Easy Mexican Cucumber Salad Recipe

This Cucumber Salad is a healthy, refreshing, easy side that will be the hit at every potluck, picnic, and barbecue. Instead of just cucumbers, this Cucumber Salad recipe is a Mexican inspired medley of veggies spiked with cilantro and Cotija cheese, tossed in a light honey chipotle dressing. It can be thrown together in 20 minutes, is make-ahead friendly, and is fiesta, crunchy texture heaven!

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top view of cucumber salad in a plate with tomatoes

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Mexican Cucumber Salad: The twist you never knew you needed

MEXICAN INSPIRED: A rainbow of fiesta veggies, zesty cilantro, salty cotija and sweet, tangy Honey Chipotle Vinaigrette will have everyone craving Cucumber Salad!
No one-note Cucumber Salad: A symphony of crunchy cucumbers, crisp bell peppers, juicy tomatoes, sweet corn and zippy red onions creates spoonfuls of satisfying texture you can’t get enough of!
Light flavorful dressing: This Cucumber Salad isn’t drenched in oil, or saturated in mayo, instead a kiss of lime allows the cucumbers to shine.
Easy: If you can chop and whisk, you can make this Cucumber Salad recipe in less than 25 minutes!
Make ahead friendly: No last-minute stress with this recipe! Chop the veggies and whisk the dressing together up to 24 hours ahead of time, then combine when ready.

What is Mexican Cucumber Salad?

Mexican Cucumber Salad is an exciting spin on traditional cucumber salad! It’s a refreshing dish that combines crunchy Persian cucumbers, crisp bell peppers, juicy tomatoes, sweet corn, zippy red onions, and salty cotija cheese. It is dressed with a flavorful honey chipotle vinaigrette, which adds a balance of sweetness and smoky spiciness to the salad.

top view of cucumber salad ingredients in a bowl with cucumbers, tomatoes, corn, onions, bell peppers

Easy Cucumber Salad Ingredients

This Cucumber Salad recipe uses your favorite fiesta veggies, but feel free to make it your own! Here’s what I recommend for the most balanced, satisfying combo (full measurements in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post):

FOR THE cucumber Salad:

Cucumbers: Persian cucumbers are ideal due to their smaller size, lack of seeds, mild flavor and thin skins.
Corn: Use one cup canned sweet, rinsed and drained, or 1 cup fresh corn off of the cob, about 2 ears of corn. I highly recommend grilling the corn or charring the canned corn, but it’s not essential.
Bell pepper: Use one red, orange or yellow bell pepper for its sweetness. I like to use orange purely for its color.
Tomatoes: Please use grape or cherry tomatoes over Roma tomatoes because they boast superior texture and are less watery. Half the tomatoes if small or quarter if larger.
Red onion: This is essential for sharp, aromatic flavor.
Cilantro: Chopped cilantro adds a vibrant, zesty, citrus pop.
Mint: The subtle sweetness and cooling sensation are fabulous with cucumbers. You may omit if you don’t have.
Cotija cheese: This cheese is salty, hard, and crumbly. It is traditionally found with the specialty cheeses and should be readily available. You may also use queso fresco.

For the Cucumber Salad Dressing:

Olive oil: Use extra virgin olive oil for the best flavor.
Lime juice: Please use fresh lime juice because we also need the zest of the lime.
Red wine vinegar: This enhances the lime juice with tanginess without the sourness.
Honey: This balances the acidity of the vinegar and lime and adds a kiss of sweetness.
Seasonings: The medley of garlic powder, dried oregano, chipotle powder, salt and pepper infuse the Cucumber Salad with a fiesta flair.

side view of a bowl showing ingredients for cucumber salad in a bowl

How to make Cucumber Salad

This Cucumber Salad is as easy as chopping the veggies, whisking the dressing and combining! Here’s how with step-by-step-photos (full measurements in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post):

Step 1: Combine salad ingredients. Add the vegetables, red onion, cilantro, mint and cotija to a large bowl; set aside.

Step 1: Make dressing. Whisk the dressing ingredients together in a medium bowl or liquid measuring cup.

showing how to make cucumber salad by whisking vinegar, lime juice, olive oil and spices together in a measuring cup

Step 3: Combine. Drizzle the dressing over the cucumber salad and toss to combine.

Step 4: Chill. Refrigerate for at least one hour before serving.

showing how to make cucumber salad by tossing the ingredients together in a bowl with cucumber salad ingredients

Easy Cucumber Salad Tips

Use fresh corn immediately. Fresh corn is the sweetest and juiciest used within the first 1-2 days. The sugars begin converting to starch soon after the corn is harvested. Store the corn in the refrigerator to stall this process.
Chop the ingredients small. Chop the bell peppers the size of corn kernels and finely dice the onion. Quarter the cherry tomatoes if larger. Now, you’re rewarded with perfect balance in every bite!
Tame the red onion. If you’re not a fan of raw red onions, submerge them in a bowl of ice water for 10 minutes to tame the zing. Dry very well before adding to the Cucumber Salad.
Chill Cucumber Salad. I recommended making the recipe at least 60 minutes before serving to give the flavors time to meld and marry.
Don’t combine too early. The vegetables will release water and make the dressing watery if combined too early. Combine 1-3 hours before serving.
Adjust to taste after chilling. Chilling the recipe will heighten some flavors and subdue others. Therefore, adjust the seasoning to taste after chilling by adding salt, pepper, chipotle pepper or lime juice.

Best Cucumber Salad Recipe Variations

This Cucumber Salad recipe is endlessly customizable! Feel free to swap in or omit any of your favorite ingredients. Here are a few ideas:

Use English cucumbers: slice the cucumbers in half lengthwise, then scrape out the seeds with a teaspoon, otherwise the dressing will be watery.
Customize the dressing: add additional honey for sweeter, additional chipotle pepper for spicier, lime juice or vinegar for tangier.
Use Roma tomatoes: take care to seed the tomatoes completely so the dressing doesn’t become watery.
Use green onion: keep in mind they aren’t as zippy as red onions.
Add jalapeno: if you like more heat!
Add veggies: add your favorites such as jicama, cauliflower, radishes, cucumbers, shaved Brussels sprouts, etc.
Add beans: any variety of beans can be used such as black beans, cannellini beans, kidney beans, pinto beans, etc.
Add mangos: for a sweet juicy pop.
Add grains: stir in cooked brown rice or quinoa.
Add pasta: stir in cooked orzo or couscous.

up close of making cucumber salad by tossing with dressing

What to serve with this recipe for Cucumber Salad

This easy Cucumber Salad pairs well with virtually any main dish! Here are a few ideas:

Chicken: chipotle chicken, chili lime chicken, and cilantro lime chicken
Shrimp: cilantro lime shrimp, jerk shrimp or grilled shrimp
Beef: carne asada steak or beef barbacoa
Pork: carnitas, salsa verde pork or chipotle pork
Fish: cilantro lime salmon, grilled salmon, grilled salmon in foil
Tacos: street tacos, Baja fish tacos, chicken tacos
Sandwiches and Burgers: BBQ Beef Brisket Sandwiches, Best Burgers, BBQ Bacon Burgers

MEal Prep Cucumber Salad

Chop the salad ingredients and refrigerate in separate airtight containers or bags for up to 48 hours. Whisk the dressing ingredients together, cover and refrigerate for up to four days. An hour or so before serving, toss the salad with the dressing and refrigerate until ready to serve. Enjoy!

How to store Mexican Cucumber Salad

Cucumber Salad is best served within a few hours after it is prepared, but will keep for up to 3 days. Keep in mind, the vegetables will soften and release additional moisture over time.

Best Cucumber Salad FAQs

How do you keep cucumber salad from getting soggy?

The best way to prevent cucumber salad from getting soggy is:

1. Use Persian cucumbers which don’t have a high water content. If you use a different cucumber, remove the excess moisture by sprinkling salt over the sliced cucumbers and let them sit for about 10-15 minutes. Squeeze or pat them dry with a paper towel before combining them with the other salad ingredients. Omit the salt in the recipe, then salt to taste.

2. Mix just before serving. If you’re preparing the cucumber salad ahead of time, keep the cucumbers separate from the other ingredients until just before serving. Mixing the salad too early can cause the cucumbers to release moisture and become limp.

What kind of cucumbers are best for cucumber salad?

Persian cucumbers are the best for cucumber for salad because they have the lowest water content. English cucumbers are the next best variety, but you will need to slice the cucumbers in half and remove the seeds with a teaspoon. Slicing cucumbers will need to be peeled because the peel is bitter. Again, scoop out the seeds and remove excess moisture per above.

Do you to peel cucumbers for cucumber salad?

You do not need to peel Persian or English cucumber skins. Their skins are thin, tender, and mild tasting. They are also easier to chew and digest. Other cucumber varieties, like slicing cucumbers, need to be peeled because they can be bitter and more difficult to digest.

Is cucumber salad healthy?

Cucumber salads dressed with vinegar-based dressings can be a healthy option. Cucumbers offer several health benefits due to their nutrient content and hydration properties. They are low in calories and rich in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, such as vitamin K, vitamin C, potassium, and flavonoids. Cucumbers aid in hydration, support proper digestion with their fiber content, promote healthy skin, contribute to weight management, and may have anti-inflammatory properties. Additionally, their high water content helps keep you hydrated and can assist in maintaining optimal body temperature.

top view serving cucumber salad on a plate with vinegar dressing

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Servings: -8 servings

Total Time: 25

Prep Time: 25

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Ingredients

CUCUMBER SALAD

24 ounces Persian cucumbers (about 10)
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup sweet corn (canned or from fresh cobs)
1 orange bell pepper, diced
1/3 cup diced red onions
1/4 cup crumbled Cotija cheese
2 tablespoons minced cilantro
2 tablespoons minced mint

Honey Lime Chipotle Vinaigrette

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons lime juice
zest of one lime
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1-2 tablespoons honey
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 tsp EACH dried oregano, chipotle pepper, pepper, salt

Instructions

Salad: Add the salad ingredients to a large bowl; set aside.
Dressing: Add the dressing ingredients to a medium bowl (start with 1 TB honey) and whisk vigorously to combine. Adjust to taste with additional honey for sweeter or red wine vinegar for tangier.
Combine: Drizzle the dressing over the cucumber salad and toss to combine. Wait to add dressing if not serving within a few hours; instead, chill separately.
Chill: Cover and refrigerate 1-3 hours before serving.
Adjust to taste: Before serving, taste and season with salt, pepper, chipotle pepper if desired (we like more salt and chipotle). For tangier, add additional lime juice, for less tangy/sweeter, add additional honey.

Video

Notes

Meal Prep: Chop the salad ingredients and refrigerate in separate airtight containers or bags for up to 48 hours. Whisk the dressing ingredients together, cover and refrigerate for up to four days. An hour or so before serving, toss the salad with the dressing and refrigerate until ready to serve. Enjoy!
Storage: Cucumber Salad is best served within a few hours after it is prepared, but will keep for up to 3 days. Keep in mind, the vegetables will soften and release additional moisture over time.

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4 Comments

B says

at

This looks & sounds delicious! I can’t get Persian cucumbers where I live. How many English cucumbers should I use?

- Jen says
  
  at
  
  There should be about 24 oz, so I would say 3-5 cucumbers. With English cucumbers I would suggest slicing the cucumbers in half lengthwise, then scraping out the seeds with a teaspoon, otherwise the dressing will be watery. Hope this helps!
  
B says

at

One more question you listed the dressing ingredients using red wine vinegar, but in the actual recipe, you used apple cider vinegar. Is this a choice of using one or the other, & if so, which do you prefer?

- Jen says
  
  at
  
  My apologies! I use red wine vinegar, but yes, either one will work.