Creamy German Cucumber Salad
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A thoroughly authentic Creamy German Cucumber Salad recipe. This simple, refreshing and irresistibly delicious salad makes the perfect accompaniment to your summer dinners, BBQ’s, potlucks and picnics – or any time of year! A thoroughly authentic German Cucumber Salad recipe like the way my Oma and Mutti made it!
This salad is a staple in Germany where it is known as Cremiger Gurkensalat (creamy cucumber salad). You’ll find it on practically ever restaurant menu and in every German home. There are two popular versions: German Cucumber Salad made with oil and vinegar and this Creamy German Cucumber Salad made with sour cream and/or yogurt. I love this salad served with any kind of meat, fish, with a sandwich, or simply with some good crusty bread. You’ll love the creamy, crunchy textures and the wonderfully fresh flavors!
Serving Suggestions
This German Cucumber Salad pairs well with any meat, poultry or fish or plant-based proteins. Here are just a few examples, including some classic German dishes you would commonly find served with this salad:
- Schnitzel, Jaegerschnitzel, pork chops, baked chicken, fish
- Rouladen
- Sauerbraten, Senfbraten or any kind of roast
- German Goulash
- Geschnetzeltes
- German Pork Chops
- Frikadellen
- Bratwurst
- Lentils and Spaetzle
Pro Tips for the Best Creamy German Cucumber Salad
For consistency and flavor there are two important keys to making this salad:
- Salt the sliced cucumbers and let them sit for about 30 minutes before proceeding. This will draw out the water from the cucumbers so that you end up with a watery salad when it’s finished.
- Let the finished cucumber salad chill in the fridge for about 2 hours (longer if you’re using dried herbs). This will allow the flavors to fully develop.
Substitutions
This recipe allows for flexibility for tailoring to your own taste. If you prefer you can omit the garlic and/or onions. You can also substitute chives and/or parsley for the dill. But if you’ve never tried it with dill I highly recommend it. It’s the traditionally used herb for a reason – it’s SO good in this cool, creamy, crunchy cucumber salad!
If you don’t have fresh dill you can use dried (use about 1/4 of the amount) and just be sure to let the salad chill for a few hours as dried herbs will take more time to release their flavors.
Another substitution you can make is to use all yogurt instead of sour cream. If you do make that substitute I recommend whole milk yogurt or Greek yogurt.
Creamy German Cucumber Salad Recipe
Let’s get started!
Place the sliced cucumbers in a bowl and toss with the teaspoon of salt. Let sit for about 30 minutes then drain thoroughly. Add the sliced onions to the cucumbers.
To make the dressing:
Place all remaining ingredients in a small bowl and stir to combine.
Pour the dressing over the cucumbers and onions and stir to combine. Add more salt and pepper to taste.
Cover and chill for at least 2 hours (4 hours if using dried herbs) before serving.
Serve with your favorite proteins including beef, chicken, pork or fish. See blog post above for serving suggestions.
Enjoy!
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Creamy German Cucumber Salad
Ingredients
- 2 large cucumbers (about 1 1/2 pounds or 700 grams), sliced to desired thinness
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup sliced yellow onion
- 1 clove garlic , minced
- For the Creamy Dressing:
- 3/4 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup plain yogurt
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill (fresh is best but can substitute 2 teaspoons dried dill)
- 2-3 teaspoons sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Place the sliced cucumbers in a bowl and toss with the teaspoon of salt. Let sit for about 30 minutes then drain thoroughly. Add the sliced onions to the cucumbers.
- To make the dressing: Place all remaining ingredients in a small bowl and stir to combine. Pour the dressing over the cucumbers and onions and stir to combine. Add more salt and pepper to taste.Cover and chill for at least 2 hours (4 hours if using dried herbs) before serving.
Nutrition
Originally published on The Daring Gourmet August 21, 2020
Hi, I’m Kimberly Killebrew and welcome to Daring Gourmet where you'll find delicious originals, revitalized classics, and simply downright good eats from around the world! Originally from Germany, later raised in England, world-traveled, and now living in the U.S., from my globally-influenced kitchen I invite you to tour the world through your taste buds!
My cucumbers are sitting with the salt on them as we speak. Just made the dressing exactly as written. It is super tasty! 😋. Looking forward to enjoying this fresh and tasty salad.
Great recipe but I adjusted it to our liking. I used red onion, 2 cloves of garlic finely chopped, red wine vinegar, dried dill and no sugar as I have trouble digesting it. This is the only recipe that I saw that I could adapt without a big alteration to the taste. IT’S A KEEPER.
The cucumbers remain fresh and crispy in this recipe. The sugar lends a tiny bit of sweetness, just enough. I picked up a literal bouquet of dill from my local grocer and figured this would be the perfect thing to make to highlight its freshness. Delicious, and balanced out my Christmas dinner quite nicely, along with the Rouladen and Rotkohl recipes from here!
That’s wonderful, Robin, I’m absolutely thrilled that you made all of those recipes and even more thrilled that you enjoyed them – thank you!
This salad was on my paternal grandmother’s table always. She made this for any big meal she was serving. We all loved it so much. My sister and I now make it.
I grew up in Buffalo, N.Y. and this is the exact cucumber salad recipe my mother made with fresh cucumbers & dill from my parent’s garden. My mother was Polish but the family really enjoyed this salad. I will make it tonight.
My father in law’s parents both came from Bessarabia prior to the turn of the century (20th). I’ll bet they made a lot of cucumber salad, although my mother in law has never mentioned it. My husband and I both have an exceptional taste for cucumbers, I will give this recipe a try tonight!
I’m sure they did, Donna, cucumber salads are popular throughout Eastern Europe and as well as the German speaking countries. Happy salad-making! :)
My mum would very much like for me to make this for her however, she’s diabetic. I was wondering if using Splenda rather than sugar in this recipe would work out the same?
Hi Victoria, sure that’s no problem at all. Please let us know how your mom enjoys it!
Just have a question about whether I can make this salad the day before serving. How long will it keep? Thank you!
Hi Francisca, you can make it up to a day ahead but the cucumbers will lost a little of their crispiness, especially if they’re sliced very thinly. The dressing will likely become a little more watery as well.
Cucumbers need some time to soften/soak-up.
This looks like a good recipe.
We usually use an excellent home-made ranch dressing that has some similarities.
Sounds like a new creamy, herby cucumber food group that must be paired with a wine, lol, for which we will need a smart contributer to suggest….
Late reply John, but a Sauvignon Blanc or a Chenin Blanc will pair well with this.
This salad is delicious and so refreshing – perfect on a hot summer’s night. Plus it is a great way to use some of the cucumbers from the garden that doesn’t involve pickling. Thank you for another terrific recipe Kimberly!
Thank you, PW, I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
I love cucumber salad and make it quite often, however my Oma and Mutti made it with condense milk, lemon and sugar. The cucumber is sliced a lot thiner and after salting and sitting is squeezed out to get rid of the fluid. We use spring onions and lots of pepper. These days I make it using a herb dressing which I buy, Kraeuter- Wuerzig Essig ohne Oel. I will however give this version a try. Different areas of Germany, different ways of making the salad but all very lecker.
That was what I wanted to say: cucumber salad is like a German Tzatziki (the way I know it) so very thin sliced.
Hi Susan, this is exactly how my Mutti made the salad, with condense milk, lemon and sugar. If she didn’t have a lemon she used white vinegar (the strong type which needed to be deluted). You are right with different areas of Germany, different ways of making salad etc. My Mutti was born and grew up in Thuringia (former East German) but fled to the west with her sister when she was 20 years old. She settled in Essen (close to the Dutch border). I am wondering if she knew her recipe for this salad from Thuringia or from North Rhine-Westphalia. Both have not much in common when it comes to any recipe. Well, you are the first one I know who know the same condense milk, lemon and sugar recipe.
Angelika, my mother was born in Bavaria but moved to Thüringen as a young girl (Meiningen). Like your mother, she and her parents later escaped to the west, to Stuttgart. I’m very familiar with Essen; I lived there for a few months as a young adult.