Polish Cucumber Salad
The best Polish Cucumber Salad recipe with sour cream, fresh dill, and red onion is so simple to make. Save this recipe for barbecues, family dinners, or the next time you have a craving for a fresh Eastern European salad.
The Polish word for this delicious crunchy cucumber recipe is “mizeria”, and it’s a summertime favorite that we love to make all year round.
Why This Polish Cucumber Salad Recipe is So Good
- Simple, Fresh Ingredients. The polish cucumber salad ingredients are easy to find year-round, although I tend to make this salad most often in the summer when fresh dill and cucumbers are flowing from the backyard garden and farmer’s market!
- It Goes with Everything! Serve Polish cucumber salad at holidays, summer bbq parties, or as part of a healthy weeknight dinner. It pairs well with all types of dishes due to its easygoing flavors.
- Crisp, Flavorful Cucumbers. On their own, cucumbers are nice, but not all that exciting, right? This salad will show you that sliced cucumbers can be so delicious with just a little bit of added love (plus sour cream, lemon juice, dill, and red onion!). We’re sharing tips and tricks to make the perfect sour cream cucumber salad in the recipe.
Tips and Tricks for Making Creamy Polish Cucumber Salad
- Slice the Cucumbers Thinly. This is key to making perfect polish cucumber salad with the best crisp texture. Use a mandolin slicer to make your cuts exact, or carefully slice the cukes with a knife.
- Skin on or Off? It doesn’t matter, you can do what you like! Traditionally, garden cucumbers or pickling cucumbers would be peeled to make this salad, but now that we have access to English cucumbers with tender, easy-to-eat skin, it’s fine to leave it on.
- Salt the Cucumbers. This step in the recipe takes a little bit of time, but it’s totally worth it. After you slice the cucumbers, put them in a colander with some salt and let them sit for a bit. The salt seasons the cucumbers but also removes some of their moisture.
- Fresh Dill is Best. Grow some in your garden, or pick up a bit from the grocery store. You don’t need very much of it, as a little bit goes a long way. Use any extra dill to mix up a tasty Mediterranean dipping sauce! In a pinch, try using freeze-dried dill in place of fresh.
- Make Vegan Cucumber Salad by replacing the sour cream in this recipe with vegan sour cream or plain coconut yogurt.
- Serve right away. You can store this salad in the fridge for 1-2 days, but it’s best enjoyed fresh or within a few hours of making it. As it sits in the fridge, the cucumbers will release more liquid and the salad will get watery.
Have extra cucumbers? Turn them into a refreshing drink of cucumber lemonade, or dip them into some homemade Bitchin’ Sauce.
More Easy Side Dishes to Try
- Vegan Macaroni Salad
- Kale Apple Slaw
- Amish Potato Salad
- Vegan Zucchini Fritters
- Roasted Brussels and Carrots
- Seasoned Black Beans
- Watermelon Basil Salad
If you make this recipe, I’d love for you to give it a quick review & star rating ★ below. Your comment and/or rating helps other readers!
Polish Cucumber Salad
The best creamy and tangy Polish Cucumber Salad recipe with sour cream, fresh dill, and red onion is so simple to make!
Ingredients
- 1 lb English cucumber from 1-2 cucumbers
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 tbsp fresh dill roughly chopped
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup red onion finely chopped
Instructions
- Peel the cucumbers if desired. Using a knife or mandolin, thinly slice the cucumber and place in a colander or large sieve over a bowl.
- Toss the cucumber slices with salt and let sit for 30 minutes.
- Drain and pat the cucumbers dry with a towel.
- In a large bowl, combine the sour cream, fresh dill, lemon juice and ground black pepper. Stir to combine.
- Add the cucumbers and red onion to the sour cream mixture.
- Stir until combined.
- Serve immediately or chill before serving. Top with additional dill if desired.
Notes
- Salt the Cucumbers. This step in the recipe takes a little bit of time, but it's totally worth it. After you slice the cucumbers, put them in a colander with some salt and let them sit for a bit. The salt seasons the cucumbers but also removes some of their moisture.
- It's up to you if you'd like to peel the cucumbers. With English cucumbers, I usually leave the skin on, but if I'm using standard cucumbers I'll peel them.
- Make Vegan Cucumber Salad by replacing the sour cream in this recipe with vegan sour cream or plain coconut yogurt.
- Serve Polish cucumber salad right away, or chill for up to a day before serving. It's best if enjoyed within 1-2 days of making it, as the cucumbers will get watery as they sit in the fridge.
