You won’t find an easier or more refreshing salad than this cucumber tomato salad recipe. It’s the perfect salad to cool down with on a hot summer day. Light but satisfying, this salad has a great combination of fresh flavors and textures. While delightful year-round, this tomato cucumber salad is terrific in the summer when juicy tomatoes and cucumbers are in season.

I love how this simple cucumber and tomato salad goes with everything from tacos to steak to chicken to salmon. It’s such a versatile side dish that is perfect for any occasion, from a weeknight meal to a backyard BBQ to a picnic at the park. For another delicious summer salad, try my corn salad recipe, watermelon salad recipe, or macaroni salad recipe.

What You Need to Make This Recipe

Red wine vinegar — I love the sharp and tangy flavor red wine vinegar brings to the salad. If you do not have red wine vinegar, you could swap in white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar.

Olive oil — use a good quality olive oil as it is the base of the dressing and adds flavor to the dressing.

Cucumber — I recommend using English cucumbers as they’re seedless, and the skin is thinner. Persian cucumbers are great as well. If you use regular cucumbers, you may have to peel the thicker, waxy skin and remove the seeds.

Tomatoes — avoid using large watery tomatoes. Smaller tomatoes such as Roma tomatoes or grape tomatoes are ideal as they’re more firm and fleshy.

Red onions — red onion goes well with the rest of the salad, and I don’t recommend skipping it. If you find red onions too overwhelming in flavor, you can soak them in cold water for a couple of minutes to mellow out the flavor.

How to Make Cucumber Tomato Salad

1. Cut the tomatoes, cucumbers, and red onions.

2. Whisk together the vinegar, salt, and pepper in a large mixing bowl.

3. Slowly whisk in the olive oil.

4. Combine the cucumbers, tomatoes, red onion, basil, and the dressing. Toss until well combined. Cover and chill for 30 minutes before serving.

Pro Tips for Making This Recipe

Instead of red onions, you can use shallots.
If you’re out of basil, any fresh herb will taste amazing with this tomato cucumber salad. Try using dill, parsley, or tarragon.
Try to make this recipe ahead of time, as the flavors meld together wonderfully after some time to chill in the fridge. The vegetables are also able to soak up some of the vinegarette, leading to a more flavorful salad.
You can cut the vegetables however you please. You can dice the cucumbers, slice the tomatoes, or dice the red onions instead.

Frequently Asked Questions

What else can I add to the salad?

This salad is wonderful on its own, but it’s also very versatile. You can add cheese such as burrata, mozzarella, goat cheese, or feta cheese. You can also add more vegetables such as bell peppers, corn, or green onions. Avocados make for a beautiful addition as well.

How do I store leftovers?

You can store leftover cucumber and tomato salad in the fridge for 2 days. Make sure to use an airtight container so the salad stays fresh. Over time, the vegetables will lose their crispiness and release water, leading to a soggy salad.

Can I make this ahead of time?

I recommend you slice the onions and prepare the vinaigrette mixture a day ahead of time only. The cucumbers and tomatoes will release water over time if you cut them too early in advance.

If you love this recipe try these out!

If you’ve tried this Cucumber Tomato Salad recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!

5 from 3 votes