Recipe Roundup

29 Cucumber Recipes to Keep You Crisp and Cool

Crunchy cucumber sandwiches, spritzy cucumber cocktails, and so much more.

By Joe Sevier and The Editors of Epicurious

April 23, 2024

Marinated Cucumbers and Green Onion Salad on a serving platter.

Looking for creative ways to incorporate cucumber into your meals? Our favorite cucumber recipes will set you on the right path. Whether you’re growing cucumbers in your garden or came across some particularly nice ones at the farmers market or grocery store, you’ll want to make these fresh salads, tangy pickles, and towering sandwiches—all have a welcome cucumber crunch. But it doesn’t stop there: The cucumber is also an all-star ingredient in refreshing cold soups and cocktails. Scroll down for all of our very best cucumber recipes.

Photo & Food Styling by Kendra Vaculin
1/29
Pork Meatballs and Cucumber Salad
If you find yourself with a bumper crop of cucumbers and you’re looking for cucumber recipes that actually count as dinner, start here. Salt, drain, and squeeze out any excess liquid before dressing your cukes, then pair with quick oven-baked pork meatballs studded with green olives and golden raisins.
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Johnny Miller
2/29
Cucumber Salad With Red Onion and Dill
Pickle fanatics, here’s a way to get your fix fast. This dill pickle-inspired cucumber salad recipe takes only 35 minutes to work its magic—and only 5 minutes are active prep time. Stir in some sliced red onions and boom: you’ve got a salad.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Katherine Sacks
3/29
Ginger-Dill Pickles
Thanks to the ginger and fresh dill, these homemade pickles pack a flavorful punch. You could also add cherry tomatoes or green beans to this brine if you like.
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Photo by David A. Land, food styling by Carrie Purcell, prop styling by Alyssa Pagano
4/29
Cucumber-Basil Agua Fresca
A bit of lime juice and sugar turns cucumbers, basil, and water into the ultimate thirst-quencher for summertime. Serve it at a barbecue and watch it disappear in no time. Pretty soon, you’ll want to agua fresca everything.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Rhoda Boone
5/29
Shawarma-Spiced Chicken Pita With Tahini-Yogurt Sauce
The cool sliced cucumbers here, dressed in lemon and tossed with tomato and onion, balance the warmth of the cinnamon and cumin-spiced chicken.
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Acken Studios
6/29
Pipinna Sambola
This cooling side dish is just what you want on the table alongside Sri Lankan black pork curry and cashew curry.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Olivia Mack Anderson
7/29
Blackberry-Cucumber Mule
Ginger beer cocktails always please a crowd, and this one can be made with either vodka or gin.
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Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich
8/29
Peanutty Marinated Cucumbers With Curled Scallion Salad
A punchy combination of peanut butter, lime juice, rice vinegar, and sriracha is the ideal match for a tall mountain of smashed cucumbers. The total time required? Just 35 minutes. Bring it to a potluck and everyone will rave.
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Photo by Caleb Adams, Food Styling by Kat Boytsova
9/29
Spicy Cucumber-Avocado Soup
A creamy blend of ripe avocados, cucumbers, yogurt, lime juice, and a bit of jalapeño make this chilled soup bright, spicy, and satisfying. Have we mentioned it only takes ten minutes?
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Photo by Ed Anderson
10/29
Sam’s Spring Fattoush Salad
This dish is all about texture: The creamy feta and soft herbs contrast the crunchy cucumbers, radishes, and lavash croutons.
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Photo by Deb Perelman
11/29
Cucumber Salad With Garlicky Dill Yogurt
Here’s a BBQ side dish that takes the best parts of tzatziki and amplifies them. Bring this creamy cucumber salad to a cookout to serve with grilled fish or lamb.
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Photo by Gentl & Hyers
12/29
Cucumber Spritz
Sweetened with a homemade lime cordial, this nonalcoholic spritz goes the extra mile to make something special.
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Photo by Chelsie Craig, Food Styling by Frances Boswell
13/29
Green Goddess Crunch Sandwich
As soon as spring arrives, we start thinking about picnic food. Bring on the California vibes with this creamy, crunchy sandwich. In fact, make it a double whammy by pairing it with a sprouts-packed California Veggie Sandwich.
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Photo by Marcus Nilsson.
14/29
Strawberry-Cucumber Salad With Lemon Cream
Strawberries and cream and cardamom, oh my! The cooling spice and cucumbers give berries a freshness that’s essential for hot summer days.
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Photo by Ed Anderson
15/29
Cucumber Cilantro Margarita
Smash a few pieces of cucumber and a sprig of cilantro in a cocktail shaker before adding the alcohol. You can use the end of a wooden spoon to do the mashing if you don't have a muddler on hand. Shake the cocktail vigorously before serving to cool down the drink and bring the flavors into balance.
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Photo by Alex Lau, Food Styling by Susie Theodorou
16/29
Cucumbers With Ajo Blanco Sauce
Once you get the hang of making this saucy cucumber recipe, try swapping cashews or blanched hazelnuts for the almonds.
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Photo by Alex Lau
17/29
Sippin’ Green Gazpacho
When the days get hot, there’s no better lunch to have prepped and ready to go in your fridge. This two-step recipe couldn’t be simpler.
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Photo by Alex Lau, Prop Styling by Emily Eisen, Food Styling by Susie Theodorou
18/29
Cucumber and Melon Salad With Chile and Honey
It’s easy to fall into a salad rut at some point in the summer, and there’s nothing wrong with alternating between Greek salad and Caprese. But if you have cucumbers and ripe honeydew or cantaloupe, it’s time to switch things up. A mandoline beats any knife at quickly turning fruit and veg into long, elegant ribbons.
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Christopher Testani
19/29
Cucumber-Lime Paletas
A hint of fresh ginger gives these refreshing ice pops just a small kick of tingly heat.
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Jason Lowe
20/29
Quinoa Tabbouleh
Nutty quinoa meets a ton of parsley in this hearty take on tabbouleh. To make it, you’ll need quinoa, lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, parsley, mint, scallions, cucumber, and cherry tomatoes.
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Photo by Alex Lau, Prop Styling by Aneta Florczyk, Food Styling by Susie Theodorou
21/29
Charred Peppers With Lemon Ricotta and Cucumbers
Throw some Italian frying peppers in a skillet to char, then toss with sliced Persian cucumbers, fresh mint, and roasted walnuts before adding dollops of creamy, lemony ricotta.
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22/29
Nasi Lemak
The recipe for this Malaysian coconut rice dish comes from the folks at Kopitiam in NYC. The rice gets topped with crispy-crunchy crumbles of teeny little fried anchovies dressed in a sweet-spicy sambal.
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Photo by Luisa Brimble
23/29
Deconstructed Falafel Salad
Crunchy roasted chickpeas meet kale, cucumbers, pita chips, tahini, and lots of herbs in this play on falafel. There’s no vinaigrette on this salad; instead, you’ll include the spiced cooking oil from the chickpeas, drizzle on some lemony tahini, and offer lemon wedges for squeezing.
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Photo by Andy Sewell
24/29
Buck Buck Mule
A touch of fino sherry makes this cucumber cocktail slightly savory and very refreshing.
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Photo by Peden & Munk
25/29
Flatbread With Fava Beans, Cucumbers, and Burrata
A summer salad of lightly mashed fava beans and wilted cucumbers over milky cheese and chewy, crusty grilled naan makes a lovely appetizer. Garnish with sesame seeds and black pepper before serving.
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Photo by Laura Murray, Food Styling by Susie Theodorou
26/29
Sesame-Scallion Chicken Salad
This sesame dressing, which takes its cues form gomae, is so good you’ll want to drink it. Toss with tender poached chicken, crisp greens, cucumbers, and scallions instead.
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Photo by Alex Lau, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich
27/29
Goat Birria Tacos With Cucumber Pico de Gallo
Top your tacos with a refreshing salsa made with chopped Persian cucumbers, red onion, lime, basil, and a chile if you want some heat.
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Penden and Munk
28/29
Roasted Cucumber Sandwiches
This play on English cucumber finger sandwiches uses roasted cucumbers. You can also take those cukes to the grill!
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Photo by Alex Lau, Food Styling by Sue Li
29/29
Salmon Burgers With Ginger and Quick-Pickled Cucumbers
Some cucumber recipes are guaranteed to make their way into your regular rotation, like these party-worthy salmon burgers with easy pickled cucumbers. Drizzle a little sesame mayo on top and serve with an easy watermelon cocktail.
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Following stints at StarChefs and Saveur, Joe joined Epicurious in 2016 where he’s written about how to make the very best biscuits, the singularity of third-culture cooking, and the ultimate cream cheese frosting. Currently, he works across both BA and Epi as the senior SEO editor for cooking stories, which... Read more

Senior SEO Editor, Cooking

The Epicurious editorial team develops original recipes, and publishes stories about cooking better, faster, and more creatively, sustainably, and affordably. See our full masthead, here.