This cucumber radish salad is a crisp, refreshing combination that comes together quickly with just a few ingredients! While some may be hesitant to try a recipe with raw radishes, their peppery bite is softened by complementary flavors, including dill, chives, and fresh lemon juice. Make this vegan, gluten-free dish to serve as an easy spring or summer side dish!
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Lizzie’s Notes
Cucumbers are currently the veggie of the moment in my household. They’re just so crisp and refreshing—perfect for an easy snack or side on hot days! I also love how well they pair with other seasonal vegetables available in June.
This cucumber radish salad is an excellent example of the hydrating crunch cukes bring to dishes and how well that offsets the peppery flavor of raw radishes. I love to highlight radishes whenever I can, since they’re not at the top of most people’s lists when going to the farmers market or grocery store, BUT they are a superfood. Radishes provide vitamin C that supports skin health and immunity and contain potentially cancer-fighting compounds. However, they can be off-putting due to their sharp taste.
Pairing radishes with mild cucumbers, fresh herbs, lemon juice, and plenty of kosher salt to draw out extra moisture and enhance flavors will give you a totally different experience of this vegetable! This dish is more of a veggie side than a leafy green salad, but it’s bound to become a go-to recipe when you need something fast (like 20 minutes fast)! No cooking required!
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Cucumbers: I recommend mini/Persian cucumbers for this recipe. They’re smaller than English cucumbers and have thinner skin that you can eat. They also have few to no seeds and a crunchier texture! This is exactly what you want in a raw vegetable salad.
- Radishes: I used regular round red radishes, one of the most commonly sold varieties. This dish would also look beautiful with Easter egg radishes, watermelon radishes, or French breakfast radishes.
- Dill and chives: Fresh herbs are one of the stars of cucumber radish salad! Feel free to sub or add fresh parsley, basil, tarragon, or mint. Keep in mind that the flavor profile will be slightly different if you use different herbs.
- Toasted pine nuts: Sub dry roasted sunflower seeds if you want the recipe to be nut-free. Slivered or sliced almonds also work well.
- Lemon juice: Use freshly squeezed juice for best results. If you don’t have lemon, substitute apple cider vinegar, red wine vinegar, or white wine vinegar.
- Extra virgin olive oil: I like Zoe or Partanna.
- Kosher salt: Use kosher salt instead of table salt, since the coarser granules will adhere to the vegetables better, draw out their flavors, and have a crunchier mouthfeel. If you only have table salt, use half of the amount listed at first to avoid over-salting and add more to taste.
How to Make Cucumber Radish Salad
The full recipe card, with specific ingredient amounts, is at the bottom of the post. Here’s a preview of the steps with photos to guide you in the kitchen!
Thinly slice the cucumbers and radishes. I highly recommend using a mandoline if you have one! I use and love the mandoline blade of this Oxo Good Grips set. If you don’t have one, use a sharp knife to slice the veggies as thin as possible.
Combine vegetables, toasted pine nuts, and fresh herbs in a mixing bowl.
Whisk together dressing ingredients.
Pour over salad, and mix to combine.
Easy Variations
- Add cheese: Mix in crumbled feta or goat cheese for a salty or tangy twist! Shredded parmesan also works well. You can even serve a scoop of the salad on a bed of whipped ricotta!
- Use Greek yogurt instead of olive oil: If you want a creamier dressing, consider subbing Greek yogurt for oil. However, the flavor will be tangier.
- Include sliced green onions: If you want some onion undertones, sliced scallions/green onions are a great addition that’s not too overpowering. Use diced red onion if you want a stronger flavor.
- Eat your greens: Add a handful of arugula or baby spinach to make this more of a leafy green salad.
- Add a protein boost: Mix in edamame or a can of white beans or chickpeas.
- Add avocado: Mix in cubes of creamy avocado to complement the crunchy vegetables.
Ways to Serve It
Enjoy cucumber radish salad on the side of burgers (veggie, chicken, or beef), pulled pork, salmon, shrimp, or grilled chicken. You can easily make the recipe ahead of time for a cookout, potluck, or picnic. It’s also a delicious addition to Mediterranean-inspired wraps, sandwiches (like open-faced ones with cream cheese or ricotta), grain bowls, or plates with hummus, pita, and couscous.
Storing Leftovers
For best results and the crunchiest texture, enjoy the salad right away. Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days. After adding the dressing, a pool of liquid will start to accumulate in the bottom of the bowl. As a result, the veggies and pine nuts get softer as they sit.
If you want to make the recipe a few hours ahead of time to bring to a gathering, keep the salad ingredients and dressing in separate containers. Then, add the dressing shortly before serving.
More Salad Recipes
- Cucumber Edamame Salad
- Chili Lime Jicama and Cucumber Salad
- Chickpea Cucumber Feta Salad
- Radish Potato Salad (Potato-less)
- Italian Farro Salad
- Marinated Celery Salad with Walnuts
- Cabbage Carrot Salad
📖 Recipe
Cucumber Radish Salad
Ingredients
- 1 bunch radishes - usually 6 to 8, 1 cup thinly sliced (I used classic round red radishes)
- 3 to 4 mini Persian cucumbers - 2 cups thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
- 2 tablespoons sliced fresh chives
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice - from ½ of a large lemon
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Thinly slice the radishes and cucumbers with a mandoline (recommended, if you have one!) or sharp knife.
- Combine the vegetables, pine nuts, chives, and dill in a large bowl.
- Whisk the olive oil, lemon juice, and salt in a measuring cup or small bowl.
- Pour the dressing over the salad ingredients. Toss until coated.
- Serve and enjoy!
- Leave a rating or review by tapping the stars on this recipe card (above) or in the comments section (at the end of the post)!
Notes
- Storage: Liquid will start to accumulate in the bottom of the bowl after you add the dressing, so for the best texture, I recommend eating the salad right away. However, leftovers will last in an airtight container for 2 to 3 days in the fridge. The veggies and pine nuts will get softer over time due to the liquid.
- Make ahead: If you want to prep the salad a few hours before serving but don’t want the veggies to soften too much, keep the salad ingredients and dressing ingredients in separate containers in the fridge. Add the dressing shortly before serving.
- Pine nuts: Some stores sell pine nuts that are already toasted. If you can’t find them, toast the pine nuts yourself in a skillet over medium heat. Cook, stirring often to avoid burning, until fragrant. Remove from heat.
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