This creamy cucumber salad will be your new favorite side dish! Made with cucumber slices, red onion, scallions and dill in a luscious cashew-based dressing that you'd never guess was dairy-free, it's packed with flavor and perfect for summer cookouts.
Cucumbers aren't at the top of my favorite veggies list. Sorry cukes! I mean, they're okay and all, but not something I normally get super excited over.
But this salad... ohhh this salad.
Guys, I just said "ohhhh" when referring to a salad. And not just that, but a cucumber salad. That must tell you this one is pretty darn good! Even while I was photographing it I couldn't help myself from repeatedly taste-testing!
Cucumber Salad Ingredients
Here's what you'll need to make this one!
- Raw cashews
- Water
- Garlic
- Red wine vinegar
- Salt & pepper
- Cucumber
- Red onion
- Fresh dill
- Scallions
How It's Made
First, slice and soak your onion. Just place in in a container and cover it with cold water. Why do we do this? Soaking raw onion removes some of the bite, making it perfect for salads. In fact, I generally soak onions when I'm eating them raw, just like I did with my Greek salad and orzo salad.
Now make the dressing. Place the cashews, water, garlic, vinegar, and some salt into a food processor bowl, and blend it up until smooth.
Place your cucumbers into a bowl, along with dill and scallions. Drain your onions and add them as well. Pour the dressing over everything and toss the salad to coat all your veggies with the dressing.
Dig in right away, or chill the salad for later.
Cucumber Salad Tips & FAQ
- Is this salad gluten-free? It is!
- Storage & shelf life: Leftover salad will keep in a sealed container for about 3 days or so, depending on how fresh your veggies are. But I recommend eating it as soon as possible — the veggies will release water over time, making the dressing extra runny.
- How can I get my dressing perfectly smooth? The trick, I'm afraid, is to use a high powered blending device. I don't use a high-powered device (it's a Ninja, in case you were wondering), and you can see that my dressing isn't perfectly smooth. But you know what? When I serve this salad, nobody cares. It's plenty smooth and super delicious.
- Also, unless you have a small blending device like I do, consider making a double batch of dressing. A larger batch will blend easier in larger device. Seal the extra dressing up in an airtight container and freeze it for later.
- Can I substitute dried herbs for fresh? I don't recommend it. The flavor won't be anywhere near as good.
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📖 Recipe
Creamy Cucumber Dill Salad
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup thinly sliced red onion
- ½ cup raw cashews, soaked in water 4-8 hours, drained and rinsed
- â…“ cup water, plus more as needed
- 1 garlic clove
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- ½ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- 1 ½ pounds thinly sliced cucumber (about 3 medium cucumbers)
- ¼ cup chopped fresh dill
- ¼ cup sliced scallions
- Black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Place the onion slices in a small bowl or cup and cover them with cold water. Let the onion soak while you make the dressing.
- Place the cashews, ⅓ cup of water, garlic, red wine vinegar, and ½ teaspoon of salt into the bowl of a food processor fitted with an s-blade. Blend until smooth.
- Place the cucumber slices, dill and scallions into a large bowl. Drain the onions and add them to the bowl.
- Pour the dressing over the veggies and stir to coat. Add more water if the dressing seems too thick.
- Season the salad with additional salt and black pepper to taste.
- Serve immediately or chill for later.
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What do you think about using cashew yogurt instead of blending the raw cashews? I don’t have a good enough blender to handle the raw cashews :(
Hmmm...I'm thinking it might turn out too watery, but I'm not sure. I think vegan sour cream would be a good bet. I also read somewhere once to try raw cashew butter instead of blending them yourself, so that's an option if you can find it!
I've seen recipes where they salt the cukes to draw out water. This would help keep the dressing be less watery but then the cukes wouldn't be crisp. So IDK. Sounds like it's best eaten on the same day which wouldn't be a problem for me!
Salad is good for the health and from adding cucumber it makes taste better.
Looking forward to trying this! Over tried some of your recipes and they are delicious! Thank you so much for posting them.