I Made Three Famous Cucumber Salad Recipes and Discovered the Simple Technique That Makes a Huge Difference

There is something inherently nostalgic about creamy cucumber salad sitting on a picnic table. It’s the ultimate side dish of summer. Cool, tangy, and refreshing, it balances perfectly against the heavy, smoky flavors of grilled dishes. Done right, it delivers an irresistible contrast: crisp cucumbers enveloped in a velvety herbed dressing that clings to every slice without turning watery.

It’s a simple dish on paper, but getting that exact balance of crunch, creaminess, and acidity is surprisingly tricky. And this summer, I had the ultimate motivation to crack the code. The cucumbers in my vegetable garden have been growing faster than I can keep up with. One day I’ll spot a tiny cucumber tucked beneath the leaves, and in what feels like a few days later, it’s practically oversized. It’s become the perfect excuse to explore every cucumber recipe I can think of.

I’ve already worked my way through chilled cucumber soup, smashed cucumber salads, and quick pickles. But the recipe I am working to perfect now is a seemingly simple, creamy cucumber salad. I was searching for a recipe that was crunchy, refreshing, and perfect alongside grilled chicken, burgers, or anything coming off the barbecue. To find the version I’d want to make all summer, I tested recipes from Ina Garten, Joanna Gaines, and Ree Drummond.

While all three recipes we selected start with English cucumbers and a creamy dressing, each one takes a surprisingly different approach, from the type of dressing ingredients to how the cucumbers are prepared. Some differences made only a subtle impact, while others completely changed the finished salad.

Ina Garten. Ina takes the most meticulous approach. She salts thinly-sliced cucumbers and onions for several hours to draw out excess moisture. She also strains whole milk yogurt for the same amount of time before mixing it with sour cream to create an exceptionally thick dressing. She stirs a generous 1/2 cup of chopped fresh dill into the salad and allows it to chill before serving.

Joanna Gaines. Joanna’s recipe pairs mayonnaise with sour cream for a rich, balanced dressing, and tosses it with small diced cucumbers. Instead of adding onions, she finishes the salad with fresh chives, giving it a more delicate allium note. One teaspoon of chopped fresh dill is stirred into the creamy dressing, and the salad can be covered and refrigerated before serving for up to 2 hours.

Ree Drummond. Ree’s version feels like a cross between a creamy cucumber salad and a summer vegetable salad. Greek yogurt forms the base of the dressing, which is seasoned with garlic powder, onion powder, dry mustard, sugar, and rice vinegar. Cherry tomatoes and fresh mint, parsley, basil, and dill are folded in with cucumbers that have been thinly sliced into half-moons, making it the most colorful of the three salads. It can be prepared in advance, but the vegetables and dressing should be kept separate until serving.

Ina

• 4 cups dressing to 4 English cucumbers
• Thinly sliced cucumbers
• Halved and thinly-sliced red onion
• Salts cucumbers and onions for at least 4 hours before making salad
• Strains whole-milk yogurt before mixing with sour cream
• Champagne vinegar
• Generous 1/2 cup fresh dill
• No tomatoes
• Chill the finished salad before serving

Joanna

• 1 cup dressing to 2 cucumbers
• English cucumbers, peeled into stripes, and cut into 1/4-inch dice
• No onion, garnishes with chives instead
• Mayonnaise and sour cream dressing
• Lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon freshly chopped dill
• No tomatoes
• Refrigerate for up to 2 hours before serving

Ree

• 1 cup dressing to 3 English cucumbers
• Cucumbers sliced into thin half-moons
• Finely diced red onion
• Greek yogurt and sour cream dressing
• Adds pantry spices to the dressing
• Rice vinegar
• ¼ cup freshly chopped dill plus chopped mint, basil, and parsley
• Adds halved cherry tomatoes
• Dressing and vegetables stored separately until serving

• Same ingredients, same day. I prepared all three recipes on the same day. All ingredients were purchased from the same grocery store on the same day using the same brands where one recipe shared an ingredient. For consistency, I selected English cucumbers that weighed 3/4 pound each for each recipe.
• Followed each recipe exactly. I measured precisely and followed the ingredient measurements and recommended steps, and tasted each one at the recommended serving time. I also revisited the salads the next day to evaluate how well they held up in the refrigerator.
• Side-by-side tasting with tasters. Four additional tasters sampled each recipe and provided feedback on flavor, texture, creaminess, and overall appeal.

I’ve spent more than 15 years professionally developing, testing, and styling recipes, including time in the test kitchens at Martha Stewart Living and Food & Wine. Side-by-side recipe testing has been a major part of my career, and I especially enjoy identifying the small technique differences that have the biggest impact on the final result.

I also know that personal preferences can influence how a recipe is perceived, so I like to balance my own observations with feedback from a panel of tasters. For this test, I enlisted a group of people who didn’t know the chefs behind the recipes or the techniques used in each one, giving me multiple additional perspectives.

Joanna’s recipe begins by peeling English cucumbers in stripes (often called a “zebra” pattern) before cutting them into neat 1/4-inch dice. The dressing combines mayonnaise, sour cream, lemon juice, dill, salt, and pepper. Everything is folded together and chilled before serving, then finished with a sprinkle of fresh chives.

Results: This is a crisp, refreshing rendition of cucumber salad. Leaving alternating strips of skin adds a lovely visual contrast and texture, while the small-diced cucumber ensures a satisfying crunch in every bite. The combination of cool mayonnaise, tangy sour cream, and bright lemon juice creates a rich, well-balanced dressing that coats the cucumbers without turning watery.

What I loved: The tiny diced cucumbers were a standout detail. Although they require a little extra knife work, they make the salad effortless to eat and ensure that every bite is evenly dressed. I also loved that the cucumbers were peeled in stripes, which created a pleasant texture by keeping some crispness while removing some of the tougher skin. While the mayonnaise flavor stood out initially, chilling allowed the flavors to meld beautifully into a creamy, balanced dressing that was irresistible.

What I would tweak: The main drawback was that the dish ended up feeling more like a delicate garnish or a spread than a standalone salad. This is not surprising, because in the original recipe it is served with salmon. Between the tiny dice, the lack of sharp onion, and a skimpy single teaspoon of dill that got buried under the mayonnaise, the salad lacked the boldness needed to stand alone. To elevate it to main-event status, I’d increase the dill significantly. And while I appreciated the tiny dice, I would consider a slightly larger cut or thin slices, so it eats like a true side dish rather than a topped relish.

Ina’s recipe requires the most advanced preparation, but every step serves a clear purpose. Cucumbers and onions are salted and drained to draw out excess moisture, while the Greek yogurt is strained before being combined with sour cream and Champagne vinegar. Everything is tossed with a generous amount of fresh dill and chilled.

Results: Those prep steps made a dramatic difference. The dressing stayed creamy and thick and coated every slice effortlessly, leaving virtually no pooled liquid at the bottom of the bowl. Even after four days in the refrigerator, the dressing remained lush and the cucumbers retained their satisfying crunch. The generous amount of fresh dill gave this version the brightest, most classic flavor profile of the group.

What I loved: This salad will not turn watery. Draining the cucumbers and yogurt ensures that every bite stays nicely coated in creamy dressing instead of pooled with liquid, making this an incredible make-ahead recipe that holds up beautifully in the fridge for days. Combined with the generous amount of fresh dill, it delivered a classic, traditional flavor profile.

The salt-and-drain method sparked a fun debate among our tasters: While a few felt the technique gave the cucumbers a slightly “pickled” quality, most loved how impeccably crisp they stayed while also softening the tougher green peel just enough to create a more pleasant bite.

What I would tweak: This recipe landed on the opposite end of the spectrum from Ree’s (see below): It was too heavy and creamy. We used three pounds of cucumbers (the recipe provides a range of three to four pounds), which left the salad feeling heavy and overly yogurt-forward. 

With a few ratio tweaks, this recipe could have been the winner of the showdown. I’d loosen the dressing with a splash of the reserved whey (from the Greek yogurt) or water if it felt too thick and use the full four pounds of cucumbers, adding the dressing gradually and holding some back if needed. Since the recipe yields enough for a crowd, halving the batch while maintaining a higher cucumber-to-dressing ratio is a great option for everyday entertaining.

Ree’s salad combines sliced cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, red onion, and a generous mix of fresh herbs with a Greek yogurt dressing seasoned with rice vinegar, sugar, garlic powder, onion powder, and dry mustard. The vegetables and dressing are kept separate until just before serving.

Results: This was easily the freshest and most colorful salad of the group. The tomatoes and abundant herbs gave it a bright, summery feel. However, it fell a bit short of delivering a truly “creamy” experience. With only one cup of yogurt dressing for three large cucumbers, the dressing immediately thinned out upon tossing, settling at the bottom of the bowl rather than clinging to the vegetables. While slightly undersalted as written, a pinch of extra salt brought the flavors to life and made it especially delicious.

What I loved: The bright herb profile, sweet cherry tomatoes, and colorful presentation made this dish pop visually and taste wonderfully fresh. Tasters loved the vibrant addition of cherry tomatoes paired with the fresh basil, mint, and parsley. It felt fun, pretty, and effortlessly summery. This is the salad everyone kept coming back to for more.

What I would tweak: To earn its “creamy” title, this recipe needs both more dressing and more body. I’d increase the total volume of dressing and fold in a bit of mayonnaise so it clings to the cucumbers rather than slipping off to the bottom of the bowl. I’d also peel the cucumbers into stripes like Joanna to soften the tough skins before slicing them. Additionally, extra salt in the dressing is essential to balance the acidity and make those fresh summer flavors shine.

Each recipe brought something uniquely valuable to the table: Joanna’s delivered one of the most balanced dressings, Ree’s was the freshest and most vibrant crowd-pleaser, and Ina’s rewarded the extra prep work with an exceptionally creamy make-ahead salad that stayed intact for days. While none were perfect, I would happily serve any of them — with a few key tweaks.

• As a standalone star: I would serve Ree’s vibrant, colorful salad paired with Joanna’s balanced dressing proportions to build an eye-catching, ideal centerpiece.
• As a traditional side: I would go with Ina’s recipe, tweaking her dressing-to-cucumber ratio, so it acts as a classic complement to the rest of the meal.

Additionally, here are a few lessons I learned about creamy cucumber salad. Whether you’re feeding a crowd or clearing out a backyard garden patch, considering these small details will guarantee a crisp, creamy salad every single time.

1. Moisture management is everything. Cucumbers are packed with water, so whether you take the time to salt and drain them like Ina or rely on a thick, mayonnaise-based dressing like Joanna, keeping that liquid from diluting your base is the absolute key to success.
2. The ratio of dressing to cucumbers can make or break the dish. Too little dressing leaves the vegetables feeling uncoated, while too much makes the salad heavy and overwhelming, completely masking the clean, refreshing crunch of the cucumbers. Balance those two elements, and you have a summer staple that will steal the show every time.
3. Lastly, throughout my cucumber testing journey, I landed on my favorite everyday prep technique: peeling raw cucumbers into alternating stripes. It takes seconds, but leaving those vertical ribbons of skin gives you the perfect contrast of tender flesh and a crisp, vivid crunch. If you aren’t salting your cucumbers to draw out moisture, I highly recommend giving this simple trick a try.
   
   

This post originally appeared on The Kitchn. See it there: I Made Cucumber Salads by Ina Garten, Ree Drummond, and Joanna Gaines and Discovered the Simple Technique That Makes a Huge Difference