This post may contain references to products from one or more of our advertisers. Oh Sweet Basil may receive compensation when you click on links to such products.
What is it about the combination of tomatoes, cucumber and onions that is so dang good?! Am I right? It’s like the summer salad trifecta! This is the best tomato cucumber salad recipe ever!
It seems like every year we head off to some BBQ and someone that claims to hate cooking shows up with the most perfectly delicious recipe out of the whole neighborhood. And 9/10 it seems to be a tomato cucumber salad. SO! I’ve changed our neighbor’s recipe slightly and am here to beg you to pin it, especially those who say that they can’t cook because you DEFINITELY can cook this!!
Table of Contents
It is so light and refreshing and perfect to cool down on a hot summer day! The dressing is tangy and flavorful without weighing the salad down. There are few things worse than a salad that is drowning in dressing! And this easy salad is healthy!
Ingredients for Tomato Cucumber Salad
Made with all fresh ingredients, here is your shopping list for this salad recipe:
Salad
- Vine Cocktail Tomatoes (cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes also work great)
- English Cucumber
- Brown Sugar
- Red Onion
- Parsley (fresh)
- Cilantro (fresh)
- Salt
- Pepper
Dressing
- Olive Oil
- Red Wine Vinegar (white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar make good substitutes)
- Lemon Juice
- Black Pepper
- Kosher Salt
- Garlic
- Brown Sugar
- Fresh Basil (dried can also be used, but fresh herbs makes all the difference)
The measurements for each ingredient can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post. You can save or print the recipe there as well.
How to Make Tomato Cucumber Salad
Salads are simple and this recipe is great for making ahead of time. You are basically going to chop up all the ingredients, pour the dressing over and then let it sit until ready to serve.
- Cut the tomatoes into wedges and then halve the wedges and place them in a large bowl.
- Cut the cucumber into bite size pieces and add them to the bowl with the tomatoes.
- Add the rest of the salad ingredients and toss everything together.
- Whisk all the dressing ingredients together in a glass measuring cup. Pour over the tomato salad.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it sit at room temperature until ready to serve.
All of these instructions in greater detail can be found below in the recipe card.
English Cucumber vs Cucumber
“Regular” cucumbers have a thicker and more waxy skin and are cheaper. They also have lots of seeds that should be removed for salads like this one.
English cucumbers have a thinner skin and are seedless. They are more expensive but are less work. No peeling or seeding needed. You can use either for this salad, but I prefer the taste of the English cucumber. You can find them in the same area as the regular cucumbers. They are longer and skinnier and are usually wrapped in plastic.
Possible Add-Ins
If you want to add more ingredients to this salad, here are a few possibilities:
- Avocado
- Peas
- Feta Cheese
- Mozzarella Balls
Feel free to make it your own and add the ingredients that you love.
Can I Make This Salad Ahead?
This cucumber tomato onion salad recipe can be made up to a day ahead of time. For the best flavor, the ideal time for it to sit before eating is 1-6 hours. If you need to make it earlier than that, store it in the refrigerator until you’re ready to eat it. I do prefer it at room temperature.
How Long Does Tomato Cucumber Salad Keep?
Store this salad in the fridge in an airtight container for 4-5 days. It will keep longer if you store the tomatoes separately. Tomatoes start to breakdown earlier than the cucumber and onions.
What to Eat with Tomato Cucumber Salad?
I always make this salad as a side dish for something grilled or smoked. It just seems right. Here are a few of our favorite main dishes to eat with this salad:
- Marinated Grilled Chicken Breast
- Smoked Brisket
- Huli Huli Grilled Chicken
- Classic Cheeseburgers
- Smoked Ribs
- Pulled Pork
If none of those are what you are after, you can find all our grilled recipes and smoked recipes here on the blog. It also makes a great picnic side.
You don’t need to be a chef to make this tomato cucumber salad, but all your friends are going to think you are! I guarantee it will be the hit of your next backyard BBQ!
More Fabulous Salad Recipes:
- Spinach Berry Salad
- Brussels Sprouts Salad
- Roasted Butternut Squash Kale Salad
- Smoked Chicken Kale Salad
- Teriyaki Chicken Salad
- Flank Steak Summer Salad
- The BEST Mango Chicken Salad
- Sweet Pork Salad with Mango Dressing
- Chicken Salad with Cilantro Vinaigrette
- Chicken Taco Salad
- All our SALAD RECIPES!
Your Neighbor’s Tomato Cucumber Salad
Ingredients
Salad
- 8 Small Vine Cocktail Tomatoes, (not grape or cherry, but actual vine tomatoes)
- 1 English Cucumber
- 1 Pinch Brown Sugar
- 1/4 Red Onion, thinly sliced
- 2 Tablespoons Parsley, fresh, chopped
- 2 Tablespoons Cilantro, fresh, chopped
- 2 Pinches Salt
- 2 Pinches Pepper
Dressing
- 1/2 Cup Olive Oil
- 1/4 Cup Red Wine Vinegar
- 1 Squeeze Lemon Juice
- 1 Pinch Pepper
- 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 3 Cloves Garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon Brown Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Dried Basil, (or 2 teaspoons fresh, chopped)
Instructions
- Cut each tomato in 6-8 wedges and then halve them.8 Small Vine Cocktail Tomatoes
- Trim the ends off of the cucumber and then slice in half lengthwise, creating two pieces. Slice in 1/4" pieces.1 English Cucumber
- Toss tomatoes with the brown sugar, onion, and herbs with salt and pepper.1 Pinch Brown Sugar, 1/4 Red Onion, 2 Tablespoons Parsley, 2 Tablespoons Cilantro, 2 Pinches Salt, 2 Pinches Pepper
- In a glass measuring cup, whisk together the dressing ingredients and pour over the tomato salad.1/2 Cup Olive Oil, 1/4 Cup Red Wine Vinegar, 1 Squeeze Lemon Juice, 1 Pinch Pepper, 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt, 3 Cloves Garlic, 1 teaspoon Brown Sugar, 1 teaspoon Dried Basil
- Cover in plastic for 1-6 hours on the counter or refrigerate if longer. This is best served the day of and is delicious served with grilled or toasted crostini bread!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
REMEMBER TO SUBSCRIBE TO our FREE Oh Sweet Basil NEWSLETTER AND RECEIVE EASY RECIPES DELIVERED INTO YOUR INBOX EVERY DAY!
When you try a recipe, please use the hashtag #ohsweetbasil on INSTAGRAM for a chance to be featured in our stories! FOLLOW OH, SWEET BASIL ON FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | PINTEREST | TWITTER FOR ALL OF OUR LATEST CONTENT, RECIPES AND STORIES.
This is full of fresh flavor! It allowed me to use up my excess garden cucumbers and tomatoes which was what I was looking for. It definitely isn’t too much fat like someone mentioned…it’s just olive oil lol!
Yay! Thank you so much Jamie! This is my favorite way to use up those garden cucumbers and tomatoes!
Half is not a verb! You can’t “half” something 😂
My apologies! I’ve corrected them to “halve”. Thank you for bringing that to my attention!
No need to apologize! Just teasing 😉
Recipes sound delicious if I may make a suggestion… try to add a tomato or two to your Dressing via a blender…. YUM
Ooooh that sounds yummy! I’ll have to try that! Thanks for the suggestion!
This was so good, except the olive oil ruined it because it left a bitter taste. I notice many other cucumber salad recipes call for little or no oil.
Hi Dianne! You can use as much or as little of the dressing you want. Make sure you have good high quality olive oil and you can use a little lemon juice to reduce the bitterness if you want. Thank you for the feedback!
The fat content is far too high for a homemade dressing….
Hi Peggy! You could reduce the olive oil some if you want, but you won’t have as much coverage on the salad. You could also just use as much of the dressing as your want and save any extra for the next time you make the salad.