This low carb 4-ingredient creamy cucumber salad is one of those simple, comforting dishes that shows up at every family gathering. My grandmother kept a big plastic container of it in the fridge all summer long, ready to scoop out alongside burgers, brats, or a Sunday pot roast. Thinly sliced cucumbers and onions are folded into a cool, tangy sour cream and dill dressing that tastes like childhood picnics and church potlucks, but fits nicely into a lower-carb way of eating. It’s budget-friendly, easy to throw together, and perfect for making ahead.
Serve this creamy cucumber salad well-chilled, straight from the fridge, in its plastic storage container or transferred to a simple serving bowl. It’s especially good next to grilled chicken, burgers, steak, or brats, and it lightens up heavier dishes like casseroles or meatloaf. I like to tuck it onto a plate with sliced tomatoes or a green salad for a fresh, crunchy contrast. It also works nicely in a lunchbox alongside cold cuts or leftover roast, since the cucumbers stay crisp and the sour cream dressing feels like a cool little treat.
Low Carb Creamy Cucumber SaladServings: 6
Ingredients
4 cups thinly sliced cucumbers (about 2 large cucumbers)
1 cup thinly sliced white onion
1 cup full-fat sour cream
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill (plus extra to taste)
Directions
Slice the cucumbers very thinly, about 1/8 inch or thinner if you can. You want pale, delicate slices so they soak up the dressing but still have some crunch. Add them to a medium plastic container with a tight-fitting lid.
Thinly slice the white onion into half-moons or rings and add them to the container with the cucumbers. Break up any clumps so the onion is evenly mixed through.
In a small bowl, stir together the sour cream and chopped fresh dill until the dill is evenly distributed. If you like a looser dressing, you can add a splash of cold water, a teaspoon at a time, until it reaches your preferred consistency.
Pour the sour cream and dill mixture over the cucumbers and onions. Using a spoon or clean hands, gently toss everything together until every slice is coated in the creamy dressing. Be careful not to crush the cucumbers.
Smooth the top, sprinkle on a little extra dill if you’d like, then snap on the lid of the plastic container. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or up to 4 hours, to let the flavors meld and the cucumbers chill completely.
Before serving, give the salad a gentle stir to redistribute the dressing. Taste and adjust the dill if needed. Serve cold, straight from the container or transferred to a serving bowl.
Variations & Tips
For picky eaters who don’t love raw onion, you can cut the onion amount in half or soak the slices in cold water for 10 minutes before adding them to the salad to mellow the bite. If your family prefers a slightly sweeter flavor but you want to keep it low carb, stir a pinch of your favorite granulated sugar substitute into the sour cream and dill mixture. For extra tang without adding more ingredients, use a very small squeeze of lemon from what you have on hand when serving, or simply chill the salad longer to deepen the flavors. If you’re serving kids who don’t like “green stuff,” finely mince the dill so it blends into the dressing instead of showing up as bigger flecks. To stretch the salad for a larger crowd without changing the recipe, add more cucumber slices and onion and be ready for a slightly lighter coating of dressing—this works well when you’re feeding a big group at a cookout. Leftovers keep well in the same plastic container for a day or two; just stir before serving to refresh the creamy coating.
