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Greek Cucumber Salad

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!

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

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 Greek cucumber salad is Greek-inspired and I cannot claim authenticity, but I will claim deliciousness!

If you love fresh and light recipes as much as I do, also check out some of my other favorites while you are here: Lemon Garlic Parmesan Pasta, Chipotle Corn Salsa, Strawberry Bacon Spinach Salad and Light Raisin Coleslaw.

Greek Cucumber Salad

Greek Cucumber Salad is perfect for the summer. We eat this non-stop once the weather turns warmer.

I know summer 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.

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.

Top down photograph of Greek Cucumber Salad

SO MANY reasons why we love this lovely 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.

Greek Cucumber Salad in a large bowl

Lemon Vinaigrette Dressing

The dressing for our Greek cucumber salad is a simple lemon vinaigrette dressing.

It 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!

How to serve Greek Cucumber Salad

Greek Cucumber Salad goes well with any form of protein, but I especially love it with grilled meats.

We also 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

DID YOU ENJOY THIS RECIPE? Please comment below and give us a 5-star rating! This will help others find this recipe on Google and Pinterest. We very much appreciate your help! 🤍

Other yummy summer sides!

Here are other light and fresh summer sides!

a bowl of cucumber salad with tomatoes, red onions, black olives and feta cheese

Greek Cucumber Salad

A healthy, refreshing and yummy side dish! Cucumbers, tomatoes, red onions, black olives, and feta tossed in a zesty homemade Greek Lemon Vinaigrette dressing.
4.83 from 104 votes
Print Pin
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Greek, Mediterranean
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 171kcal
Author: MinShien

Ingredients

  • 2 cucumbers
  • 4 roma tomatoes
  • ~1 cup sliced red onions
  • 1/2 cup crumbled feta
  • 1/2 cup canned/bottled black olives drained

Greek Lemon Vinaigrette

  • 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

Instructions

  • In a small bow, combine all vinaigrette ingredients and mix well.
  • Slice cucumbers, tomatoes and red onions. Drain black olives and slice them in halves. Add everything into a large bowl (a bowl large enough to toss everything easily).
  • Drizzle with vinaigrette and toss to combine. Sprinkle with crumble feta.
  • Serve and enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 171kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 11mg | Sodium: 514mg | Potassium: 300mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 525IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 107mg | Iron: 1mg
Did you make this recipe?Take a pic and tag me at @joyous.apron, or hashtag #joyousapron on Instagram!

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4.83 from 104 votes (89 ratings without comment)

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Recipe Rating




36 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Absolutely delicious. I just have to say that I accidentally made way too much though and needed to store it for leftovers.. but omg it’s definitely one of those salads that only gets better once the veggies marinate in the dressing!

    1. Joyous Apron says:

      Yesss!!! Love leftovers! So glad you enjoyed it! 🙂

  2. 5 stars
    So good! I double the amount of feta (gotta love feta). Everybody loved it, will make it again.

    1. Joyous Apron says:

      That’s wonderful! Feta is definitely a star in this dish!

  3. Julie Menghini says:

    5 stars
    What a fresh and delicious salad. I just loved all of the flavors and textures. Since I can always get the ingredients, it’s perfect for any time of year

    1. Joyous Apron says:

      That’s so great to hear, Julie! Thank you for sharing!

  4. 5 stars
    Delicious! Used all ingredients from our local farmers market. Made it in the afternoon to let marinate for dinner. Will do again for sure

    1. Joyous Apron says:

      Yum! That sounds delicious! Thank you for sharing!

  5. Can I use EEVO instead of regular olive oil?

    1. Joyous Apron says:

      Yes! That should be fine!

  6. 5 stars
    I typically DISLIKE cucumbers, but THIS recipe is the bomb!!! I used English cucumbers and the 3rd time I made it, I added a little dried mint, so good!

    1. Joyous Apron says:

      So glad to hear! And thank you for sharing your modification!

  7. 5 stars
    I made this for company and it was great! A very simple salad with big flavor. I will make it again.

    1. Joyous Apron says:

      That’s wonderful to hear! Thanks for the review, Lorelei!

  8. I searched and searched recipe notes to see how many servings, it talked about so many things except that, can we please include that in future recipes??
    I will be trying this recipe for Thanksgiving 2022 but I am uncertain that it will feed everyone.

    Thanks!

    1. Joyous Apron says:

      Serving information is in the recipe card 🙂 underneath the picture in the purple shaded box. This recipe serves ~6. If you hover your mouse over the number ‘6’ you can even adjust the serving size and the recipe card will update accordingly 🙂

  9. 5 stars
    this is excellent. I’ve made it several times. I’m pairing it with gyros sandwiches and you can actually use the salad to stuff the pitas along with the gyros meat and sauce.

    1. Joyous Apron says:

      Yum! That sounds amazing, Joyce! Thank you for sharing!

  10. 5 stars
    I made this for some healthy lunches. It was nice to have it ready to go in the fridge. Served it in whole wheat pitas. Great!

    1. Joyous Apron says:

      Great idea! Thanks for sharing, Debi! And I’m glad you liked it.

  11. 5 stars
    Was craving a good salad that was easy to make and healthy, stumbled upon this gem! So good!! Love the tangy flavors from the lemon combined with feta cheese.

    1. Joyous Apron says:

      Thank you so much, KT!

  12. 5 stars
    The Lemon Vinaigrette is out of this world good! Perfect on this and any salad.

    1. Joyous Apron says:

      Thanks! The vinaigrette is pretty awesome, I have to agree! 🙂

  13. 5 stars
    Cucumbers are one of our favorite things in the world, and this salad was absolutely delicious! My entire family had seconds.

    1. Joyous Apron says:

      Yay! I love it when the whole family enjoys a veggie dish that much!

  14. 5 stars
    This salad is so delicious. It’s fresh, healthy and so easy to make. I’ve made it a few times, and it is becoming a staple in our home.

    1. Joyous Apron says:

      Thanks Jen! Happy to hear it’s a regular at your home!

  15. 5 stars
    I absolutely can eat this salad every day. It makes a delicious lunch or side dish and the vinaigrette is so good.

    1. Joyous Apron says:

      I’m so glad to hear that! It’s definitely a good one!

  16. 5 stars
    So good. Added Kalamata olives and peperoncini

    1. Joyous Apron says:

      Yum! Glad you liked them!

    1. Joyous Apron says:

      Glad you enjoyed it!

  17. Made it last week and we loved it. Going to bring it to a pot luck next week. Will it be okay for a few hours with the dressing in or should i bring dressing separatly and mix at the party
    Thanks for a great recipe

    1. Joyous Apron says:

      For best results, I would bring dressing separately and mix it up at the party. I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe!