Name: German Cucumber Salad
Prep time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 8
Cuisine: German
Ingredients: 2 large cucumbers; 1 large yellow onion; 1/2 cup white vinegar; 1 to 2 tablespoons white sugar; Kosher salt; Fresh ground pepper

This refreshing German cucumber salad (gurkensalat) is a summer tradition: thinly sliced cucumbers and onions in a vinegary dressing.

Growing up, German cucumber salad meant summer. There wasn’t a meal that this cucumber salad couldn’t complement. Because of my dad’s German heritage, he called it gurkensalat. Alex’s family was decidedly less fancy, and simply called it “pickles”. Whatever you call it, a good cucumber salad can’t be beat in the summer. Here, we’re sharing my family’s gurkensalat recipe, tweaked a bit for our taste. It’s easy to prepare, and requires only a few ingredients. It’s a great accompaniment to a summer meal: perhaps some grilled salmon or burgers?

Or, try it creamy! Try our Cucumber Salad with Sour Cream.

How to make German cucumber salad

German cucumber salad is easy to make, but it does take a little patience. Here’s what you need to know:

Slice the veggies at thin as possible. The trick to mastering this cucumber salad is to slice the onions and cucumbers as thinly as possible. If you have a mandolin, now would be a great time to whip it out. Otherwise, taking the time to slice the veggies thinly with a knife will work. Slicing the cucumber and onion thinly allows the salt to draw out most of the moisture, and gives this salad the most incredible texture.
Let it sit! The other key component of German cucumber salad is time. Once the cucumbers and onions have been salted, they need time to rest to allow the salt to do its work. After you’ve drained them and added in the vinegar and sugar, the salad shout sit for another 15 minutes to let the flavors come together.

Video: How to cut an onion

What speeds up the prep in this German cucumber salad is your knife skills! You’ll need to know how to properly slice an onion. Here’s our step by step guide for how to cut an onion, including a video of me cutting an onion in our kitchen. Fast forward to the slicing an onion step: typically we slice our onions into half moons for this cucumber salad.

Serving suggestions

This German cucumber salad is perfect for summer meals! Here are some of our favorite mains that would pair well with this salad:

Burgers like Ultimate Grilled Veggie Burger or Portobello Burger
Grilled skewers like Veggie Kabobs, Mango & Veggie Skewers, Greek Skewers or Shrimp Skewers
Sandwiches like Buffalo Cauliflower Sandwich or Grilled Eggplant Sandwich

Cucumber salads around the world

Cucumber salad is enjoyed in many nations of the world! Here are a few different spins using the hydrating cucumber as a base:

Shepherd salad from Turkey features tomatoes, cucumbers, feta and olives, covered in a lemony vinaigrette.
Greek salad uses much of the same ingredients, arranged in a flat layer on a plate with a simple oil and vinegar drizzle.
Thai cucumber salad features red pepper, cashews and cilantro, covered in a dressing made with Thai red curry paste.
Cucumber salad with sour cream from Poland features shallots, dill and a sour cream dressing.

This German cucumber salad recipe is…

Vegetarian, gluten-free, vegan, plant-based, and dairy-free.