German Cucumber Salad - Gurkensalat

Cucumber salad is a very popular and beloved side dish here in Germany. In our family, we enjoy it almost every day, especially during the summer months. Our three kids and we adults love the refreshing salad, particularly on warm days. Fortunately, preparing traditional German cucumber salad (Gurkensalat) is very simple. With a preparation time of just 15 minutes, it's also a quick and easy recipe.

Which Cucumbers Are Best For a Traditional German Salad Recipe?

I prefer to use field-grown cucumbers or ones from my greenhouse for our Gurkensalat.

If you are looking for the right cucumbers for this salad in the USA, I recommend English cucumbers. These cucumbers are long, thin, and have a smooth, often waxed skin. They have few seeds, making them ideal for salads. They are similar to German salad cucumbers. Persian cucumbers are also a good choice: they're slightly smaller and thinner.

German Cucumber Salad: What To Pair It With

• fried potatoes, which are called Bratkartoffeln in Germany
• as a side dish with schnitzel or german meatballs
• as a side salad at barbecues
• served alongside baked potatoes

Make It Your Own: Variations On My German Cucumber Salad

Strictly speaking, there is no single German cucumber salad recipe, as each family and region has its own way of making Gurkensalat. However, nearly all recipes have salt, a bit of sugar, and vinegar in common. And, of course, cucumbers! You can vary your cucumber salad as you wish with the following ingredients:

• Cut an onion into small cubes or wafer-thin slices. They add a delicate aroma. I especially like red onions in my german cucumber salad.
• If you like it spicy, press a clove of garlic into the cucumber salad dressing.
• Instead of sour cream, you can also stir some creamy yogurt into the cucumber salad.
• We always use dill in dishes with cucumber. Alternatively, you can also mix some parsley or chives into the salad.

German Cucumber Salad - Gurkensalat

Jenny Böhme

German cucumber salad made easy in 15 minutes. It’s a refreshing, family-friendly recipe that fits perfectly into quick and easy meal plans.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 15 minutes mins

Course Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine German

Servings 4 people

Calories 101 kcal

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

• 1 cucumber

For the dressing:

• 150 g sour cream
• 100 ml milk
• 2 tablespoon white vinegar
• 1 pinch pepper
• 1 pinch sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon dill

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Instructions

 

• Wash the cucumber and cut it into thin slices. A mandoline slicer is very helpful, as the cucumber slices should be as thin as possible.
  1 cucumber
• Mix the milk with sour cream, vinegar, sugar, pepper and salt, to make the dressing.
  150 g sour cream, 100 ml milk, 2 tablespoon white vinegar, 1 pinch pepper, 1 pinch sugar, ½ teaspoon salt
• Mix the cucumber slices with the dressing. Stir in the dill and refrigerate the cucumber salad until ready to serve.
  1 teaspoon dill

Notes

Tips for preparing and storing:

You can easily prepare the cucumber salad in advance and store it in the fridge for up to 3 days. If you are not serving it immediately, it's best to drain the cucumbers beforehand. To do this, place the cucumber slices in a sieve, sprinkle them with salt and let them sit for 15 minutes. Then, squeeze out the liquid and mix the cucumbers with the dressing as usual.

Nutrition

Calories: 101kcalCarbohydrates: 5gProtein: 2gFat: 8g

Keyword cucumber, easy, healthy

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