Cool as a Cuke: 13 Refreshing Recipes for Summer’s Crunchiest Star

Plate of cucumber salad garnished with crushed peanuts and lime wedges on a table set with dining utensils — Serious Eats / Frederick Hardy II, Prop Stylist: Christina Daley, Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey

Cucumbers are nature's twofer: Botanically, they're a fruit, but their savoriness keeps them firmly in the vegetable category. Similarly, cukes can be a satiating food, but their water content is high enough to quench thirst. We've gathered 13 cucumber recipes that celebrate the dual nature of cukes. Most are no-cook and served cold, and thus perfect for the hottest days of summer, which, as luck would have it, is peak cucumber season. If you'd like to review the best ways to shop for, store, and prepare cucumbers, see our knife skills primer for cucumbers.

May 2024

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Milwaukee Dill Refrigerator Pickles

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

These refrigerator pickles, made with a vinegar brine flavored with dill, garlic, and onion, are a Midwestern classic. Coriander, mustard, allspice, juniper, cloves, cinnamon, and other whole spices give these pickles an exceptional flavor. For a pickle that's safe to can, see Marisa's recipe for garlic dills. If you're itching to make a batch of pickles that rely on lactic acid fermentation rather than vinegar for their mouth-puckering flavor, check out Christina's companion recipe for sour dills. Or, if you're short on time and need burger toppings ASAP, try Kenji's quick and easy dill pickle chips.

Milwaukee Dill Refrigerator Pickles
Cucumber Raita (Indian Yogurt Condiment)

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

This classic Indian yogurt dish is a perfect accompaniment to biryani and other meaty rice dishes, but we have trouble not just eating it with a spoon or using it as a dip for all manner of flatbreads. Here, Sohla calls for chaat masala, a green Thai chile, ginger, cilantro, and an extra pinch of black salt. If your spice cabinet is missing a few items, or if simplicity appeals to you, try our recipe for Persian māst-o-khiār, which pairs cucumber and yogurt with little more than salt and dried mint.

Cucumber Raita (Indian Yogurt Condiment) Recipe
Stir-Fried Cucumbers With Trumpet Mushrooms and Torch Hei

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

Cooked cucumbers may seem counterintuitive, but this recipe will erase any doubts from your mind. Paired with meaty king trumpet mushrooms, these juicy cucumbers take on a lightly smoky flavor thanks to Tim's torch hei stir-frying method. If you left your blowtorch at a friend's house, Shao's more conventional recipe for stir-frying cucumbers with dried chiles and ground pork is also quite good.

Stir-Fried Cucumbers With Trumpet Mushrooms and Torch Hei
Cucumber Peanut Salad

Serious Eats / Frederick Hardy II, Prop Stylist: Christina Daley, Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey

This cucumber salad is loud in all the right ways. Inspired by the punchy, layered flavors of pad Thai, it leans into intensity: nutty peanut butter, pleasantly pungent fish sauce, bright lime juice, and a little kick of heat. But it's not all about power moves—the cucumbers hold their own and bring balance, adding cool crunch and refreshing contrast to every bite.

Cucumber Peanut Salad

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Oi-Sobagi (Korean Stuffed Cucumber Kimchi)

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

This stuffed cucumber kimchi is served fresh to keep the vegetables crisp and sweet, making this a light and refreshing summer kimchi that can be enjoyed immediately.

Oi-Sobagi (Korean Stuffed Cucumber Kimchi)
Creamy Cucumber Salad

Serious Eats / Lynn Wolsted

This crunchy, creamy cucumber salad is made with tahini, lemon, and fresh dill. For a vinaigrette option, see Jennifer's cucumber-mint salad or Kenji's Sichuan-style smashed cucumber salad.

Creamy Cucumber Salad
Horiatiki (Greek Salad)

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

Daniel's take on Greek salad foregoes lettuce for more cucumber and tomato. The feta is served on top in slabs instead of crumbled and mixed in, which allows everyone to have as much as they want in each bite.

Horiatiki (Greek Salad)
Salata Falahiyeh (Palestinian or Farmers Salad)

Serious Eats / Mai Kakish

Here, the combination of cucumber, tomato, onion, herbs, and a basic olive oil–based dressing is practically universal throughout the Mediterranean and Central and South Asia. Reem's recipe for this classic salad calls for mint, olive oil, minced lemon, lemon juice, and a minced jalapeño. For a slightly different take, Nader's recipe for sālād-é-Shirāzi takes this basic formula and swaps verjuice for the lemon juice and skips the fresh chile.

Salata Falahiyeh (Palestinian or Farmers Salad)

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Icy-Cold Korean Cucumber Soup (Oi Naengguk)

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

Using only a few key ingredients, this refreshing cucumber soup delivers tons of savory flavor.

Icy-Cold Korean Cucumber Soup (Oi Naengguk)
Avocado Toast With Cucumber, Soy Sauce, and Shichimi Togarashi

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

Cucumber slices add a cooling crunch to this avocado toast, with soy sauce introducing a savory note. A scattering of scallion adds a nice hit of allium goodness and a sprinkle of shichimi togarashi adds a spicy, peppery finish.

Avocado Toast With Cucumber, Soy Sauce, and Shichimi Togarashi
Cucumber Sandwiches

Serious Eats / Victor Protastio

Whether accompanied by tea or not, these simple, refeshing sandwiches are a perfect afternoon treat. We salt the cucumber slices for 20 minutes before serving, which seasons them while extracting excess moisture. A thin layer of European-style cultured butter or cream cheese adds a welcome tang.

Cucumber Sandwiches
Cucumber-Lemon Water

Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

Leah's easy technique for infusing water yields impressive results. Simply muddle or mash sliced cucumber, sliced lemon, and mint in some water for about a minute, steep in the refrigerator for an hour, then strain and add more water, along with more sliced cucumber, lemon, and mint. Voilà! Consider yourself refreshed.

Cucumber-Lemon Water

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Spicy Cucumber-Jalapeño Limeade

Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

Sipping on this beverage is like jumping into a cold pool on a sweltering day. It's bracingly tart and balanced with just enough sugar to make it sing, and infused with the kick of fresh jalapeños.

Spicy Cucumber-Jalapeño Limeade