Zesty Cucumber Salad
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This easy 5-ingredient cucumber salad recipe can be eaten with a fork or used as a dip. Crispy cucumbers get soaked in a tangy rice vinegar and peppy ranch sauce, as sweet onions and spicy bits of jalapeño complement every crunchy bite.
THE EASIEST SIDE DISH THAT CAN ALSO BE A DIP
When I tell you that I daydream about this cucumber salad, I am not even remotely kidding. This recipe has lived on my site since 2017 and is one of those dishes that I think is incredibly underrated in my recipe index.
Back in 2017, my then coworkers and I got together for our annual pumpkin carving, and one of them brought this cucumber dish and a bag of tortilla chips, and I’m pretty sure I ate 75% of it. Granted, I was pregnant and wanting all of the salty/savory/tangy things + carbs, but I have made it many times not pregnant and the same thing happens every time.
I. Just. Cannot. Stop. Eating. It.
Whether I’m eating it with a fork as a side with my lunch or dipping into it with chips or crackers, this creamy cucumber salad hits every single time.
Not only is it so crazy simple to make, it is one of those dishes you can decide you want to make last minute and still impress with. The hardest part? Waiting the hour it takes to chill/marinate in the refrigerator. Once that’s over, you can quite literally just watch it disappear before your eyes… Trust me.
GRAB THESE 5 INGREDIENTS
This recipe is so simple, it’s hardly a recipe. See the FAQ section below and/or the recipe notes for substitutions and preparation suggestions.
Here’s what you’ll need:
• cucumbers
• sweet onion
• jalapeño pepper (optional but highly encouraged)
• dry ranch dressing packet
• rice vinegar
HOW TO MAKE ZESTY CUCUMBER SALAD WITH RANCH
It could not be simpler to bring this dish together.
STEP #1: place cucumbers and onion (and jalapeño, if using) into a medium size bowl, then stir together to combine.
STEP #2: sprinkle the ranch packet over the cucumber and onion mixture, then drizzle with rice vinegar and stir gently until everything is fully coated.
STEP #3: cover the salad and chill for at least 1 hour before serving.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH COLD CUCUMBER SALAD
This salad is so versatile, and I honestly don’t prefer it as a side or a dip. I just want it in my belly!
Serve with crackers, bread, tortilla or pita chips, or on toasted baguettes.
As a side dish, I like to serve this with something that has sweet, fruity notes like a meat with a fruit chutney, or fish & chips, which are often served with tangy tartar sauce.
Dip it, chip it, fork it, spread it… This zesty cucumber salad will have you looking for anything and everything to eat it with. So versatile and a fun little side to any dish that could use a little pizazz (seriously though, good luck stopping eating it).
CUCUMBER SALAD RECIPE FAQs
Zesty Cucumber Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 large cucumbers peeled then sliced and quartered1
- ½ sweet onion2 finely chopped; about ½ cup
- 1 small jalapeño pepper seeded3 and finely chopped; optional
- 1 packet (28g) dry ranch dressing
- ½ cup (120mL) rice vinegar
Instructions
- Place cucumbers and onion (and jalapeño, if using) into a medium size bowl. Stir together to combine.3 large cucumbers, ½ sweet onion2, 1 small jalapeño pepper
- Sprinkle ranch packet over cucumber and onion mixture, then drizzle with rice vinegar. Stir gently until everything is fully coated.1 packet (28g) dry ranch dressing, ½ cup (120mL) rice vinegar
- Cover salad and chill at least 1 hour before serving. Serve as a side dish or as a dip for crackers, chips, or bread. Leftovers stay fresh covered tightly in the refrigerator up to 4 days.
Notes
- Cucumbers: if you prefer to make this more of a dip/salsa, chop or dice cucumbers instead. If you want to use English cucumbers, use 2 large or 8 small.
- Onion: people often like red onion in cucumber salad, but a sweet onion is my preference in this recipe. Any onion you like is fine.
- Jalapeño: if you want to keep some heat in this salad, keep some of the seeds. The more seeds you keep, the spicier it will be. If you don’t want any heat at all, you can substitute with ¼ of a green bell pepper or omit the pepper entirely.
Nutrition Disclosure
All nutritional values are approximate and provided to the reader as a courtesy. Changing ingredients and/or quantities will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.