Southern Cucumber Salad with Onion, Vinegar & Sugar Recipe (2024)

This Cucumber Salad with Onion, Vinegar and Sugar has been a staple on my family's dinner table since I was a kid. It's the perfect southern side dish recipe made with simple ingredients. It's super refreshing and easy to throw together.

What is Southern Cucumber Salad

This Cucumber Onion Salad is the perfect side dish and one of my all time favorite recipes.It's made with simple ingredients and is is perfect when served on a hot summer day.

Honestly, I never thought to share the recipe for this perfect summer side dish because it's such a downright simple recipe. But whenever we have parties, I always get asked for this refreshing cucumber salad recipe. So I decided it belongs on the blog!

As for ingredients, this easy salad is made with fresh cucumbers and tossed with thin slices of onion and a sweet and tangy vinegar mixture.

The best cucumbers to use are either english cucumbers or persian cucumbers. You basically want to use one of the varieties of cucumbers that has thin skins and not a lot of seeds.

For onions, I recommend using sweet onions (aka vidalia onions) but you could absolutely use a different kind.

When it comes to the vinegar mixture, my family has always used seasoned rice vinegar. But you could switch it up and use whatever vinegar you prefer. Since rice vinegar is on the sweeter side, you might need to add a little bit more sugar to even it out.

The best part about this fresh side dish is that it goes with so many things. It's the perfect palate cleanser no matter what you're serving.

You can also great creative with it and put your own spin on it. One of my favorite ways is adding fresh basil, cilantro, mint and thai chilis, If you like it creamy try my Polish-inspired Creamy Cucumber Salad recipe with greek yogurt (or sour cream) and fresh dill.

Ingredients & Substitutions

• English Cucumbers: Thin skinned English or Persian cucumbers are preferred. Honeslty, any type of crisp cucumber with thinner skin and fewer seeds is deal in this old-fashioned cucumbers salad. If you're using something like a garden cucumber or regular cucumbers from the grocery store, just be sure to shave the skin off.
• Vidalia Onions:Since we typically find sweet onion in the south, that's what I've always used. But you could absolutely switch it up and use red onion, white onion or yellow onions.
• Seasoned Rice Wine Vinegar:You could swap it out for another vinegar, but seasoned rice vinegar definitely has the best flavor. If you don't have any, try apple cider vinegar, red wine vinegar, white vinegar, or white wine vinegar. But since rice vinegar is sweeter than all of those, you will probably need to add more sugar so it's not too tangy.
• White Sugar:You can swap the white sugar out for Demerara sugar, brown sugar, cane sugar, coconut sugar or another sugar of your choice.
• Kosher Salt: The amount in this recipe was tested using kosher salt. If you use sea salt or table salt, it's probably best to add less.
• Fresh Cracked Black Pepper: This is optional but i love adding a little fresh cracked pepper to this cucumber salad with onion, vinegar and sugar.
• Optional Add-ins: Feel free to add other ingredients to make it your own! Some of my favorite things to include are fresh herbs like fresh basil, fresh dill, or chives. For spices, try some red pepper flakes, celery seed, or garlic powder. You could even add fresh veggies like bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, or celery. I've also added feta cheese before and that was delicious!

How to make it

Since it only takes about 5 minutes to throw together, this easy cucumber salad recipe is best served fresh -- minutes after making it. If you want to make this refreshing side dish ahead of time, you can find the detailed instructions below this section.

Wash Ingredients: To begin making this easy cucumber salad recipe, you'll want to wash the fresh ingredients with cold water before prepping them.

Cut Vegetables: Now it's time to cut the fresh veggies. If you have a mandoline slicer, you can use that to get perfectly sized cucumber slices. Or you could always use a sharp knife and a cutting board to slice cucumbers - however you want to do it. Next, it's time to slice the onions. I recommend doing this as thinly as possible - either with a mandoline slicer or a super sharp knife.

Build the Salad: Once the fresh ingredients are prepped, grab a large bowl and add the cucumber and onion.Sprinkle a little sugar, salt, and fresh cracked pepper and toss.Lastly, you'll add the vinegar. Since the sweetness of the vinegar varies between the different kinds, you might need to adjust the amount of sugar so it's not too tangy.

Serve it: It's best fresh away so I recommend serving it immediately.

How to make Cucumber Onion Salad Ahead of time

This cucumber vinegar salad is best served straight away. But there are some tricks to keep this easy side dish crispy and fresh if making it ahead of time.To do this, you'll definitely want to take the quick-pickled cucumber approach.

Quick Pickle Cucumbers: Begin by adding sugar and salt to your sliced cucumbers. Toss it all together then place them in a colander so that the excess water can drain out. This helps keep the fresh cucumbers crisp and crunchy and not water-logged.

Build Salad: After about 30 minutes of draining, pat them dry and then add the tangy vinegar dressing which is made with more sugar, salt and rice vinegar.

Save or Serve: Place the mixture in an airtight container and keep in the fridge until you're ready to serve.

What goes with it

The most traditional way to serve this cucumber salad with onion, vinegar and sugar is with a ton of delicious southern recipes. Here are a few of my favorite!

• ​BBQ Chicken Thighs or other grilled meats of your choice
• Homemade Southern BBQ Sauce
• Dr. Pepper Pulled Pork or Hot Dogs
• Tangy Coleslaw
• My Mom's
• Sauteed Cabbage and Onions
• Southern Fried Corn
• My Mom's Southern Pineapple Cheese Casserole Recipe
• Or try my creamy version of Polish Cucumber Salad

Recipe