Creamy Cucumber Tomato Salad

Name: Creamy Cucumber Tomato Salad
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 pounds tomatoes (about six cups when cut into large chunks); 1 English cucumber (see notes); 1/2 medium-sized red onion; 1/2 cup chopped fresh herbs (basil, parsley, dill, chives etc.); 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste; 1/2 cup mayonnaise; 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt

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This creamy cucumber tomato salad is easy to make with only 7 basic ingredients! And, it's quick to throw together in only 15 minutes. This cucumber tomato salad with mayonnaise (and the secret ingredient - Greek yogurt!) is a super refreshing summer side dish for a cookout or barbecue.

creamy cucumber tomato salad with onions in glass bowl.

Note: this recipe was originally published in 2019 and updated in 2021 and 2023 with new photos and improved instructions.

Who doesn't love a refreshing, chilled tomato cucumber salad in the hot summer months? This salad is bursting with fresh flavor from vine-ripened tomatoes, cucumbers, and fresh herbs, and would go perfectly alongside your favorite grilled dishes for a backyard barbecue. (Maybe this delicious recipe for balsamic marinated grilled chicken?)

This salad also has a creamy, but not too heavy dressing that still allows the fresh flavor of summer tomatoes shine. The dressing is mayonnaise-based, but with a "secret" ingredient: Greek yogurt! The Greek yogurt lightens up the dressing and gives it an extra bit of tang that makes it even more refreshing.

And, my favorite part of this creamy tomato and cucumber salad recipe is that it's easy and quick to make! You only need seven ingredients in all, and it comes together in only about 15 minutes. Summer barbecue, here we come!

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Recipe ingredients
Step by step photos
Tips and tricks
Serving suggestions
Recipe FAQs
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📖 Recipe

Recipe ingredients

Ingredient notes

Tomatoes: you can use any type of tomato you like; heirloom tomatoes would be especially beautiful! Here, I used vine-ripened tomatoes because they are pretty accessible in most grocery stores.

English cucumber: this is the long, thin cucumber that usually comes wrapped in plastic at the grocery store. I like using English cucumbers because there are less seeds and the peel is thin, so there is no need to peel it or scoop out the seeds.

Fresh herbs: you can also use any type of leafy fresh herbs you like; basil, parsley, dill, and chives would all work great! I used a combination of basil and parsley (sorry if that counts as eight ingredients then!).

Greek yogurt: you will want plain, unsweetened Greek yogurt. I like to use the full-fat type, but you could also substitute low-fat if you would like.

Step by step photos

Here is a step by step breakdown on how to make this creamy cucumber tomato salad. If you'd like to see a brief slideshow of these steps, check out my creamy tomato and cucumber salad web story!

1. Mix the dressing ingredients. You do this step first, in the bowl you are going to mix the rest of the salad in. That way you don't need to dirty another, smaller bowl just to mix up the dressing!

2. Prep the tomatoes. First, cut off the stem end of the tomato (the little brown circle where the stem used to be attached). Then cut each tomato in half horizontally. You should have a nice cross-section of the tomato where you can see each chamber of the seeds and pulp.

Then use a small, sharp spoon to scoop out the pulp. Another way is to cut the little portion where the flesh attaches to the pulp, and flick out the chunk of pulp and seeds with the tip of the knife. Or, you can just use your fingers to dig out the pulp (this is the messiest, yet easiest way I have found!).

collage of seeds being scooped out of tomatoes — *Showing tomatoes cut horizontally (top left), and three different ways to remove the pulp and seeds from the tomatoes.*

Once you have the seeds and pulp removed, cut the tomatoes into large chunks and place them in the bowl with the dressing.

cutting tomatoes on cutting board with bowl on the side

3. Cut the cucumber in half length-wise, then cut it into thick slices. Place in the bowl with the tomatoes and dressing.

cucumber being cut into small chunks with bowl of tomatoes on the side

4. Next, thinly slice the red onion and place in the bowl.

onion being sliced thinly on cutting board

5. Now come the herbs - just chop them up, no need to go super fine. Place them in the bowl with the rest of the salad ingredients.

6. All you have to do now is mix up the cucumber tomato salad gently, until all the ingredients are evenly coated in the dressing. Taste a piece, and add in a sprinkle more salt if it needs it.

creamy tomato cucumber salad being mixed in large bowl

Tips and tricks

The most important step to this creamy cucumber tomato salad is to make sure you remove as much of the pulp and seeds as you can, without bruising the tomatoes too much. This helps the salad from becoming too wet and diluting that creamy dressing.

If you decided to go with cherry tomatoes however, you can skip the pulp removal part! They are too small to really make this practical and they don't have as much watery pulp as larger tomatoes.

The dressing for this salad is comprised of 2 parts mayo to 1 part Greek yogurt. This results in a creamy dressing with a subtle tanginess. If you like, you can try experimenting with this ratio by adding slightly more Greek yogurt and less mayo to bump up the tanginess.

Serving suggestions

This creamy cucumber tomato salad can be served immediately, or after being chilled in the fridge for a few hours.

The salad would be a wonderful accompaniment for a summer cookout alongside grilled chicken, kebabs, or the true summer classics - hamburgers and hotdogs!

And, you can also serve this salad as a light and refreshing lunch, paired with a sandwich or soup. Try it with my recipes for turkey lentil soup or sausage and cabbage soup!

Recipe FAQs

What is the best kind of tomato to use for tomato salads?

As I mentioned in the Ingredients section above, you can use any type of tomato you enjoy. Some good options would be beefsteak tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes, or tomatoes on the vine. If you want, you could even use cherry tomatoes cut in half.

But, whatever type of tomato you choose, try to find ripe tomatoes. If the tomatoes are not ripe, the salad won't be nearly as flavorful.

Can I make creamy cucumber tomato salad ahead of time?

You can make this salad a couple hours ahead of time and chill it in the fridge until it's perfectly cold for a refreshing summer side dish. I think the salad tastes the best when served within a few hours after it's made.

That being said, if you have leftovers, you can store them in the fridge, tightly covered, and still enjoy this salad over the next 2 - 3 days. It's still incredibly delicious, but will have lost some of its crispness during that time.

Do I need to peel or deseed the cucumber?

If you use an English (aka "seedless") cucumber, you definitely do not need to peel it or remove the seeds before adding it to this salad. English cucumbers have thin skins and minimal seeds, so it's really the perfect cucumber for this type of salad in my opinion. And, I think the darker skin actually looks very attractive and adds contrast to the salad. You can check out this article for more info on English cucumbers!

However, if you have another type of cucumber on hand, you can definitely still use it! You may just want to peel it if it has a thick skin (or not, this may be a matter of personal preference).

Likewise, if the cucumber has a lot of large seeds, you may wish to scoop the seeds out since they can be bitter and add excess moisture to the salad. Once the cucumber has been cut in half length-wise, just scrape the seeds out gently with a small spoon.

glass bowl with tomato and cucumber salad with wooden spoon in the bowl.

If you’ve tried this recipe, please leave a star rating and/or review in the comments section below, I would love to hear from you! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest. And sign up for my weekly newsletter to get recipes delivered straight to you!

📖 Recipe

Creamy Cucumber Tomato Salad

creamy cucumber tomato and onion salad in large glass bowl.

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4.8 from 13 reviews

This delicious and simple creamy tomato and cucumber salad is bursting with fresh summer flavors and can be made in fifteen minutes or less! A touch of Greek yogurt adds a lighter note to the mayo-based dressing.

Author: Kate
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Yield: 6 servings 1x
Category: side dish
Method: Mix
Cuisine: American
Diet: Vegetarian

Ingredients

Scale

2 pounds tomatoes (about six cups when cut into large chunks)
1 English cucumber (see notes)
½ medium-sized red onion
½ cup chopped fresh herbs (basil, parsley, dill, chives etc.)
1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
½ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup plain Greek yogurt

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Instructions

Mix the kosher salt, mayonnaise, and Greek yogurt in a large bowl until smooth. Set aside.
Cut out the stem end of each tomato, then cut in half horizontally. Scoop out the seeds and pulp. Cut the tomatoes into large chunks and add to the large bowl with the dressing.
Cut the cucumber in half lengthwise and then cut crosswise into large chunks. Add to the bowl.
Slice the red onion thinly and add to the bowl.
Chop the herbs and add to the bowl.
Mix the salad together with a large spoon until the dressing has evenly coated the vegetables. Serve immediately or store in the fridge, tightly covered, for a few hours before serving.

Notes

You can also use a regular cucumber, but you may want to peel and de-seed it first to reduce bitterness.

To my tastes, 1 teaspoon kosher salt in the dressing was the perfect amount for a well-seasoned but not overly salty salad. However, because seasoning is subjective, you may wish to start with less salt, then taste the mixed salad and sprinkle in more if needed.

For the best flavor and maximum freshness, serve the salad the same day it's made. However, you can store the salad in the fridge, tightly covered, and enjoy for 2 - 3 days.

The nutrition information below is an estimate only, using full-fat Greek yogurt. The nutrition counts of your dish will vary based on the brands and exact amounts of ingredients used. This information was provided by an online nutrition calculator, and should not be considered a substitute for professional medical, health, or nutritional advice. See our full nutrition disclosure policy.

Nutrition

Serving Size: ⅙ recipe
Calories: 174
Sugar: 5.5 g
Sodium: 214 mg
Fat: 14.2 g
Saturated Fat: 2.3 g
Carbohydrates: 10.7 g
Fiber: 3.4 g
Protein: 3 g
Cholesterol: 9 mg

Creamy Cucumber Tomato Salad