Keto Cucumber Salad

This easy Keto Cucumber Salad recipe with creamy dill lemon dressing is perfect as a summer keto side dish to barbecue.

Plus, this low-carb cucumber salad keto recipe is gluten-free and contains a dairy-free, vegan option!

Is Cucumber Salad Keto?

While cucumber is a very low-carb keto-friendly vegetable, most cucumber salad recipes are not keto-friendly.

The issue with authentic cucumber salad with vinegar dressing is the amount of added sugar.

In fact, the vinegar dressing of a classic cucumber salad is made of one cup of vinegar with 1/2 cup of sugar!

That’s a tremendous amount of carbs added to your salad, and it’s basically like eating a teaspoon of sugar and not a salad!

How To Make Keto Cucumber Salad

Luckily, there is nothing easier than making a keto creamy cucumber salad at home, it’s a lower-carb version of my Cucumber Yogurt Salad.

Of course, you can also make a keto cucumber salad with vinegar dressing, but I prefer the creamy version, much more filling and rich.

Ingredients

To make this easy low-carb cucumber salad recipe, you need:

• English cucumbers – these are the best to make cucumber salad. At the store, they look like long, thin cucumbers often sold wrapped in plastic. They are the best for cucumber salad because they are seedless and have a sweet and mild flavor. You don’t have to scoop out the center of an English cucumber for salad, some people do, but another option to prevent the cucumber slices from diluting the recipe dressing with excess water is to pre-sweat them in salt!
• Salt – as mentioned before, it’s to remove the water from the cucumbers.
• Sour cream – you can also use plain Greek yogurt to lighten up the recipe or use dairy-free yogurt for a vegan keto salad. Sour cream is a keto-friendly dairy product.
• Mayonnaise- I used avocado oil mayonnaise as a healthy option. You can use egg-free mayonnaise if needed.
• Dijon mustard
• Fresh Dill
• Freshly squeezed lemon juice – read how to squeeze lemon juice easily.
• Garlic clove
• Pepper – I like to use ground black pepper.

Preparing the cucumber

First, cut the ends of each English cucumber and discard them.

Should I peel the cucumber for the salad?

Now, the first question, should I peel a cucumber for a salad? Well, that absolutely depends on your taste buds.

For a crunchier salad, keep the skin on or half-peel the cucumbers. But for a softer, melt-in-your-mouth cucumber slice, peel off the cucumber entirely.

Another reason why some recipes peel off the cucumbers is that some people find the cucumber skin difficult to digest.

Slicing thinly

You can use a mandolin or a sharp knife to slice the cucumbers into thin 1/4-inch (2 mm) thick slices.

You can cut round slices or precut the cucumber halfway lengthwise and cut cucumber moons – half circles.

Sweating the cucumbers

Cucumber is made at 95% of water, and it tends to release water into salad or zucchini casserole recipes.

The result of this water is a runny salad dressing, it bogs down the salad, and it’s not as tasty.

So to avoid that, place the slices of cucumber in a bowl and toss with salt.

Set aside for 15 minutes until water drops appear on the surface of the cucumber slices.

Meanwhile, prepare the cucumber salad dressing.

Cucumber salad dressing

In a mixing bowl, whisk sour cream, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, erythritol, lemon juice, crushed garlic, pepper, and finely chopped fresh dill.

Assembling the cucumber salad

First, pat dry cucumber with an absorbent paper towel, then toss the salad with the sour cream dressing.

Refrigerate the salad for 1 hour before serving to enhance flavor.

Adjust with salt and pepper if needed.

Serving Cucumber Salad

There are many ways to serve this salad.

This cucumber salad with sour cream dressing is a delicious side dish to serve on a keto diet as a side to perfectly cooked grilled steak or seafood.

You can also serve it with chicken with some of these recipes:

• Creamy Spinach Chicken
• Cast-Iron Chicken Breast
• Tuscan Chicken Breast
• Lemon Pepper Chicken Tenders
• Almond Flour Chicken Tenders
• Baked Pork Chops

It’s a pleasant summer salad for everyone, keto eaters or not, that is also gluten-free and perfect for summer BBQ gatherings.

You can also use this salad to make a keto vegetarian sandwich, served between two slices of keto bread.

Storage Instructions

You can store your low carb cucumber salad for up to four days in the refrigerator.

One option to keep it perfectly is to store the sliced cucumber and the dressing in different containers.

I don’t recommend freezing it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Have you made this creamy cucumber salad recipe? Share a comment or review below to let me know if you enjoy it!