This easy cucumber avocado salad is cool, refreshing, and easy to prepare, making it a great side for barbecues, sandwiches, and outdoor picnic meals.
Cucumber Salad from Around The World
Cucumbers may not be the first vegetable* that comes to mind when you think of Middle Eastern cooking, but it's believed that cucumber salads date as far back as ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt. Cucumbers were first cultivated in India, then gained popularity throughout the Middle East and later throughout the European lands.
Known for its cool mild taste, cucumbers are often up to 95% water, making them a popular ingredient for summer salads, such as our cucumber feta and watermelon salad and our Fattoush Salad.
Cucumber salads around the world can be made either with dairy -- like yogurt (Indian raitha) or sour cream (Russian-style cucumber salad). Non-Dairy such as tomatoes, cucumbers, and a simple olive oil, lemon and salt dressing ( traditional Israeli salad), -- or simply marinated in vinegar or lemon (traditional cucumber dill salad.)
Ingredients in our cucumber avocado salad
Our healthy cucumber salad uses English seedless cucumbers (you can also try delicious Persian cucumbers), creamy fresh avocado, and a dressing of apple cider vinegar, salt, olive oil, black sesame seeds, and chopped marinated red chilies to add a little extra heat.
Variations on cucumber salad
The incredible thing about cucumber salad is that it can take on a variety of flavors:
- Prepare a traditional vinegar & dill cucumber salad for outdoor barbecues and picnics
- Use rice vinegar, toasted sesame oil, tamari, and fresh ginger for an Asian-inspired cucumber salad
- Try dairy-free sour cream, dill, and a pinch of sugar for a Russian-inspired cucumber salad
- Julienne the cucumber, add yogurt and add a pinch of Homemade Garam Masala for Indian raitha
Fun Fact - Cool As a Cucumber
Did you know that the popular saying is based on fact? Due to its high volume of water, the inside of a cucumber can measure up to 20 degrees cooler than the air outside. That's exactly why our salad makes a great accompaniment to spicy meals like our Vegan Buffalo Cauliflower Tacos, Eggplant Chickpea Curry, or Spicy Israeli Couscous Salad!
Did you like this cucumber salad recipe? Leave us a rating! Did you love it? Share it or leave us a comment on Twitter or Facebook! Wanna see more? Subscribe to our blog and remember to follow us on Pinterest!
Avocado Cucumber Salad
- Total Time: 10 mins
- Yield: 6 cups
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This cucumber salad is cool, refreshing, and easy to prepare, making it a great side for barbecues, sandwiches, and outdoor picnic meals.
Ingredients
2 seedless English cucumbers or 10 Persian cucumbers
1 Hass Avocado, diced
3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp black sesame seeds. Allergic to sesame, read Note 1
2 tsp diced hot cherry peppers
1 tsp salt
Instructions
- Cut the cucumbers in half lengthwise and slice them thin. Set aside
- Whisk the vinegar, olive oil, cherry peppers and salt in a bowl. Add the sliced cucumbers, diced avocado and sesame seeds. Toss well and serve immediately
Notes
- If you are allergic or don't like sesame seeds, you can replace them for sunflower seeds
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Category: Salad
- Method: raw
- Cuisine: Vegan
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 99
- Sugar: 1.4
- Sodium: 391
- Fat: 9.1
- Saturated Fat: 1.3
- Unsaturated Fat: 7
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 4.4
- Fiber: 2.4
- Protein: 1.3
- Cholesterol: 0
Cindy
Love avocado and this was an easy recipe to follow and delicious!!
Vicky & Ruth
So happy you enjoyed this cucumber salad recipe!
Paula Zevin
Love this, going to go and buy some hot red cherry peppers just for this salad. And making it with toasted sunflower seeds. Well done, ladies!
Vicky & Ruth
Thank you so much Paula!
Leah
can i use regular vinegar or white wine vinegar and is there a substitute for the cherry peppers
Vicky and Ruth
Yes, you can use any vinegar you like for this recipe. The cherry peppers provide a little heat, you can leave them out if you don't like them. If you want some heat, you can add some diced jalapeno peppers.
Elaine
A nice light and refreshing change from the standard pickled cucumber salad. Added a second avocado and swapped Aleppo pepper for the cherry peppers to tone down the heat. Yum! Adding to our rotation of cooling summer salads. Thank you!
Vicky and Ruth
Great variations! Thank you for sharing!
JOHANNA b.
it is so refreshing to start the morning with this delicious cucumber salad
Vicky and Ruth
Thank you so much! I also love to start the morning with a salad!