Looking for a delicious and easy-to-make salad recipe? Look no further than this German Cucumber Salad!
Thinly sliced cucumbers are mixed with a homemade sour cream dressing, making it the perfect side dish for any meal.
This is another one of our delicious summer salads that tastes just like my Oma Behr's recipe. Once you taste this light and refreshing salad, you'll be hooked.
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This recipe for German Cucumber Salad with Sour Cream Dressing is the perfect salad to make with all the fresh cucumbers showing up in farmer's markets, grocery stores and even your own garden.
Another recipe that's also great for excess cucumbers is Easy Refrigerator Pickles. My husband makes this recipe every summer.
Table of Contents
- German Cucumber Salad with Sour Cream Dressing
- What is German Cucumber Salad?
- Helpful Kitchen Tools
- Main Ingredients Needed
- Top Tip
- Step-by-Step Directions
- Salt the Cucumbers
- Drain and Squeeze the Cucumbers
- Sour Cream Dressing
- Oma's Cucumber Salad
- LOVE this recipe? SAVE it for Later!
- Serving Tips
- Storage Tips
- More Salad Recipes to Love
- 📖 Recipe Card
- 💬 Comments
German Cucumber Salad with Sour Cream Dressing
This is a simple, refreshing salad made with cucumbers, vinegar, sour cream and herbs. But don't let its simplicity fool you - this salad is packed with flavor!
Cucumbers are a key ingredient in German cuisine, and this salad is a great way to enjoy them. The crunch of the cucumbers pairs perfectly with the tangy vinegar sour cream dressing, making it a perfect side dish for any meal.
And because it's so easy to make, you can enjoy it any time! So next time you're looking for a light, refreshing salad, try German cucumber salad. You'll be glad you did!
What is German Cucumber Salad?
But for now, let's get back to the salad. I've made this a few times already for my family this summer. I even used cucumbers from the grocery store and the salad still came out amazing.
To begin with, Cucumber Salad or, Gurkensalat in German, is a fresh and simple side dish featuring thinly sliced cucumbers in a sour cream and dill dressing...although I didn't have any dill on hand yesterday when I made this salad. I use fresh chives from the garden and it is just as good.
When I was looking at other recipes for this salad they all seem to skip the most important step that my Oma and my mother did...you need to salt the cucumbers and let them drain to remove the excess water. Do not skip this step!
By the way, I've had other cucumber salads where they are watery and just don't have the same taste as when you salt the cucumbers first. I include photos so you can see how easy it is to do this part of the recipe.
Helpful Kitchen Tools
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Main Ingredients Needed
Here's a quick overview of the ingredients for this recipe. Find the exact amounts and click the Instacart button to easily add them to your cart – all in the printable recipe card below!
- Vinegar
- Mayonnaise
- Sur cream
- ½ tsp. sugar
- Chopped chives
- Salt and Pepper
- 2 medium sized cucumbers
Top Tip
Using a mandoline slicer is the best tool to get your cucumbers really thin. Please be very careful when using a mandoline slicer. It is very easy to slice your finger on this piece of equipment. Always use the safety guard that comes with it.
Step-by-Step Directions
Step 1: You don't need to peel the cucumbers, but I like them peeled. It's really up to you and your family's tastes. One of the most important tips is to slice the cucumbers VERY thin. That's another secret to this recipe. You do not want thick cucumber slices for the salad.
Salt the Cucumbers
Do Not Skip this Most Important Step for the Cucumber Salad.
If the cucumbers are extremely fresh, as mine are, you will be surprised how much water are in them.
Do not worry about the salad tasting salty. It won't. You'll be squeezing most of the salt out of the cucumbers in the next step.
Step 2: Place the cucumbers in a colander. Salt the cucumbers. Be generous with the salt as you want to remove as much excess water as possible.
Step 3: Cover the cucumbers with a paper towel. Then weigh them down. I like to use a plate, a bowl and a big mug. It doesn't really matter what you use, just weigh them down because this will help push the water out from the cucumbers. Let the cucumbers sit like this for an hour or so. You can leave the colander on the kitchen counter or even in a clean sink.
Drain and Squeeze the Cucumbers
Once the cucumbers have been draining for about an hour, you need to squeeze them dry.
Believe it or not, there's still a ton of water in the cucumbers!
Take them in your hand a little at a time and squeeze them over the same bowl.
Go ahead, don't be shy...squeeze the cucumbers dry!
I know some people have commented or sent me messages saying they never do this step and they think they're cucumber salad is fine. My reply back has always been, try it this way one time and you'll be convinced you need to drain the cucumbers every single time you make this salad.
Step 4: You can see from the photo above how much water was in these cucumbers. If you skip this important step, this water will end up in your dressing making for a very watery cucumber salad.
Sour Cream Dressing
Step 5: Combine the ingredients for the dressing together in a bowl. I love to use my House Seasoning but salt and pepper work great too. If you have dill, you can add one tablespoon dill in place of the chopped chives. I also like to add thinly sliced red onion sometimes too.
Oma's Cucumber Salad
This is one of my favorite summer salads to serve and one of the reasons why we grow so many cucumbers in our garden.
However, what's really nice are the memories making and serving this salad bring back to me. For the most part, I think of my Oma Behr every time I squeeze the cucumbers.
If I close my eyes, I can see her in her little kitchen in Mt. Kisco, NY standing in front of the sink squeezing cucumbers.
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Serving Tips
This salad is perfect in the summer served alongside grilled barbecue chicken.
It pairs nicely with barbecue food as well. This is a great side salad for Sheet Pan Chicken and Potatoes.
Storage Tips
The salad is ready to enjoy right away...but, like with everything else in life, it does taste better after it's been refrigerated for a few hours. Make sure you taste it and season with more salt and pepper if needed.
Store in an air-tight container and place in the refrigerator for up to three days.
After a few days of storage, you'll notice that the cucumbers have "sweated" even more water and the dressing is watery. The salad is still good to eat, simply use a slotted spoon to serve.
More Salad Recipes to Love
Enjoy the classic flavors of Tuna Nicoise Salad, featuring tender tuna, crisp vegetables, and a tangy dressing. Add a pop of Southwestern flair with Fiesta Corn Salad, a delightful mix of sweet corn, black beans, and zesty spices.
Create your own perfect drizzle with Homemade Italian Salad Dressing, bursting with herbs and a touch of zest. And for a comforting favorite, try the simple yet satisfying Classic Egg Salad. Finally, try my sister's Creamy Pasta Salad, perfect for a side dish or light meal.
📖 Recipe Card
German Cucumber Salad with Sour Cream Dressing - Just like Oma's
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon vinegar
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon chives chopped
- 2 cucumbers
Instructions
- Peel the cucumbers if desired and thinly slice them with a mandoline slicer. The thinner the better!
- Place the cucumbers in a colander and salt them...generously.
- Cover the cucumbers with paper towel and place the colander over a bowl to allow the cucumbers to drain the excess water for at least 2 hours.
- Squeeze the cucumbers to remove any excess water...you want them as dry as possible.
- Add the cucumbers to a bowl and prepare dressing.
- Combine all the ingredients for the dressing in a small bowl and then pour over the cucumbers. Toss gently to combine.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.
Notes
This recipe has been updated since it was first published in 2017. There's a few new photos and tips for you to make the best Cucumber Salad!
Richard says
My dad was a trained German chef and before weeping with the salt he preferred an intermediate step of cutting the cukes in half length wise followed by removal of the seeds with a soup spoon which served to remove a substantial amount of the water from the onset.
Lois says
That's a good option as well. Thanks for the info!
Jeanne says
This was delicious! Thank you for a wonderful recipe!
Lois says
Thank you for the great comment!
janet mcchesney says
Do you not rinse all the salt off before squeezeing them, I would think they would be very salty
Lois says
No rinsing!! When you squeeze the cucumbers dry, the salt gets squeezed out as well. The salad is not salty at all. Thanks for visiting!