Mediterranean Cucumber Tomato Salad (Greek Cucumber Salad)

This Mediterranean Cucumber Tomato Salad is so fresh and delicious with a homemade Mediterranean dressing! It only takes 15 minutes to make, and is a lot like a traditional Greek salad, but without the lettuce. Plus, no cooking in this recipe, just chopping.

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I am obsessed with Mediterranean food. I love how simple ingredients can create such bold flavors. This Greek cucumber salad with a simple vinaigrette proves that. It is so simple to make, but it packs really great flavor.

This salad itself is more of a lunch recipe or a dinner side dish, but pair it with some pita bread and sautéed chicken breast or my chicken kofta recipe, and you are looking at a great weeknight dinner!

Jump to:

• Why You Will Love This Recipe:
• Ingredients for Greek Cucumber Salad:
• Substitutions & Variations:
• How to Make this Mediterranean Cucumber Tomato Salad:
• Expert Tips:
• Recipe FAQs:
• Storing the Recipe:
• More Recipes You'll Love:
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Why You Will Love This Recipe:

• Bold Flavors. It is full of flavor with the cucumber, red onions, kalamata olives, and feta cheese.
• Homemade Mediterranean Dressing. This salad is tossed in the most delicious homemade vinaigrette dressing that takes just a few minutes to make.
• Healthy Ingredients. You don't have to feel bad about indulging on this recipe. It's loaded with good for you ingredients.
• Quick & Easy. It only takes 15 minutes to prep, with no cooking, just chopping ingredients.

Looking for more fresh and healthy recipes? Try my Rotisserie Chicken Salad, Mediterranean Yellow Rice, and Caprese Burrata too!

Ingredients for Greek Cucumber Salad:

Cucumber- The star of this recipe. We use an English cucumber for its thinner skin and less seeds. After chopping, salt is added to draw out & remove more of the water.

Grape Tomatoes- These cute little tomatoes are halved and pair perfectly with cucumber.

Garbanzo Beans- Also known as chickpeas. These are used to add additional texture into the salad and add protein. If you love chickpeas, make sure to make my chili lime chickpeas too!

Red Onion- For a classic Greek salad feel. They are sliced thinly and offer the best crunch and subtle flavor.

Pepperoncini- Introduced for crunch and heat. If you don't like spicy, make sure to buy mild ones and remove the seeds when chopping up.

Kalamata Olives and Feta Cheese- Added for their salty taste.

Fresh Parsley and Fresh Basil- My favorite part of the salad. Fresh herbs add this extra element of freshness, especially the basil.

Olive Oil, Red Wine Vinegar, Lemon Juice, Garlic, Dried Basil and Oregano- Combine to form a classic Mediterranean dressing. This dressing only takes a few minutes to make and it's great on salads throughout the week. You can always triple the recipe and save it in the fridge for other recipes too!

Substitutions & Variations:

You can pull out or pick around any veggies or fresh herbs in this recipe.

Don't love cucumber skin? English cucumbers have a thinner skin, but you can certainly peel the skin off.

Want more protein? Add diced chicken to the recipe or add my pan seared shrimp recipe on top!

Love Heat? Add ¼ teaspoon of red pepper flakes to the salad dressing or double up the pepperoncini.

Need to make it vegan? Take out the feta cheese, and you will have a Vegan Friendly Greek Salad!

How to Make this Mediterranean Cucumber Tomato Salad:

Watch the full recipe video and be sure to Subscribe on YouTube for free recipe videos every week!

Here are the Step by Step Instructions for this Cucumber Salad.

Step 1: Prepare the Cucumber

Cut the cucumber lengthwise into 4 equal pieces. Then chop into 1.5 inch chunks. Place the cucumber into a colander and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of salt. Toss and set aside to allow the water to draw out.

Step 2: Make the Mediterranean Dressing.

Into a small bowl or jar, add in the olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, minced garlic, dried oregano, dried basil and salt and pepper. Whisk together or shake (if in a jar) and place in the fridge.

Step 3: Chop up the Remaining Ingredients

Rinse, drain and dry the garbanzo beans. Slice the grape tomatoes in half. The red onion should be sliced into the thinnest slices you can get. Remove seeds from the pepperoncini and slice into rings. Chop parsley finely. Slice basil into a "chiffonade" by stacking the leaves on top of other, then roll the leaves it a log shape and make thin slices perpendicular to the rolled up basil. This will create strips of basil. (Watch the video for more details).

Step 4: Assemble the Cucumber Tomato Salad

Take a paper towel and pat dry the cucumber chunks.

Into a large bowl, mix together cucumber, tomatoes, garbanzo beans, pepperoncini, red onion, fresh parsley and basil, and kalamata olives. Pour over the mediterranean dressing and toss to combine.

Step 5: Add Cheese and Serve!

Top the salad with feta cheese, serve and enjoy!

Expert Tips:

• You want to keep the ingredients really dry in this recipe. Make sure to pat dry the cucumbers after salting with paper towels, and dry the garbanzo beans well after rinsing.
• One of my favorite things about this recipe is the way the produce is all cut differently. Spend the extra time chopping as noted, and it will be worth it!

Recipe FAQs:

Storing the Recipe:

If you plan to store the recipe, I would advise holding off on the feta cheese until serving. This recipe is great for meal prepping on Sunday and eating through the week. Store it in a sealed container in the fridge and enjoy for up to 4 days.

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