Refreshingly crisp and vibrant cucumber and radish salad. A delightful medley of cucumbers, zesty radishes, and fresh dill. All tossed in a tangy dairy-free dressing. Perfectly balanced flavors for a light and flavorful side dish.
Get your garden-fresh, farmer's market, or store-bought cucumbers and radishes ready for this easy cucumber radish salad.
This cucumber and radish salad is a twist on the classic cucumber dill salad. Some cucumber salads are made with a creamy dressing, but I kept this one simple with a bright and flavorful vinaigrette dressing.
And like my asparagus quinoa salad recipe, it's an easy side dish that is light, refreshing, and full of fresh flavor and I can't wait for you to try it.
This salad is perfect for summer, but can definitely be made year round. It pairs well with cilantro lime chicken, air fryer turkey burger recipe, Mediterranean Buddha bowl, air fryer salmon from frozen, and slow cooker pulled pork.
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Ingredients for Cucumber Radish Salad
A complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below. Here are some specific notes to help with selecting ingredients.
- Cucumbers - I recommend using English cucumbers for this salad. Please note the picture above has fresh cucumbers (not English) from the farmer's market as that is what I had on hand when shooting the recipe.
- Extra-virgin olive oil - You can use extra-virgin olive oil or avocado oil.
- Honey - Used to balance the flavor of the vinegar, but you can omit it if you'd like this to be sugar free.
- Fresh dill - I highly recommend using fresh dill for the flavor, but dried dill can be used in its place.
Making Cucumber Radish Salad
- Step 1: Thinly and evenly slice cucumbers, radishes, and red onion. If you have one, a mandolin slicer works great. Add veggies to a mixing bowl along with the fresh dill.
- Step 2: Add all dressing ingredients to a mason jar. Cover and shake until evenly mixed.
- Step 3: Pour dressing onto salad ingredients.
- Step 4: Mix everything together.
Allow salad to marinate in the fridge for about 30 minutes before serving.
What are the Best Cucumbers for this Salad?
When making your cucumber salad, you have a multitude of cucumber options you can use. They will all work great for this salad, but they each come with their own flavor and texture profiles. Here are some options:
English cucumber: These are long and thin and typically wrapped in plastic at the grocery store. Their seeds are very small/almost unrecognizable and have a slightly sweeter, more palatable taste than the classic garden cucumber. These are my favorite to use for this salad.
Standard garden cucumber: This is what you probably think of when you think of a cucumber. These are shorter and are on the plump/thicker side. They also have the potential for larger seeds. You can use these, but they aren't as crunchy and do soften more quickly so they tend to get a little mushier if the salad is stored for a couple of days.
Mini cucumbers: You may also see these called Persian cucumbers. These are very similar to English cucumbers, but are much smaller, thus the name "mini." These are nice and crunchy with a mild taste and would also work well in this salad.
Regardless of which one you go with, make sure the cucumbers are firm to the touch and don't have any soft spots.
Serving Suggestions
This crisp cucumber and radish salad goes well with a variety of dishes, especially those that are light and summery. Consider some of these for serving with this salad.
- A fresh side dish for a variety of options, like this cilantro lime chicken, air fryer turkey burger recipe, or frozen salmon in the air fryer.
- Serve alongside your favorite hummus and pita bread/crackers. Simple Mills crackers are my favorite!
- Add some veggies to your breakfast and eat alongside some hard-boiled eggs, fried eggs, or a dairy-free frittata.
Variations
This easy cucumber radish salad recipe is flavorful as is, but if you'd like to play around with some add-ins or variations, you can try some of these!
- Chickpeas - Throw in a can of drained chickpeas for some protein.
- Swap the dill for mint - I love dill, but if dill isn't your thing, try some fresh mint.
- Add some crumbled feta or goat cheese - If you aren't dairy free, try adding some feta or goat cheese.
- Sliced cherry tomatoes- If you have some of these laying around, or love tomatoes, throw some in the salad.
- Green onion - Thinly slice some green onions and add these to the salad (or replace the red onion with green onion).
Expert Tips
Slice the cucumbers, radishes, and onion as thinly as you can. Use a mandolin slicer for the perfect slice every time.
When buying/choosing cucumbers, look for ones that are firm to the touch and don't have any soft spots.
Allow the salad to marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes prior to serving to allow flavors to meld together and for the salad to chill.
Recipe FAQs
Not at all. Slice the cucumbers with the skin on. That said, if you prefer them peeled, feel free to peel them.
This salad is best the day it is made, however, if you have leftovers they should be stored in the fridge and will stay fresh for 2-3 days. Note that the salad may get soggy as it sits.
Some may refer to radishes as a superfood. Radishes are a nutrient-dense food that is rich in antioxidants, vitamin C, fiber, and multiple minerals like potassium and calcium.
To prevent the cucumbers from getting soggy, add sliced cucumbers and 1 tsp. salt to a bowl and let sit for 1 hour before making the salad. Drain any liquid from the bowl before adding remaining salad ingredients.
More Salad Recipes to Try!
If you make this recipe, please let me know what you think! I would so appreciate you leaving a star rating and/or comment below. And don't forget to share a photo on Instagram or Facebook and mention @CleanPlateMama!
Eat Clean.Be Well!
-Sara
Cucumber Radish Salad
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Equipment
- 1 Mixing bowl
- 1 mason jar
Ingredients
Ingredients for the Salad
- 3 cups thinly sliced cucumber
- 8 radishes, thinly sliced
- ¼ red onion, thinly sliced
- 3 tbsp. fresh dill, chopped
Ingredients for the Dressing
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp. honey
- 1 lemon, juiced
- ¼ tsp. garlic powder
- ½ tsp. fine sea salt (plus more to taste)
Instructions
- Add cucumber, radish, onion, and dill to a medium sized mixing bowl.
- Combine all dressing ingredients in a mason jar. Cover and shake until mixed well.
- Pour dressing over vegetables and stir until combined. Refrigerate 30 minutes before serving. Season with some fresh cracked pepper or additional salt if needed.
Notes
- The cucumber and onion should be sliced as thinly and evenly as you can. If you have one, a mandolin slicer will work great.Â
- I highly recommend using fresh dill, but if needed, you can sub 1 tbsp. dried dill.
- To prevent the cucumbers from getting soggy, add sliced cucumbers and 1 tsp. salt to a bowl and let sit for 1 hour before making the salad. Drain any liquid from the bowl before adding remaining salad ingredients.Â
- The cucumbers will release a lot of water as they sit. If the salads sits for too long before serving, you can transfer to a new bowl/serving dish to remove some of the extra liquid.Â
- This cucumber salad is best the day it's made. If you have leftovers, store in an airtight container in the fridge and it will stay fresh for 2-3 days.Â
Nutrition
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Nikki says
I love a cucumber salad and this recipe with radishes elevates my tried and true version. Love it.