My chopped cucumber tomato salad recipe is such a perfect summer side. It goes with almost everything!
I’m always so happy to have this summery salad in our fridge. This cucumber tomato onion salad keeps in the fridge for 2 to 3 days. As it sits, the juices from the tomatoes, onion, and cucumber mingle with the dressing, making it taste even better.
Adam and I love the juices at the bottom of the bowl so much that we eat it with a spoon.
Key Ingredients
- Cucumber: I prefer English or Hothouse cucumbers for this salad since they have thinner skin and don’t require removing any seeds. Smaller Persian cucumbers are also perfect. I also use these varieties when making my easy cucumber salad.
- Tomato: Any fresh, ripe tomato works for this salad. I used a mixed box of cherry tomatoes in the video and photos. So pretty!
- Onion: Use a sweet onion in this salad. Look for Walla Walla sweet onions, or try Vidalia. The sweeter varieties of onion add crunch without overpowering the salad.
- Parsley: This chopped salad is inspired by tabbouleh, a delicious salad popular across the Middle East that uses a generous amount of parsley. You can use flat-leaf or curly parsley, although I find it easier to chop the curly parsley into tiny bits for this salad.
- Easy dressing: My easy salad dressing is similar to what I use when making my orzo pasta salad or this easy chickpea salad. Start with vinegar (or use fresh lemon), then whisk in a bit of Dijon mustard, honey, salt, pepper, and olive oil. It’s fresh and light and works beautifully with the juices from the chopped tomatoes and cucumber. For a vegan dressing, substitute the honey for maple syrup or agave nectar.
Find the full recipe with measurements below.
How to Make My Favorite Cucumber and Tomato Salad
Tip 1: Make the dressing. I have two suggestions for making this dressing. First, you can whisk all the ingredients together, or add them to a mason jar, close the lid, and shake. Whichever you choose, you are looking for it to be emulsified and a little bit creamy, like in our photo.
Tip 2: Make the salad. This one is as easy as adding everything to a bowl and tossing it all together. It’s so simple!
Serving Suggestions
I’m so happy when this salad is in my fridge. I love to spoon it over scrambled eggs, rice, quinoa, like salsa. Or use it as a topping for baked trout, skillet chicken, or baked pork chops.
For a pretty appetizer or snack, try spooning it over creamy hummus and serving it with homemade pita. You can add it to cold soups like gazpacho or enjoy it on top of grilled bread like tomato bruschetta. I’ve even served it as a fresh salsa with homemade tortilla chips.
More Salad Recipes
Chopped Cucumber Tomato Salad
- PREP
- TOTAL
This easy chopped cucumber, tomato and onion salad is reminiscent of tabbouleh made with diced tomatoes, cucumbers and lots of parsley. For the dressing, use vinegar or fresh lemon juice. Since we add raw onions to the salad, the sweeter your onions, the better. If you can find them, try Walla Walla onions or Vidalia onions.
Watch Us Make the Recipe
You Will Need
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, lemon juice or a combination
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
¼ teaspoon honey, optional
1 long English cucumber or 3 Persian cucumbers, chopped small
1 pound tomatoes, chopped small
¼ large sweet onion, chopped small, 1 cup chopped
1 cup fresh parsley leaves, chopped
Salt and fresh ground black pepper
Directions
1Make dressing: Whisk the vinegar (or lemon juice), olive oil, mustard, and honey until blended in a liquid measuring jug or medium bowl. Season the dressing with salt and fresh ground black pepper (I typically use about ½ teaspoon of fine sea salt).
2Make salad: Add chopped cucumbers, tomatoes, onion, and parsley to a large bowl. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss. Taste and adjust with more salt and pepper as needed. Serve or cover and keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. Stir to redistribute the dressing before serving.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Cucumbers: I prefer English, hothouse, and Persian varieties since they have thin skins, and you do not need to scrape out seeds. For regular garden cucumbers, use 2 medium and peel and scrape out the seeds before chopping and adding to the salad.
- Vegan salad: Substitute the honey for maple syrup or agave nectar.
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.
Why do you show yellow pepper in the picture and it is not in the recipe??
Hi Pat, they are yellow cherry tomatoes, not peppers.
This will be my go to recipe this summer….so,so good and really easy. I am so glad that I found this recipe….thank you!
That’s amazing, Janet. We are glad you found it, too!
Made this last night to go with grilled chicken thighs and brats. Really good! Very flexible recipe to allow for additional veggies. I added a leftover sweet red pepper and a red onion. I also added mozzerella balls and torn up basil.
This is a fantastic ~go to~ salad for a quick easy side or a great topping on chopped romaine. I added diced avocado in today’s mix. Thanks for the wonderful recipe.
Yum! Love the addition of avocado! 🙂
Hi. I am going to make this for 30 people. How many servings are in the recipe?
It makes about 6 cups (6 Servings, or more if you serve less per person).
Thank you for another simple-to-make, healthy recipe with a nice and light salad dressing.
I can see where the recipe as is works as a good base to add other ingredients. I added avocado and green olives
Very refreshing – thank you!
This chopped cucumber tomato salad is absolutely amazing! The flavors burst through. I added yellow and red peppers from our garden, and then after eating half of it even added a bit of chopped kale. I’m making more as we have finished the big batch I made yesterday. Thank you!!!
😋 yummy 😋 yummy 😋 yummy!
The picture above appears to include orange bell pepper. It would add some great crunch and a little sweetness. Am I mistaken?
We used orange cherry tomatoes, but a bell pepper would be lovely.
Hi, many thanks for your colorful recipes. The tomato, onion and cucumber salad looks delicious. However, I would need clarification:for the dressing.ingredients which show only 2 tbsp each of red wine vinegar and extra virgin olive oil however, in the video we clearly see a much larger quantity being poured onto the veggies. Thank you for your help.
Hi CB, The recipe is correct and is what is shown in the video. I’m pouring about 1/4 cup of dressing into the salad, which is 4 tablespoons.
Just made this delish dish. I used purple cherry tomatoes and a fresh cucumber cut from the vine yesterday. The cuc is so white and the tomatoes look deep burgundy. What a pretty salad. Tossed in a wee bit of fresh basil as I love this herb with tomatoes. Thank you so much, this is a keeper.
Your tomatoes sound beautiful! So happy you loved the recipe.
Your thoughts on adding feta cheese and some oregano to this salad. Thanks, Randy
Hi Randy, Feta cheese would be excellent.
What kind of vinegar is used ?
We use red wine vinegar, but white wine vinegar or champagne vinegar are also excellent.
Really tasty and versatile! Love the touch of mustard with honey.
Love the tahini recipe; will next make falafel.
For years I had been eating this veggie salad combo without any kind of dressing. While it was good just plain, your dressing put it in a new level of deliciousness. Thank you for sharing this!
We call this “thunder and lightening”,made this for many years,just add Italian dressing and alittle sugar.