Cucumber Tomato Salad

Cucumber and tomato salad is a classic combination of garden-fresh ingredients that is a staple in many world cuisines.

From Greek salad to Shirazi salad and Italian Panzanella salad, there are many ways to combine cucumbers and tomatoes.

You’ll love this recipe because it’s colorful, easy to make, and packed with vibrant flavors and nutrition.

Try to find locally grown and seasonal veggies from your local farmers’ market for the best results. They’ll be a lot tastier than out-of-season supermarket ones.

For the dressing, we use a simple condiment made with extra virgin olive oil, vinegar, salt, and black pepper. Those simple ingredients bring out the bursting flavors of the veggies without overpowering them.

Also, this cucumber tomato salad recipe is easy to customize and tailor to your tastes and preferences. For example, if your tomatoes aren’t the tastiest, then season the salad with a tasty mustard vinaigrette or herby Italian dressing.

Or you can add other ingredients such as fresh vegetables, fresh herbs, feta cheese, crispy fried tofu, roasted chickpeas, homemade croutons, canned chickpeas, kalamata olives, and diced avocado.

Tomatoes

Tomatoes are the star of this salad, and using tasty, meaty, naturally sweet tomatoes will make all the difference.

If you are lucky and have a farmer’s market nearby, go there. They’ll probably have delicious organic tomatoes on offer during the summer months.

Try to use a mix of different tomato varieties if you can. We love the different colors, textures, and flavors you get by mixing heirloom tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes, gold tomatoes, beefsteak tomatoes, and even delicious San Marzano tomatoes.

Get ripe tomatoes that are firm to the touch. Make sure they are not overripe. And remember that tomatoes taste best when served at room temperature, so avoid keeping them in the fridge.

Cucumber

You can use any fresh cucumber variety, such as English cucumber, garden cucumber, or Persian cucumber.

You can keep the peel on, peel the cucumber in stripes, or remove the peel altogether. We like to keep it on.

Red Onion

Red onion is another essential ingredient. Its bold, sharp, and almost spicy taste adds character to this salad.

Make sure your onion is fresh. It should be very firm to the touch. Also, if the raw onion is too much for you, try soaking it in cold water for ten minutes before adding it to the salad.

For a milder flavor, substitute shallot for onion.

Olive Oil

Good quality extra virgin olive oil is best. It’s heart-healthy, has a high amount of polyphenols, and gives the salad a rich, fruity flavor with earthy notes.

If you don’t have good quality extra virgin olive oil, we think using a homemade salad dressing is best. For example, try out mustard dressing or Italian dressing.

Vinegar

Vinegar adds acidity, which lifts the taste of the veggies and adds freshness, which is essential in a summer salad.

You can use balsamic vinegar for a rounder and sweeter taste. Or opt for red wine vinegar, white wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or freshly squeezed lemon juice for a tangier flavor.

Salt & Pepper

Add sea salt or kosher salt to bring out the flavor of the tomatoes. Sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper to add a fragrant aroma. Also, pepper and tomatoes are perfect together.

Fresh Herbs

You have several options when it comes to fresh herbs. We recommend fresh basil, fresh flat-leaf parsley, or fresh dill.

If you don’t have fresh herbs, you can use dry ones. For example, try dried mint and oregano.

Optional Add-Ins

There are endless possibilities to customize this salad with your favorite add-ins.

We recommend feta or non-dairy cheese, crunchy croutons, air fryer croutons, or chopped veggies like bell pepper, avocado, lettuce, carrot, celery, and Kalamata olives.

Add protein, try crispy fried tofu, air fryer tofu, spicy oven-roasted chickpeas, crispy air-fried chickpeas, and canned chickpeas.

Cut the red onion in half, peel it, then cut it into thin slices. Separate the onion layers by pinching them with your fingers.

Soak the onion in a bowl with cold water for 10 minutes for a milder onion flavor.

Wash, dry, and chop the tomatoes into bite-size chunks.

Cut small tomatoes in half and larger round tomatoes in half, then in wedges. If the wedges are too big, cut each wedge in half. Cut them in discs or wedges if you use long and narrow tomatoes.

Tip: use tomatoes that are at room temperature, not cold from the fridge.

Wash and dry the cucumber, cut it in half lengthwise, then in half again, and dice it.

You don’t have to peel the cucumber, but you can do so if you want. Also, if the cucumber has a lot of seeds, you can take some out.

Add chopped tomatoes and cucumber, thinly sliced red onion, and finely chopped parsley to a large bowl.

Season with extra virgin olive oil, vinegar, salt, and black pepper. Toss well, taste, adjust for salt, and serve.

Shirazi salad

Shirazi salad is a refreshing Iranian dish made with chopped cucumber, tomatoes, and onion and seasoned with a generous pinch of dried mint.

It’s perfect as an appetizer with other Eastern Mediterranean and Middle Eastern dishes like hummus, eggplant dip, falafel, tzatziki, and warm pita bread.

Check out our Shirazi salad recipe.

Panzanella

Panzanella is a delicious bread salad from central Italy made with refreshing cucumbers, juicy tomatoes, fresh basil leaves, crusty or stale bread, and a simple olive oil and vinegar seasoning.

This one’s a staple in Italian home kitchens, and it’s worth a try.

Check out our panzanella salad recipe.

Italian Cucumber Salad

You can make a delicious Italian cucumber tomato onion salad with a grated carrot and a chopped celery rib.

The carrot’s sweetness and the celery’s crunchiness make this cucumber tomato and onion salad tastier.

Greek Cucumber Salad

Greeks have their salad with feta. Also, they chop the tomatoes and cucumbers into larger pieces and sprinkle everything with a generous amount of dried oregano.

To make a delicious cucumber tomato feta salad add diced feta or crumbled feta on top of the salad just before serving it; season with extra virgin olive oil, wine vinegar, salt, pepper, and plenty of dried oregano.

Check out our Greek salad recipe.

Cucumber tomato avocado salad

Add a ripe, diced avocado to our cucumber tomato and onion salad to turn this recipe into a creamy cucumber salad.

If you like to give this one a Mexican spin, dress it with our cilantro lime dressing.

Check out our avocado salad.

Lettuce and Cucumber Salad

This is another salad that is popular in Italy. It’s a simple salad with lettuce, tomato, cucumber, and onion. To make it, add a few leaves of chopped Romaine lettuce to our Italian cucumber salad recipe.

It’s crunchy, colorful, and delicious.

Arugula Cucumber Salad

If you love the fresh, mildly spicy, and slightly bitter taste of arugula, try serving our tomato onion cucumber salad on a bed of arugula—season with some extra olive oil and balsamico.

Crispy tofu and cucumber salad

Want to boost the protein content of this salad to turn it into a main meal but don’t feel like adding feta cheese?

Then add our delicious pan-fried tofu or crispy air-fried tofu to the salad. Healthy and wholesome plant-based protein combined with fresh veggies is a winning meal.

Bell Pepper Cucumber salad

I learned this variation from Marcella Hazan, and I think it is excellent.

Do the same salad as above, but add a cleaned and diced yellow or green bell pepper before seasoning it. It will add crunch, sweetness, freshness, and color.

Use a different dressing

The flavor of this salad relies entirely on the quality of the ingredients.

If you can’t get tasty tomatoes or a good quality extra virgin olive oil, then we recommend using a simple and tasty homemade dressing like our mustard dressing or Italian dressing.

Cucumber and tomato salad is a versatile dish you can serve as an appetizer, healthy lunch, or side dish.

We recommend trying it with homemade rosemary focaccia or warm pita bread, sided with a bowl of chickpea hummus, to turn this into a light, nutritious, and fulfilling meal.

If you want to serve the salad as a side dish, here are some of our recommendations:

• Spaghetti with marinara sauce (canned tomatoes, basil, garlic, spaghetti, olive oil, etc.)
• Zucchini fritters (zucchini, chickpea flour, red onion, oregano, baking powder, etc.)
• Eggplant Parmigiana (roasted eggplant, canned tomatoes, parmesan or vegan cheese, etc.)
• Lemon spaghetti (spinach, lemon, spaghetti, red pepper flakes, parmesan cheese, etc.)
• Falafel (chickpeas, chickpea flour, parsley, garlic, cumin, coriander, mint, onion, etc.)

Storage

Make ahead: we don’t recommend making this recipe ahead of time because the veggies will release water as they are chopped and seasoned with salt.

Refrigerator: keep tomato cucumber salad leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 12 hours; however, it won’t be crunchy and delicious as when it’s just made because the vinegar and the salt will pull water from the tomatoes, and cucumbers.

You might have to drain excess liquid and season the salad again with fresh olive oil and vinegar if the veggies release too much water.

We recommend taking the salad out of the refrigerator 30 minutes before eating.

Freezing: this recipe is not suitable for freezing.

For more wholesome and light meals, see these quick and easy salad ideas:

• Chickpea pasta salad: with chickpeas, tomatoes, cucumbers, and a simple dressing.
• Tofu salad: a protein-rich salad with crunchy tofu and a creamy tahini sauce.
• Chickpea salad: an easy recipe perfect for a lazy plant-based meal.
• Quinoa salad: nutrient-dense and vibrant salad with crunch and color.
• Fennel and orange salad: sweet and crisp, this autumn dish is great as a holiday dish.
• Italian salad: simple, quick, and perfect for most main meals.
• Watermelon salad: with watermelon, lemon zest, olive oil, feta, and pistachios.

For many more side dish ideas, check out our sides category page.