This Greek Cucumber Salad is a fresh and light side dish that pairs so well with a variety of flavors. In this non-lettuce veggie salad, sliced cucumbers are combined with grape tomatoes, red onion, chickpeas, and olives in a large bowl. Tossed with a refreshing olive oil and red wine vinegar dressing, this salad features a variety of tastes and textures that will transport your taste buds to a Mediterranean island with one bite.
![White bowl filled with Greek cucumber salad topped with fresh mint and feta cheese, gold cutlery in bowl](https://therealfooddietitians.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Cucumber-Chickpea-Salad-5-683x1024.jpg)
Recipe Highlights: Greek Cucumber Salad
This recipe is sure to become a staple in your summer salad lineup because it is:
- quick and easy to make, requiring minimal prep time and a total time of just 20 minutes
- naturally gluten-free, nut-free, vegetarian, and dairy-free-friendly
- a good source of vitamins, minerals, fiber, healthy fats, and plant-based protein
- easy to prepare in advance and store in the fridge for a few days
- a great balance of fiber-rich carbohydrates, healthy fats, and plant-based protein
The Best Side Dish For Summer and Beyond
We’re always looking for ways to incorporate Mediterranean flavors into our meals. So, it seemed like a no-brainer to include them into a simple summer salad! Packed with fresh produce, this cucumber tomato salad is light, refreshing, and perfect for hot summer days. We love to serve it as a side salad or added to these Greek Chicken Meatball Bowls. However, it can also easily be bulked up with lean protein like grilled chicken or shrimp for a complete meal. No matter how you serve it, it’s sure to be a hit!
Ingredients To Make Greek Cucumber Salad
The best way to use up fresh vegetables, this recipe uses just a handful of simple ingredients to create a bold flavor you’ll love. Here are the salad ingredients you need to make this dish today:
- Cucumber – we recommend English cucumbers, but you can also use Persian or hot house cukes
- Tomatoes – grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes work best as they’re sweeter than other, larger varieties; chopped heirloom tomatoes will also work great
- Chickpeas – used canned chickpeas (garbanzo beans) for convenience, and rinse and drain them well before adding them to the rest of the ingredients
- Red onion
- Kalamata olives – these add a briny taste that contributes authentic Greek flavor to the salad, may substitute green or black olives
- Fresh mint – fresh mint leaves add a bright flavor, but any other herbs like fresh dill, parsley, or even dried oregano can be used
- Olive oil – Primal Kitchen Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil is our go-to oil to make homemade salad dressings, may sub avocado oil
- Red wine vinegar
- Salt and black pepper
- Feta cheese – feel free to substitute a dairy-free cheese, or omit it completely for a vegan option
Find the ingredient list with exact measurements in the recipe card below.
Ingredient Spotlight: Chickpeas
Chickpeas are one of our favorite sources of plant-based protein, and we add them to our meals every chance we get with recipes like our Chicken and Chickpea Curry and Sheet Pan Veggie Shawarma with Lemon Tahini Dressing. Not only are they affordable and fun to eat, but chickpeas are also full of nutrients and health benefits, too. For example, chickpeas are:
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- an excellent source of vitamins B9 (folate) and B6
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- rich in important minerals, including manganese, copper, iron, zinc, phosphorus, and potassium
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- a good source of plant-based protein and prebiotic fiber
How To Make This Greek Cucumber Salad Recipe
Here are the steps to make this easy Greek cucumber tomato salad recipe in less than 20 minutes:
- Prepare the salad ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, add the crisp cucumbers, tomatoes, drained chickpeas, diced red onion, olives, and fresh mint. Toss gently a few times to combine.
- Whisk the Greek salad dressing. In a separate small bowl, whisk the dressing ingredients together until a smooth vinaigrette forms.
- Serve. Add the crumbled feta cheese just before serving, toss gently to combine, and enjoy it chilled.
Serving Suggestions
For added flavor, try serving this cucumber salad recipe with our Homemade Tzatziki Sauce. Then, transform it into a complete meal with the addition of chicken or shrimp. Or, enjoy it as a side dish with main courses like:
Frequently Asked Questions
Traditional Greek salad, also known as Horiatiki, consists of juicy tomatoes, cucumbers, bell pepper, red onions, olives, and feta cheese for a boost of creaminess and calcium.
Salt your sliced cucumbers, and set them aside for a few minutes before adding them to the rest of the ingredients. This helps them release some of their natural liquid, keeping the cucumbers crisp even after they’re added to the salad.
The flavor of this Greek cucumber salad recipe can be described as being light, crisp, refreshing, and just a little tangy from a lemon-herb vinaigrette.
This vegetarian Greek salad is highly nutritious. It features a good balance of fiber, nutrients, healthy fats, and carbs, making it a nutritious, well-rounded recipe.
Stored in an airtight container, this Greek cucumber salad recipe will stay fresh in the fridge for one to two days. Just be sure to give it a good stir before serving to distribute the dressing.
This recipe makes 8 cups total, which is 8 servings. A single serving is 1 cup as a side dish, or 2+ cups as a main-dish salad.
Feel free to experiment and incorporate different ingredients to make this recipe your own. For example, a dash of fresh lemon juice, minced garlic, or additional veggies would all taste great.
Make It Dairy Free & Vegan
To make this recipe dairy free and vegan, omit the feta cheese. May replace the cheese with diced avocado, if desired.
Make It Paleo & Whole30
To make this recipe Paleo and Whole30 friendly, omit the feta cheese. May replace the cheese with diced avocado, if desired.
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Greek Cucumber Salad
A fresh and crunchy salad made with all the Greek flavors you love, plus chickpeas for added flavor and nutrition. Serve this cucumber salad as a side dish for a variety of meals or as a vegetarian main dish salad.
Ingredients
- 6 thinly sliced Persian (mini) cucumbers (1.25 lb or 4 cups slices)*
- 2 cups halved grape tomatoes (10-11 oz)
- 1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- ½ small red onion, diced or thin sliced (3 oz or ¾ cup)
- ½ cup pitted and sliced kalamata olives (3 oz)
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh mint (about 15 leaves)
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- ½ teaspoon fine salt plus more to taste
- Pinch of black pepper
- ⅓ cup crumbled feta cheese (optional)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the cucumbers, tomatoes, drained chickpeas, red onion, kalamata olives, and the fresh mint; toss gently a few times.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt, and pepper. When ready to serve, pour the vinaigrette over top of the salad ingredients.
- Add the feta cheese just before serving.
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Notes
* May use an English or hothouse cucumbers instead. If the cucumber has a large circumference, cut the slices into half-moons.
Nutrition Information
- Serving Size: 2/3 cup (1/12 of recipe) with feta
- Calories: 190
- Fat: 6 g
- (Sat Fat: 1 g)
- Sodium: 270 mg
- Carbohydrate: 23 g
- (Fiber: 5 g
- Sugar: 5 g)
- Protein: 8 g
- Cholesterol: 2 mg
Dietary
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The photos in this blog post were taken by Rachel Cook of Half Acre House.
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Delicious and easy! We had garden fresh small cherry tomatoes, so I left them whole. Our cucumbers were also garden fresh, but not the hot house or English cucumber variety. So I peeled every other strip of the peel, sliced in half lengthwise, used a spoon to scrape out the seeds, then sliced. I made it today, my meal prep day, and we will eat it for lunch with deli turkey this week! GREAT way to use up a lot of garden fresh produce this summer.
Fantastic use of garden fresh produce Michele! Thank you so much for the feedback and 5-star review!
So easy! Cucumbers and mint from the garden, the tomatoes need another week or so but I’m sure they’ll be ready when I make this again! 💕 I also used garlic and herb seasoned feta and it just adds to the Mediterranean flavor.
This is so great Dawn! Thank you for sharing this feedback and 5-star review!
This salad was so fresh and delicious! I made it Sunday and ate it for 5 days in a row it was so good!
We are so happy to hear this Joni! Thanks for the feedback and 5-star review!
So yummy and fresh! The mint and chickpeas were a wonderful addition. I used mint and tomatoes from the garden. Omitted the olives and had the cheese on the side (one friend has a dairy allergy) and it was all great! I added an extra half Tbsp or so of vinegar to get a little more of that tang.
This is definitely a great salad for ripe garden goodies! Thanks for the feedback and 5-star review Taylor!
I didn’t have mint leaves on hand substituted Italian seasoning, it was very good.
Perfect Ruth! Thanks for the great feedback. We appreciate the 5-star review!
So easy and sooo delicious! I could have made a meal of just this!
Great Janice! Thank you for the 5-star review!