Tomato, Onion, and Cucumber Salad
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
A Southern staple at barbecues, family gatherings, and reunions, we love the juicy and refreshing experience of eating this fresh tomato, onion, and cucumber salad!
If I had to describe the flavor of this salad in one word, I’d say refreshing. This is the embodiment of everything a body craves on a hot summer’s day. Well, everything a body craves that doesn’t come with a little paper umbrella in the glass! This simple and easy tomato, onion, and cucumber salad recipe features juicy chunks, slices, and tossed in a delicious vinegar and sugar dressing.
I recommend making this colorfully crisp and tangy summer salad in advance to let it fully marinate in the dressing. Then serve it at your next summer gathering and prepare to win over your friends and family! You can also have fun with this salad and add some interesting additions, which I mention in the Recipe Notes section below.
Recipe Ingredients
- Two freshly ripe tomatoes (can be whatever you have on hand – heirloom tomatoes, grape tomatoes…)
- Two cucumber
- One purple or red onion (or , the choice is yours)
- Sugar
- Water, and…
- White vinegar. Go for the cheap kind here, make me proud!
Cut up your tomatoes.
You can cut the in chunks, slices, or dice them. I’m doing chunks because it’s pretty that way.
Peel and cut your . However, if you prefer you can also skip peeling your .
Cut up your onion.
I slice mine and then cut the slices in half, still leaving pretty big pieces.
This way, those of you who don’t care for the raw onions can pick them out easily enough.
Dump all of that into a bowl. You can also opt to sprinkle these vegetables with and right now before adding the dressing.
Now we have to make our dressing.
For this, all we are going to do is combine equal parts water, vinegar, and sugar and stir it up.
I start with 1/2 cup of each but you can do more if you like. I wouldn’t do any less though.
This is me adding my sugar to the vinegar and water mixture.
Stir that up good.
Recipe Tip
Don’t worry if your sugar isn’t dissolved all of the way because we’re going to let all of this marinate in the fridge for a spell before we eat.
Pour this over your veggies and stir.
Cover and place in the refrigerator for a few hours before serving.
It will make more juice but I like to go give it a good stir after an hour or so.
Save some for me!
Storage
Store this tomato, onion, and cucumber salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days.
Recipe Notes
- If you like, add some fresh herbs to your salad. Dried or and oregano will give this salad recipe a Mediterranean feel, while I also like sprinkling fresh dill or parsley on top.
- Other fun additions to make to this salad include crumbled feta cheese, chunks of avocado, bell pepper chunks, and mozzarella balls.
- Instead of white vinegar, you could also use either red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar. If you’re going for a Mediterranean-inspired , you can opt for too.
- Another option is using halves instead of chunks.
Recipe FAQs
What do you serve with tomato, onion, and cucumber salad?
Serve this refreshing salad with any grilled or barbecued meat and a side of crusty bread. My suggestions include grilled chicken tenderloins, pork chops, or slow-roasted beef brisket.
Can you make this salad ahead of time?
Yes, I recommend refrigerating the salad for a few hours before serving to let the vinegar sink into the vegetables. So you could definitely make this in advance the night before.
You may also like these other sensational salad recipes:
Cucumber Salad Creamy and Delicious
Fresh Fruit Salad with Lemon Honey Dressing
Low Carb Broccoli Cauliflower Salad
Ingredients
- 2 tomatoes
- 2 cucumbers
- 1 purple or red onion
- water
- white vinegar
- sugar
Instructions
- Peel and slice cucumbers, and chop tomatoes and red onion. Combine all in a large bowl.2 tomatoes, 2 cucumbers, 1 purple or red onion
- Mix up a dressing of equal parts vinegar, water, and sugar. I start with 1/2 cup each of my dressing ingredients.water, white vinegar, sugar
- Pour the vinegar dressing over the vegetables and refrigerate (ideally overnight).
Be more concerned about your character than your reputation because your character is who you are and your reputation is just what others THINK of you.
~Submitted my Southern Plate Reader, Emily. To submit your quote, and make someone’s day a little brighter, click here.
This would probably be good with some precooked pasta thrown in.
I make this same salad but I use lemon juice for a dressing for it after it set a few hours in a cool place you serve it with meatloaf and it is sooooo good.
I have to admit that the salad does look pretty, and I would make it for my kids or the boyfriend if he wanted it, but don’t think I could eat it. Mainly because I do not like raw tomatoes and raw onions or at least raw onions cut that big. This is the first time I’ve seen a recipe on your site that I just knew I wouldn’t like. One out of hundreds ain’t bad!!! 🙂
My mother craved tomatoes when she was pregnant with me, she just couldn’t comprehend that I didn’t like raw tomatoes. Even up to just before she passed away, she would always try to get me to eat sliced tomato that she had with almost every meal. Now, ketchup, canned tomato soup, spagetti, chili, just about anything with cooked tomatoes–it’s all good! Go figure!
Anyway, those of you who enjoy raw tomatoes and onions, I hope you enjoy and get your fill. 🙂
This is kind of how hubby and I feel about Disney World. We grew up near it and went dozens of times. Multiple family members on both sides have worked there and got free passes for everyone to go dozens of more times……………etc.
Summer treat?!?! I want it NOW!!! 🙂
Can’t wait to try this salad, Christy. I’ve always took sliced cucumbers, added equal parts of vinegar and water, and let them marinate in that for a little while and I love it. Never thought to add tomatoes, onions, and sugar but sounds good to me. Gonna try Linda’s too. I’m just getting over the flu so food has been the last thing I’ve wanted the last two or three days but I have a pork roast in apple cider vinegar cooking in my crockpot right now to make your bbq pork recipe. Even if I don’t eat it tonight, my hubby and grandson will have a good supper.
Here is my recipe for tomato cucumber salad that you call fire and ice:
Tomato Cucumber Salad
1 large English cucumber or garden cucumber, peeled, cut small or thinly sliced
1-2 Large, very ripe tomato, chopped small Or (I use Campari tomatoes sliced when garden tomatoes are not in season)
½ tsp. Onion powder or thinly cut real onion
½ – 1 cup or more real mayonnaise (not salad dressing)
¼ cup sugar or Splenda to taste
2 tbsp. cider Vinegar
½ tsp salt
1/8 to 1/4 tsp pepper
Mix cut up cucumber, tomatoes.
Make a dressing of mayonnaise, sugar, vinegar, salt, pepper and onion powder.
Pour dressing over tomatoes and cucumbers and mix. Taste the dressing to adjust flavors. If it is too sweet, add a touch more of vinegar. If too tart, add a touch more sugar or Splenda.
Refrigerate and let sit for an hour or so to meld flavors.
This is great with fresh garden tomatoes.
Hope you will try this one. My son-in-law will save it last to eat because he likes it so much. Hope you will try this one. It is a keeper, Christy.
Linda
Like to know where the name came from. We make Fire and Ice dill pickles.
Drain a gal. of sliced dill pickles.
Add 5 ounces of Tabasco Sauce
4 Pounds of sugar. Put the lid back on it. Leave in a cool place.
Everyday turn the jar. Start with the jar sitting on the bottom
Next day turn it to sit on the top. Do this fer 5 days.
You will end up with crisp tender pickles that has a little warmth and sweetnes to them. They are delious.
We keep them in the fridg after the 5th day. Do Not Add Any Juice to them, They will make thier own. Johnny