Name: Greek Cucumber Salad
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 2 cucumbers; 4 roma tomatoes; ~1 cup sliced red onions; 1/2 cup crumbled feta; 1/2 cup canned/bottled black olives (drained); 1/4 cup olive oil; 1/4 cup lemon juice (juiced from fresh lemon); 2 tsp dried oregano; 2 tsp pure maple syrup (or honey, sugar); 2 cloves garlic (minced); 1/2 tsp salt; 1/4 tsp black pepper

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Greek Cucumber Salad is a zesty, light and flavorful side dish bursting with freshness! Perfect for your next cookout or picnic, or dinner any day! It takes 15 minutes to make (just be ready to chop up a bunch of veggies) and is incredibly yummy!

I first had Greek Cucumber Salad at a mediterranean restaurant and it came as a side to grilled meats and rice. I loved it so much I started putting together this at home. This is Greek-inspired and I cannot claim authenticity, but I will claim deliciousness!

A large bowl of cucumber, tomatoes, red onions and olives tossed in Greek Lemon dressing.

Summer is here, people. IT IS HERE.

I know it officially starts at June 21 or something like that. But let’s be real here. School is out, Memorial Day has come and gone, and in Austin, Texas we got out first 100-degree weather day a few days ago.

Greek Cucumber Salad is perfect for the summer. And if you love fresh and light summer recipes as much as I do, also check out some of my other favorites: Lemon Garlic Parmesan Pasta, Chipotle Corn Salsa, Strawberry Bacon Spinach Salad and Light Raisin Coleslaw.

Why you need this Greek Cucumber Salad in your life

I’ll eat Greek Cucumber Salad any time of the year, but there’s something about the zest, lightness and freshness of this dish that makes me associate this with the summer.

Besides, it’s the perfect unique SUMMER bbq and cookout side dish.

SO MANY reasons why we love this lovely dish!

Top down photograph of Greek Cucumber Salad

It’s healthy, fresh and light! All while being fabulously yummy.
No cooking required. A.k.a no turning on that hot oven when it is already so hot outside!
It’s packed with gorgeous flavors and great textures! The crunchy veggies combined with juicy sweet summer tomatoes tossed in a tangy, zesty Greek Lemon Vinaigrette is to die for. And that crumbled feta to top it off. THAT crumbled feta. OMG YES PLEASE.
If you are taking Greek Cucumber Salad to a picnic or cookout or party, you can set it out in room temperature for hours and it will still taste yummy. WINNING.

Ingredients

Here are the fresh produce you will need to make Greek Cucumber Salad:

cucumbers
tomatoes
red onions
feta cheese
black olives

A large plate filled with tomatoes, cucumber, onions, olives and feta cheese

As for the homemade lemon vinaigrette dressing that binds the Greek Cucumber Salad together, these are the ingredients you will need:

olive oil
lemon juice – juiced from fresh lemons
dried oregano
maple syrup – use pure maple syrup if possible
garlic – fresh garlic, not powdered
salt and black pepper

How to make Greek Cucumber Salad

Just a couple of steps and oh so easy! You’ll be devouring your Greek Cucumber Salad before you know!

Step 1: Chop up a bunch of veggies
Step 2: Make the dressing
Step 3: Combine and toss

Or you can choose to be like me and start dipping veggies into the dressing after Step 2. I feel no shame in that.

You can also chop up the veggies, make the dressing ahead of time and refrigerate them separately until you are ready to combine everything to make your Greek Cucumber Salad.

Lemon Vinaigrette Dressing

The dressing is consisted of lemon juice, olive oil, oregano, minced garlic, salt, pepper, and a tiny bit of maple syrup. Just mix everything up! No blender needed.

I highly recommend juicing lemon juice from fresh lemons and using fresh garlic.

If you don’t have maple syrup in the house, you can substitute it with honey or sugar. Make sure sugar is completely dissolved when you mix it into the dressing. I like using 100% pure maple syrup but the others types of maple syrup would work as well. Use what you have at hand!

What to serve with Greek Cucumber Salad

Any form of protein would go really well with this side dish, but I especially love it with grilled meats.

We love making Greek Cucumber Salad as a side dish for cookouts and bbq’s because it can be served cold or in room temperature, and sits out for a couple of hours really well.

Check out some of my favorite grilled meats on the blog!

A large bowl of cucumber, tomatoes, red onions and olives tossed in Greek Lemon dressing. Serving spoon in the bowl.

Storage Tips

When it comes to storing Greek Cucumber Salad, the best way to store it is to store the dressing separate from the produce. Make sure to store everything in a sealed container in the refrigerator.

If you’ve already mixed the dressing into the Greek Cucumber Salad, keep it stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up 24 hours. Consume as soon as you can if not it will get soggy.

Variations and Substitution

There are so many ways to make this, so feel free to add and substitute ingredients.

Here are other produce that would work great in this salad:

lettuce
bell peppers
grape tomatoes
more olives – try other types of olives
avocado – great way to bring some protein into the dish!

As for the dressing, here are a few other ideas on how to make it:

use apple cider vinegar instead of lemon juice
add more herbs in addition to oregano – thyme, parsley would work great in it as well
reduce or increase the amount of maple syrup if you like it more or less sweet
use honey or granulated sugar in place of maple syrup

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Other yummy summer sides!

Here are other light and fresh summer sides!

Fruit Salad with Honey Lime Dressing
Avocado Corn and Black Bean Salsa
Broccoli Kale Apple and Cranberry Slaw
Bacon Deviled Eggs
Carrot Raisin Salad with Pineapple (by Melissa’s Southern Style Kitchen!)