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A year-round favorite but especially great at the height of the summer season, this Italian Cucumber Tomato Salad is simple, fresh, quick-to-prepare and so satisfying. A perfect side dish to any meal!
This Simple Italian Cucumber Tomato Salad is the one I grew up on. It’s a breeze to put together and is really more of a guideline than a strict recipe. The perfect summer salad!
You can generally eyeball the amounts and add the oil, vinegar and spices to taste. If you want more cucumbers than tomatoes, or vice-versa, go for it!
What’s most important here are fresh, quality ingredients and just a bit of resting time. Once the tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, fresh herbs, olive oil and vinegar are mixed together, the salad just needs to rest at room temperature for a bit to allow the flavors to develop and meld together.
A few more fresh herbs are then mixed in and then, voilà–you have the sweetest salad harmony!
Enjoy this easy salad anytime! Perfect at your next backyard barbecue or as a side to some chicken cutlets, roasted Italian sausage or pasta with pesto, this recipe is always a great idea. It’s gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan and a total crowd-pleaser. Mangia bene!
More recipes with fresh tomatoes and/or cucumbers: Tuscan Panzanella Salad, Confit Cherry Tomatoes and Garlic, Fresh Tomato and Basil Vodka Sauce, Classic Tomato Bruschetta, Bruschetta Caprese, Pasta alla Checca with Raw Tomato Sauce, Tomato Basil Bowtie Pasta Salad
Main Ingredient Notes
Use your home garden’s bounty or the best you can find at the local farm stand or grocery store for the main ingredients in this super simple and fresh cucumber tomato salad recipe. We’ll need:
- Cucumbers: I used a variety of mini-cucumber that I grew in my garden called piccolino cucumber, but any type will do, such as Kirby, Persian, English or regular green cucumbers. If the cucumbers are large and have a lot of seeds, you can seed them if you like. Peeling is optional. For me, it depends on the type of cucumber and how fibrous the skin is. Sometimes I will stripe them instead of peel them 100%. (Striping means that they are partially peeled.)
- Tomatoes: I used red cherry tomatoes that I cut in half. Grape and pear tomatoes (either red or yellow) can also be used in the same manner. And, of course other types of tomatoes can be used! Vine-ripened tomatoes and any other beefsteak-style or sauce tomato (like plum, Roma or San Marzano) can be used. Use whatever tomato variety looks and smells the best when plucking or shopping for this salad. Just core them and cut them down into whatever size chunk you want.
- Red Onion: This is my onion of choice in general for raw dishes (with the exception of guacamole in which I use yellow onion). Red onion adds a vibrant color along with pungent, savory flavor and crunchy texture. If you don’t have any red onions on hand, yellow or white onion works fine here.
- Fresh Herbs: I used my garden fresh basil here, but you can really use any of your favorite fresh herbs or a combination thereof. Mint, dill, thyme, oregano and sage are all great options. Fresh and not dried herbs are really best in this recipe and will make ALL THE DIFFERENCE from your everyday tomato cuke salad.
- Extra-Virgin Olive Oil: Use your best, high quality olive oil here! A simple, raw salad like this will let the flavor of a premium extra virgin olive oil really shine.
- Wine Vinegar: Either red or white wine vinegar can be used here. Both provide acid to balance out the sweetness of the main ingredients with a nice puckery tang. I generally do not prefer sweeter options like balsamic vinegar or apple cider vinegar, but feel free to use them if that’s your jam.
How to Make Italian Cucumber Tomato Salad
- Prep all ingredients. Slice or chop the tomatoes, cucumbers, onions and herbs.
Pro-Tip
Use whatever tomato variety looks and smells the best when plucking or shopping for this salad.
- Place the tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion and half the herbs in a large bowl.
- Add the olive oil, vinegar and spices and gently mix until all ingredients are well combined.
- Let the salad sit for 15-20 minutes at room temperature to allow the flavors to develop and meld. Then, add the remaining fresh herbs, mix again and taste and adjust seasoning. That’s it!
Pro-Tip
Some liquid will start to seep out of the veggies, becoming part of the dressing and making it even more delicious.
Be sure to serve some rustic bread on the side to sop up all the remaining juices once the salad is done!
More Summer Favorites
- Spaghetti and Crabs
- Roasted Hot Peppers
- Sausage Stuffed Cubanelle Peppers
- Italian Fried Peppers
- Zucchini a Scapece (Neapolitan Zucchini with Mint and Vinegar)
- Linguine with Red Clam Sauce
- Pesto Ricotta Pasta (No-Cook Sauce)
- Italian Baked Clams with Lemon Breadcrumbs
- Sicilian Pasta alla Norma
TOP TIPS for Italian Cucumber Tomato Salad
- Tomatoes: Use whatever tomato variety looks and smells the best when plucking or shopping for this salad!
- Herbs: USE FRESH! Also, while I used fresh basil leaves, you can use any of your favorite herbs or a combination thereof. Mint, dill, thyme, oregano and sage are all great options.
- Olive Oil: Use your best extra virgin olive oil here!
- Let It Rest: After mixing the ingredients, let the salad rest for about 15-20 minutes at room temperature to allow the flavors to develop and meld. Stir it again and serve!
- Enjoy It Fresh: While you can definitely refrigerate any leftovers and enjoy them the next day, keep in mind that the salad will get a bit soggy as it sits in the refrigerator. This is the type of recipe that is definitely best made and enjoyed within a few hours.
- Eyeball It: Think of the specifications below as more of a guideline than hard and fast rules. You can generally eyeball the amounts and add the oil, vinegar and spices to taste. If you want more cucumbers than tomatoes, go for it! Also, you can definitely double the recipe for a larger yield.
- Recipe Substitutions: I generally do not prefer sweeter options like balsamic vinegar or apple cider vinegar, but feel free to use them if that’s your jam. You can also use your favorite Italian vinaigrette or Italian dressing instead of the olive oil and vinegar if you want.
- Recipe Variations: I love adding a bit of thinly sliced fennel to this dish! It adds a pleasant and fresh, light licorice flavor and nice texture.
Simple Italian Cucumber Tomato Salad
Ingredients
- 12 ounces tomatoes, (See Notes.)
- 12 ounces cucumbers, (See Notes.)
- About 4 ounces red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
- ¼-⅓ cup chopped fresh basil , or other mixed fresh herbs, divided (see Notes.)
- 3-4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 Tbsp red or white wine vinegar
- 1 tsp salt, or to taste
- ¼ tsp black pepper, or to taste
- Pinch crushed red pepper flakes, (optional)
Instructions
- Gather and prep all ingredients.If using cherry, grape or pear tomatoes, cut them in half. If using vine-ripened, heirloom, beefsteak-style or sauce tomatoes(like plum, Roma or San Marzano), core them and cut them into bite-sized or whatever size chunk you like.Peeling the cucumber is optional. Cut the cucumber into chunks that are similar in size to the tomatoes.(Please see the section above in the blog post for Step-By-Step instructions with photos.)12 ounces tomatoes, 12 ounces cucumbers
- Place the tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion and half the herbs in a large bowl.12 ounces tomatoes, 12 ounces cucumbers, About 4 ounces red onion
- Add the olive oil, vinegar and spices and gently mix until all ingredients are well combined.3-4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, 2 Tbsp red or white wine vinegar, 1 tsp salt, ¼ tsp black pepper, Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
- Let the salad sit for 15-20 minutes at room temperature to allow the flavors to develop and meld.
- Then, add the remaining fresh herbs, mix again and taste and adjust seasoning. Then serve!NOTE: Some liquid will start to seep out of the veggies, becoming part of the dressing and making it even more delicious. Be sure to serve some rustic bread on the side to sop up all the remaining juices once the salad is done. Buon Appetito!
Notes
- Think of these specs as more of a guideline than hard and fast rules. You can generally eyeball the amounts and add the oil, vinegar and spices to taste. If you want more cucumbers than tomatoes, go for it! Also, you can definitely double the recipe for a larger yield.
- I used red cherry tomatoes that I cut in half. Grape and pear tomatoes (either red or yellow) can also be used in the same manner. And, of course other types of tomatoes can be used! Vine-ripened tomatoes and any other beefsteak-style or sauce tomato (like plum, Roma or San Marzano) can be used. Use whatever tomato variety looks and smells the best when plucking or shopping for this salad. Just core them and cut them down into whatever size chunk you want.
- I used a variety of mini-cucumber that I grew in my garden called piccolino cucumber, but any type will do, such as Kirby, Persian, English or regular green cucumbers. If the cucumbers and large and have a lot of seeds, you can seed them if you like. Peeling is optional. For me, it depends on the type of cucumber and how fibrous the skin is. Sometimes I will stripe them instead of peel them 100%. (Striping means that they are partially peeled.)
- Use your best, high quality olive oil here! A simple, raw salad like this will let the flavor of a premium extra virgin olive oil really shine.
- I used my garden fresh basil here, but you can really use any of your favorite fresh herbs or a combination thereof. Mint, dill, thyme, oregano and sage are all great options. Fresh and not dried herbs are really best in this recipe and will make a difference.
- While you can definitely refrigerate any leftovers and enjoy them the next day, keep in mind that the salad will get a bit soggy as it sits in the refrigerator. This is the type of recipe that is definitely best made and enjoyed within a few hours
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The salad I make on repeat all summer long!