German Cucumber Salad Recipe - Gurkensalat (2024)

by Diane Hoffmaster

German cucumber salad is a low carb, healthy side dish that takes only a few minutes to make. Gurkensalat is basically just thinly sliced cucumbers and onions with fresh dill in a simple oil and vinegar mix. Make this German cucumber salad recipe and use up cucumbers quickly!

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German Cucumber Salad Recipe - Gurkensalat (1)

Table of Contents

What is Gurkensalat?

Gurkensalat is a German Cucumber Salad that usually uses a creamy dressing, however, oil and vinegar based ones are also common.

My husband has a very strong German heritage so this weekend, we had friends and neighbors over for an Oktoberfest party. This German cucumber salad recipe was the perfect side dish to go with our grilled Bratwurst and all the delicious side dishes provided by our guests.

Like this German cucumber salad recipe? Try these healthy salad recipes, too:

  • Healthy Quinoa Salad Recipe with Spinach and Apricots
  • Watermelon Salad Recipe with Basil and Feta
  • Healthy Fruit Salad Recipe with Easy Yogurt Glaze

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How do you make this easy cucumber salad recipe?

All you need to do is slice up cucumbers and onions, add a simple oil and vinegar mix and stir in a ton of chopped, fresh dill. The resulting Gurkensalat is full of flavor, nice and crunchy, and absolutely delicious! If you are looking for more Oktoberfest recipes, you should definitely check out my homemade pretzels with beer cheese!

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How do you prepare cucumbers for this Gurkensalat recipe?

The key to making this German Cucumber Salad Recipe is toslice your cucumbers very, VERY thin. Some recipes I saw called for using a mandolin but I don’t own one so had to make due with a sharp knife.

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Should this German cucumber salad use yogurt?

There are several variations of this recipe online and some of them add sour cream or yogurt to the dressing recipe to make it creamy. We chose to leave that out to give it a slightly lighter texture and it turned out delicious.

Both gurkensalat recipes seem to be popular. If you prefer a creamy cucumber salad, add about 1/2 cup of sour cream or Greek yogurt to your dressing before pouring over the cucumbers.

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How long can you store cucumber salad with dill?

How longdoescucumber salad last? Well, not really all that long. For the freshest flavor and texture, eat this up the day you serve it. This cucumber salad has a shelf life of about three to four days in a sealed container in the refrigerator. It will, however, get a bit watery.

This cucumber salad recipe is unbelievably simple to prepare so if you can, make it up fresh when you want to eat it, rather than planning on leftovers. Check out Germanfoods.org for more authentic German recipes.

German Cucumber Salad Recipe - Gurkensalat (6)

German Cucumber Salad Recipe

What is Gurkensalat? It is a simple cucumber salad recipe with fresh dill on slivered onions. Perfect summer salad recipe or healthy side dish for the family. Healthy salads are great for backyard BBQs, too. If you are looking for easy cucumber recipes, try this one!

German Cucumber Salad Recipe - Gurkensalat (7)

Yield: 8 servings

German Cucumber Salad Recipe - Gurkensalat

German Cucumber Salad Recipe - Gurkensalat (8)

This German cucumber salad recipe is easy to make and the perfect German recipe for Oktoberfest. A fresh cucumber recipe with loads of crunch!

Prep Time15 minutes

Total Time15 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 to 3 large cucumbers ( I used English cucumbers), thinly sliced
  • 1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped dill
  • 4 TBSP white vinegar
  • 4 TBSP olive oil
  • 1 tablespoons white sugar
  • 1 tsp Kosher salt

Instructions

  1. Combine thinly sliced cucumbers, sliced onions, and chopped dill in a bowl. Toss gently.
  2. In a small bowl, combine oil, vinegar, sugar and salt. Whisk thoroughly.
  3. Drizzle oil and vinegar mix over cucumber mixture and toss to mix completely
  4. Chill for an hour to blend flavors before serving.

Notes

Does not keep long. Best if made right before eating.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving:Calories: 120Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 392mgCarbohydrates: 9gFiber: 1gSugar: 5gProtein: 1g

Nutrition information not always accurate

Like this German Cucumber Salad Recipe? Pin it for later!

German Cucumber Salad Recipe - Gurkensalat (9)

Have too many cucumbers?

Did you know you can add them to your next detox water recipe?

German Cucumber Salad Recipe - Gurkensalat (11)

Diane Hoffmaster

Diane is a professional blogger and nationally certified pharmacy technician atGood Pill Pharmacy. She earned her BS in Microbiology at theUniversity of New Hampshire and has worked in cancer research, academics, and biotechnology. Concern over the growing incidence of human disease and the birth of her children led her to begin living a more natural life. She quickly realized that the information she was learning along the way could be beneficial to many others and started blogging and freelance writing to share this knowledge with others. Learn more about her HERE.

German Cucumber Salad Recipe - Gurkensalat (2024)

FAQs

How do you keep cucumbers crisp in cucumber salad? ›

If you want to keep cucumber slices in the fridge but are finding that they become soggy and lose their freshness too often, then try infusing them in lemon and salt. Both lemon and salt work together to keep cucumbers firm for a longer time!

What does a cucumber salad contain? ›

This easy cucumber salad consists of nothing more than the cucumbers, some rice vinegar, either dill or basil, and salt and pepper. You don't even really need the herbs!

What kind of cucumber is best for cucumber salad? ›

Persian Cucumbers

They have a mild flavor and thin skins, so they're great sliced or chopped for salads and snacking, or even tossed in the blender to make a Spicy Cucumber Margarita.

How do you keep cucumber salad from getting watery? ›

The solution: The standard recommendation for ridding watery vegetable such as cucumbers of unwanted moisture is to salt them. The salt draws out the liquid from the vegetable because of the natural tendency of salt water solutions to equalize when mixed together.

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