Cucumber Tomato Salad

Cucumber tomato salad is everything you want in a summer side: refreshing, bright, crisp, and colorful. Extra points for flavor and freshness if you source the in-season tomatoes, cucumber, or herbs from your own garden or a local farmers' market.

This simple cucumber and tomato salad is the ideal fresh side dish to serve at picnics, barbecues, and potlucks. With a simple dressing of oil, vinegar, and herbs, you can make this side with fewer than 10 ingredients—and with just five minutes of hands-on cooking.

Learn how to make cucumber tomato salad, and use this as a basic recipe you can dress up to enjoy all summer.

Cucumber Tomato Salad Ingredients

A good cucumber tomato salad recipe is beloved for several reasons, not the least of which is it calls for just a handful ingredients. Two are salt and pepper, so it's really easy to pull this side dish together as long as you have fresh cucumbers and tomatoes. Here's what our recipe calls for:

• English cucumber: Fresh, crisp cucumbers provide juiciness and a wonderful snappy bite.
• Vine-ripened tomatoes: Coarsely chopped tomatoes will release some of their natural juices in the draining step. Use whatever kind of tomato you have though, from heirlooms to Romas.
• Kosher salt and black pepper: For seasoning.
• Extra-virgin olive oil: Helps dress the cucumbers and tomatoes and provides the base of the dressing.
• Sherry vinegar: Sherry vinegar is a complex vinegar with lots of flavors you won't find in alternatives like white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar. It's caramel and nutty, a great option for this salad, but use another if it's what you have on hand.
• Fresh tender herbs: Use a combination of basil, mint, and dill as you prefer.
• Shallot: Provides a bit of onion bite without the assertiveness of a white or red onion. You can take some of that onion flavor out by soaking the shallot slices in ice water for a few minutes before adding to the salad. Just be sure to dry them well.

How To Make Cucumber-Tomato Salad

You only need five minutes of hands-on time to make this flavorful summer salad in three simple steps:

• Step 1. Drain vegetables: First, gather the ingredients and toss the cucumber, tomatoes, and some salt in a colander set over a medium bowl. Let it stand for 15 minutes, and discard the liquid.
• Step 2. Make salad dressing: Meanwhile, whisk together the oil, vinegar, pepper, and remaining salt in a medium serving bowl.
• Step 3. Mix salad: Add the drained cucumber and tomatoes along with herbs and shallot, and toss to coat. Serve immediately.

How Do You Keep Cucumber Tomato Salad From Getting Soggy?

To reduce sogginess, you can salt the cucumbers and tomatoes and let them sit for a bit so the salt draws out the moisture, as we call for in Step 1 of this recipe. You can make this salad without salting the cucumbers and tomatoes, but expect a more watery result. Of course, salting helps reduce the chances of a watery salad, but some moisture is inevitable.

How To Store Cucumber Tomato Salad

In a pinch, you can store cucumber tomato salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days—but we don’t recommend it. The herbs will oxidize, and the vegetables will become soft and watery. So this salad is best served and eaten immediately.

What's the Best Tomato To Use in Cucumber Tomato Salad?

This recipe calls for vine-ripened tomatoes, so it's still good outside of the summer months. Vine-ripened tomatoes are much better year-round than common beefsteak or heirloom varieties, as are cherry and grape tomatoes. But this recipe—any recipe for that matter—really soars when it uses ripe, in-season tomatoes when they're best in the summer.

Our Tips for the Best Cucumber Tomato Salad

A simple dish like this one is hard to improve, but there are ways to make sure it's the best possible cucumber tomato salad you can make. Here are a few suggestions from our Test Kitchen:

• Save the water: Though there isn’t much tomato water produced in this recipe, you may choose to save it for other uses. (For instance, try making a bloody mary with it, or blend it into tomato vinaigrette.)
• Fresh is best: If possible, use tomatoes, cucumbers, and herbs that you’ve grown yourself (or found at a local farmers' market) for the tastiest result.
• Don't skip the drain: This salad will have natural moisture, but Step 1 is aimed to remove some of that moisture for a less soggy side. Salting the tomatoes and cucumbers draws out some of the liquid so the dressing won't be diluted.

Substitutions and Variations for Cucumber Tomato Salad

Mix and match a few elements of this cucumber tomato salad to suit your tastes:

• Cuke pick: Persian or Armenian cucumbers would also work well in this recipe.
• Vinegar exchange: You can swap other acids for the dressing: cider vinegar, lemon juice, red wine, or white wine vinegar would all work well.
• Cheese, please: Feta or mozzarella pearls would be natural additions to add protein, flavor, and texture to this dish. 

More Delicious Salad Recipes

Looking for light and flavorful dinners and sides? These salad recipes will be a favorite after one taste:

• BLT Salad with Buttermilk-Parmesan Dressing and Buttery Croutons
• Orzo Salad with Shrimp and Lemon Dressing
• Chicken and White Bean Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette
• Lemony White Bean Salad with Broccoli
• Cucumber-Chickpea Salad with Feta-Mint Vinaigrette
• Broccoli, Grape, and Pasta Salad
• Classic Macaroni Salad with Ham
• Lemon Vinaigrette Pasta Salad with Field Peas

Editorial contributions by Alesandra Dubin.