Baby Cucumber Salad

This 8 ingredient Baby Cucumber Salad is crisp, refreshing, and easy to make with fresh herbs and a creamy dressing. The perfect summer side dish.

This Baby Cucumber Salad is fresh, creamy, and easy to make. Crisp baby cucumbers are tossed in a citrus dressing that works well as a simple side dish for spring and summer meals. It comes together quickly and tastes even better after chilling in the fridge for a bit.

One of the best things about this cucumber salad is how versatile it is. Serve it with grilled chicken, seafood, sandwiches, or bring it to a barbecue or picnic. The creamy dressing lightly coats the cucumbers without feeling too heavy, making it a side dish you’ll want to keep making all season.

If you like this salad, you’ll love my Green Goddess Salad, my Chickpea and Halloumi Salad and my Couscous Halloumi Salad.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Easy to make with minimal prep. This recipe comes together in under 15 minutes, and only takes a few ingredients to make.
• Only 8 ingredients. This recipe has few ingredients, that pack a ton of flavor.
• A great make-ahead side dish. This recipe is ideal for making ahead for a summer BBQ or picnic.
• Light enough for lunch or a side dish. This pairs perfectly as a side for chicken, fish or really any protein, but also works great as a light lunch.

Ingredients

• Feta: Feta adds a creamy, salty bite that balances the freshness of the cucumbers.
• Baby Cucumbers: Baby cucumbers bring a crisp texture and fresh flavor that keeps the salad light and refreshing.
• Shallots: Shallots add a mild sharpness that gives the salad extra depth without overpowering it.
• Breadcrumbs: Breadcrumbs add crunch and texture that contrast nicely with the creamy dressing and crisp cucumbers.
• Lemon: Lemon adds brightness and acidity that keeps the dressing tasting fresh.
• Olive Oil: Olive oil gives the dressing a smooth texture and helps bring all the flavors together.
• Dijon mustard: Dijon adds tang and helps emulsify the dressing so it coats the salad evenly.

How to make a Baby Cucumber Salad

1. If you are using store bought breadcrumbs, skip to step 3. If you are making breadcrumbs from scratch, preheat oven to 375. Break up baguette (ideally slightly stale baguette) into bite sized pieces. Add to a baking sheet with olive oil, salt and pepper. Bake for about 10 minutes or until nice and browned.

2. Transfer to a food processor and blend until they become breadcrumbs.

3. Peel baby cucumbers and cut into fourths lengthwise, then widthwise.

4. Add olive oil, lemon juice and half the chopped mint to a bowl with the feta. Season with salt and pepper. Using a fork or clean hands, break up feta into crumbles.

5. Add cucumbers and feta to a bowl.

6. Combine dressing ingredients and mix until creamy.

7. Add sliced shallots, breadcrumbs and dressing to the salad. Top with more fresh mint and a crack of salt and pepper. Enjoy!

Expert Tips

• Use block feta instead of pre-crumbled feta for a creamier texture and fresher flavor. You can absolutely use feta crumbles, but using block feta that you add olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper to will be creamier and give you better flavor.
• Toast your breadcrumbs. I like to use homemade breadcrumbs, but if you want to save time and skip and few steps, you can simple toast store-bought breadcrumbs in the oven for a few minutes with olive oil, salt and pepper.
• Use Persian or baby cucumbers. Using the smaller cucumbers makes easy sized bites, and allows the salad to stay crisp. They also have fewer seeds than larger cucumbers.
• Experiment with the dressing. Taste the dressing before tossing and adjust the lemon or dijon depending on how bright or tangy you want it.
  Add breadcrumbs and mint last. Add the breadcrumbs and mint right before serving to keep the breadcrumbs crisp and the mint fresh.
• Lightly salt cucumbers. Salting the cucumbers and letting them sit for a few minutes before assembling can help draw out extra moisture.

Variations & Substitutions

• Use store bought breadcrumbs & feta crumbles to make this salad even faster to make.
• Experiment with other herbs. I used mint, but basil, parsley and dill would also be delicious.
• Make an herb dressing. Add herbs to the dressing for a bright, seasonal twist.
• Use sourdough croutons. Using sourdough bread for the breadcrumbs will add more texture.
  Add a protein. If you are making this a light lunch, toss in chickpeas or white beans in to make it more filling.
• Use other cheeses. Swap the feta for goat cheese, shaved parmesan, or fresh mozzarella.
• Add nuts. Adding pine nuts, walnuts or pistachios would add even more flavor and crunch.

Storage, Freezer & Make Ahead

Storage

Store the cucumber salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. The cucumbers will continue to release water as they sit, so give the salad a quick toss before serving again. For the best texture, store the toasted breadcrumbs separately and add them right before eating.

Make Ahead

You can prep the cucumbers, shallots, dressing, and feta ahead of time and store them separately in the fridge for up to 1 day. Assemble the salad shortly before serving and add the breadcrumbs at the end so they stay crisp.

Freezer

This salad is not recommended for freezing. Cucumbers lose their crisp texture once thawed and the dressing can separate after freezing.

FAQs

What to serve with

• Spicy Tuna Burger
• Grapefruit & Fried Halloumi Tacos
• Steak and Goat Cheese Sandwich
• Crispy Chicken and Couscous Halloumi Salad