Food & Cooking Recipes Salad Recipes Cucumber Salad With Sour Cream and Dill Dressing 4.0 (471) This 15-minute side dish is creamy, crunchy, and refreshing. Prep Time: 15 mins Total Time: 15 mins Servings: 4 Jump to recipe This cucumber salad with dill and sour cream is the perfect creamy summer side dish. It's has just four-ingredients and takes 15 minutes to make, plus it pairs just as well with your lunchtime sandwich as it does is a grilled dinner. We particularly love it with burgers, ribs, or grilled salmon. The recipe is a healthy update—we use reduced-fat sour cream rather than full-fat, a swap that really works. The salad tastes just as good, but has less fat and calories. We also use Kirby cucumbers; they have a thinner skin than regular cucumbers, so we keep the skins on—which makes the salad even faster to prepare (no peeling necessary). 32 Cookout Sides for Your Next Summer Gathering Credit: Carson Downing Know Your Cucumber Varieties Technically you can make this salad with any type of cucumber, but for the best results, we recommend seeking out the kirby cucumbers. This petite, bumpy-skinned variety is available in grocery stores and farmers markets throughout the summer. Kirby cucumbers have firm, mild, and crisp flesh that makes them perfect for salads as well as stuffing into jars with brine. Thanks to their thin skins, they don't need to be peeled, and their small seeds are less watery than other cucumber varieties, so you can leave them in as well. English cucumbers, also known as hot house cucumbers, are long and skinny and ideal for salads and snacking. They're a tad more watery than kirby cucumbers, so when using them for cucumber-heavy salads, you may want to either scoop out the few seeds with a spoon or drain them before using. (To do so, slice them and toss with a large pinch of salt, then let sit in a colander for 15 minutes. Rinse and pat very well dry before using.) Slicing cucumbers, also known as garden cucumbers, they are larger than the kirby and hot-house varieties with thick, sometimes waxy skin that's best to remove before enjoying. (We recommend scooping out the large, firm seeds as well and draining these cucs if using them in salads.) They have the most cucumber-forward flavor and aroma and are ideal for dipping into hummus or pureeing into chilled soups. Shopping for and Storing Cucumbers The same rules hold true whether you are buying regular cucumbers, Kirbys, or English cucumbers and whether you're shopping for them at the grocery store or the farmers market. Choose cucumbers that feel heavy for their size and have dark green skin free of the soft spots that indicate spoilage. Once you bring the cucumbers home, refrigerate them, loosely wrapped in plastic, for up to five days in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator. Directions Credit: Carson Downing Make dressing: In a medium bowl, combine sour cream, lemon juice, and dill. Season with salt and pepper, and whisk well to combine. Credit: Carson Downing Add cucumbers and toss to coat: Add cucumbers, and toss to coat. Garnish with more dill, if desired. Serve, or refrigerate, covered, up to 4 hours. Credit: Carson Downing How to Store This Cucumber Salad Our cucumber salad with dill and sour cream is best eaten the day its made. If you have leftovers, refrigerate them for up to 2 days. Variations To add even more crunch to your salad, add some diced or shredded apple or thinly sliced red onion.For a richer dressing, use full-fat sour cream. Or, for more protein, swap in plain Greek yogurt instead.Not a fan of dill? Use an equal amount of parsley, cilantro, or mint. What to Serve With Cucumber Salad This creamy, crunchy salad would be excellent alongside a wide range of grilled or baked proteins, from lamb to chicken to fish. If you're opting for poultry, try it with this spatchcocked bird or these smoky, buttermilk-marinated skewers. Our grilled marinated hanger steak would make an ideal match, as would these succulent lamb shoulder chops. Feeling fish instead? Check out this crispy baked flounder or our herby striped bass, or keep it simple with a few grilled salmon fillets. Round out the meal with a starchy side, like these skillet paprika potatoes, some herby orzo. We also love it with our rice and noodle pilaf. 5 More Cucumber Salad Recipes to Try Garlic-Ginger Cucumbers Thai Cucumber Salad Cucumber, Red Onion, and Dill Salad Melon and Cucumber Salad Celery-Cucumber Salad With Herbs Updated by Esther Reynolds Esther Reynolds Esther Reynolds is an experienced recipe developer, recipe tester, food editor, and writer with over a decade of experience in the food and media industries.