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Tomato Cucumber Salad

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Posted by:

Erin Lynch

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Updated:

March 8, 2025

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5 from 52 votes

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This easy Tomato Cucumber Salad recipe features fresh cucumbers, juicy tomatoes, and crisp red onion. Dressed in a tangy homemade red wine vinaigrette, every bite is bursting with refreshing Mediterranean flavors!

Overhead close up of tomato cucumber salad.

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This Mediterranean Tomato Cucumber Salad is a delicious way to showcase gorgeous seasonal veggies, especially when backyard gardens and farmer’s markets are overflowing! It features a healthy mixture of cucumber, cherry tomatoes, red onion, fresh parsley, and a zesty red wine vinaigrette to fill each bite with vibrant Mediterranean flavors. 

This easy cucumber salad is a perfect and refreshing summer side dish. Thankfully, tomatoes and cucumbers are available year-round, so this flavorful salad can be made for any occasion. Not to mention, it’s naturally dairy and gluten free so that everyone can enjoy!

Looking for more cool and refreshing side dishes? Then you’re going to love my Cauliflower Salad with Roasted Chickpeas or this Fennel Chickpea Salad.

Table of Contents

  • Ingredients needed
  • How to make it
  • How to make ahead & store
  • Variations
  • What to serve with it
  • Wine pairings
  • Full Recipe

Ingredients needed

Chopped tomato, red onion and cucumber in mixing bowl before combining.

English cucumbers typically have fewer seeds and less water than slicing cucumbers. If you’re using a slicing cucumber, be sure to scoop out the seeds with a spoon and blot away as much moisture as possible with a paper towel so the dressing sticks.

Cherry tomatoes are my go-to for salads. They are perfectly bite-sized, firm, and juicy. Grape, plum, and San Marzano tomatoes are also delicious. To finish it off, mix in fresh parsley and red onion (or for a more mild onion flavor, you can use thinly sliced shallot) to the salad.

For the vinaigrette dressing, you’ll need:

  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • Red wine vinegar
  • Garlic cloves
  • Dried oregano – Or, try one of these substitutes for oregano.
  • Dijon mustard
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper

Note: You can also swap in Italian dressing if you’ve got some on hand.

How to make it

First, halve the cucumber lengthwise and scoop the seeds out with a spoon. Slice each half into ¼ inch thick half-moons. Chop the tomatoes in half, thinly slice the red onion, chop the parsley, and mince or grate the garlic cloves. 

In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, garlic, oregano, mustard, salt, and pepper.  

Add the cucumber, tomatoes, red onion, and parsley to a large bowl and pour the dressing over the top. Give everything a quick toss and then set the salad aside to allow the flavors to mingle. Serve with dinner and enjoy!

Tomato cucumber salad in white serving bowl with spoon.

How to make ahead & store

This summer salad will taste its best if it’s assembled at least 30 minutes ahead of serving. This gives the dressing time to “marinate” the veggies but isn’t long enough to make them soggy. If you’d like to save more time, chop the veggies and mix the dressing a day in advance, store them in the fridge, and then toss them all together 30 minutes before serving. 

Keep any leftover salad in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. Just keep in mind that the veggies will soften as they sit in the dressing, possibly making the leftovers soggy. 

Variations

This simple cucumber tomato salad recipe leaves plenty of room to toss in additional ingredients and switch up the flavors: 

  • Cheese: This cool and crisp salad tastes excellent with creamy cubed feta or mozzarella balls tossed in before serving. 
  • Herbs: Feel free to swap the fresh parsley for dill, basil, or a little bit of each. 
  • Greens: Add spinach, arugula, or romaine lettuce to give the salad a little more substance.
  • Spice: Want to give your salad a little heat? Add ½ to 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes to the vinaigrette.
  • Dressing: Use the red wine vinaigrette recipe as a guide and experiment with other flavors you like. Try using white wine vinegar instead of red and add in freshly chopped herbs or lemon juice/zest. Or, try swapping in this homemade Italian dressing. The options are endless!

What to serve with it

This versatile salad goes with just about anything! Make it a meal and serve this salad alongside one of these tasty entrees:

  • French Bread Pepperoni Pizza
  • Grilled Lamb Kebabs
  • Instant Pot Butter Chicken
  • Lemon Chicken Skewers
  • Easy Cauliflower Tacos
Tomato cucumber salad in white serving bowl.

Wine pairings

  • The acidity of fresh tomatoes pairs well with high-acidic white wines like Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc. 
  • A quality Rosé also pairs well with this tangy salad. 

More easy salad recipes

  • Salad with Poppyseed Dressing
  • Shaved Fennel and Celery Salad
  • Kale Caesar Salad
  • Shirazi Salad
  • Sugar Snap Pea Salad
  • Avocado Tuna Salad

More Mediterranean recipes

  • Mediterranean Nachos with Hummus
  • Greek Tomato Cucumber Salad with Feta
  • Chickpea Tuna Salad
  • Grilled Eggplant Dip (Baba Ganoush)
  • Stuffed Zucchini Boats

Did you try this cucumber tomato salad?

If you loved this cucumber salad recipe, I would appreciate it so much if you would give this recipe a ⭐️star review⭐️! Also, be sure to snap a picture of your finished dish and share it with me on Instagram using the hashtag #platingsandpairings and tagging me @platingsandpairings.

For more great Platings and Pairings recipes, be sure to follow me on Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest and Facebook.

Tip: Read all about the most popular types of cucumbers that you’ll find and how to use them.

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Save Recipe – Before Recipe Card

Serving spoon in bowl of tomato cucumber salad.

Full Recipe

Mediterranean Tomato Cucumber Salad

This Tomato Cucumber Salad features fresh cucumbers, juicy tomatoes, and crisp red onion. Dressed in a tangy homemade red wine vinaigrette, every bite is bursting with refreshing Mediterranean flavors!
5 from 52 votes
Print Pin
Serves 6 people
Created by Platings and Pairings
Prep Time: 15 minutes mins
Cook Time: 0 minutes mins
Total Time: 15 minutes mins

Equipment

  • Knife
  • Large Bowl
  • Cutting Board

Ingredients

  • 1 english cucumber
  • 1 pint cherry tomatoes (halved)
  • 1/2 red onion (sliced in half-rounds)
  • 1 Tablespoon fresh parsley (chopped)

Dressing:

  • 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
  • 2 cloves garlic (finely grated or minced)
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

  • Halve the cucumber and scoop out the seeds with a spoon. Slice the cucumber into ¼ inch thick half moons.
  • Place the cucumber, tomatoes, red onion and parsley in a large bowl.
  • For the vinaigrette, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, garlic, oregano, mustard, salt and pepper in a small bowl.
  • Pour the vinaigrette over the vegetables. Set aside for 30 minutes to allow the flavors to blend. Serve at room temperature.

Nutrition

Calories: 135kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Sodium: 404mg | Potassium: 271mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 495IU | Vitamin C: 21mg | Calcium: 23mg | Iron: 1mg
Did you make this recipe?Mention @platingsandpairings or tag #platingsandpairings!
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5 from 52 votes (49 ratings without comment)

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8 responses

  1. Todd
    June 24, 2023

    This sounds AMAZING, and I can’t wait to try it! But… I was wondering what you thought of adding a little mint to the herb(s)? I love dill (wouldn’t work with dill, however) and will certainly try that, eventually. But I always try recipes “exactly as written”, then experiment. So parsley the 1st time, dill the 2nd, and maybe a parsley/mint combo the 3rd??? It’s summer and this just SCREAMS summer!

    Just wondering if you, or anyone, had tried it with mint, and why it wasn’t one of the suggestions… (Could simply be you don’t like mint, it wasn’t available, or didn’t think of it…) I’m a skittish cook when experimenting, what can I say… And I really hate testing something that someone knows WON’T work.

    Loyal fan,

    Todd

    Reply
    1. Erin
      June 25, 2023

      Hi Todd – Dill would be great, mint too! This recipe for Shirazi Salad (which is also a tomato cucumber salad) uses both and is delicious. Happy cooking! I’d love to hear back on what you end up using and what you love best…

      Reply
  2. Laura
    July 2, 2023

    5 stars
    Perfect summertime salad! Everyone loved it! Added avocados.

    Reply
    1. Erin
      July 6, 2023

      Thank you Laura! I’ll bet it was delicious with the avocados!

      Reply
  3. Lisa
    March 17, 2024

    5 stars
    Made this to do with BBQ chicken and it was a perfect match. I didn’t know I was out of red wine vinegar, so subbed white wine. My husband liked it (Everytime he came in from the grill I heard snacking on the cucumbers in the salad). It’s on the rotation now!

    Reply
    1. Erin
      March 18, 2024

      I love hearing that. Thank you Lisa!

      Reply
  4. Brittany Brancaccio
    July 23, 2024

    5 stars
    I’ve made this multiple times and everyone raves about it! The only thing I do differently is add feta, soak the red onion in cold water for 10 mins to take out the bite, and really make sure both the onion and cucumber are dry before tossing with the dressing. I’ve had it up to 2 days later and it hasn’t gotten soggy, I just drained off any excess liquid. 10/10 recipe!

    Reply
    1. Erin
      July 23, 2024

      Thank you for those tips Brittany!

      Reply

Hi, I’m Erin!

Can I pour you a glass of wine? Let’s have some fun in the kitchen! Maybe some pasta? A juicy steak? I’ve got loads of yummy, easy recipes for you! Because cooking should feel as comfy as your favorite yoga pants. ♥

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