This cucumber tomato salad is a refreshing summer side dish! A tangy vinaigrette brightens juicy tomatoes, crisp cucumbers, onions, and herbs.

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This cucumber tomato salad recipe is the simplest summer side dish! Making it is as easy as tossing sliced cucumbers, juicy tomatoes, crisp onions, and herbs with a tangy 5-ingredient dressing.

I make some version of it every week in the summer, changing up the herbs to use what looks best in my garden or tossing in fun add-ins like avocado or cheese. Bright and refreshing, it pairs well with almost any meal, from fresh summer pastas to veggie burgers off the grill.

Whether you make it as written or make it your own, this recipe is a great one to have in your summer rotation. It’s a quick, delicious way to enjoy the season’s best produce. I hope you love it as much as I do!

How to Make Cucumber Tomato Salad

You can find the full recipe at the bottom of this post, but for now, here’s a quick overview of how it goes:

Ingredients

This cucumber tomato salad starts with simple, fresh ingredients:

Tomatoes – Use whatever kinds look best at your farmers market or grocery store. I love to make this salad with heirloom tomatoes, but cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes, or vine tomatoes all work well too.
Cucumber – I typically make this salad with English cucumber. English cucumbers have small seeds and very thin skin, so I don’t peel or seed them for this salad. You can use any other variety you like, but if it has thicker skin or larger seeds, you may want to peel and/or seed it.
Onion – Red onion is my go-to, but white onion also works.
Fresh herbs – Any kind you like! I often reach for fresh basil, mint, parsley, and/or fresh dill, but oregano, cilantro, and thyme would be lovely too.

Dressing for Cucumber Tomato Salad

I complete the salad with a super simple vinaigrette dressing made from fresh lemon juice, red wine vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper.

I love the combination of the sharp vinegar and bright, fresh lemon juice, but if you’d like to simplify the dressing ingredients, you could use just one or the other. Other vinegars would work well here too. Any of these types would be a good substitute for the red wine vinegar:

distilled white vinegar
white wine vinegar
sherry vinegar

Find the complete recipe with measurements below.

How to Make Cucumber Tomato Salad

I have one big tip for making this salad: chill it for 10 minutes before adding the oil and herbs.

That’s because cucumbers and tomatoes hold a lot of water, which can dilute the flavors in this salad.

To get rid of some of that excess water, I toss the cucumbers, tomatoes, and onions with the lemon juice, vinegar, salt, and pepper first. Then, I chill the mixture for 10 minutes.

Just before serving, I transfer the vegetables to a fresh bowl, leaving the juices behind. Finally, I toss them with the olive oil and herbs and season to taste.

Recipe Variations

This simple recipe is delicious as written, but it’s also super flexible. Feel free to change it up! Have fun tossing in flavorful add-ins like these:

Mini mozzarella balls
Cubed or crumbled feta cheese
Diced avocado
Olives
Chopped bell pepper
Thinly sliced celery

Add fresh veggies like celery and bell pepper to the salad along with the tomatoes and cucumbers. Add other mix-ins to the salad after it chills, along with the olive oil and herbs.

What to Serve with Cucumber Tomato Onion Salad

This tomato, cucumber, and onion salad is a perfect side dish for so many summer meals. Pair it with any simply cooked protein or one of these fresh, flavorful dishes:

Make-Ahead and Storage Tips

This salad is best on the day it’s made, but if you like, you can prep it several hours in advance.

Make-ahead: Toss the cucumbers, tomatoes, and onions with the lemon juice, vinegar, salt, and pepper, and chill until ready to serve. Just before serving, transfer to a serving bowl, add the olive oil and herbs, and season to taste.
Storage: Leftover salad keeps well in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.

More Summer Salads to Try

If you love this tomato cucumber salad, try one of these fresh summer salads next:

Cucumber Tomato Salad

rate this recipe:

5 from 11 votes

Prep Time: 20

Total Time: 20

Serves 4

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This cucumber tomato salad recipe is one of my favorite summer side dishes! Featuring juicy tomatoes, sliced cucumbers, onion, herbs, and a tangy dressing, it's refreshing, delicious, and simple to make.