Marinated Cucumber Tomato Salad
There’s nothing more refreshing than chilled Marinated Cucumber Tomato salad especially in Texas on a hot summer day! Crisp cucumbers, farm fresh juicy tomatoes and sweet onion nestled in a sweet and tangy dressing.
This perfect summer salad is a simple salad that contains fresh vegetables and can serve as a refreshing side salad to a picnic, potluck dinner or family reunion!
This is a great picnic salad recipe because it doesn’t contain any mayonnaise or other ingredients that might go bad if sitting out in the heat. If you’re going to take this to a picnic or barbecue, you might want to place the serving bowl in a larger bowl with some ice, just to keep the cucumber salad crisp and fresh!
Why you’ll love this recipe!
- Quick and easy – for best results, allow the sliced cucumbers and tomatoes to marinate in the vinegar based marinade for at least an hour
- Healthy- if you’re on a low calorie diet or simply looking for a fresh side dish, this colorful salad is it cucumbers are high in nutrients, (as are onion, tomato and avocado) and all are low in calories!
- Affordable- inexpensive ingredients which makes this marinated salad a light side dish and perfect for groups
- Simple ingredients – nothing fancy or gourmet! You probably have most of the ingredients in your kitchen right now!
- Versatile – add different vegetables and herbs to this summer salad
My grandmother had a bowl of marinated cucumber tomato and onion salad on the table at almost every meal. Turns out, vinegar has many favorable health properties and aids in digestion.
Ingredients
This is a perfect summer side dish when vegetables are in season! I serve it as a side with ribs, fried catfish, fried oysters, or a big bowl of purple hull peas and cornbread!
First, you’ll need fresh summer vegetables:
- Cucumbers- regular cucumbers work great, but you can use seedless English cucumbers if you prefer.
- Juicy tomatoes-farm fresh tomatoes, sweet grape tomatoes or heirloom tomatoes;If you want color and variety, use a mixture of red, orange and yellow tomatoes
- Sweet onion – either sweet yellow onions, sweet red onion or Vidalia onion
- Avocado- this is optional but it gives a nice texture and color
The salad dressing ingredients (or marinade ingredients) consists of: apple cider vinegar, granulated sugar and a little vegetable oil.
How to make it
Thinly slice cucumbers (with the skin on) into 1/8″ inch – 1/4″ inch slices; pat dry with a paper towel and place in a large bowl; add in thinly sliced onions and small whole small tomatoes. If you’re adding sliced avocado, do not add it until the very end after you’ve poured the dressing over the vegetables.
Make the dressing
Marinated Cucumber Tomato Onion salad dressing is relatively low in calories; in fact, one tablespoon of the dressing has only about 59 calories.
In a medium saucepan, add vinegar, sugar, oil and a pinch of salt; heat and stir until sugar is dissolved; allow to cool then drizzle over sliced vegetables, cover and refrigerate.
Once the sweet and tangy dressing is cool, pour it over the cucumber tomato onion mixture and give it a good toss. If you’re adding avocado slices, add them now (the acidity from the apple cider vinegar will keep them from turning brown.)
Cover the bowl tightly with plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (I recommend an hour for marinating); stir frequently
Recipe tips
Slice a regular or seedless cucumber in thin strips about 1/8 – 1/4″ inch; a sharp knife or mandolin works best
If you want the perimeter of the cucumber to have a scalloped look, drag fork tongs down the side of the cucumber before you slice it
I recommend using tiny whole sweet tomatoes. I’ve found if you slice them, the seeds fall to the bottom of the bowl and the final presentation doesn’t look as pretty
Apple cider vinegar works best for this marinated cucumber tomato salad, but you could use a little white vinegar instead; don’t use red wine vinegar – it turns the cucumbers pink (don’t ask me how I know this); and I do not recommend using rice vinegar
If you’re making the vinegar marinade in advance, store it in a small bowl or jar, refrigerated until ready to use
Allow the marinade to cool before pouring it over the sliced vegetables
Refrigerate the marinated vegetable medley, covered, for at least an hour, in an airtight container; give it a quick stir occasionally, taste for salt and black pepper, then when ready to serve, place in a pretty serving bowl
If adding sliced avocado, add them at the very end and cover bowl very tightly with plastic wrap
For best results, let the salad sit for a few minutes at room temperature and use a slotted spoon to serve this easy recipe
FAQ
You can use regular cucumbers, persian cucumbers or seedless English cucumbers. As for the tomatoes, I prefer the tiny grape tomatoes, but sliced cherry or vine tomatoes works, too!
As for the onion, I recommend a sweet Vidalia onion but if you don’t have that, use a sweet red (or purple) onion or a sweet yellow onion.
As for the avocado, this is entirely optional, but it does add a nice flavor and texture! The acid from the apple cider vinegar prevents the avocado from turning brown, so this is a nice addition if you’re so inclined.
This recipe calls for either canola or vegetable oil. I do not recommend olive oil simply because some brands of olive oil have a flavor to them which interferes with the flavor of the marinade
Storage
If you have any leftovers or make this in advance, store the vegetables and marinade together in a large bowl that is airtight – don’t add the avocados (optional) until right before you serve the salad. For best results, store the marinated cucumber tomato salad in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Variations for cucumber salad recipe
Variety is the spice of life and this easy salad can take on just about anything you like! Add your personal favorites and put your own spin on this!
- Herbs: fresh herbs are a nice finishing touch; add a little fresh dill weed or sprinkle some chopped fresh basil on top
- Veggies: toss in some radishes, black olives, green olives, artichoke hearts or sliced heart of palm
- Don’t like tomatoes? Substitute them with sliced red peppers for flavor and color!
- Add cheese: garnish your serving bowl with crumbled feta cheese, goat or blue cheese
- Want a little crunch? Finish it off with roasted, salted sunflower seeds, toasted pecans or toasted walnuts; chopped macadamia nuts would be nice, too!
If you’re invited to a neighbor’s barbecue or picnic, marinated Cucumber Tomato Onion salad is a great side dish makes a lovely hostess gift! Put some in a pretty jar and tie a bow around it to say, “Thank you!”
Related recipes:
- Broccoli Crunch Salad
- Greek Yogurt Dip (Tzatziki Sauce)
- Cold Dill Shrimp Salad
- Mexican Shrimp Cocktail
- Orange Shrimp and Scallop Ceviche
- Seafood Cobb Salad with Remoulade Dressing
- Summer Salads
If you make this recipe, please scroll down and leave a rating and comment! I love to hear from you!
Marinated Cucumber Tomato Salad
Ingredients
- 2 large cucumbers , sliced
- 2 pints grape tomatoes
- 2 large red onions ,sliced
- 2 large avocados (optional) , sliced (or 3 small avocados)
Dressing/Marinade Ingredients
- 2 cups sugar , granulated
- 2 cups apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons oil , vegetable or canola
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large saucepan on medium low heat, add the sugar, vinegar and oil; stir and heat until sugar dissolves; set aside to cool2 cups sugar, 2 cups apple cider vinegar, 2 tablespoons oil
- Slice cucumbers and onions into thin strips; leave the skin on the cucumber (no need to remove it)2 large cucumbers
- Place cucumbers, onions and grape tomatoes in a large bowl2 large red onions, 2 pints grape tomatoes
- Pour cooled marinade over vegetables; combine well cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (1 hour is best); stir frequently
- When ready to serve, add sliced avocado; stir in gently2 large avocados (optional)
- Plate to serving dish; drizzle a little of the marinade over the plated veggies; use slotted spoon to servesalt and pepper to taste
Use your summer imagination on this one! Very refreshing!!
Perfect picnic salad! Took this to a family reunion last year and am taking it again this year! Very refreshing! We served it with fried chicken and a host of other summer dishes! Delicious and easy!