Easy Cucumber Salad with Sour Cream, Mayo, and Dill
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This creamy cucumber salad reminds me of the old-fashioned recipes I grew up with—simple ingredients and a sweet, tangy dressing. It’s the kind of easy side dish I love making for a family meal.
When I made it again recently, I increased the sour cream from ½ cup to 1 cup and kept everything else the same. That extra sour cream gave the dressing the creamier texture I wanted while keeping the mayo, vinegar, sugar, and dill combination I love.
I also learned that smaller cucumbers make more manageable slices. If yours are larger, cut the slices into halves or quarters. You can leave the skins on or peel them for that old-fashioned cucumber salad feel.
Why You’ll Love This Creamy Cucumber Salad
- Extra creamy dressing: Sour cream and mayo coat every cucumber slice.
- Old-fashioned flavor: Sugar, vinegar, and dill give it that sweet, tangy taste.
- Simple ingredients: Made with everyday ingredients and fresh cucumbers.
- Easy to prepare: Mix, toss, and chill for one to two hours before serving.
- A refreshing side: Perfect for family dinners, cookouts, and potlucks.
🥣 How I Made the Dressing Creamier
I increased the sour cream and kept the mayonnaise and other ingredients the same. That one adjustment gave me the creamier dressing I wanted.
Ingredients for Creamy Cucumber Salad with Sour Cream
- Sour cream: I increased this ingredient for a creamier dressing.
- Mayonnaise: Adds richness to the dressing.
- Sugar: Gives this old-fashioned salad its sweetness.
- White vinegar: Adds tang to balance the creamy dressing and sugar.
- Salt: Seasons the salad.
- Fresh dill: Adds fresh dill flavor.
- Cucumbers: Sliced. I prefer smaller cucumbers for manageable slices.
Choosing and Preparing the Cucumbers
Smaller cucumbers work well because the slices are easy to eat. If you use larger cucumbers, halve or quarter the slices to make smaller pieces.
I prefer peeling the cucumbers for a true, authentic old-fashioned version, but you can leave the skins on if you like. The flavor is the same either way.
| Overnight result | Peeled cucumbers | Unpeeled cucumbers |
|---|---|---|
| Texture | Softer, but still had crunch | Softer, but still had crunch |
| Dressing | Still creamy, but slightly more watered down | Stayed thicker and incredibly creamy |
In my overnight test, both versions softened slightly but still had crunch. The peeled batch released more water into the dressing, making it slightly thinner, while the unpeeled batch stayed thicker and incredibly creamy.
Creamy Cucumber Salad with Mayo and Sour Cream
I use both sour cream and mayo in the dressing. The sour cream adds creaminess and tang, while the mayonnaise adds richness. Together with sugar, white vinegar, and dill, they make the sweet, tangy dressing I love in this old-fashioned cucumber salad.
After trying more sour cream in my latest batch, I prefer that creamier version.
How to Make Creamy Cucumber Salad
Step 1: Prepare the cucumbers. You can choose to either peel the cucumbers (for an old-fashioned creamy cucumber salad) or rinse them with warm (not hot) water to remove some of the wax that may be on grocery store cucumbers.
If the slices are large, cut them into halves or quarters.
Step 2: Mix the dressing. In an extra-large bowl, mix the sour cream, mayonnaise, sugar, white vinegar, salt, and dill until combined.
Step 3: Add the cucumbers. Gently stir the sliced cucumbers into the dressing until coated.
Step 4: Chill and serve. Cover and refrigerate for one to two hours before serving, or refrigerate overnight. Serve chilled.
Note: For firmer cucumber slices, serve after the initial chill. In my overnight test, both peeled and unpeeled cucumbers softened slightly but still had crunch.
Melissa’s Tips for Creamy Cucumber Salad
- Choose smaller cucumbers. They make manageable slices for eating. Halve or quarter larger slices for easier bites.
- Peel for an old-fashioned cream cucumber salad feel.
- Plan for chilling. Refrigerate for one to two hours before serving, or make the salad a day ahead. The cucumbers soften slightly overnight but still had crunch in my test.
- Give yourself room to mix. Use an extra-large bowl so you can reach the dressing at the bottom and gently fold it up over the cucumbers until every slice is coated.
- Substitute dried dill for fresh dill. If you only have dried dill, that is perfectly fine for this salad.
Optional Red Onion Variation
Thinly sliced red onion would be a delicious addition if you enjoy a little onion flavor with your cucumbers and dill.
FAQs about Creamy Cucumber Salad
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I’d Love to Hear From You
If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear what you think! Please leave a star rating and comment below to let me know how it turned out. I love hearing from you, and your ratings help other readers find and enjoy the recipe, too!
Creamy Cucumber Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup sour cream
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- â…› cup sugar
- ¼ cup white vinegar
- ½ tsp. salt
- 2 Tbsp. fresh dill
- 4 cups sliced cucumbers
Instructions
- You can choose to either peel the cucumbers or rinse them with warm (not hot) water to remove some of the wax that may be on grocery store cucumbers.
- Cut larger slices into halves or quarters.
- In an extra-large bowl, mix the sour cream, mayonnaise, sugar, white vinegar, salt, and dill until combined.
- Add the cucumbers and gently stir until coated.
- Cover and refrigerate for one to two hours before serving, or refrigerate overnight
- Serve chilled.
Notes
- Cucumber size: Smaller cucumbers make manageable slices.
- Peeling: Depends on your preference. The flavor will be the same. Leaving them unpeeled is easier, but for an authentic old-fashioned salad, I would peel them.
- Optional addition: Add thinly sliced red onion if desired.
Nutrition
~Melissa – KidFriendlyThingsToDo.com
Made this this morning, and it was perfect. Thank you!
That is such great news! Thank you for coming back to tell me.
My family love this dish thank you for Shanning
Thank you so much for coming back to tell me that you and your family like the dish. I love that!
Thank you so much for the recipe. My mother-in-law makes this recipe and I love her cucumbers. She could tell me how she made it, so I was lucky to find your website. I might use less sugar, because our homegrown cucumbers are sweet and not bitter.
I’m so glad you found a similar recipe. I hope it works out for you. 🙂