Creamy Cucumber Salad
This healthy creamy cucumber salad is a simple salad recipe that gets its creamy dressing from a heart-healthy source: avocados! Perfect for summer, it’s hydrating, cooling, full of monounsaturated fatty acids, fiber, and antioxidants. Don’t forget to save this creamy cucumber salad recipe to Pinterest to make later!
Cucumbers are the epitome of cooling refreshment when it comes to fruits and veggies, right? And just to be clear, cucs are a fruit, as are avocados, making this one low-sugar fruit salad! 😉 I think that’s why I always seem to crave cucumbers more in the summertime. Florida just gets so hot and humid, and a fresh, crisp, cool cucumber just totally hits the spot. They’re even a favorite snack of my one-year-old who loves to grab a Persian cucumber and chomp away saying, “happy happy happy!” But if you’re like me and looking to add a little variety to your cucumber consumption, this light and fresh creamy cucumber salad is for you!
Y’all know by now that I’m pretty fixated on simplicity. I love simple ingredients, simple meals, and nutrition made simple. This creamy cucumber salad is the epitome of simplicity. It requires just a few healthy, fresh ingredients, like cucumber, lemon, avocado, and parsley. It also comes together pretty quickly as well, once you blend the dressing ingredients together and chop some cucumber and parsley. I love low-maintenance recipes!
Now to address a few common questions about this healthy creamy cucumber salad:
Is this creamy cucumber salad gluten free?
Yes! In fact, this healthy creamy cucumber salad is actually free of the top eight most common food allergens: gluten, dairy, soy, egg, fish, shellfish, peanuts, and tree nuts. Many other creamy cucumber salads have dairy-based dressings or mayo-based dressings with eggs, so this is an especially friendly alternative for anyone who has food allergies.
How long does creamy cucumber salad last?
While it typically doesn’t last this long in our cucumber-loving household, I wouldn’t keep your creamy cucumber salad more than 48 hours. Additionally, I really feel that this creamy cucumber salad tastes best fresh and isn’t the best for meal prep. The cucumber slices will lose some moisture the longer they sit, and that moisture tends to thin out the avocado dressing, making it less appealing. Basically, make it shortly before dinner or your potluck or barbecue and you’ll be good to go!
How do you make creamy cucumber salad?
It’s pretty simple – slice your cucumbers and chop some fresh parsley and then blend all other ingredients in a blender or food processor to create the creamy avocado dressing. Toss all the ingredients to evenly combine and you’re done!
Are there any substitutions I can use in this creamy cucumber salad?
It’s such a simple recipe that the basic components – cucumbers and avocado – really don’t have substitutions. You can totally sub lime juice for lemon juice, or try other herbs for flavor instead of parsley. Basil or mint would be fun additions!
Need more healthy summer side dishes?
Try these other Nutrition to Fit healthy summer side dish recipes:
- Cranberry Crunch Broccoli Slaw
- Blueberry Panzanella Salad
- 5-Minute Broccoli Kale Quinoa Salad
- 5-Minute Balsamic Thyme Tomato Salad
- Fruity Quinoa Salad
- Grilled Greek Salad
- Spiralized Cucumber Sesame Salad
When you make this healthy, creamy cucumber salad be sure to share your thoughts! Rate the recipe and comment below, and share a picture of your finished product to social media (tag @nutritiontofit and #nutritiontofit). Don’t forget to save this creamy cucumber salad recipe to Pinterest so you can make it later. Live well!
Creamy Cucumber Salad
Ingredients
- 1 seedless cucumber
- 1 avocado
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- ¼ cup water
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ cup chopped parsley
- optional garnish: additional fresh parsley or lemon wedges
Instructions
- Slice cucumber into quarter-inch rounds and place in a medium-sized bowl.
- In a food processor, combine avocado, lemon juice, water, and salt and process 1-2 minutes until smooth and creamy.
- Add avocado dressing and fresh chopped parsley to the sliced cucumbers. Toss to combine.
- If desired, garnish with fresh parsley or lemon wedges.
- Salad is best served soon after making. Can keep refrigerated up to 48 hours, but the longer the salad sits, the more water is pulled from the cucumbers into the sauce.
Nutrition