Last Updated on February 16, 2022 by Anne-Marie

This cucumber onion salad recipe is the ideal side dish to bring to a potluck or a picnic. Goes great with a variety of dishes.

Why this recipe works

This cucumber onion salad recipe is the ideal side dish for a quick and easy dinner.

Serve it with grilled chicken, steak or burgers.

This cucumber salad recipe is terrific to bring to a potluck or barbecue party since it can be made in advance in only 20 minutes!

How to make this easy cucumber salad

Here are some tips on how to make this cucumber onion salad recipe a snap:

Cutting the cucumbers. I usually cut the cucumber and onion by hand with a sharp knife.

However, if you have a mandolin slicer, use that to slice the cucumber and onion into very thin slices.

What type of onion? Red (purple) onion is best since it makes a pretty contrast to the green cucumber.

However, you could also use sweet (yellow) onions, which would be just as tasty.

What type of vinegar? While I used white distilled vinegar, you can use plain rice vinegar to make an Asian cucumber salad.

Apple cider vinegar would also work in a pinch if that’s all you have on hand.

(Red wine vinegar may turn your cucumbers a bit pink, but will taste just fine.)

What type of sweetener? You can substitute Swerve or powdered monk fruit sweetener for the sugar.

Both no calorie sweeteners will make this cucumber onion salad recipe more low carb and keto friendly.

Don’t have celery seed? If you have celery salt, add 3 teaspoons of celery salt and NO salt to this recipe. Then give it a taste.

If you think it needs more celery flavor or salt, add another teaspoon until you think it’s “just right.”

Can this salad be made in advance? Of course! You can make this salad recipe up to 3 or 4 days before serving.

What are the best cucumbers for this pickled onion salad?

Use whatever cucumbers you like in this recipe.

If using regular cucumbers, you should peel the skins since they can be thick and rather tough to eat. You should also remove the seeds.

You may prefer to use English cucumbers in this salad, since they have fewer seeds and a thinner skin than regular cucumbers.

Japanese and Persian cucumbers are crunchier and have a thinner skin that you can leave on. They also don’t have any seeds.

You can find Japanese and Persian cucumbers in Asian markets or better stocked grocery stores.

Try these cucumber salad variations

● Use pickled onion instead of fresh onion in this cucumber onion salad.

● Add tomatoes to make a cucumber tomato onion salad.

● Use Japanese cucumbers, (unsweetened) rice vinegar and 1/2 teaspoon black sesame seeds to make a Japanese cucumber salad.

● Add 1/2 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt and 3 tablespoons mayonnaise to make a creamy cucumber salad.

● Instead of water, use olive oil to make a vinaigrette-like cucumber and onion salad.

● Add slices or chunks of avocado and make an avocado cucumber salad.

What to serve with your cucumber and onion salad

● There’s nothing better than a Bagel Burger with Miso Sauce and a side of cucumber salad.

● I’d recommend Copycat Popeyes Blackened Chicken Tenders Recipe (Keto), Chicken Shawarma Appetizers, or Sriracha Chicken Kabobs as spicy keto-friendly chicken dishes that would go well with this side salad dish.

● Finally, if you’re a steak lover, check out this Grilled Soy-Lemon Flank Steak with Arugula recipe.