This Cucumber and Tomato Salad is the fresh side dish I bring to every summer cookout and potluck. Crisp vegetables tossed in a light homemade dressing that comes together in about 10 minutes. Easy, delicious and always a family favorite!
You are going to love this recipe. It is simple but packed with flavor. This quick and easy cucumber tomato onion salad recipe is one of our favorite summer salads. When you pair the two with onions and a simple dressing, you’ve got a flavor explosion on your hands with all the juices.
If you love this salad make sure you also try this 7 Layer Salad, and Cucumber Onion Salad Recipe.
Why We Love This Recipe
- Ready in about 15 minutes.
- Made with simple, affordable ingredients.
- Perfect for BBQs, potlucks, and family dinners.
- Great make-ahead side dish.
- Naturally gluten-free and vegetarian.
- Easy to customize with herbs, cheese, or extra vegetables.
- Delicious as a snack, side dish, or light lunch.
Ingredients
- English Cucumber – Preferred because the skin is thinner and the seeds are smaller.
- Large Tomatoes – Use ripe garden tomatoes when available for the best flavor.
- Red Onion – Slice thinly so the onion flavor doesn’t overpower the salad.
Scroll to the bottom for the full recipe in the recipe card.
How to Make Cucumber Tomato Salad
Step 1 – Cut the ends off of the cucumber. Slice in half lengthwise and cut into approximately ½ inch thick slices.
Step 2 – Place the cucumber, diced tomatoes and slice red onions in a large bowl.
Step 3 – In a separate small bowl, whisk or shake together the olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper.
Step 4 – Pour this Greek Salad dressing over the vegetables. We have even added fresh squeeze lemon juice.
Step 5 – Gently stir in the fresh parsley and fresh basil.
Step 6 – Refrigerate the salad for at least 30-60 minutes before serving.
Step 7 – Serve cold and enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- Adding Dressing – If you make this salad the night before, stir in an additional dressing right before serving as the veggies will soak up quite a bit of the dressing overnight.
- Preparing Vegetables – We recommend cutting the vegetables in bite size pieces so it is easy to serve. We try to making them about the same size.
- Let Salad Rest – For the best flavor, allow the the salad to chill for at least 30 minutes. This gives the salad the best flavor.
Variations Ideas
- Dressing – You can also make a quick mustard vinaigrette by combining 1 tbsp of Dijon mustard with 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar or white wine vinegar and 1 ½ tablespoons of olive oil. Season with ½ tsp of salt and pepper and some garlic powder and you’ve got a simple side dish with a creamy kick. You also use a apple cider vinegar as a substitute.
- Seasoning – It is also really easy to change up the flavors by adding various fresh herbs. Fresh Dill, oregano, garlic and fresh basil leaves are all great options.
- Cheese – You can also toss in some fresh mozzarella pearls or feta cheese to add a delicious cheese to this easy salad.
- Additions – Add in diced avocado, cherry tomatoes, kalamata olives, diced roma tomatoes, or grape tomatoes.
- Add Protein – To make this a meal, add in grilled chicken, chickpeas, or white beans.
What is The Best Cucumber to Use?
In this tomato-cucumber salad recipe, we prefer to use English Cucumber instead of a regular cucumber. The English Cucumber is longer, thinner and does not require peeling. They taste a little sweeter and less bitter.
You can use regular cucumbers but we do recommend peeling them before adding to this salad.
Serving Suggestions
This healthy salad is the perfect addition to your next potluck or BBQ. We have served it with Grilled Turkey Burger Recipe, Grilled Teriyaki Steak Recipe, Easy Homemade Flatbread Pizza Recipe and Grilled Pork Kabobs.
The combination of the flavors pair perfectly with any grilled meats.
Frequently Asked Questions
I love making this tomato and cucumber salad ahead of time! The longer the vegetables sit in the vinegar dressing the more flavorful they will become. Because of this I highly recommend that you make this quick salad at least a couple of hours ahead of when you plan to serve it. It can marinate in the fridge for up to 24 hours.
Store leftovers in airtight container or mason jar for up to 2 days. You can also keep in the serving dish and cover with plastic wrap.
Classic olive oil and vinegar combined with fresh basil or even dried oregano is a delicious option. Balsamic vinegar and olive oil is another flavor packed choice! It is fun to play around with different flavor combinations and see what your family likes best. Use your favorite dressing to make this one of your favorite, easy salad recipes.
More Easy Salad Recipes
We love to hear from you. If you make this recipe, leave us a comment or a star review.
Cucumber Tomato Salad
Ingredients
- 1 English cucumber
- 2 large tomatoes (diced)
- ½ red onion (sliced)
- 2 Tablespoons Olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 Tablespoon fresh parsley (chopped)
- 1 Tablespoon fresh basil (chopped)
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Instructions
- Cut the ends off 1 English cucumber. Slice it in half lengthwise and cut into ½-inch slices.
- Place the cucumber, 2 diced tomatoes, and ½ sliced red onion in a large bowl.
- In a small bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, ½ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon black pepper.
- Pour the dressing over the vegetables.
- Gently stir in 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley and 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil.
- Refrigerate for 30–60 minutes before serving.
- Serve cold and enjoy!
Love it, thanks!!
So Good Thank you!
Easy and healthy, there’s nothing else I can ask for. Thanks!
5 star
So yummy and refreshing!
Really easy and very good thank you!!
Such a great salad recipe!
Made this for a baby shower and everyone raved about it!
I have made this recipe many times for church potluck meals. There are never any leftovers to take home. I always get great compliments.
Thanks Carrie!
I’m so glad you like it. I love it!
My favorite salad recipe! I love making this and enjoying it all week long!
I made a mistake, I didn’t mix the olive oil. red wine vinegar, salt, and pepper together before adding them to the salad. Now and then I get a bite with too little or too much pepper. For our Resurrection Sunday Fellowship Meal I am taking this salad and a macaroni salad from your collection.
Looks scrumptious
Love this recipe. So quick and so good!
I loved this recipe! It was healthy but with a lot of flavor
Sooo good!
I love this salad! It’s a great side dish. I just can’t get enough of this salad! (Sometimes I just eat it by itself) It reminds me of a salad that my mom used to make. ?
This salad is so good I made it for a side dish to go with our pork chops and everyone loved it
This is an easy, simple, and very healthy recipe. My mom makes it, I eat it.
Love this so fresh and light
I love this salad reminds me of the salad my mom made.
I made this repeatedly last spring and summer because I had tripled the size of our garden! It’s a favorite at hour house now! So much so, that I am buying the ingredients through the winter to ensure we have it on hand!
I love this salad. It’s awesome in the summer, but really great all year long.
this is great and easy. I no longer need to pay the high cost to buy it already made at the deli.
Looks yummy. Per the Nutritional Facts it is 42 calories per serving. But I cannot find anywhere that tells me how many servings the recipe makes.
This recipe serves 10. Thank you!