This delectable sour cream-based German Cucumber Salad, also known as gurkensalat, is made with a little more than a handful of ingredients in less than fifteen minutes. This easy dish has all the great flavors of your German grandmother’s salad.
Traditional German Cucumber Salad
This easy and delicious German cucumber salad is the perfect side dish for your summer BBQs. With fresh cucumbers, dill, and tangy sour cream, it’s the perfect refreshing addition to any meal. It is a delicious side dish for your summer BBQ and grilling entrees. However, if you want to keep the meal more traditional, in Germany, they serve it with pork schnitzel, beef rouladen, or sauerbraten.
German Cucumber Salad Ingredients
For this recipe, you need sour cream, sugar, white vinegar, fresh dill, English cucumbers, yellow onion, kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper.
How to make German Cucumber Salad
Start by slicing your cucumbers and onions very thin. I use a mandolin, but with a little patience and a sharp knife, it can be done without one. Then, whisk together the sour cream, sugar, white vinegar, and dill in a small bowl. Gently stir it into the sliced cucumbers and onions. Finally, season with salt and pepper to taste.
Recipe Tips
- A mandolin is an excellent way to slice the cucumbers and onions into thin, uniform pieces.
- Fresh dill is best in this salad as it is flavorful and fragrant. However, in a pinch, you can substitute 2 teaspoons of dried dill.
- Chill the salad for a couple of hours before serving.
- English cucumbers work best for this salad. Their skins are less tough, so peeling is not necessary, and the seeds are so small they are barely noticeable. Smaller seeds also mean less water and better texture.
- If less moisture in the salad is desired, sprinkle the cucumbers with a teaspoon of salt and place them in a colander to drain for about an hour. Then, dry with a paper towel before proceeding with the recipe.
- Other fresh herbs that taste great in this salad include chives and parsley. Or add a clove of pressed garlic.
- You can substitute white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar for the white vinegar.
- Serve this dish with a slotted spoon.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
What are English cucumbers?
English cucumbers, also known as seedless cucumbers, are long, thin cucumbers with seeds that are so small they are hardly noticeable. They are individually wrapped in clear plastic and are available at most local grocery stores in the produce section next to the other cucumbers. They are great for cucumber tomato salad, Asian cucumber salad, and cucumber sandwiches because their skins are tender, and their seeds are minimal.
More Salad Recipes
German Cucumber Salad
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup sour cream
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
- 2 English cucumbers sliced thin
- ½ onion sliced thin
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream, sugar, white vinegar, and dill.
- Gently stir it into a bowl with the sliced cucumbers and onions. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Notes
- A mandolin is an excellent way to slice the cucumbers and onions into thin, uniform pieces.
- Fresh dill is best in this salad as it is incredibly flavorful and fragrant. However, in a pinch, you can substitute 2 teaspoons of dried dill.
- Chill the salad for a couple of hours before serving.
- English cucumbers work best for this salad. Their skins are less tough, so peeling is not necessary, and the seeds are so small they are barely noticeable. Smaller seeds also mean less water and better texture.
- Other fresh herbs that taste great in this salad include chives and parsley. Or add a clove of pressed garlic.
- You can substitute white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar for the white vinegar.
- Serve this dish with a slotted spoon.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
Are you on the hunt for more delicious recipes? Follow Small Town Woman on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram.
https://www.smalltownwoman.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Beth-1.pdf
Samantha Donnelly
These are delicious and easy. Perfect for summer get togethers and something a little different than how we normally serve cucumbers.
Melanie E
This is a great salad. It was both tasty and refreshing. A great dish for summer.
Sarah Stockley
My kids absolutely love cucumber so I thought I would give this a try with them and it was a big hit! Really tasty and refreshing too.
Beth Pierce
Thanks Sarah! So glad that you and the kids enjoyed it!
Stephanie
My husband loves all things German food and cucumbers so this is perfect for him! We have almost everything here already so it’ll be simple to whip up.
Talya Stone
This looks like the perfect summer side dish. I have a whole cucumber in the fridge which would be ideal for this – will give it a try thanks for the inspiration!
Joan Gundersen
My German Dad always made this but insisted on salting sliced cucumbers first and bleeding their liquid this way for an hour or so before. After that, dry them with a paper towel. He may have also added a pinch of sugar.
Thena Franssen
One of my favorites! I love the flavor of the added ingredients that you’ve put into this recipe! It’s so delicious and wonderful!
Jennifer Prince
OOh! I love how fresh and tasty this sounds. Cucumbers are so delicious when they’re thinly sliced like that, too!
Nilakshi
I used to eat slices of cucumber by sprinkling some chat masala on it. I will give this recipe a try for sure.
Danni Torr
I love cucumbers so I’m eager to try this recipe. The combination of dill and sour cream sounds delicious!!!
Ebony
I made this for my lunch today and it was so easy and yummy! Saving this recipe to make again in the future!
Heatherkleinwolf
My husband would love this. Definitely need to try this recipe soon.
Heather Castillo
There is a restaurant by our old home that serves this salad. My girls absolutely love it!
briannemanzb
I loved it. This salad looks so healthy and easy to make. I definitely trying this
Gervin Khan
I have never tried it but looks delicious.
I will make this for everyone for dinner.
Christine
Looks so refreshing and pretty easy to make. Can’t wait to give this a try!