Ah, the humble cucumber. Too often relegated to an optional garnish or simple side salad, cucumbers can actually play a major role in a ton of creative summer BBQ salads, healthy dips, lunch sandwiches, and even cocktails. It adds much needed brightness and crunch to a variety of dishes, and we’re here to finally give it the praise it deserves. Check out our 30 cucumber recipes for ideas—we bet you’ll seek some out next time you hit the grocery store or farmer’s market.
For most recipes, you can use any variety of cucumber you can find, though there are a few recipes where we prefer one over the other. The 4 main types you’re likely to find in your grocery store are English cucumbers (long, dark green, and thin with a tougher skin), garden cucumbers (medium-sized, big seeds, waxed skin), Kirby cucumbers (smaller and fatter, with bumpy skin), and Persian cucumbers (usually the smallest, lighter green, very thin skin). If you’re making a recipe like our Greek cucumber cups or California cucumber bites, where you want the cucumbers to be extra sturdy, go for a English or garden cuke (feel free to peel the outside). If you’re just looking for refreshing crunch, go for a kirby (most commonly used for pickles), or a Persian (try them alongside falafel or in our crunch salad).
As we see it, cucumber is great both as the star of a dish, and as the supporting cast. Some of our favorite creamy and herby dips—like tzatziki, raita, and the Vietnamese nước chấm found in our bánh mì kebabs recipe—wouldn’t exist without cucumber. Our Chinese smashed cucumber salad or regular cucumber salad are all about the cuke too, and you can serve them alongside anything that needs a little extra oomph. You can even make cucumber noodles out of them, like in our Thai peanut cucumber noodles or our Greek cucumber noodle salad (just like zoodles, but unfortunately we don’t think “coodles” will catch on). Cucumbers also pair perfectly with other ingredients like watermelon, tomato, feta, and olives, like in our Mediterranean chickpea salad, our watermelon feta salad, or our avocado & tomato salad. Looking for something super easy to do with cucumbers? Simply slice them, and use them as garnish for everything from your breakfast bagels and lox to evening cocktails like our St. Germain spritz. They’ll add an extra fresh taste and crunch you’ll be glad for.
Want more veggie inspiration? Check out our favorite eggplant recipes, sweet corn recipes, and zucchini recipes too.
