No one expects cucumber salad at Easter or Thanksgiving, but every year our granddaughters request it — and honestly, I'm not surprised. This simple Danish cucumber salad has long been a favorite in our family. Made with sliced cucumbers, onion, vinegar, sugar, and salt, it’s crisp, lightly sweet, salty, and tangy, and it seems to go with almost anything.
Around our house, this humble little salad even has a nickname — we call them “cukies.” It’s one of those simple dishes that quietly shows up at family meals and gatherings, and somehow the bowl always comes back empty. Leftovers are coveted.
In Denmark, a salad like this is known as agurkesalat, a classic sweet-and-sour cucumber dish served with everyday meals. Our version is just as simple and refreshing — proof that sometimes the easiest recipes are the ones that stick around the longest.
If you're planning an Easter dinner, you might also enjoy Dill-Glazed Carrots and Cheesy Potato Casserole from Scratch. There are two of our family favorites that get requested again and again.
Today, the crisp green cylindrical fruit is among the most popular items in the produce aisle. Yes, you read that right. Cucumbers are classified as fruits. Thanks to modern agriculture and transportation, wonderful cucumbers are available year-round!
The Danes like sweet-and-sour dishes like this. It complements their simple meals of fish or pork and potatoes. In Denmark, this dish is called agurkasalat.
Salt and Vinegar Cucumbers start with firm, fresh, slicing cucumbers. My absolute favorite is an English cucumber, which is sometimes called a "burpless" cucumber. However, almost any good "cuke" will work!
Most of the time, I begin by peeling the cukes. If you select a thin-skinned English one, you can leave it on. Fresh ones are best, as always. I remove most of the thick, waxy peel when I buy grocery store cucumbers.
If I make a big family-size batch for summer at the lake, I use a food processor to slice the cucumbers, and I slice the onion almost paper-thin. I dump them right into the glass bowl as I go. I will use the same bowl to serve them. Since the salad is acidic, a glass bowl, or even a plastic one, is ideal.
For the two of us, I use a little hand slicer. A chef's knife works just fine if you want to take the time. I usually don't! Do you? 😉
The Danes do like their salt. You can certainly use less salt if you prefer. The salt is added to draw moisture out of the cucumbers, forming a brine in which the cucumbers develop their flavor. We do not eat the brine, but sometimes save it and add more cucumbers.
You might like a little less salt than they do, but most of it stays in the brine. Once the brine has made everything all juicy, add the vinegar, sugar, and pepper. Adjust the flavors until it suits your palate.
This salad is a cousin to pickles without the hassle of canning. It's a wonderful "keeper" that stays crisp and crunchy in the fridge for a week or more. You can even add more cucumbers to the brine and readjust the sugar, salt, and pepper.
When fresh cucumbers are abundant, they're perfect for outdoor picnics because they don't pose the risks of mayonnaise-based salads. If you like dill, add it! The Danes often add fresh-snipped dill to the mixture when it's available.
Here are a couple of more salad recipes you might enjoy. Old-Fashioned Cottage Cheese Salad and Fast And Easy 5-Ingredient Broccoli Slaw.
A classic cucumber salad with just cucumbers, onion, salt, sugar, vinegar, and pepper. Great, any time of the year!
❓ Do you peel cucumbers for this salad?
You can, but you don’t have to. If the skins are thin and tender, leave them on for extra color and texture. If they’re thick or waxy, peeling is a good idea.
For the best flavor, let it sit for at least 30 minutes so the cucumbers can soak up the sweet and tangy vinegar dressing. It gets even better after a few hours in the fridge.
This salad keeps well for 2–3 days in the refrigerator. The cucumbers will soften over time but still taste delicious.
If you want one optional swap-in (sometimes helpful for SEO):
White vinegar is traditional for that classic tangy flavor, but apple cider vinegar can be used for a slightly milder, sweeter taste.
Your Cucumber History Lesson
We will get to the cucumber salad recipe, I promise! But first, some fascinating horticultural history. Cucumbers were cultivated well before Jesus was born! They originated in India about 3000 years ago and quickly spread into Greece, Rome, Europe, and beyond.
It wasn't long after the Pilgrims arrived in North America that they hustled to start growing cucumbers in their new country.
The most famous cucumber fan of all was Emperor Tiberius, who reigned from 14 to 37 AD. He was so crazy about them that he insisted on having them on his table daily. That meant during summer and winter as well!
To meet his demands, the Romans reportedly grew them in raised beds on wheels, allowing the plants to be moved all over the place to take full advantage of the sunlight.
In the coldest part of winter, they were wheeled into some of the first primitive greenhouses lined with mirror stone, believed to have been shiny sheet mica, to reflect more sunlight. How Tiberius would have loved today's produce departments!
Cucumbers offer nearly endless health benefits. They are much more than a crudité or a circular slice of green on the salad bar! They are a great, filling snack with a lot of bang for the calorie buck!
Cucumbers are a wonderfully refreshing way to hydrate because they are 95 percent water. But don't be fooled! They've got lots more going for them, so that's good for you! Remember, unpeeled cucumbers give us the highest nutritional value. Look at just a few of the nutritional benefits in an article from the Cleveland Clinic!
Orange Marmalade Chicken - A simple 4-ingredient chicken, baked in a sweet-and-savory orange marmalade glaze.
Instant Pot Mac and Cheese - This recipe is for rich, creamy, delicious macaroni and cheese you make from scratch in an Instant Pot. Especially handy when the oven is busy with the ham.
Layered Lemon Dessert- An impressive-looking no-bake 4-layer lemon dessert with a crunchy crust and layers of sweetened cream cheese, pudding, and whipped topping. It's garnished with cookie crumbs. Easy to make ahead.
Overnight Creme Brulee French Toast Casserole - Here is an easy and delicious brunch dish you can make ahead and bake in the morning. It has a tender center and a crunchy top infused with caramel flavor.
If you liked how this recipe turned out, I'd love it if you left a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review or dropped me a note in the comments! It really helps my little business connect with people who cook and eat like we do. Thanks! ❤❤
Love, GB (Betty Streff)
Real food. Real kitchen. Real easy.
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I think the recipe may need an adjustment. It says 3 Tbsp of salt but maybe needs to be 3 tsp? I even had my co-worker check that I didn’t misread the recipe at 3 Tbsp. I followed the recipe to the T and as a salt lover, this is too salty. I added more cucumber and even water to blend it out. Will try again with only 3 tsp next time to see if this yields better results.
So sorry! You can also drain off the brine and add water but by all means, start with 3 tsp and if you need to add more, it's easier to add than subtract!! The salt works to draw the liquid out of the cukes. And of course, it also depends on the size of the cucumber! Mine were HUGE for my large batch! Good luck and thanks for making me think!!
My Austrian mother also made a similar "Cucumber Salad" consisting of 3-4 cucumbers, salt, black pepper, vinegar, and water. Cucumbers are sliced thinly, layered into a dish, salted between layers (using a salt shaker), and then refrigerated for at least 2 hours. Then you rinse the cucumbers twice, and then squeeze out as much moisture as possible. Return to salad bowl and make the vinegar dressing which consists of mixing together: 4 tablespoons of sugar, 4 tablespoons of vinegar, and 1-1/3 cups of cold water; pour over the cucumbers, sprinkle black pepper on top, and then refrigerate for at least 1 hour. So Refreshing and Delicious. Goes well with fried foods and pork dishes !
THANK YOU! Wow, that sounds amazing!! You are so kind to take time to teach me how to make it. I'd like to create a post using your mother's recipe, would that be ok?
Followed recipe using Visalia onion and 3 tsp salt. Delicious,like my grandmother used to make.
wonderful!!
so glad you like!!
I made this recipe twice. Once with an English cucumber and then with a garden cucumber.
I was very disappointed as after the 2 hours in the fridge the cukes were completely soggy. No snap whatsoever to them.
Same thing as with the garden cucumber. I cannot see these lasting a week in the fridge.
I was away from home for a few days without access to a computer so I emailed you directly but it didn't go through.
First of all, I'm genuinely sad you are disappointed in the cucumbers.
I wish you lived next door so I could come and see and taste.
My first thought is the amount of salt may have been too much for a single cucumber. Salt draws the liquid out of it and the moisture level varies in cukes.
I also wonder how thin you sliced them.
When cucumbers are made like this, they aren’t as crunchy as the fresh cucumber, but they should have some.
Darn it, I hate this. If you dare to try it again I’d start by reducing the salt and maybe slice them a wee bit thicker. Let me know!
kamagra
Thanks! We gobble them up!!
Always prefer to drain mine first a little to get some salt off. But this is a perfect recipe..
The recipe above actually calls for 2 Tbsp of salt, not 3. However, that is still too much salt. 2 Tsp at the most, maybe less.
Adjust the salt to taste. We use quite a bit- The salt mostly draws the water out of the cucumbers and onions forming a brine which you really don't eat. We serve with a slotted spoon and often reuse the brine adding more cucumbers and onions.
This recipe was my kitchen duty growing up. After the salt rested with the cukes in the frig I had to squeeze out most of the salt then add then add the sugar, vinegar and return to the frig to marinade. Still make it for my family!
It's an old fashioned one alright! My dad from Denmark grew up on it there too and he would have been 98 years old last month! Did you ever make the version with mayonnaise and a little dill? That's how my mother-in-law's family used to make it.
My mom would mix sour cream and vinegar to a fairly thin consistency. Add salt and pepper and thinly sliced cucumbers. Absolutely delicious! Also cucumbers and onions thinly sliced with 2 parts vinegar and one part water with plenty of salt and pepper. I enjoy adding some lemon pepper.
Can't go wrong with cucumbers, right? What good memories of your mom!! Happy spring!
[…] Salt and Vinegar Cucumbers […]
I use rice wine vinegar and add dried dill weed in each layer with the salt and pepper. It’s a favorite in our house too!
I'll do that with my next batch! Great idea, thank you! Cucumber and dill is a match made in heaven!
Cucumber is a fruit so that is why they classify it as one. If it has seeds, it is a fruit; no seeds, a vegetable!! Then you said it is a cousin to the pickle, also not true! Is is a pickle after being pickled with pickling spices!!
Thanks for taking the time to comment! Salt and vinegar cucumbers are a cousin to pickles because of the salt and vinegar. Cucumbers themselves are not a pickle! You are right, they must be pickled to be a pickle! 😉 Cucumbers do have seeds in the center but are still classified as a fruit. I didn't invent the classifications but I think it's fun to learn how anything from the garden is classified! Just having some fun with words! I guess I got in a pickle without any spices! 😂🤣
My sister has gluten allergy to white vinegar so I substitute apple cider vinegar. Just as yummy and we both can eat.
My grandmother taught my mother who then taught me my favorite cucumber recipe (which I hadn't made for years. We peel and thinly slice the cucumber, salt well and refrigerate for at least an hour. Then take a few paper towels above and below the cuc's and squeeze out the water. Return cucumbers to bowl and add sour cream gradually until preferred taste. Add ground pepper.
I will be making this again very soon.
Thank you for triggering my memory.
What a sweet memory, thank you for sharing! This is my first Christmas without my mom and so many memories flood my mind and heart. I think you are a "wise one", Valarie. Merry Christmas!
My Polish mother made them both ways—w/vinegar and also sometimes with sour cream. I’d forgotten all about this recipe so thanks for reminding me!
Thank you for sharing!! Next time I make them, I will try adding sour cream! In my book, sour cream is always the right answer!!