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.
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)
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.
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:
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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.
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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":
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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:
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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.)
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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.
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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.
Love
I'm Shannon, the writer and photographer of Yup, it's Vegan! I'm a morning person based in Baltimore, USA. My mission is to create healthy plant-based recipes that anyone would enjoy, using seasonal produce with inspiration from global flavors.
Tami says
In the mayonnaise, can you substitute another nut for pinenuts?? Thanks- reviews sound like it’s a must make, but I rarely have pinenuts in the house. Tami
Tommy says
I made this for a few of my vegan friends and it was so good and fun to make! Thanks for sharing!
Becca says
When you are prepping the cucumbers do you want them cut soaking in salt and skinned? And are you soaking the cucumbers for the salad and for the dresssing?
Becca says
How much is a serving of the Creamy Vegan Cucumber Salad?
Jwiltz says
With an overflow of cucumbers from the garden, I decided to make this. It was SO yummy! The two of us devoured it. Definitely worth making again. It was very light and refreshing.
Poppy says
That mayo sounds fantastic!
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Thanks! I promise that it lives up to the hype!
rika@vm says
Gorgeousness! Looks refreshing and lovely with chopped fresh dill, a perfect summer pairing with good bread or crackers! I love that you made your own mayo using nuts, Shannon, mmmm, must make this! <3
Cadry says
This looks like a terrific warm weather meal! I made something similar recently when we lost power for 7 hours, and I had to make something straight from the refrigerator that didn’t require a stove.
That’s really interesting about the cucumber bitterness. Yesterday I made a juice with cucumber, green leaf lettuce, and two carrots. It seemed like it would be mild and delicious, but instead it was beyond bitter. I wonder if I happened to pick a bitter cucumber for juicing. That would explain it!
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Thanks, Cadry! And yes, it sounds like that might be it (that juice does sound very refreshing!). I find bitter cucumbers to be very, very unpleasant… so I was happy to learn few tricks to let them not go to waste 🙂
Cheryl says
Gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme NOW!! There is literally nothing better than dill + mayo + cucumbers. You’re a genius
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Haha, thanks. But seriously, you’re so right. I don’t know what it is about that combo but it’s the most refreshing stinkin’ thing! Can’t take the genius credit though since I didn’t really invent it 🙂
Cheryl says
Maybe not BUT you remember to use it! I always forget. So I’m still giving it to you. ….here! Take it dammit!
Haha. It’s too early… :/
Kate says
This looks amazing! Do you know roughly how much “mayo” your recipe makes? I’d probably use my vegenaise to cut down on time! 🙂
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Thank you! Ah, crud, I didn’t measure the volume of the mayo. It ended up being the right amount with no extra. I would estimate ~1/2 cup though. You could add the Vegenaise little by little until you reach the consistency you like? And maybe with a bit of extra lemon juice.
Annie says
Perfect for summer!
Thank you so much for joining the first Virtual Vegan Linky Potluck :-)!
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Thank you for hosting 🙂 it’s a great idea!