This Creamy Vegan Cucumber Salad with Dill and Red Onion is filled with delicious fresh cucumbers, savory herbs and spices, and a bright squeeze of lemon! Enjoy it as a side dish or as a light and tasty lunch.
I recently made this delicious and Creamy Vegan Cucumber Salad with Dill and Red Onion and knew it needed to be on the blog! It has a creamy sauce made from a cashew base mixed with lemon, maple, and yummy spices. Drizzled over crunchy cucumbers and red onion with fresh dill, it's the perfect combination!
Health Benefits of Cucumbers
This fresh, crunchy, and delicious vegetable is also full of wonderful nutrition! Cucumbers are low in calories, high in vitamin C, and high in water. They're also high in fiber, which makes them great for stomach health. I eat cucumbers whenever I can!
Choosing Perfect Cucumbers
Choose firm, well-shaped cucumbers with a dark green color. They should feel heavy for their size. Since so much of cucumber's nutrition is in their skin, I suggest leaving the skin on rather than peeling it!
Cucumber Storage
Refrigerate cucumbers in plastic bag up to 1 week. This Creamy Vegan Cucumber Salad keeps in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. I love eating the leftovers for lunch or as a light and refreshing snack! Sometimes I mix in radish or tomatoes.
All About Cashews
The creaminess for this Vegan Cucumber Salad comes from raw cashews. They offer plant-based protein and are also incredibly nutrient dense. Cashews are considered an excellent source of copper as well as a good source of magnesium, manganese, vitamin K, phosphorous and zinc. They're a great addition to this dressing! Learn all about How (and Why!) to Soak Cashews in this post.
And for more information on cashews, check out my complete guide on Cashews Benefits for Vegans (+ Recipes).
Creamy Vegan Cucumber Salad with Dill and Red Onion
- Total Time: 10
- Yield: 6-8 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This Creamy Vegan Cucumber Salad with Dill and Red Onion is filled with delicious fresh cucumbers, savory herbs and spices, and a bright squeeze of lemon! Enjoy it as a side dish or as a light and tasty lunch.
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw unsalted cashews, soaked in advance*
- ½ cup filtered water
- 1 large juicy lemon, juiced (about 3 tablespoons)
- 3 cloves garlic (4 if you LOVE garlic)
- 3 teaspoons distilled white vinegar
- 2 teaspoons pure maple syrup
- 1 ¼ teaspoon salt (or more to taste)
- ½ teaspoon ground black (or more to taste)
- ½ cup fresh dill, large stems removed plus more for garnish
- 1 large English cucumber, very thinly sliced (4 cups when thinly sliced)
- 1 cup thinly sliced red onion
Instructions
- In a high speed blender combine the cashews, water, lemon, garlic, vinegar, maple syrup, salt and pepper. Blend until smooth and creamy (about one minute).
- Add the dill and pulse four times to incorporate. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl combine the cucumber, red onion and HALF of the creamy vegan dill sauce. Stir well to evenly coat the cucumber slices. Make sure cucumber slices are not sticking together and all both sides are getting coated with the dressing. At this point the dressing will be quite thick. That is okay.
- Let the cucumber salad chill for ten minutes in the refrigerator. As the salad chills the cucumbers will naturally start to release their juices which will thin out the sauce. After the cucumber salad has chilled, mix again, taste and add more sauce if desired. I usually end up using about ¾ of the sauce - it will depend on how creamy and how flavorful you want it. I save the extra creamy dill sauce for radish salad, tomato salad or regular salads. It makes a great dip for any raw vegetable too.
- Garnish with fresh dill and freshly ground black pepper.
- Best served when fresh. You can store leftovers in an airtight glass container for up to two days.
Notes
* Learn all about How (and Why!) to Soak Cashews in this post
- Prep Time: 10
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Blender
Keywords: creamy vegan cucumber salad
Lorenza says
Made it for the second time tonight and absolutely love it!
I try not to use too many exotic ingredients like cashews on account of the environment- I make an exception for this when I have guests because it is such a hit.
Thank you!
Elaine Gordon says
Thank you, Lorenza! I'm so happy you have been enjoying this one! I agree it is hit whenever I make it here too. Would using blanched slivered almonds work for you better? If so, you can substitute here.
Debra says
Just made this. Mine didn’t come out real creamy. Maybe I didn’t soak the cashews long enough. How long do you soak them?
The dressing is very tasty however. Thank you!
Elaine Gordon says
Hi Debra, Thank you for letting me know. Hm, I'm not sure what may have happened here. I have made this recipe multiple times following this recipe precisely and never had that issue. Did you find the cucumbers released more liquid after you mixed in the dressing and stored/chilled it for a bit in the fridge? Soaking the cashews is key for sure. And using a juicy lemon. I'm glad you liked the taste though. Please let me know when you get a chance what you think may have happened here. I always strive for my recipes to work well for all!