Name: Creamy Cucumber Salad with Sour Cream
Prep time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Salad
Ingredients: 2 medium shallots; 1/2 cup sour cream; 2 tablespoons white vinegar; 1 teaspoon dried dill (or 3 tablespoons chopped fresh); 1 garlic clove, grated; 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for sprinkling; Fresh ground black pepper; 2 large English cucumbers (2 pounds), or peeled standard cucumbers

Here’s an ultra refreshing side dish: creamy cucumber salad with sour cream! The silky sauce with dill and shallots brings an irresistible flavor.

I grew up eating cucumber salad with vinegar: a tangy, savory sweet salad of thin crunchy cucumbers. The moment that summer hit, this salad was on the menu for Sunday dinners and potlucks. It’s so refreshing: in fact, it’s hard to stop eating! Alex and I have found a new variation that we’re big fans of: this creamy cucumber salad with sour cream! Adding a bit of sour cream makes an irresistibly creamy sauce. While it has a summery vibe, this delicious salad works any time of the year.

What’s in this creamy cucumber salad?

There are just a few ingredients you’ll need for this cucumber salad with sour cream. Here’s the breakdown:

English cucumbers: English cucumbers have a mild-flavored skin that you don’t need to peel. They have a more delicate flavor than standard cucumbers and a prettier green flavor. If all you can find is standard, peel them.
Shallots: Shallots have a milder flavor than red onion, making them the perfect delicate onion for this dish.
Sour cream: All you need is ½ cup, and it makes a quick sauce!
Fresh garlic: This brings big flavor to the sauce.
Dried dill: Dried dill brings big flavor, and lets this salad be made year round.

Love sour cream? Try these Top Sour Cream Recipes.

How to make creamy cucumber salad with sour cream

Step 1: Make and refrigerate the sauce.

The sour cream sauce in this cucumber salad needs some time to refrigerate so that the flavors can meld. Throw together the sour cream with the flavorings (shallot, vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper), then pop it in the fridge while you drain the cucumbers.

Step 2: Salt and drain the cucumbers.

Cucumbers are made of mostly water. So in this creamy cucumber salad, it’s important to let some of that moisture drain off before you add it to the creamy sour cream. To do so, you’ll cut the cucumber into paper thin slices. Then place them all in a colander and add some generous pinches of salt. This draws out the moisture in this veggies! It will drain out of the colander, and you can pat the slices dry with a towel before using them.

Step 3: Mix and enjoy!

And that’s all! Just mix together the two components and you’ve got one very delicious cucumber salad with sour cream.

Make ahead instructions

One thing to note about this creamy cucumber salad. Because cucumbers are made of water, they become more watery as they sit. This cucumber salad becomes watery after 2 hours of sitting. So if you want to make it ahead, there’s a simple fix: make the cucumbers and sour cream sauce in advance and store them in separate containers in the refrigerator. Then mix the salad together directly prior to serving!

Another name for it? Mizeria.

Mizeria is another name for this salad. Mizeria is a Polish creamy cucumber salad that’s made with cucumbers, sour cream, lemon juice or vinegar, sugar, and dill. Usually fresh dill is used in the salad, but otherwise it’s very similar. It’s one of the most popular salads in Poland. Tell us: did you grow up eating this salad?

More cucumber salad recipes

Cucumber salads are quite common in different cuisines around the world! Here are our favorites:

German cucumber salad features thinly sliced cucumbers and onions marinated in vinegar.
Shepherd salad from Turkey features tomatoes, cucumbers, feta and olives, covered in a lemony vinaigrette.
Greek salad uses much of the same ingredients, but arranged in a flat layer on a plate.
Thai cucumber salad features red pepper, cashews and cilantro, covered in a vinaigrette made with Thai red curry paste.

This creamy cucumber salad with sour cream recipe is…

Vegetarian and gluten-free.