This refreshing Mediterranean Cucumber Salad pairs well with grilled food or your favorite fish, burgers and chicken. Perfect 15-minute salad for summer cookouts!
Fresh cucumbers, garden tomatoes, feta cheese, kalamata olives, red onions, red wine vinaigrette and herbs galore. This easy salad recipe is a summer staple and pairs perfectly with another 20-minute recipe, Hummus and Pita!
Sometimes I think the side dish is what makes the plate! If you've got a juicy, flavorful pork burger, you want a cooling side after each bite. On the opposite side, you can really dress up a simple chicken breast with this salad!
The flavors of the Mediterranean area really come through in feta and olives. These salty goodies are offset with a touch of local honey for just the right balance. Just like how you can balance your plate with this crisp pairing!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Features seasonal ingredients at their finest! I think cherry tomatoes are really easy to grow and cucumbers can often be too abundant. Let's use them up! Use up your extras in this watermelon fruit salad.
- Another use for the ubiquitous bottle of mustard that's always on the fridge door.
- Ingredients that are easy to prepare, meaning even kids and kitchen novices can help!
- Mediterranean Cucumber Salad can be made in advance so on cookout day it's one less thing to worry about.
Recipe Ingredients
- Cucumbers - I recommend Persian cucumbers as they have a lower water content than regular varieties, and are often nearly seedless which is perfect for this Greek salad.
- Tomatoes - Cherry or grape work here, and we are slicing them in half. Go with all red or look for fun packages that contain orange, purple, and yellow as well.
- Olives - I love Kalamata, classic in Mediterranean cuisine! They have a meaty texture, which gives you some textural differences in this side dish.
- Onions - Red is perfect here, giving a great bite!
- Feta - Again, a strong flavor to stand up to all of the other ingredients.
- Dressing - Red wine vinegar, lemon juice, and my favorite local honey combine into a sweet-sour vinaigrette that is perfect over this salad. Try making the lemon vinaigrette from this Shaved Brussel Sprout Salad!
Substitutions & Variations
- No feta on hand? That Mediterranean tomato feta combo is hard to beat but Gorgonzola or blue will also work. Either buy crumbles or cut your own off a block. Blue cheese is a great swap for feta in marinated olives too!
- If you don't love the texture of Kalamata olives, you can also use black. They are softer though, so you won't have meaty bites in your salad.
- Grape tomatoes will also work, but if they are larger types they might need to be chopped in quarters instead of halves.
- If you can't find Persian cucumbers, which are narrow and max out at about 6 inches, try and find Hothouse or English options. These are both usually seedless, so that they don't water down the salad.
How To Make Mediterranean Cucumber Salad
Step 1: Combine all dressing ingredients, except the oil, in a food processor.
Step 2: Stream in the oil while the processor is running.
Step 3: Continue blending until perfectly emulsified.
Step 4: Top prepared salad ingredients with dressing and toss to coat. Serve alone or with a side of warmed pita bread.
Expert Tips
- Make sure to add the oil in a slow, steady stream while your food processor is running. This is key to achieving the perfect emulsion! Same goes for all vinaigrette recipes including the one in arugula pear salad.
- I truly believe fresh lemon juice has a better, brighter taste than even the nicest bottle option, so it's worth it to grab one at the store and juice it yourself.
- The dressing can be made ahead, so that all you need to do is chop and toss when you are ready to enjoy a Greek salad.
Recipe FAQs
A blender should also work; just make sure your processor or blender doesn't have too large of a jar for the ingredients. You can likely even use an immersion blender in a tall glass jar.
Yes, it is perfect for a potluck or party! You can assemble it just before leaving the house, completely dressed and tossed, or you can bring the salad and dressing separate. I love keeping it separate so I can then add exactly how much I need just before serving. Depending on how juicy your cucumber and tomatoes are, you might not end up using the entire jar.
Storage
The dressing will last up to two weeks in an airtight jar in the fridge, so feel free to make this in advance. You will want to shake or whisk the jar before using, as it will often separate some as it sits.
The Mediterranean cucumber salad itself should stay crisp and fresh for up to 3 days after combined, the same as honey lime fruit salad. Keep in mind that dressing will make the ingredients break down faster and lose some crispness. So it's fine to make it the morning of a party, but I recommend not doing it any sooner than that. Leftovers are perfectly fine the next day for your own lunch!
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📖 Recipe
Mediterranean Cucumber Salad
Equipment
Ingredients
Cucumber Salad
- 1 lb Persian cucumbers medium dice
- 12 oz cherry tomatoes halved
- 4 oz feta cheese
- ½ cup kalamata olives sliced
- ½ small red onion thinly sliced
- ¼ oz mint chopped
- ¼ oz basil chiffonade
- ½ cup parsley chopped
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp sumac
Red Wine Vinaigrette
- ½ cup red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 2 cloves garlic
- ¾ teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper coarse ground
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 1½ teaspoon honey
- 1 cup olive oil
Instructions
Making Cucumber Salad
- Add all cucumber salad ingredients to a large mixing bowl. Toss well to combine evenly
Making Dressing
- Add all vinaigrette ingredients except the olive oil to a food processor and blend on high for 20 seconds
- Switch the food processor to low and slowly drizzle oil in as it's blending. Do not add oil too quickly, a slow steady stream is best. Continue blending for 5 seconds after all oil is in
- Pour vinaigrette over salad, toss and serve
Krista
This cucumber salad is vibrant and delicious! One of my favorite sides for BBQ.
Alicia
So fresh and flavorful!