This easy Mediterranean Cucumber Salad is refreshing and light, made with cucumber, tomato, parsley, and mint. This salad is excellent to bring as a dish to pass at a picnic or as a complimentary side dish to a heavier main course.
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This Mediterranean cucumber salad recipe is a vegan salad that pairs perfectly with my edamame salad, fresh fruit, and a light dessert.
The Mediterranean flavors come from fresh herbs and lemon, making a simple oil-free dressing.
It is chock full of fresh and seasonal veggies with crisp cucumber, juicy tomatoes, and refreshing herbs! Easy recipes like these are perfect for nearly every occasion!
💗 Why You’ll Love This Salad
Easy Salad Recipe: This easy salad recipe is chock full of simple fresh ingredients. It’s ready in only 15 minutes.
Healthy and Suitable for All Diets: This salad is vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, paleo, and keto friendly. It’s also completely oil-free, but you can add a bit of olive oil if you like.
Cool and Refreshing: This is the perfect salad to bring to picnics and BBQs. It’s
🥒 Ingredients and Notes
Cucumber: Use an English cucumber. English cucumbers have fewer seeds. Be sure to use fresh cucumbers with a crisp finish.
Tomatoes: Organic hothouse tomatoes are large and juicy! Alternatively, you could use grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes.
Fresh Herbs: Mint gives this salad a refreshing twist. Fresh parsley adds texture and brightness to the salad. If you like, substitute the parsley and mint with cilantro, or basil.
Oil-Free Dressing: Lemon juice, salt, and pepper make up the simple marinade or dressing.
📋 How to Make Mediterranean Cucumber Salad
- Dice one small onion. In a small bowl, soak the onions in white vinegar to quickly pickle.
- Dice the tomatoes and cucumbers. Finely chop the mint and parsley.
- Drain the onions, and discard the vinegar.
- Toss together the pickled onions, cucumber, tomatoes, mint, and parsley in a medium bowl.
- Add the juice of one lemon, salt, and pepper to the salad. Stir to combine. Refrigerate, and let the salad marinate for an hour before serving.
💭 Expert Tips
- Preparing in Advance: Leave the dressing off, and dress the salad before serving
- Serving a Large Crowd: If you have a larger crowd to feed, double the amounts to serve up to 12 people.
📖 Variations
There are several variations across the Mediterranean of this cucumber salad. This basic recipe is delicious, but you can add different ingredients.
Protein: I often like to add a 15-ounce can of drained and rinsed chickpeas for plant-based protein. But you can add another type of bean, such as kidney or white beans.
More Aliums: Use red onion instead of white, and add diced green onion or shallot, or minced garlic for further flavor.
Feta Cheese and Kalamata Olives: Feta is a popular addition to Mediterranean salads, giving the salad a salty and creamy element. Use either regular or vegan feta.
🍽 How to Serve
This side salad pairs well with other Mediterranean dishes, such as a falafel plate with gluten-free hummus. Serve it with your protein of choice as a garnish or a side dish. It also pairs nicely with vegan kebab skewers or grilled chicken on a hot summer day!
❓ Recipe FAQS
Both Greek Salad and Mediterranean Salad are similar in that they are healthy and fresh vegetable-based salads typically served as appetizers or side dishes. Greek Salad is a specific type of salad that is native to Greece, while Mediterranean Salad is a more general term that refers to salads with ingredients common to the Mediterranean region.
There are a few things you can do to prevent your cucumber salad from becoming watery. Sprinkling some salt over the cucumbers and letting them sit for 10-15 minutes can help draw out excess water, then rinse them off and pat them dry before adding to your salad. Cutting the cucumbers into thin slices releases less water into the salad. Avoid dressing the salad too far in advance as the salt and acid in the dressing can cause the cucumbers to release more water. If you have leftovers, store the salad in an airtight container in the fridge, and drain any excess liquid that accumulates before serving.
When it comes to making cucumber salad, there are a few cucumber varieties that are particularly well-suited for this purpose due to their flavor, texture, and overall characteristics. Any fresh and firm cucumber will work in a salad, but English, Persian, and Kirby cucumbers are some of the best options due to their texture, flavor, and overall appeal.
There are a few ways to cut cucumbers for a salad, depending on the type of salad you are making and personal preference. For this Mediterranean Cucumber Salad, I recommend dicing. This method is good if you want the cucumber to blend in with the other ingredients in your salad.
❄️ How to Store
Allow the salad to marinate for an hour before serving for the best flavor. Keep in an airtight container for up to 1 day.
This salad is best when consumed the day it is prepared. Chopped cucumber can get soggy if left overnight, especially if it is dressed.
🥗 More refreshing salad recipes!
Serving Size
This salad makes six large 1-cup servings. If you are serving a larger crowd, double the recipe.
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Recipe
Mediterranean Cucumber Salad
Ingredients
- 1 small white onion
- ½ cup white vinegar
- 1 English Cucumber
- 2 large tomatoes
- ¼ cup fresh mint finely chopped
- 1 cup flat leaf parsley roughly chopped
- ¼ cup lemon juice about 1 lemon juiced
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Dice onion, and allow to soak in white vinegar for a minimum of 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- Dice the cucumber, and tomatoes. Chop the mint and the parsley. Gently fold the ingredients together in a medium bowl.
- Whisk together the lemon juice, and salt and pepper in a small bowl.
- Pour dressing over vegetables. Refrigerate and allow to marinate for an hour before serving.
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Notes
- Preparing in Advance-Leave the dressing off, and dress the salad before serving.
- Serving a Large Crowd-If you have a larger crowd, or you’re bringing this salad as a dish to pass at a picnic or party, you can double the amounts to serve up to 12 people.
- Allow the salad to marinate for an hour before serving for the best flavor. Keep in an airtight container for up to 1 day.
- This salad is best when consumed the day it is prepared. Chopped cucumber can get soggy if left overnight, especially if it is dressed.
Donna Taylor
I would love to try these recipies.
Alana
Doubled this for a holiday party and it was devoured! Making it again this week, thank you!
Alison Corey
Don’t you love it when healthy food gets devoured!
Tena Barke
I make one similar with chickpeas, dill instead of mint and kalamata olives instead of vinegar and it’s a hearty meal
Alison Corey
That sounds delicious!
Lauren Vavala | Delicious Little Bites
I love cucumber salad but have never made it like this with tomato! I definitely need to try this asap with all of the fresh summer veggies!
Summer
I loved this salad!Very refreshing! I am on an avocado kick right now so I added it in as well. Delicious!
Lisa | Garlic & Zest
This is so fresh and healthy! I would use it as a salad, a dip for tortilla chips or as a salsa over chicken or fish! So versatile!
Danielle Wolter
Love how simple and fresh this recipe is. Greek salads are the best!
Demeter
This is my go-to salad especially for summer. So light and delicious!!
Kelly Anthony
I make something similar but I have never put onion in so I’m going to give this a try. I love how light and refreshing this salad is without having to cook a thing.