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!

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!

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

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. We eat this non-stop once the weather turns warmer.

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 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

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 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!

• Lemon Balsamic Grilled Chicken
• Grilled Cajun Chicken
• Cheese Stuffed Burger
• Grilled Chicken and Potato Summer Bowl
• The Ultimate Homemade Burger

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!)