for dressing.
  • Combine tomatoes, cucumbers and shallots together in a bowl. Pour dressing over the top. Mix well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
  • Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 135kcalCarbohydrates: 5.5gProtein: 1.3gFat: 12.8gSaturated Fat: 1.8gSodium: 444mgFiber: 1.6gSugar: 2.7g
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Keywords: 4th of july, bbq, cucumber tomato salad, labor day, memorial day, salad, side dish

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Recipe Rating




  • Reply
    jessica | novice chef
    June 5, 2018 at 5:31 pm

    This looks so incredibly fresh! I want to dive right in!

  • Reply
    Sabrina
    May 30, 2018 at 5:41 am

    This is definitely a summer must have side dish! Looks fantastic!

  • Reply
    Jen
    May 30, 2018 at 5:40 am

    I can why waiting is the hardest part! I’d want to dig right in!

  • Reply
    Mom
    May 29, 2018 at 8:10 pm

    5 stars
    Nice job Des! I will definitely try your new changes. Sounds awesome.

  • Reply
    Anna
    May 29, 2018 at 8:02 pm

    Loving this fresh and delicious salad!

  • Reply
    Dorothy at Shockingly Delicious
    May 29, 2018 at 7:29 pm

    This is, as you say, the BEST summer classic! We could have this several times a week.

  • Reply
    I Heart Naptime
    May 29, 2018 at 2:50 pm

    YUM, one of my favorite Summer salads!

  • Des

    Hey! I'm Des!

    Welcome to Life’s Ambrosia where Dinner is served and memories are made. Here you will find over 1000 tried and true recipes for every possible occasion. In the last 10 years, this blog has helped millions of families put dinner on the table and create food memories. Let me help you too.

    Read more »

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