German Cucumber Salad (Gurkensalat)
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A classic German Cucumber Salad recipe, like the kind you’ll find in every German restaurant. Easy to make, healthy, delicious, and wonderfully refreshing!
Eating this cool and crunchy cucumber salad always reminds me of Germany. It’s commonly included as part of any Salatteller (salad plate) in German restaurants. A Salatteller will often feature a serving of carrot salad, radish salad, lettuce greens, potato salad and this cucumber salad. They’re the best salads ever!
While creamy cucumber salads are also popular in Germany, this oil- and vinegar-based version tends to be served more frequently in restaurants, at least where I’m from in southern Germany.
In Germany you can buy dry dill dressing mixes that come in small envelopes, often the Knorr brand. You add oil and vinegar and add it to your cucumber salad or leafy greens. But you can so easily make it from scratch – and it won’t have any of the fillers, additives and preservatives in it!
German Cucumber Salad Recipe
Let’s get started!
Peel the cucumbers and slice them the same width and place them in a medium-sized non-reactive bowl. I like to use my German mandolin for jobs like this to get uniform slices. Plus it goes a lot faster.
Place the sliced cucumbers in a bowl and toss with a heaping teaspoon of salt. Let sit for about 30 minutes then drain thoroughly.
Place the cucumbers in a medium-sized bowl.
To make the dressing, combine all the remaining ingredients in a separate bowl and stir to combine.
Pour the dressing over the sliced cucumbers and stir to combine. Cover and chill for at least two hours before serving, stirring a couple of times. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Can be served cold or at room temperature.
Enjoy!
Be sure to also try our Creamy German Cucumber Salad!
Serve this German Cucumber Salad with any meat, poultry or fish. For example:
- Schnitzel
- Jaegerschnitzel
- Rouladen
- Sauerbraten
- Senfbraten
- German Goulash
- Frikadellen
- Bratwurst
- Lentils and Spaetzle
- German Goulash
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German Cucumber Salad (Gurkensalat)
Ingredients
- 3 medium cucumbers peeled and thinly sliced into rounds (if the cucumbers aren't waxed you can leave the peels on for more color)
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh dill
- 2 tablespoons chopped chives optional - I don't always include these
- 1 tablespoon dried minced onion more concentrated flavor than fresh onion
- 3 tablespoons neutral-tasting oil
- 3 tablespoons white vinegar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Place the sliced cucumbers in a bowl and toss with a heaping teaspoon of salt. Let sit for about 30 minutes then drain thoroughly. In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients. Pour over the cucumbers and stir to combine. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours before serving, stirring it a couple of times. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve cold or at room temperature.
Nutrition
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!
I also grew up with this having parents that immigrated from Hamburg. One of my favorites as well as the other variations like the tomatoes only version or tomatoes and cucumber blend. Same basic vinegar and oil dressing. But no matter which variations one makes, never forget the sugar. Since there are many regional variants in Germany I noticed that in the North the common herb of choice was finely chopped parsley (curly) instead of the dill.
Hi Roland! I lived about 30 minutes from Hamburg for while and yes, as with all regions of Germany, north Germany has many unique dishes and its own variations of classic dishes. Yes, I love those German tomato salads as well. Here’s a very popular popular version with tomatoes and onions that I make every year with the season’s best tomatoes: https://www.daringgourmet.com/german-tomato-salad-tomatensalat/
Also, if you score the peeled cucumber from top to bottom with the tines of a fork all the way around, the slices will have little scallops all the way around. Very pretty presentation.
Absolutely, Gudrun!
I fell in love with this dish when I used to visit family back
in Germany years ago. Our family recipe included cream; I’ve
since bastardized my own recipe using buttermilk ranch and zesty
Italian dressing in equal parts, plus copious amounts of the dill –
It’s the star of the show. Thanks for sharing your version! BTW,
I’ve made your cherry almond streusel cake half a dozen times now…
friends and family LOVE it!!!
Awesome, Wayne! Yes, there’s also a creamy version of cucumber salad that’s popular in Germany. Hooray for the streusel cake, I’m so glad you enjoy it as much as we do, thank you!
My mother made this when I was a kid and we loved it. We make it with oil and vinegar and a splash of milk….nope doesn’t curdle! Love the crunch of the onions and cucumbers; Tiny bit of sugar makes all the difference, too.
Hi Gudrun, thanks for sharing! Yes, that touch of sugar really does make all the difference.
This was one of my family’s favorite salads when we lived in Germany for 3 years. I’ll be making this today with the cukes from my garden. Thanks!
Wonderful, Doreen! I’m so envious of everyone’s homegrown cukes. We would have had some of our own this year but in letting our chickens free-range around our property, they pecked apart all our cucumber plants. Lesson learned for next year to keep our garden beds protected from the poultry! :)
My German Cousin made this for me when I visited her in Pfullingen last year. Now I have a hankering for it so tomorrow I pick some fresh cucumbers from my raised beds and make some.
There’s nothing better than fresh from the garden, Paul! Pfullingen is right next to one of my favorite castles – Schloss Lichtenstein.
Castle Lichtenstein is the picture for August on my Germany wall calendar. Will definitely pay a visit when we go back again.
No kidding, that’s neat! And that sounds like a wall calendar I need to get :)
I went there last year. I was in Germany for a family reunion in Witzenhuasen. The year before the wife & I stayed with them and ventured all around that part of the country (B-W & Bayern) eating and enjoying all the food and beers.
My German mother-in-law made this, and I loved it. I haven’t had it for over 20 years, and I am looking forward to having it again. I hope it is as good as she made it.
I hope so too, Jackie, let us know what you think!
I love everything about this!! It’s the perfect summer salad!