The Best Cucumber Beet Salad with Lemon Dill Dressing
Looking to make beets more interesting? This cucumber beet salad is a lovely mix of textures – crunchy cucumbers paired with tender beets, brought together with fresh dill and a simple lemon-olive oil dressing. Keep it simple or dress it up with feta or goat cheese and walnuts. This quick and easy cucumber beetroot salad works just as well at a summer picnic as it does at a Christmas dinner!
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As a child, I did not eat many beets. My dad ate pretty much anything without complaint, except for beets. Apparently, my grandmother served a lot of beets. This is probably because they were readily available during wartime in Latvia. In any case, my father said he had eaten enough beets to last a lifetime, and so we never had beets.
I discovered beets much later and love them. So I am always experimenting with different ways to use them in my cooking. I like this cucumber beet salad because you have the sweet flavor of beets and the cucumber keeps everything light and fresh. The lemon dressing adds the perfect zing. It’s a really delicious lettuce-free salad perfect for the summer months, but you can eat it any time of year 🙂 The colors are beautiful, and the natural sweetness of the beets goes well with the cool, fresh cucumber.
If you are looking for more salad recipes, try this easy French style carrots and cucumber salad. If you love the Nordic flavors of dill, you might try my Baltic style asparagus dill soup or my asparagus ricotta quiche with phyllo dough.
Why you’ll love this cucumber beets salad recipe:
- Great flavor: a perfect balance of fresh and zesty flavors
- Quick and easy to make: just chop or slice the veggies, mix the dressing and you are done
- Looks stunning: colorful beets and green cucumbers create a gorgeous contrast
- Easy to make ahead: just keep the dressing separate until serving
- Great for entertaining: can be plated individually or served family-style
- Super versatile: serve it as a light lunch, elegant side dish, or holiday table showstopper
- Easy to find, budget friendly ingredients
- Keep it simple or dress it up with feta or goat cheese and caramelized walnuts.
Cucumber Beet Salad Ingredients:
Ingredients for the cucumber beet salad:
- Beets
- Cucumbers
- Red onion, shallot or spring onion
- Dill – Gives it a nice fresh flavor
- Parsley (optional, for garnish)
- Feta cheese or goat cheese or vegan feta (optional)
- Walnuts (Optional)
Ingredients for the simple lemon salad dressing:
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Lemon juice
- Salt
- Black pepper
Substitutions
Fresh beets: Red beets, golden beets all go well in this vegetable salad. Pre-cooked or canned can also be used.
Cucumbers: English cucumber, Persian cucumbers, any kind will do. If they have too many seeds, just cut the cucumber lengthwise and spoon out the seeds with a spoon
Red onion: Shallots or the green part of spring onions or chives also works great
Dill: Fresh is best, but dried dill also works well. You can add other fresh herbs such as chives, parsley or spring onion.
Olive oil: You can use avocado oil or use a nut oil such as walnut or hazelnut oil for a change.
Lemon juice: You can use Apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar.
Additions
Feta or goat cheese
Caramelized Walnuts or plain chopped nuts
Pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds make a nice addition to this salad.
Other vegetables: Avocado, carrot and lettuce can all be added to this salad.
Step by Step Instructions:
Start by preparing the beets.
If starting with fresh beets, wrap them in foil and roast at 400°F (200°C) for about 45-60 minutes until tender. Let cool.
Peel and dice the beets into bite-sized pieces. You can also slice the beets if you prefer.
Dice the cucumbers into similar-sized pieces as the beets. You can also slice the cucumbers if you prefer.
Thinly chop the red onion and the fresh dill.
In a large bowl, first put in the diced beets, then put the crunchy cucumbers on top, and sprinkle with the red onion and chopped dill.
In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Just before serving, pour the dressing over the vegetables and toss gently to combine.
If desired, top with crumbled feta or goat cheese, vegan cheese or walnuts.
Tips and Notes
Wear gloves if you don’t want to stain your hands. Handling the beets will make your hands red.
If you slice the cucumber: They may lose water into the salad after a while. If not serving soon, I like to sprinkle the cucumber slices with salt, let them sit for 10 minutes max and let some of the water drain out of them. Then rinse thoroughly before adding the cucumber to the beets.
Cucumber seeds: If your cucumbers have lots of seeds, you can scoop them out with a small spoon. I rarely do, but I know my mother-in-law almost always did. Up to you.
Storage
- Refrigerate for up to 3 days. The salad stays fresh for 2-3 days in an airtight container.
- The beet juice from the beets will bleed eventually into the other salad ingredients when mixed together. When preparing this cucumber beets salad in advance, it’s best to place the beets first into the salad bowl and then put the diced or sliced cucumbers on top, followed by the dill and lemon salad dressing. Toss just before serving.
Serving Suggestions
- Serve with some bruschetta with whipped lemon ricotta or tomatoes for a lovely light lunch
- A perfect side dish for lunch or dinner. Goes great with beef, chicken, fish and lamb.
- Serve as an entrée before your main lunch or dinner
- Add some caramelized walnuts, quinoa, chickpeas, sunflower seeds or avocado and tomatoes to make it a more substantial meal
FAQ for Cucumber Beets Salad
Looking for some more salad recipe ideas? Be sure to check out my French style cucumber and carrot salad.
Cucumber Beet Salad
Equipment
- medium bowl
- Vegetable peeler
- knife
Ingredients
Ingredients for the cucumber beet salad:
- 3-4 medium beets cooked, peeled, and diced (or canned whole or sliced)
- 2 medium cucumbers diced
- 1/4 red onion thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup fresh dill chopped or 2 tsp dried dill
- 1/2 cup Feta or goat cheese (Optional)
- 1 cup Walnuts (Optional – or caramelized walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, seeds)
Ingredients for the simple lemon salad dressing:
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/4 tsp Black Pepper
Instructions
- If starting with fresh beets, wrap them in foil and roast at 400°F (200°C) for about 45-60minutes until tender. Let cool.
- Peel and dice the beets into bite-sized pieces. You can also slice the beets if you prefer.
- Dice the cucumbers into similar-sized pieces as the beets. You can also slice the cucumbers if you prefer.
- Thinly slice the red onion and chop the fresh dill.
- In a large bowl, place the diced beets on the bottom, top with cucumbers, and red onion and fresh dill.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Pour the dressing over the vegetables and just before serving toss gently to combine.
- If desired, top with crumbled feta or goat cheese or caramelized walnuts, or other nuts or seeds just before serving.
