Creamy Vegan Cucumber Salad with Chickpeas and Fresh Dill

A vegan cucumber salad isn’t exactly reinventing the wheel, but classic recipes are classic for a reason! I do happen to be particularly fond of this version, because it’s both refreshing and filling at the same time. Chickpeas have a slightly briny undertone that really sings when combined with dill.

To bring all of these fresh, summer flavors together we need a killer dressing. I used a silky vegan “mayonnaise” made from cashews, pine nuts, a touch of brown rice syrup, and fresh lemon juice. Combined with a pureed cucumber to keep it light, and seasoned with just a pinch of salt and pepper, it lets the flavors of the salad shine.

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I’m not trying to make any claims that this is a dead ringer for real mayonnaise made out of eggs. But the reason I liked mayo in the first place was because it was creamy, tangy, and just a little sweet – and so is this vegan version. Plus, with this totally plant-strong recipe, we get to enjoy healthy, whole fats. It’s a win-win!

Cucumber salad is often made with vinegar in the dressing, but vinegar was too powerful against my more delicate vegan mayo dressing, so I opted to use lemon juice for a more subtle tanginess. Feel free to mix and match this recipe with other add-ins like fresh tomato (drain any excess juices first). You can also use white onions instead of red onions, and you can omit the chickpeas if you like. If you want to turn this into cucumber salad sandwiches, then I recommend mashing up the chickpeas well before mixing them in, so that they don’t roll out of the sandwich when you try to eat it.

This raw vegan cucumber salad recipe is super quick and easy, so I hope you give it a try! Soaking the nuts for the dressing, and salting and draining the cucumbers overnight are the only steps that really take time.

One last thing about cukes! Occasionally, especially from organic farms, you end up with a bitter one (I got a couple, unfortunately). The bitterness is pretty unpleasant, and tends to be concentrated toward the ends. Sometimes you can get away with just tossing the end bits. If not, then you should be able to eliminate the bitter flavor by peeling the whole thing. Peel more deeply at the ends, enough to remove the peel but also the greener parts of the flesh. If none of that works (which is truly rare), slice it up and soak it in salt and vinegar as a last cucumber rescue effort. (Source: The Augusta Chronicle)

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Creamy Vegan Cucumber Salad with Chickpeas and Fresh Dill

This vegan cucumber salad uses cucumbers in both the salad and the dressing to make it creamy and light.

Course Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine dairy-free, gluten-free, vegan

Keyword vegan cucumber salad

Prep Time 20 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Total Yield 4 servings

Calories Per Serving 197 kcal

Author Yup, it's Vegan

Ingredients

For the vegan cashew-pine nut "mayonnaise":

• 2 tbsp raw cashews soaked for at least 2 hours in water, then drained
• 2 tbsp toasted pine nuts soaked for at least 2 hours in water, then drained
• 1/2 tbsp brown rice syrup (see notes for substitutions)
• 1 and 1/2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 small cucumber peeled
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1-2 tsp water (or as needed to blend)

For the vegan cucumber salad:

• 4 and 1/2 cups sliced cucumber (for me this was about 4 medium-sized cucumbers)
• sea salt
• 2 cups cooked chickpeas (1 can), rinsed, drained and patted dry (to keep salad raw, use sprouted chickpeas or omit)
• 1/4 cups chopped red onion
• 1/4 cups loosely packed chopped fresh dill plus more to taste
• salt and pepper to taste
• smoked paprika to finish

Instructions

For prepping the cucumbers:

1. Place the cucumbers in a colander and toss with salt. Let them drain, stirring every 10 minutes or so, for at least half an hour. For optimal results you can even do this in the fridge overnight.
2. Rinse the salt off of the cucumbers and dry them by thoroughly patting them down, or spinning them in your salad spinner.

For the vegan cashew-pine nut "mayonnaise":

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed. Add only enough water to blend everything smoothly. If you have a high-speed blender you may not need any. Adjust seasoning and sweetness to taste.

To assemble the vegan cucumber salad:

1. Soak the chopped raw red onions in a small bowl of tap water for 5 to 10 minutes, and then drain. (This is to temper the aggressive raw red onion flavor a little bit.)

2. Combine the cucumber, chickpeas, red onion, and dill in a bowl. Fold in the cashew-pine nut "mayonnaise". Taste for seasoning and add salt/pepper/additional dill as needed.
3. Serve cold.

Recipe Notes

To substitute for the brown rice syrup, use agave nectar or sugar. Start with 1 tsp since brown rice syrup is not as sweet, and adjust to taste.

Nutrition Facts

Creamy Vegan Cucumber Salad with Chickpeas and Fresh Dill

Amount Per Serving (1 fourth recipe)

Calories 197 Calories from Fat 54

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 6g 9%

Polyunsaturated Fat 2g

Monounsaturated Fat 2g

Sodium 362mg 15%

Potassium 324mg 9%

Total Carbohydrates 31g 10%

Dietary Fiber 7g 28%

Sugars 7g

Protein 10g 20%

Vitamin A 6%

Vitamin C 13%

Calcium 11%

Iron 22%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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