How To Cut Cucumbers For Salad

There’s a bit more to slicing a cucumber than just slicing a cucumber. I’m not going to lie, for someone who loves cucumbers so much, I had the hardest time slicing them! That’s why, after lots and lots of delicious practice, I want to share my best tips and tricks for how to cut cucumbers for salad, and of course great cucumber recipes, with all of you today. 

Why I Love Cucumbers

I have a serious love for cucumbers! They’re easy to grow if you like gardening and super cheap at the grocery store if you don’t. They’re high in fiber, water content, antioxidants, potassium, vitamins K, A and C, and so much more.

But the real reason I love cucumbers is they’re tasty and adaptable. They have an amazingly refreshing taste that adds the perfect crunch to any salad. I love throwing some plain slices in this Crispy Kale and Garbanzo Bean Salad or just soaking slices in some white wine vinegar or rice vinegar for an easy cucumber salad and adding it to my Salmon Sushi Bowl.

And of course they’re versatile enough to turn into pickles or relish or just make as a salad on their own or with a couple tomatoes or a red onion. They also add a subtle but amazing flavor to plain old water that keeps me staying more hydrated. And they’re even good for the skin! Try this Soothing Cucumber Mint Sugar Scrub for smoother, refreshed skin.

Why You Should Love Cucumbers

• Fresh and refreshing flavor
• Crunchy cucumbers add the perfect texture to salads and sides
• They’re so easy to cut, once you get the hang of it
• With such a high water content, they help you stay hydrated!
• Their water content can also cool and regulate your internal body temp on hot days!

How To Tell If A Cucumber Is Good

The best cucumbers should be firm with a uniform size and green color and not too much yellow throughout. The skin should be smooth and not wrinkled or shriveled, and there should be no evident soft spots.

How To Tell If A Cucumber Is Bad

First look for obvious signs like sliminess, mold, an off smell, or excessive soft spots throughout. 

Also, cucumbers that are yellowing or getting puffy in appearance are on their way to being rotten. A final indicator of a bad cucumber could be the appearance of a light, milky coating on the outside of the cucumber.

What Are The Different Types Of Cucumbers?

There are so many varieties of cucumber and each has different ways to use them best. Some are better for salads and others for pickling. Some have fewer seeds or no seeds at all, or a thinner skin or thicker skin depending on their type.

Regular Cucumbers – or your standard garden cucumber also known as the American slicing cucumber.

Persian Cucumbers – small and seedless with a thin skin, perfect for snacking. It’s actually a variety of English cucumber.

Japanese Cucumbers – great for Chinese cucumber salads or any Asian cucumber salad recipe

Kirby Cucumbers and Long English Cucumbers – great for pickling or snacking. Kirby cucumbers are the variety most often used for pickling.

How To Cut Cucumbers for Salad – Step by Step Instructions

Before you even pick up a knife you have to decide how you want your cucumbers. Halved? Quartered? Diced? Peel or no peel? Seeds or no seeds?

There are benefits to keeping the peel and the seeds. The peel and seeds are where a lot of the nutrients of a cucumber are stored. If you do opt to keep the peel on, just make sure you wash the cucumber well under running water and wipe with a paper towel before slicing.

Step 1 – The Appeal of the Peel

First you’ll need to decide – peel on, peel off, or partial peel?

Peel on is easy. Just wash the skin well under cold water and rub it dry with a paper towel, then slice.

Use a vegetable peeler to remove the cucumber peel if you decide you don’t want it.

Or, my favorite way, the ever-fancy partial peel. Take your vegetable peeler and peel away a strip of the cucumber skin, rotate the cuke a bit, and leave evenly sized spaces between peel and slicing.

Step 2 – Seeds Or No Seeds?

I personally enjoy cucumber seeds, but if you prefer no seeds, use a spoon to scoop out the seeds from each half. This also makes those cute crescent cucumber pieces.

Step 3 – If You Want Cucumber Halves Or Crescents

Cut the cucumber in half lengthwise. Remove the seeds if you opt to do so. 

Place the flat side down on your cutting board and trim the ends of the cucumber.

Slice each half into ¼- to ½-inch slices.

Step 4 – For Quartered Pieces

Cut each half again lengthwise, creating 4 equal long strips of seeded cucumber.

Now slice into ¼- to ½-inch pieces to create bite-sized chunks perfect for throwing in a salad.

Step 5 – For Diced Cucumbers

If you want smaller size, diced cucumbers, slice each of the 4 cucumber strips in half lengthwise one more time. You should now have 8 strips of cucumber. Dice each strip into ½-inch or smaller pieces.

Add the sliced, quartered, or diced cukes to your next salad for added crunch, nutrients and super fresh flavor!

Note: You can also make thin strips of cucumber ribbons with your vegetable peeler. Just glide the peeler the length of the side of the cucumber and add the thin slices to your salad or pickle them for

What To Do With Overripe Cucumbers

If you have a couple cucumbers that are on their way out but not quite there, you can still find some great uses for them. These are just a few of my favorites.

• Make an Easy Pickle Relish
• Use them for Quick Pickles
• Make a Homemade Cucumber Body Scrub

Is It Safe to Eat Bitter Cucumber

Slightly bitter cucumbers are usually considered safe to eat. Often most of the bitterness is concentrated in the peel and just below. You can use a vegetable peeler to peel away the skin and taste to see if the bitter taste is gone. If the cucumber is extremely bitter throughout, it could be toxic and should be thrown away.

How To Freeze Cucumbers

Freezing cucumbers changes the molecular structure of the water content of the cucumber. Cucumbers that have been frozen will lose a lot of their crispness when thawed. That being said, yes you can still freeze cucumber slices and diced cucumber pieces. Do not try to freeze whole cucumbers.

Wash and cut your cucumbers. Then place the sliced cucumbers on a parchment lined baking sheet in a single layer without too much overlap. Place the baking sheet in the freezer for 3-4 hours, then transfer the frozen cucumber pieces to a freezer-safe bag. Stored properly, they’ll keep for 6 months.

Frozen and thawed cucumber is great for dips or gazpacho.

Tips & Tricks

• Check your cucumbers to make sure it’s ripe but not overripe.
• Use a sharp knife, especially if keeping the skin on. A dull blade can slip on a cucumber’s waxy skin.
• Use a small spoon to easily remove the seeds from cucumbers.

How to Serve Cucumbers

There is literally no shortage of ways to serve cucumbers. From salads to pickles and relish to just eating them with dip. I love dipping them in spreads and adding them to all sorts of salads and sides, even if the original recipe doesn’t include them.

• Quinoa Edamame Salad
• Easy Pickle Relish
• Edamame, Corn and Tomato Salad
• Kale Superfood Salad
• Zesty Italian Pasta Salad
• Classic Chopped Salad
• Buffalo Shrimp Salad
• Balsamic Strawberry Chicken Salad
• Creamy Vegetable Dip

How to Store Cucumbers

Cucumbers should be stored in the warmer parts of your refrigerator. If they get too cold, cucumbers can expand and release water content and get soft or mushy faster. It’s also a good idea to wrap each cucumber in a paper towel to avoid excess moisture from forming.

More Cucumber Recipes

Cucumber Cream Cheese Sandwiches
Quick Sweet Refrigerator Pickles
Easy Pickle Relish Recipe
At-Home Jimmy John’s Unwich

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