Easy Tomato Cucumber Salad

This easy tomato cucumber salad is fresh, Mediterranean, and ready in 10 minutes. Juicy cherry tomatoes, crisp English cucumber, slivers of red onion, and ribbons of basil tossed in a simple red wine vinaigrette. The kind of summer side dish that disappears in minutes at every potluck and barbecue!

 

This easy tomato cucumber salad is the kind of recipe that should earn a permanent spot in your summer salad rotation. Juicy cherry tomatoes, cool English cucumber, sharp red onion, fresh basil, all tossed with olive oil, red wine vinegar, and crushed garlic. Five ingredients in the salad, three in the dressing, and 10 minutes from the cutting board to the bowl. No cooking, no oven, and absolutely no fuss!

This salad is at its best in peak tomato season, when cherry and grape tomatoes are sweet, fragrant, and bursting with juice straight from the farmers market or the garden. The cucumber adds crunch, the red onion gives it a little bite, and the basil and garlic bring it all together with classic Mediterranean flavours. It’s the side that goes perfectly with grilled chicken, fish, or steak, and it’s just as good piled on top of a slab of crusty bread with the dressing soaked in.

Cherry tomatoes give you the best flavour year-round. Cherry and grape tomatoes are smaller, sweeter, and more consistently flavourful than larger slicing tomatoes, even in the off-season. They hold their shape when sliced and tossed, and their juice is what makes the dressing taste like summer in a bowl. A mix of red and yellow (or red and orange) makes the bowl look beautiful too.

English cucumber is the right cucumber for this. English cucumbers have thinner skin, fewer seeds, and a milder flavour than regular field cucumbers. You don’t need to peel them, and you don’t need to salt and drain them first. Just slice and toss. The texture stays crisp instead of getting watery, even after a few minutes in the dressing.

Red onion brings the bite without overpowering. Red onion has a sharper flavour than sweet onion but mellows quickly in vinegar. Slicing it thinly and letting it sit in the dressing for a few minutes takes the edge off and lets the onion play nicely with the tomatoes and cucumber instead of taking over the whole bowl.

The dressing is built to let the fresh vegetables shine. Olive oil, red wine vinegar, crushed garlic, salt, and pepper. That’s the whole dressing. No mustard, no sugar, no fancy emulsion. The vegetables do all the work here. The dressing is just enough to tie everything together.

A few small calls make the difference between a tomato cucumber salad that tastes like summer and one that ends up watery and dull. These are the PRO tips that will make all the difference!

Look for tomatoes that are fragrant, deep in colour, and slightly soft to the touch. A mix of red and yellow (or red and orange) makes the bowl look beautiful and the flavours blend together perfectly. Skip the pale, hard grocery-store tomatoes in winter. Wait for the good ones.

Thin slices (about 1/4 inch or less) let the dressing coat more surface area and give every bite the right balance of cucumber and tomato. A mandoline slicer makes this fast, but a sharp knife works just as well.

Use a sharp knife or a mandoline to get thin slivers. If you find raw red onion too sharp, soak the slices in cold water for 10 minutes before adding, or let them sit in the vinegar and olive oil for 5 minutes before tossing with the rest of the salad.

Tomatoes release a lot of juice once they’re sliced. Cut them as close to serving time as possible to keep the salad fresh and the dressing properly coating the vegetables instead of pooling in the bottom of the bowl.

There’s nowhere for cheap flavours to hide in this salad. A fruity extra-virgin olive oil and a real red wine vinegar (not the imitation stuff) make a real difference.

Salt draws moisture out of tomatoes and cucumbers. If you salt too early, you end up with a watery puddle. Add salt and pepper right before tossing and serving.

Basil bruises and darkens when it sits in dressing. Stack the leaves, roll them tightly, and slice into thin ribbons (called a chiffonade) just before adding to the salad. This keeps the basil bright and fresh.

Here’s how the recipe comes together. Total time is 10 minutes from the cutting board to the bowl.

1. Halve the tomatoes. Slice 2.5 lbs (1.1 kg) of cherry or grape tomatoes in half and add them to a large serving bowl.
2. Slice the cucumber. Thinly slice 1 English cucumber (no need to peel) into rounds about 1/4 inch thick. Add to the bowl with the tomatoes.
3. Slice the red onion. Thinly slice 1 red onion into slivers. Add to the bowl.
4. Prep the basil and garlic. Stack 10 to 12 large basil leaves, roll them tightly, and slice into thin ribbons. Crush 2 cloves of garlic with a garlic press or the flat side of your knife.
5. Add the dressing. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 1/2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar, and the crushed garlic right over the vegetables. Add a generous pinch each of salt and freshly ground black pepper.
6. Toss and serve. Toss everything gently with two large spoons. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed. Serve immediately, or let sit for 5 to 10 minutes for the flavours to meld.

This salad is endlessly adaptable. Here are the best variations to try:

1. Add feta cheese. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of crumbled feta on top just before serving. Feta turns this into a classic Greek-style salad and pairs beautifully with grilled chicken.
2. Add fresh mozzarella. Toss in 1 cup of bocconcini pearls or torn fresh mozzarella for a tomato-cucumber-meets-caprese version.
3. Swap red wine vinegar for balsamic. Use 1 1/2 tablespoons of good-quality balsamic vinegar instead because it’s sweeter and richer. The same swap works in Honey Lemon Vinaigrette if you’re looking for a brighter dressing.
4. Swap basil for mint or dill. Fresh mint gives it a Greek or Middle-Eastern feel. Fresh dill leans Scandinavian. Both work beautifully in place of (or alongside) the basil.
5. Add Kalamata olives. Stir in 1/3 cup of pitted Kalamata olives for a Mediterranean kick. This pairs especially well with the feta variation for a true Greek salad feel.
6. Add avocado. Add 1 ripe avocado, cubed, just before serving. It adds a delicious creaminess, but don’t add it too early because avocado browns quickly.
7. Make it a meal. Add a can of drained and rinsed chickpeas and 1/2 cup of crumbled feta for a vegetarian lunch that holds up in your packed lunch container the next day.

This salad is the perfect summer side dish. Here are my favourite ways to serve it:

• Alongside Greek Yogurt Marinated Chicken for the classic Mediterranean pairing
• With Easy Homemade Garlic Bread for soaking up the dressing
• Next to grilled fish, chicken, or shrimp
• Piled onto toasted Easy White Sandwich Bread brushed with olive oil for a quick bruschetta
• With a glass of crisp white wine, an iced rosé, or Healthy Cucumber Lemonade
• Alongside roasted potatoes, herbed rice, or simple pasta with olive oil and Parmesan
• Spooned on top of grilled bread with a slice of fresh mozzarella for a 5-minute appetizer
• Packed into a mason jar lunch with cooked chickpeas, feta, and quinoa for a satisfying vegetarian midday meal

This salad is best served fresh. Here’s how to handle leftovers and prep ahead:

In the refrigerator – Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. The cucumbers will soften and the tomatoes will release more juice, so it won’t look as pretty on day two, but it will still taste good.

Make-ahead tip – You can chop the tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, and basil up to a day ahead and store them separately in the fridge. Mix the dressing in a small jar and shake. When you’re ready to serve, combine everything in a bowl, toss, and serve. Don’t combine everything in advance or the salad will get watery.

These are the questions readers ask most often about tomato cucumber salad:

If you love this Easy Tomato Cucumber Salad, you’re going to want to try these other easy summer recipes:

• Greek Yogurt Marinated Chicken
• Classic Creamy Italian Salad Dressing
• Honey Lemon Vinaigrette
• Healthy Raspberry Vinaigrette
• Easy Homemade Garlic Bread
• No-Fail Sea Salt and Garlic Kale Chips
• Healthy Cucumber Lemonade
• Healthy Iced Tea
• Easy Fruity Party Punch

Watch the video below to see exactly how I make this easy salad recipe. You can find more delicious recipe videos on my YouTube channel.