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Creamy German Cucumber Salad ~ Gurkensalat

Creamy German Cucumber Salad, or Gurkensalat, is a fresh and simple side dish featuring thinly sliced cucumbers in a sour cream and dill dressing!

Creamy German Cucumber Salad, AKA Gurkensalat with Text Overlay

My mom is a native German, so every few years we trek back to the homeland to visit her side of the family. It's always fun to spend time with the relatives and take in the glorious German countryside and villages, but I'd be lying if I didn't say that one of my favorites things about Germany is the food. 😉

Traditional German fare is typically hearty, but fortunately, salads are also aplenty. I'm always amazed at how delicious German salads are for being so simple. When one of my German relatives dresses a salad of green butter lettuce with oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper, I can never figure out why it never tastes as good when I try to replicate it at home.

One dish that I have figured out how to copycat, however, is Gurkensalat, or Creamy German Cucumber Salad. Through memories of eating it in Germany, consulting with my mom, and poring through half a dozen German cookbooks, I've finally come up with a version that I feel meets the mark...and my whole family loves!

Close-Up of Key Ingredients

The Best Gurkensalat

Now, let me just preface this by saying that I realize everybody's German Oma makes this traditional recipe slightly differently. I've tried to stick to the basics of Gurkensalat while making a few easy modifications which, in my humble opinion, make this cucumber salad even better!

Most of the German cookbooks I consulted direct you to slice the cucumbers, combine with the dressing, and serve immediately. My issue with this is that I think the flavors of the salad are better if the ingredients have some time to hang out together for a while. But the problem with allowing the salad to chill for several hours is that the cucumbers weep and then the dressing gets all watered down. What to do...what to do?

After experimenting with various methods, I finally came up with my ultimate favorite way to make Creamy German Cucumber Salad. There are a few extra steps as compared to slice/combine/serve, but I say they're worth it since the final salad has such great flavor and texture.

Close-Up of Creamy German Cucumber Salad in Serving Bowl with Dill Garnish

How to Make German Cucumber Salad

First, make the dressing. In a medium bowl, whisk together ½ cup sour cream, a couple tablespoons of white wine vinegar, a tablespoon of fresh minced dill, a clove of pressed garlic, a pinch of sugar, and some salt and pepper. Cover and pop in the fridge to allow the flavors to start melding.

Next, peel and thinly slice about a pound and a half of cucumbers. Cucumbers with small or minimal seeds are recommended, such as "baby cucumbers" or English cucumbers (I used the latter, with two large English cucumbers weighing about 1 ½ pounds). The first time I made this recipe I sliced the cucumbers on a mandoline, which gave me paper-thin slices. On my second go, I sliced the cucumbers as thinly as possible using a sharp knife, which resulted in slightly thicker (but still very thin) slices.

Sliced Cucumbers

After tasting both variations, my mom said the paper-thin cucumbers reminded her of the Gurkensalats of her childhood. On the other hand, I slightly preferred the thinly-hand-cut slices, as the resulting cucumber salad had a bit more crunch.

Once the cucumbers are sliced, place them in a colander and sprinkle with a teaspoon of salt, stirring well so that the salt gets evenly distributed. Set the colander over a deep bowl, lay a paper towel over the top, and allow the cucumber slices to drain for two hours, stirring occasionally.

After a couple of hours, press down on the cucumbers to extract any extra moisture and then spread them out on some paper towels and pat dry. Once the cucumbers are dry, take the bowl of dressing out of the fridge and stir in the cucumber slices until they're nice and coated. Then serve immediately or return to the refrigerator for an hour or up to overnight.

Aerial View of Creamy German Cucumber Salad

Variations

Keep in mind that the longer your Creamy German Cucumber Salad marinates, the stronger the flavors and the more tender the cucumbers will become. The dressing will also thin a bit as the salad sits, because the cucumbers will continue to release moisture, but it shouldn't become too watery since the cucumbers already drained for a couple of hours.

There are a few variations to this recipe that you can try based on personal preference. My mom says that lots of Germans make Gurkensalat with yogurt as opposed to sour cream, which would be a great way to make this salad even healthier. I'd probably recommend using Greek yogurt over regular for a thicker dressing.

Close-Up on Spoon

Sometimes Gurkensalat recipes omit the garlic or include onions. If you decide to add onion, I'd recommend stirring in about half of a thinly sliced onion at the same time you combine the drained cucumbers and dressing. Then pop the salad in the fridge for at least an hour or two -- as opposed to serving it immediately --  so that the onions have a chance to mellow and slightly soften.

You may also swap out the fresh herbs in this recipe, for example, incorporating some parsley and/or chives in addition to (or in place of) the fresh dill. Go wild with your herb-lovin' self!

Close-Up of Creamy German Cucumber Salad

Have I just about covered everything? I really hope you enjoy this half-German's interpretation of Gurkensalat, AKA Creamy German Cucumber Salad. 😉 It's a cool and refreshing side dish to so many entrees, perfect for when summertime cucumbers are at their peak...but equally delicious year-round!

More German Recipes

Creamy German Cucumber Salad, AKA Gurkensalat ~ a fresh and simple side dish featuring thinly sliced cucumbers in a sour cream and dill dressing! | FiveHeartHome.com

Creamy German Cucumber Salad (Gurkensalat)

Creamy German Cucumber Salad, or Gurkensalat, is a fresh and simple side dish featuring thinly sliced cucumbers in a sour cream and dill dressing!
Course: Salad
Cuisine: German
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Draining Time:: 2 hours
Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
Servings: 6 to 8 servings
Calories: 58kcal
Print Pin Rate

Ingredients

  • ½ cup sour cream
  • 1 clove pressed, or finely minced/mashed garlic
  • 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon fresh minced dill
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt, DIVIDED
  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 1 ½ pounds seedless cucumbers, such as 2 large English cucumbers

Instructions

  • In a medium bowl, stir together the sour cream, garlic, white wine vinegar, dill, sugar, ¼ teaspoon salt, and pepper until well-combined. Cover and refrigerate.
  • Peel and very thinly slice the cucumbers. Add the cucumber slices to a colander placed over a deep bowl. Sprinkle with the remaining ¾ teaspoon salt and stir well to coat all of the slices. Loosely cover with a paper towel (or a clean kitchen towel) and allow to drain for 2 hours, stirring every 20 minutes or so.
  • After 2 hours, press down on the cucumbers in the colander to extract any extra moisture. Spread out the slices on a couple of paper towels and pat dry. Remove the dressing from the fridge and stir in the cucumber slices. Either serve immediately or return to the refrigerator for 1 hour or up to overnight. Just before serving, adjust the salt and pepper, to taste.

Notes

After the cucumbers have been combined with the dressing, you may opt to serve the salad immediately or return it to the fridge. Keep in mind that as the salad chills, the flavors of the dressing will intensify, the cucumbers will become softer, and the dressing will slightly thin.

Nutrition

Calories: 58kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 9mg | Sodium: 405mg | Potassium: 193mg | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 240IU | Vitamin C: 3.5mg | Calcium: 39mg | Iron: 0.3mg
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13 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    I tried many cucumber salad trying to replicate what I remember having many times in Germany, Austria, Hungary. This is the best so far. Thanks!

  2. My Dutch MIL makes this and uses 1/2 mayo 1/2 sour cream and no sugar or vinegar. I love it so much -I will definitely try the garlic and paprika!

  3. 5 stars
    This cucumber salad takes some time for prep, so plan-ahead when making this. It's TOTALLY worth it! It's easy to make and so yummy! Perfect to go with any German themed menu, excellent to take to potlucks, or if you want to serve a salad with dinner but want something a little different. Love this! I made it just a smidge healthier by using light sour cream and it was AMAZING! If you're a WW like myself, then you'll be happy to know that this salad is only 1 point on all three plans, green, blue and purple! If you use light sour cream that is... YUM!

  4. 5 stars
    I lived in Germany long enough to learn to cook German and had a German Mother who made her salad this way. Best by far for flavor if you sprinkle pealed thin sliced cucumbers with salt and let sit in refrigerator to pull the water out of the slices. I add thinly sliced white onions along with the cucumbers. Don't use a lot of salt though because then they get saturated with the salt flavor. When ready to put the dressing on take the cucumbers out of the refrig and squeeze the onions and cucumbers in a kitchen town to get as much as possible water out. Once that it done I add the dressing and there you go; Use salad right away. If any salad is left over put salad in covered dish and back in the re frig. I find it is best to use ether a glass or ceramic bowl to to pull the water out of the cucumbers in the refrigerate, It just has a different taste then being in a plastic bowl.

  5. My husband is German and we go there nearly every year. My children love this salad and so do my grandchildren. I would like to print this rather than write this down as i would like to pass a couple of the recipe's on to my children. But where is the print prompt?

  6. My mom learned how to make gurkensalat from my Oma (dad's mom). She used a mandolin to slice the cucumbers, salted them, and let them sit for two to three hours to pull out the liquid, as well. This also helps pull out any bitterness from the cucumbers! She then, rinsed, dried, and combined with the sour cream dressing! The only difference was she included a sprinkle of Hungarian Sweet Paprika before serving! Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe!