Name: Creamy Cucumber Salad
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Ingredients: 2 English cucumbers, (sliced ⅛-inch thick (approximately 1 to 1¼ pounds)); ¼ cup sliced red onion, (⅛-inch thick (from about a quarter of a medium onion)); ½ cup sour cream; 1 tablespoon white vinegar; 1 tablespoon fresh dill, (finely chopped); 1 ½ teaspoons granulated sugar; ½ teaspoon salt; ¼ teaspoon garlic powder; ⅛ teaspoon black pepper

Creamy cucumber salad is one of those recipes that works better the less you do to it. Thick dressing, thin slices, and 10 minutes of your time. That’s what keeps it crisp and lightly coated, the way it’s supposed to be.

A wooden spoon holds slices of cucumber and red onion coated in a creamy, herb-filled dressing, capturing the essence of Creamy Cucumber Salad with a blurred background of fresh dill and glassware.

I tested this recipe because the creamy versions I kept seeing were either heavy on dill or so watery by the time they hit the table that the dressing had disappeared. What I landed on is a thicker dressing, less dill, and cucumbers sliced thin enough that every piece gets coated instead of just the top layer.

If you love cucumbers and want something lighter, my cucumber salad and tomato cucumber salad are worth a look too.

Read This First

Plan Accordingly: I never make this ahead. It’s always better the day I’m serving it, while everything is still crisp and lightly coated.

A glass bowl filled with sliced cucumbers and red onions is being topped with creamy white dressing poured from a jug, creating a classic Creamy Cucumber Salad on a wooden table.

If I need a head start, I slice the cucumbers and onion and keep them separate from the dressing in the fridge. I combine everything about 15 minutes before we’re ready to eat.

A glass bowl filled with Creamy Cucumber Salad, featuring sliced cucumbers, red onions, and a white dill dressing, sits invitingly on a wooden surface.

Ingredient Notes

A variety of ingredients for Creamy Cucumber Salad are displayed on a wooden surface, including two cucumbers, sour cream, fresh dill, red onion, canned tomatoes, white vinegar, sugar, garlic powder, and black pepper.

English cucumbers are the call here. The skin is thin enough that you don’t need to peel them. They also have fewer seeds than a regular cucumber, which means less water in the bowl. If you’re working with a standard waxed cucumber, peel the skin first.

Sour cream matters more than anything else in this recipe. I always use full-fat, and the thicker the better. A thinner sour cream looks fine in the container but loosens the dressing within minutes of mixing. Greek yogurt works as a substitute, but it thins the dressing and makes it tangier, which changes the balance of the whole salad.

Fresh dill is better than dried here. However, I use less than most recipes because I want the cucumber to come through, not the herb. If you only have dried, use about a third of the amount.

If you prefer a stronger dill flavor, my dill pickle pasta salad salad leans into it more.

Find the full ingredient list with measurements in the recipe card below.

Steps Not To Miss

Cucumbers are mostly water, and the moment the dressing hits them, moisture starts being drawn out. The longer they sit, the thinner the dressing gets. That’s not a problem with the recipe. It’s just what cucumbers do.

There’s no way to prevent that completely. It’s not realistic to try. What you can do, and what I’ve done here, is control when it happens so you’re eating the freshest, crispest version of the salad.

The difference comes down to how it’s built. The dressing is thick enough to hold, the ⅛-inch slice lets it coat quickly and evenly, and it goes to the table right after mixing, while everything is still where it should be.

A hand with a light pink manicure holds a thin, round slice of cucumber above other cucumber slices on a light surface—perfect for preparing a fresh Creamy Cucumber Salad.

I mix the dressing separately and pour it over right before we’re ready to eat. That sequencing is what makes it work.

Results From My Recipe Testing

Some recipes have you salt the cucumbers first to draw out moisture. I tested it both ways and skipped it. Salting softens the texture and you end up with cucumbers that are limp before the dressing even goes on. The thick dressing and thin slice handle the moisture without that tradeoff.