Apple and Cucumber Salad

Much like my pak choy salad and my apple radish fennel salad, this cucumber apple salad focuses on light hydrating ingredients that make it perfect for a hot summer day! So simple to make, all we need is a bit of chopping of fruit and vegetables and to make a flavorful oil-based salad dressing.

Love the apple and cucumber combination? Have a peek at my apple cucumber smoothie for a refreshing snack!

🍎 Ingredients

All the ingredients and their quantities are set out in the recipe card below.

Some notes on a few of them:

• Apples - I suggest to use a green apple for its delicious tart flavor, and a red apple for that nice sweetness. You can use all green or all red apples if you prefer though!
• Cucumber - I like to use an English cucumber, but a Persian cucumber also works well.
• Olive oil - I suggest to use extra virgin olive oil for its depth of flavor and health benefits too.
• Apple cider vinegar - this brightens the salad and is a lower histamine vinegar, but you can also use white distilled vinegar which is low histamine per the SIGHI list.
• Mint - use fresh leaves for their summery flavor!

📖 Swaps and variations

Use Persian cucumbers. If you're out of English cucumber, you can easily swap for Persian cucumbers. Have a read of their different tastes and textures in this comparison of English and Persian cucumbers by the Kitchn.

Add a squeeze of lemon juice. If citrus works for you, then add a little squeeze of lemon or lime (likely not suitable if you're looking for low histamine recipes).

Use a creamy dressing. If you like a more creamy cucumber salad, swap out the apple cider vinegar dressing for my tahini dill dressing.

🥒 How to prepare cucumbers

Both English and Persian cucumbers are very easy to prepare. Simply wash your produce, and then slice off the very ends.

It's down to preference whether you peel the cucumbers or not. Both these varieties have thin edible skin, and don't need to be peeled, but you may prefer to do so. Similarly, both varieties have relatively few seeds, but you can scoop them out with a small spoon if you wish.

🔪 Step by step instructions

Making this apple and cucumber salad with apple cider vinegar is very easy, with just a few steps.

All the instructions are in the recipe card below, but these photos will help guide you.

Step 1: Dice the fruit and vegetables

Use a sharp knife to dice the cucumber into small bite size pices.

De-core the apples, then dice into similar size pieces to the cucumber (image 1).

Step 2: Make the dressing

Combine olive oil, apple cider vinegar, finely diced mint leaves and a pinch of salt. Stir or whisk to combine (image 2). Adjust with more vinegar or mint to taste preference.

Combine all the salad ingredients, and drizzle over the dressing to serve.

📋 Frequently asked questions

🍽 How to serve apple cucumber salad

Whether you're organising a fun barbeque, going to a potluck or are looking for a refreshing side salad for an evening meal, this apple and cucumber salad works perfectly with so many dishes:

• Pair with grilled chicken dishes such as my honey and ginger chicken or turkey kabobs.
• Serve for a summer lunch with an easy main of my air fried pesto chicken, my air fryer turkey burgers or my grated potato fritters.
• Make a fun selection of easy sides for a BBQ including my bell pepper salsa, cottage cheese and mint tzatziki and my apple and kale slaw.

🥗 More fun salads

Find tasty salads here that are so good for a light lunch or as a side for BBQs, picnics and evening meals, including my fun mango and corn salsa and beet and butternut salad. Some recent recipes to enjoy:

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