Cucumber and Onion Salad is an old fashioned side dish that is a delicious combo of (like the name) sliced cucumbers, sweet onions marinated in a vinegar mixture. It is similar to a quick pickle and it makes a great “vinegary crunch” side dish for any dinner. Very fresh and light.
I grew up in small town Iowa and one thing we have down pat are really, really good side dishes! Think pot lucks, BBQ’s, Sunday family dinner at Grandma’s. This Cucumber Vinegar Salad is a staple recipe that I love to make when we have a gathering that is full of rich dishes! It is tangy, crunchy and fresh, simple, but it hits all the right notes. . Without fail, every single time I make it, someone tracks me down to ask for the recipe.
These cucumbers and onions in vinegar are especially delicious served with anything from the grill or BBQ, like this BBQ Pork Tenderloin or Grilled Tri Tip. When you have heavier side dishes like cheesy potatoes and beans, these cucumbers and onions are a very refreshing addition.
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Cucumber and Onion Recipe Ingredients
Since this Cucumber and Onion Salad is an old fashioned recipe it only has the simplest of ingredients. Aren’t those the best?!
Cucumbers I recommend using a hot house or English cucumbers for this recipe. They are less watery and don’t have as many seeds as a traditional or garden cucumber. They also have thinner skin so they don’t need to be peeled.
You CAN use garden cucumbers, I just recommend peeling them or partially peeling them (so they look striped).
Onion Choose a sweet onion like yellow or Vidalia onions. I like to cut the onion in half and then slice it into thin strips about ⅛-1/4 inch thick. A red onion can work as well.
PRO TIP FOR ONION: if you have a really strong onion, after cutting it in half lightly rinse it under cool water lightly separating the layers. This rinses away the enzyme that will have the strong onion flavor taking over your whole dish.
Vinegar Rice vinegar is a great choice for this cucumber and onion salad. It has great flavor on it’s own and makes a delicious “marinade” for the salad. If you don’t have rice vinegar you can sub apple cider vinegar.
Sugar Simple granulated white sugar is what you need here. It balances the tang of the vinegar and gives a bit of sweetness to the dish.
Kosher Salt enhances the flavor of the entire dish!
Celery Seed adds a great flavor to the vinegar mixture.
How To Make Old Fashioned Cucumbers and Onions in Vinegar
This is SUCH a simple recipe! It only takes about 10 minutes to put it together, then pop it in the fridge to marinate or pickle until it’s time to eat.
- Prep Cucumbers & Onions
- Boil Vinegar Mixture
- Pour Vinegar Over Veggies
- Refrigerate
Slice the cucumbers and onions about ⅛-1/4 inch thick and place in a bowl or pan. Set aside
In a saucepan over medium heat combine the vinegar, sugar, kosher salt and celery seed.
Bring to a boil (this will happen quickly) and let boil for about 30 seconds.
Pour the hot vinegar mixture over the cucumbers and onions. Give them a good toss to coat.
Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 8-12 hours, tossing occasionally if you have time.
Cucumber and Onion Recipe Tips
Don’t wait too long to eat the cucumbers and onions, the cucumbers will get soggy after a few days (although they will still be DELICIOUS).
An English or Hot House cucumber are great options because they don’t have large seeds and have thinner skin.
If using garden cucumbers, the skin is thicker so peel them for a better texture.
Use a yellow or sweet Vidalia onion for the best flavor.
Slice the cucumbers and onions about the same thickness for the best texture.
Serving ideas
Cucumber and Onion in Vinegar is a wonderful tangy side dish that pairs really really well with a rich meal. Here are a few things we like to serve this with:
- BBQ Chicken Skewers
- Grilled BBQ Pork Tenderloin
- ALL the Burgers
- Pulled Pork Sandwiches
- Grilled Tri Tip
Storing
Keep the Cucumber and Onion Salad covered in the fridge for up to 2 days. It will last longer but the more time that passes the cucumbers start to become very soggy. Best eaten within 2 days.
More Cucumber Recipes
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Onion and Cucumber in Vinegar
Ingredients
- 4 cups sliced cucumber - Hot House or English cucumber (one large or two small should be about 4 cups)
- 1 yellow onion - sliced
- ½ cup rice vinegar
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon celery seed
Instructions
- Slice your cucumbers about ⅛-1/4 inch thick, same for the onions.If you are using hot house, english or persian cucumbers you don't need to peel them, if you are using traditional cucumbers or garden cucumbers you can peel them completely or partially by peeling stripes.4 cups sliced cucumber, 1 yellow onion
- Place the sliced cucumbers and onions in a shallow bowl or pan. Set aside.
- In a saucepan over medium heat, bring the sugar, salt, vinegar and celery seeds to a boil. Once it comes to a rapid boil, let it boil for about 30 seconds.½ cup sugar, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, ½ cup rice vinegar, ½ teaspoon celery seed
- Pour over the cucumbers and onions. Toss to coat. Then try to have all the cucumbers and onions touching the vinegar liquid.
- Cover and refrigerate for 8-12 hours.If you have time you can toss the cucumbers and onions a few times while they marinate in the fridge.
- It is great garnished with black pepper when serving!
Storing
- Store in a covered container in the fridge for up to 2 days. It will last longer but the more time that passes the cucumbers start to become very soggy.
Beverly says
Absolutely loved this. I did not heat the liquid, though, to assure the vegetables stayed crisp. Worked just great. Will be making it again very soon. Thank you.
John says
This is such a great twist on salad. Full of flavor and great for summer!
Andrea Howe says
Super refreshing and perfect with this summer heat we are still experiencing here in California. Easy recipe and was great the next day as well!
Ernie says
This was a great side dish with our BBQ. It has excellent flavor and it was the one dish that people went back for seconds on!