Gurkensalat - German Cucumber Salad

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Oct 23

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While **Gurkensalat** is the iconic side dish for the Traditional Veal Schnitzel, this **German Cucumber Salad** can also be prepared as a side for so many other dishes! Ready in just a few minutes with minimal ingredients, you’ll want to make this salad whenever you’ve got cucumbers on hand!

While the weather is getting colder, over the past couple of months I’ve really enjoyed making refreshing cucumber dishes from different cuisines! There’s my favourite Indian Cucumber Raita recipe, which is a yogurt-based yogurt condiment with some spices. Additionally, I always love a good Greek Tzatziki Sauce for dipping and as a spread in sandwiches & wraps!

Also recently, I’ve been loving making schnitzels! For Oktoberfest, I made Traditional Wiener Schnitzel for the first time, and of course I love to have a good Lemon & Thyme Chicken Schnitzel on rotation, which has been a favourite of mine for many years (and it took me way too long to share the recipe on the blog!). Looking for the perfect side dish to pair with these schnitzels, I wanted to make something that was actually authentic and German. After doing some research, the Cucumber Salad was the perfect choice!

Now why is this salad German? Well, it’s the preparation method and the flavour profile that includes some sweetness and tartness makes it a wonderful pair for hot meat dishes. In addition, this salad is an excellent summer salad because it cools down your palette with the refreshing properties of cucumber and cold yogurt, but we’ve still got a punch from vinegar, seasoning, and dill! If German cuisine is new to you too then I definitely recommend you give this simple cucumber salad, Gurkensalat, a go as part of your Live to Cook one-month challenge! To get started for free, be sure to sign up to my email newsletter, plus you’ll get all of my latest recipes sent straight to your inbox!

To get all the tips and tricks and follow along with this refreshing authentic German cucumber salad recipe, check out the video at the bottom of this post! If you’re not already, it would mean a lot if you would please subscribe to my YouTube! Don’t forget to press the bell button to be notified when all my new video recipes are live along with the written ones! Let’s get started!

Is this German Cucumber Salad Healthy?

Yes, I don’t see how it would not be! Cucumbers themselves are very light and easy to digest, plus they’re excellent for hydration and skin health. Furthermore, we’ve got good calcium from the yogurt, and depending on which yogurt you choose, you can get healthy fats and even protein to keep you full. Otherwise, that’s it! Very few calories for a lot of food, plus plenty of vitamins and other nutritious goodies are packed in here!

Why You’ll Love German Cucumber Salad

Light and healthy: This German Cucumber Salad recipe is quite low-calorie and not heavy on the stomach, making it the perfect side dish.
Simple to make: Most of the work comes from cutting the cucumber and straining the cucumber water out. Afterward, it’s just mixing!
Minimal ingredients: Very few ingredients are needed to make Gurkensalat, and perhaps you already have everything already!
Versatile side dish: While this is a German salad recipe, there’s nothing stopping you from mixing and matching it with other dishes! When filming this recipe, I actually had it with some baked Cajun-style salmon, and some Alfredo pasta! The meal went quite well and it was really balanced, and the salad complemented the heat from the fish. Check out plenty of serving suggestions later on in this post!

Dietary Information For Gurkensalat

Gurkensalat is…

Vegetarian
Low-carb
Gluten-free

What’s the Best Cucumber to use for German Cucumber Salad?

My recommendation is to use English cucumbers. This is because they are more mild in flavours and you don’t have to worry about removing seeds. However, as I describe in my free motivational guide to explore your potential in the kitchen Make Cooking Fun!, you should use what you already have on hand before going out to the store to buy something new if it’s a suitable substitute! In this case, if you do have Persian cucumbers, which are small and thin cucumbers (also called “baby cucumbers”), then go ahead and use them! Persian cucumbers are also seedless and they contain very little water, so it’ll be easy to soak up the excess! Your circles will be a bit smaller, but they’ll be very cute!

How Long Do you Keep Cucumber Salad in the Fridge Before Serving?

You only really need to chill it for about 10 minutes! However, for best results, I recommend you chill it for 30 minutes to 1 hour so that it’s really refreshing and the yogurt thickens up.

Equipment to make Gurkensalat

Ingredients For German cucumber Salad

Check out the FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE CARD by scrolling to the bottom of this post or press the “Jump to Recipe” button for the full list of recipe ingredient quantities and to save the recipe for later. You can also scale the recipe based on how many people you’re serving this German cucumber salad for - this will let you know exactly how many cucumbers you’ll need, plus no need to calculate any ratios!

English cucumbers: Cut into circles.
Yogurt: I recommend full fat plain yogurt for the creamiest results.
Sugar: Some sweetness balances out the tanginess from the yogurt and vinegar.
Vinegar: Some acidity to complement the sweetness.
Fresh dill: Chopped.
Salt and pepper: Always to taste! I recommend freshly grated black peppercorns for best flavour.

How to Make German Cucumber Salad

Use a mandoline to slice the cucumbers very thin and evenly. Place on a sieve and rub well with salt. Set aside for 15-20 minutes.

Once the cucumbers have released some of their water, give them a quick squeeze, and rinse well with cold running water to rinse off the salt. Squeeze out the water again.

In the meanwhile, in a large bowl add the yogurt, dill, vinegar and sugar. Add the cucumbers to the bowl along with a couple shakes of pepper.

Mix well to combine and then taste and adjust for seasoning. Chill for at least 15-30 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!

Tips & Tricks For An Amazing German Salad

You can peel the cucumbers if you want, but the flavour, texture and appearance that the peel provides is excellent, and I don’t think it’s worth removing it!
If you are not using a mandoline to slice the cucumbers, then you can cut them by hand using a sharp knife, using your index finger as a guide to make thin, even slices. Speed is not a concern, take your time and do it right!
Rubbing the cucumbers and letting them sit in that salt will help extract a lot of the water out of them. This will make sure that the flavours of the salad are not diluted by the excess flavour.
Keep an eye on the water dripping gently through the sieve or the appearance of the cucumbers turning moist due to salt. Washing the excess salt off is important before adding the cucumbers to your dressing!
The longer that the cucumbers sit in the dressing in the fridge, the softer they will get. I would NOT prepare this for more than a day in advance. Try to serve as fresh as you can. Keep in mind that the salt rub from earlier will make the cucumbers soft.

Variations Of Gurkensalat

Creaminess: For a more sour flavour, you can use sour cream instead of yogurt.
Acidity: Instead of regular white vinegar, play with apple cider vinegar.
Onion: You could also throw in some sliced red onions for more crunch and a stronger flavour.
Sweetness: If you don’t want to use table sugar, try a sugar-free alternative like Stevia or Splenda.

How to Store German Cucumber Salad?

Simply store your German Cucumber Salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator. I wouldn’t keep this for longer than 1 day or else the cucumbers will become soggy.

What to Serve with German Cucumber Salad

Other Awesome Salad Recipes!

Watch How to Make German Cucumber Salad Here:

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vegetarian, Salad, Healthy

German

Yield: 4

Author: Anadi

Super Simple German Cucumber Salad with Yogurthttps://youtu.be/6VVbT8ZXnSALearn how to make a classic German Cucumber Salad with this easy recipe! Gurkensalat is a German cucumber salad that is made with cucumber rounds, yogurt or sour cream, vinegar, and fresh dill. This video will show how to cut the cucumber rounds and how to prevent a soggy German cucumber salad. This German cucumber salad will be the ultimate side dish to your favourite schnitzel!2023-10-23

Gurkensalat - German Cucumber Salad

While Gurkensalat is the iconic side dish for the Traditional Veal Schnitzel, this German Cucumber Salad can also be prepared as a side for so many other dishes! Ready in just a few minutes with minimal ingredients, you’ll want to make this salad whenever you’ve got cucumbers on hand!

Prep time: 5 MinInactive time: 30 MinTotal time: 35 Min

Cook ModePrevent screen from turning off

Ingredients

1 English cucumber
1 Cup plain yogurt
1 1/2 to 2 tsp sugar
2-3 tsp vinegar
1/4 Cup fresh chopped dill
salt and pepper

Instructions

Use a mandolin to slice the cucumbers very thin and evenly. Place on a sieve and rub well with salt. Set aside for 15-20 minutes.
In the meanwhile, in a large bowl add the yogurt, dill, vinegar and sugar. Once the cucumbers have released some of their water, give them a quick squeeze, and rinse well with cold running water to rinse off the salt. Squeeze out the water again and add the cucumbers to the bowl along with a couple shakes of pepper.
Mix well to combine and then taste and adjust for seasoning. Chill for at least 15-30 minutes before serving.