Creamy Cucumber Salad with Dill and Sour Cream (20 Minutes)
This creamy cucumber salad combines crisp, seeded cucumber slices with sour cream and fresh dill for a cold side dish that needs no cooking. Removing the watery seed channel helps the dressing cling; mixing too far ahead can still leave a puddle under the salad. It is ready when the pale slices carry a thin, even coat of dill-speckled cream.
I make it this way because a cucumber side should still have some bite. The sour cream provides its own gentle tang, so the short ingredient list does not need vinegar, sugar or mayonnaise to work. Serve it beside a hot main course in summer, or use it to bring something cool to a winter roast dinner.
This recipe is based on my YouTube video, with a few adjustments since publication. The video cooks by eye; the quantities below standardize that approach for six side portions. Drying the cut cucumber and dressing it just before serving make the written method easier to repeat.
{VIDEO}
Three main ingredients, with the cucumber kept in pieces
The distinguishing detail is the cut. I peel alternating strips, halve the cucumbers lengthwise, scrape out the soft centres and slice on a diagonal. That leaves broad pieces with green edges rather than grated cucumber disappearing into a dip.
For a grated cucumber and yogurt sauce, use the separate homemade tzatziki method. This salad is served by the spoonful as a vegetable accompaniment. It also differs from a chunky Greek salad with tomatoes and feta, where the vegetables are dressed rather than coated in sour cream.
There is no cooking endpoint to judge. What matters is a crisp slice, tender dill fronds and enough dressing to cover everything without turning the bowl into a sauce dish.
Ingredients and a useful starting ratio
For six side servings, use 2 large long cucumbers weighing about 2 lb before trimming. Aim for roughly 1½ lb of prepared cucumber after removing the ends, some peel and the seed channels. Cucumber sizes vary considerably, so the prepared weight is more useful than the count alone.
Measure 1 cup thick, regular sour cream, â…“ oz fresh dill fronds, ½ teaspoon fine salt and ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. These are editorial starting amounts, not measurements spoken in the video. Use most of the dressing first and add the rest only if the slices need it.
Choose firm cucumbers without soft ends. The retained strips of peel should be pleasant to chew; remove more peel if it is leathery. Thick sour cream is useful here because the cucumber will contribute some moisture even after seeding.
Wash the dill, dry it well and remove tough stems before weighing and chopping. A wet bunch carries water straight into the dressing. Six cherry tomatoes, halved, and a parsley sprig are optional presentation garnishes, as shown in the video; they are not part of the three-ingredient base.
Make the dressing, then prepare the cucumber
1. Stir the dill into the sour cream
Finely chop the dill fronds with a sharp knife. Stir them into the cold sour cream with the salt and pepper until evenly distributed. Keep the bowl refrigerated while you prepare the cucumber.
The dressing should hold soft spoon marks. Do not thin it with water or milk: the vegetables will loosen it slightly during mixing. Taste it now, then reserve the final seasoning decision for a bite that includes cucumber.
2. Stripe, seed and slice
Wash and dry the cucumbers. Trim the ends and peel off alternating lengthwise strips. Halve each cucumber lengthwise and use a teaspoon to scrape out the soft, wet seed channel. Keep the firm flesh underneath; digging deeply wastes cucumber without improving the salad.
Set the halves cut-side down for stability and slice diagonally about â…› inch thick. They should bend slightly but still have a clean crunch. Paper-thin slices soften quickly, while very thick chunks are harder to coat evenly.
Blot the cut pieces gently with a clean towel before putting them in a dry mixing bowl. I prefer this small extra step to trying to repair a diluted dressing later. The video skips a separate salting-and-draining period, and so does this immediate-service version.
3. Fold until the slices are coated
Add about three-quarters of the dressing. Fold from the bottom with a flexible spatula, separating pieces that are stuck together. Add more dressing as needed. In the video I add the remainder when the mixture looks too dry; the same visual decision matters more than emptying the bowl automatically.
A little pressure helps the dressing spread, but do not mash the cucumber. Stop when all the slices look lightly coated and dill is distributed throughout. Taste a complete bite and adjust salt or pepper sparingly.
Spoon onto a serving plate and add the optional halved tomatoes and parsley. The tomato garnish can stay around the edge, as in the video. Serve promptly rather than leaving the dressed salad on the counter while the rest of dinner cooks.
Substitutions and small adjustments
Thick plain Greek yogurt can replace the sour cream in equal volume, but it gives a different tang and may release whey. This is an optional variation rather than the filmed recipe. Stir gently and judge the consistency before adding the last spoonfuls.
If sour cream is unavailable in France or Belgium, a thick cultured crème fraîche is a practical alternative, with a milder taste depending on the product. Liquid cream will not give the same coating. For lactose-free preparation, choose a thick lactose-free sour cream and check its label.
Fresh dill supplies the character here. Parsley alone makes a different salad; the parsley in the video is a garnish. If you prefer a dressing without dairy, a quick mustard vinaigrette or lemon vinaigrette offers another direction, with a lighter coating.
Questions about texture and preparation
Why is there water at the bottom?
Salted cucumber continues releasing moisture after mixing. Seeding and blotting help, but they do not make the salad suitable for a long dressed hold. For next time, keep the prepared cucumber and dressing separate until serving. Adding more sour cream to an already watery bowl changes the ratio without removing the liquid.
Is lemon juice missing?
No. Sour cream already brings acidity, and the video uses no lemon or vinegar. Taste the finished combination before deciding it needs anything else. A sharper dressing is a variation, not a correction required for the base recipe to work.
Can I make it the day before?
Prepare the dressing separately, cover and refrigerate it. Prepare and dry the cucumber closer to serving for the best crunch. Keep the finished salad at 40°F or below and refrigerate promptly, within 2 hours of preparation or sooner in warm conditions. Use refrigerated leftovers within 2 days for this version; expect a looser sauce. Freezing gives poor texture.
Is this a light meal on its own?
It is a vegetable side with a rich dairy dressing, not a protein-focused main course. The approximate 100 calories per serving assumes all the full-fat sour cream is used and the batch is divided into six. Your brand, portion size and amount of dressing change that estimate.
What to put beside it
The dill and cool cream sit naturally beside cedar-plank grilled salmon. For a cookout, serve small portions with lemony Greek grilled chicken thighs or grilled chicken burgers and vegetable skewers, dressing the cucumber after the hot food is ready.
For another cold side, grated carrot salad with mustard dressing brings a contrasting texture. A potato and egg salad with mustard vinaigrette makes the table more substantial without another creamy sauce. On a separate occasion, try creamy dill pickle potato salad for the same herbal direction with a much heartier base.
Creamy Cucumber Salad with Dill and Sour Cream (20 Minutes)
Ingredients
- 2 lb whole long cucumbers about 2 large; aim for 1½ lb after trimming, striped peeling and seeding
- 1 cup thick full-fat sour cream
- â…“ oz fresh dill fronds washed, dried and finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon fine salt plus more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper plus more to taste
- 3 oz cherry tomatoes about 6, halved, optional garnish
- 1 parsley sprig optional garnish
Instructions
- Wash and dry the cucumbers and dill. Remove tough dill stems, weigh the fronds and chop finely. Stir dill, salt and pepper into the cold sour cream. Refrigerate while preparing the cucumber.
- Trim cucumber ends and peel alternating lengthwise strips. Halve lengthwise and scrape out the soft seed channels with a teaspoon, keeping the firm flesh.
- Set halves cut-side down, slice diagonally about â…› inch thick and blot gently with a clean towel. Put roughly 1½ lb prepared cucumber in a dry bowl.
- Fold in about three-quarters of the dressing, separating the slices without crushing them. Add the remaining dressing as needed for an even coating. Taste and adjust seasoning.
- Plate, garnish with the optional halved tomatoes and parsley, and serve promptly. Keep cold; refrigerate within 2 hours or sooner in warm conditions.
