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Creamy Cucumber and Dill Salad

A cool, tangy cucumber salad gets its creamy texture from a short salt drain, plenty of fresh dill, and careful timing at the table.
Crisp cucumber rounds are coated in pale sour-cream dressing with dill and fine red onion.

This Polish-American style summer side keeps the familiar cool crunch of cucumber in balance with sour cream, fresh dill, and a restrained splash of vinegar.

Salt and drain for a creamy salad

Cucumbers release water quickly once sliced, and that water can thin a sour-cream dressing. A short salt rest draws moisture out before the slices enter the bowl, giving the finished salad a creamy coating instead of a puddle.

Balance the tang with fresh dill

Sour cream carries the dressing while a little mayonnaise helps it cling smoothly to each slice. White-wine vinegar sharpens the dairy, a touch of sugar rounds the edge, and chopped dill supplies the unmistakably fresh herbal note.

Thin cucumber rounds drain in a colander beside a bowl of dill sour-cream dressing.
Cucumber slices drain in a colander while the sour-cream dressing is mixed.

Add the cucumber near serving time

The dressing can chill with the red onion and dill while the cucumber drains and dries. Folding the cucumber in close to serving keeps the rounds firm and limits the time they have to release more liquid.

Serve it cold and crisp

A brief rest after dressing lets the vinegar and dill season the cucumber without softening it too much. Serve the salad cold alongside grilled food, sandwiches, or a simple summer supper.

Fresh dill and black pepper speckle creamy dressing clinging to thin cucumber slices.
Fresh dill and black pepper fleck the creamy dressing on crisp cucumber rounds.

Adjust the final seasoning gently

The cucumber takes up some of the salt during draining, so taste a dressed slice before adding the reserved amount. If liquid begins to collect, lift the salad with a slotted spoon and serve it promptly while the texture is at its best.

Creamy Cucumber and Dill Salad

6 servings
40 minutes total

Ingredients

  • •  2 lb firm cucumbers
  • •  1 1/4 tsp kosher salt, divided
  • •  1/4 small red onion, very thinly sliced
  • •  3/4 cup sour cream
  • •  1 tbsp mayonnaise
  • •  1 tbsp white-wine vinegar
  • •  1 tsp granulated sugar
  • •  1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • •  1/3 cup chopped fresh dill

Method

  1. Slice the vegetables

    Trim the cucumbers and slice them into even 1/8-inch rounds with a mandoline fitted with its hand guard or a sharp knife; slice the red onion paper-thin.

    Look for: The cucumber rounds are even enough to soften and drain at the same rate.

  2. Draw out cucumber water

    Toss the cucumber rounds with 1 tsp of the kosher salt in a colander, set it over a bowl, and let them drain for 10 minutes so excess water leaves before dressing.

    Look for: Beads of liquid collect under the colander and the cucumbers look slightly glossy.

  3. Dry the cucumbers

    Discard the collected liquid, lift the cucumber rounds from the colander, and pat them thoroughly dry with a clean towel or paper towels; do not rinse away their seasoning.

    Look for: The cucumber surfaces feel dry rather than slick, which helps keep the dressing creamy.

  4. Whisk the dressing

    In a large bowl, whisk the sour cream, mayonnaise, white-wine vinegar, granulated sugar, and black pepper until smooth and evenly seasoned.

    Look for: The dressing is creamy and loose enough to coat a cucumber slice without pooling.

  5. Chill the dill dressing

    Fold the sliced red onion and chopped fresh dill into the dressing, cover the bowl, and chill it for 10 minutes while the cucumbers finish draining and drying.

    Look for: The dill stays bright green and the onion is distributed throughout the dressing.

  6. Dress near serving time

    Just before serving, add the dry cucumbers to the chilled dressing and fold gently until each round is coated without breaking the slices.

    Look for: The dressing clings in a thin layer and the cucumber rounds still hold their shape.

  7. Let the flavors settle

    Return the dressed salad to the refrigerator for a brief 5-minute rest, giving the vinegar and dill time to season the cucumbers while preserving their snap.

    Look for: The salad is cool, lightly seasoned, and still crisp when lifted with a fork.

  8. Taste and serve

    Taste a cucumber slice and sprinkle in up to the remaining 1/4 tsp kosher salt only if needed, then serve the salad cold while the cucumbers are crisp.

    Look for: The sour cream tastes pleasantly tangy, with dill up front and no watery liquid at the bottom.