With the arrival of summer, I start harvesting cucumbers in bulk in my greenhouse. One of the best cucumber salad recipes my family loves is made with a dressing of sour cream and mayonnaise, flavored with finely crushed garlic. Quick, easy, yet delicious recipe!
➜ What can you expect
This is a salad of fresh seedless cucumbers, sliced. These are tossed with a dressing that consists of mayonnaise combined with sour cream. The salad also includes vinegar, salt, and a touch of sugar for a bit of flavor contrast. A clove of grated garlic adds a nice touch.
I know that many cucumber salads with creamy dressing are sprinkled with fresh dill. This salad, however, is made without any dill or herbs, just a freshly crushed clove of garlic to create that desired flavor magic!
MY TIP: You can also try this classic Czech cucumber salad with a water dressing seasoned with sugar, salt, and vinegar.
➜ Ingredients
To make homemade cucumber salad with garlic, you will need these simple ingredients:
- Cucumbers; such as English cucumbers or Persian cucumbers, preferably freshly picked. Young cucumbers are always a better choice since they are crisper and have fewer seeds than overgrown ones. Peel older cucumbers or those with tough skins first.
Creamy cucumber dressing:
- Sour cream; minimum fat content 15%, I prefer 18-20%. With thicker cream you will get a thicker dressing. If you use light cream (about 12%) or yogurt (such as Greek yogurt with about 10% fat), the dressing will be watery and runny.
- Mayonnaise; adds significant flavor to the dressing. My favorite brand is Hellmann's Mayonnaise.
- Garlic; one crushed garlic clove gives the dressing that extra kick. For a quick fix, you can substitute fresh garlic cloves with garlic powder.
- Vinegar; use white vine vinegar for a more tangy taste. Or be like me and grab apple cider vinegar, which is milder and contains about 5% acid. Another possible substitute for vinegar is fresh lemon juice.
- Granulated sugar; just a bit for taste contrast.
- Salt; to taste.
✅ See the recipe below with step-by-step photos and many helpful tips. Scroll down for the full printable recipe in both US cups and metric measurements.
➜ How to make creamy cucumber salad
STEP 1: Rinse the cucumbers and cut them, skin on, into slices about ⅛ inch (3 mm) thick. Use a sharp kitchen knife, not a grater. This will keep the cucumbers crunchy without having to sweat them in advance.
Peel and crush the garlic with a knife.
STEP 2: Transfer the sliced cucumbers to a mixing bowl. Season with salt, sugar, vinegar, and grated garlic. Add the sour cream and mayo. Stir to combine and refrigerate for 20 minutes; the flavors will blend beautifully.
➜ Serving
Serve this creamy salad as a side dish with your main meal by placing it in a small bowl on the table next to your plate.
Or enjoy it as a light and refreshing dish during the summer. Get a larger bowl and add toasted bread slices (I toast Czech rohlik roll or housky lightly buttered in a skillet). These additions make the salad more filling.
➜ How to store
This cucumber salad is meant to be eaten right away. If you let it sit, the dressing will get watery over time.
I had a bowl of salad that was left over. I covered it with fresh plastic wrap and stored it in the refrigerator. The next day, I took the salad out of the fridge about half an hour before eating to let it warm to room temperature. The taste was perfect!
Note: This salad is not suitable for freezing.
➜ Useful tips
- The original recipe called for mayonnaise only. However, I found the mayonnaise-only dressing to be heavy, especially on hot summer days. Replacing some of the mayo with sour cream is a much better idea!
- If you are a fan of a bolder flavor, you can add a dash of ground black pepper to the dressing.
- For a really light version of cucumber salad, go for sour cream alone. Enjoy the salad as soon as possible because the cucumbers will release the liquid into the dressing, and the cream will turn watery.
More cucumber recipes:
Tried this recipe?
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📖 Recipe
Creamy Cucumber Salad with Garlic
Tap or hover to scale
Ingredients
- 1 pound cucumbers
- ⅓ cup sour cream fat content about 15-18%
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ½ Tablespoon white vinegar 5% acidity
- ½ teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 clove garlic
- ¼ teaspoon salt to taste
Instructions
- Rinse 1 pound cucumbers and cut them, skin on, into slices about ⅛ inch (3 mm) thick. Use a sharp kitchen knife, not a grater. This will keep the cucumbers crunchy without having to sweat them in advance.
- Peel and press 1 clove garlic.
- Transfer the sliced cucumbers to a mixing bowl. Season with ¼ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon granulated sugar, ½ Tablespoon white vinegar, and pressed garlic. Add ⅓ cup sour cream and ½ cup mayonnaise. Stir to combine and refrigerate for 20 minutes; the flavors will blend beautifully.
Notes
- The basic recipe makes 3-4 portions.
- SERVING: Serve this creamy salad as a side dish by placing it in a small bowl next to your plate.
- This cucumber salad is best enjoyed immediately. If it sits too long, the dressing will become watery. Do not freeze the salad.
- If you are a fan of a bolder flavor, you can add a dash of ground black pepper to the dressing.
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