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This simple cucumber Greek salad is light, refreshing, and packed with vibrant colors and flavors – ready in just 15 minutes, perfect for potlucks, picnics, BBQs, and more!
Table of contents
Delicious Greek Cucumber Salad with Tomatoes
Whether it’s the middle of summer or you want to bring a little sunshine into your fall/winter diet, dishes like peanut noodle salad, hummus tortilla wraps, and this Greek cucumber salad are perfect for transporting you to the sunny Mediterranean.
This cucumber Greek salad recipe is light and refreshing but loaded with flavor, including crisp cucumber, juicy tomatoes, briny olives, zingy onion, and homemade or store-bought tangy vegan feta cheese. When tossed in a simple lemon garlic oregano vinaigrette, it’s naturally gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, and loaded with vitamins and minerals, antioxidants, healthy fats, and plenty of plant-based protein.
Better yet, using simple kitchen and pantry staples, you can get this Greek cucumber tomato salad on your table in just 15 minutes (though a 30-60 minute marination period is HIGHLY recommended), and it’s highly adaptable. The bold, vibrant colors and flavors will have you returning time and time again.
Looking for more light Mediterranean-inspired dishes? Check out our Greek millet salad, Mediterranean couscous, and Mediterranean pasta salad!
The Ingredients and Substitutes
The Greek Tomato Cucumber Salad
- Cucumber: Use a firm, unblemished, low-seed English cucumber or Persian cucumber. Regular garden cucumber works, too, if you peel and de-seed it.
- Tomatoes: Cherry tomatoes/ grape tomatoes are great, even out of season. In summer, though, feel free to use the best tomatoes you can find, like Roma tomatoes.
- Red onion: (or yellow onion) This is a classic addition to a cucumber Greek salad for flavor and crunch.
- Black olives: We love using jarred black olives, as we use the brine in this recipe, too. However, Kalamata olives also work.
- Lemon: Fresh lemon juice is best. Add zest for extra citrusy brightness.
- Sea Salt
Vegan Feta Cheese
- Super firm tofu: Use super firm or extra-firm tofu, crumbled into feta-like crumbles.
- The marinade: The simple Greek marinade uses all the ingredients from the dressing to infuse the tofu with flavor for this vegan Greek salad. This includes:
- Olive oil
- Olive brine
- Lemon juice
- Sea salt & black pepper
- Dried oregano
- Garlic powder
Alternatively, use your favorite vegan feta cheese to reduce prep time and effort for this Greek cucumber salad recipe.
The Greek Salad Dressing
- Olive oil: Use a good-quality extra-virgin olive oil with a light, fruity flavor.
- Olive brine: For a salty, briny flavor. Omit it if preferred, though.
- Lemon juice: We’ll be using the leftover lemony ‘marinade’ from making tofu feta. Add depth with a splash of white wine vinegar or red wine vinegar.
- Dried oregano: A must-have for authentic Greek salad dressing.
- Salt & black pepper: Season to taste.
Add depth to the Greek dressing with minced garlic, Dijon mustard, and possibly some sweetener (like maple syrup/agave), added to taste.
What could I add to Mediterranean cucumber salad?
- Lettuce: Make more of a green salad with iceberg/ romaine lettuce.
- Avocado: For rich creaminess, healthy fats, and antioxidants.
- Bell pepper: Red/ green bell pepper– raw (for crunch) or roasted (for smokiness).
- Artichoke: Canned or jarred and finely chopped for a lemony, earthy flavor.
- Toasted pita: Cut into squares to add a satisfying crunch.
- Fresh herbs: I.e., fresh parsley, oregano, dill, green onion, etc.
- Protein: Add plant-based protein with pulses like canned chickpeas, white beans, or lentils. Alternatively, you could add seitan or tempeh.
- Quinoa, couscous, or orzo: Turn this Mediterranean cucumber tomato salad into a hearty main meal with about ½ cup of cooked grains.
- Nuts/seeds: Sprinkle over lightly toasted almonds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, etc., for crunch, healthy fats, and a little protein.
How to Make Greek Cucumber Salad
- First, thinly slice the onion and toss it in a bowl with the juice from 1-2 small lemons or 1 large lemon and ½ teaspoon of salt. Set aside for 5 minutes.
- In a separate bowl, combine the tofu marinade ingredients (olive oil, olive brine, garlic powder, oregano, juice of one lemon, salt, and pepper). Mix well and crumble the tofu into it. Mix well and set aside.
- Meanwhile, peel (optional), dice the cucumbers, halve the cherry tomatoes, slice the black olives, and add them to a large salad bowl with the drained onions (reserve the lemon juice mixture, don’t discard it!).
- In the bowl with the reserved oniony lemon juice (or in a jar), add the remaining dressing ingredients (olive oil, salt, pepper, oregano, and olive brine) and shake/mix well.
- Add 2-3 tablespoons of dressing to the cucumber salad, toss, and top with crumbled tofu feta. Serve & enjoy with extra dressing on the side, if preferred!
While you could enjoy this cucumber and tomato Greek salad immediately, we recommend leaving it to marinate for 1-2 hours in the fridge for the flavors to meld.
FAQs
If you’re using English cucumber or another thin-peel cucumber, there’s no need to peel it unless that’s your personal preference. If you’re using a thick-peeled cucumber, peel it first, as the peel is usually tough and bitter.
This recipe uses several ingredients for both the tofu feta cheese and the dressing. However, it’s possible to combine the ingredients together in advance and then use a portion to soak the onions. The assembled dressing stores in a jar in the refrigerator for 5-7 days.
If you’d prefer not to use tofu, replace it with a store-bought, soy-free vegan feta or omit it entirely for something like avocado.
Top Recipe Tips and Notes
- Allow the flavors to meld: Once assembled, Greek/ Mediterranean cucumber salad highly benefits from at least 30 minutes of ‘marinating’ in the fridge. 1-2 hours is better.
- Adjust the texture: Enjoy the veggies fairly chunky or finely diced/chopped based on your desired texture.
- To avoid watery salad: If your cucumbers and/or tomatoes are very seedy, de-seed them.
- To save time: A mandoline or vegetable chopper can help speed up prep. Â
What to Serve with Greek Cucumber Salad?
Enjoy vegan Mediterranean salad year-round to inject a bit of summer onto your table, but especially at BBQs and summer potlucks alongside:
- Grilled tofu, tempeh, and other vegan proteins
- Vegan kabobs – tofu, tempeh, and/or vegetables
- Falafels – In a salad bowl or pita wrap
- Vegan burgers and hotdogs
- Vegan pizza and calzones
- Simple sandwiches and wraps
- As part of a mezze platter with hummus, pita bread, tzatziki, and other dips
- Pasta dishes – like eggplant pasta and baked potato mac n’ cheese
- Garlic bread, focaccia, or pita bread
Storage Instructions
This Greek cucumber and tomato salad highly benefits from being made 1-2 hours before serving, but is most fresh/crisp on the day of preparing it. That said, leftovers should keep for 1-2 days, though the cucumber softens and releases liquid over time.
For the longest shelf life, store the Greek cucumber tomato feta salad and dressing separately, and only combine them before serving. That way, it should last 3-4 days.
More Delicious Vegan Salad Recipes
- Mediterranean chickpea lentil salad
- Mediterranean pearl couscous salad
- Lemon-garlic Mediterranean quinoa
- Lentil tabbouleh
- Vegan taco salad (in tortilla bowl)
- Southwest quinoa salad
Photos by Alfonso Revilla
Greek Cucumber Salad
Ingredients
- 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 to 2 lemons
- ½ teaspoon of salt
- 4 tablespoons of olive oil
- 1 tablespoon of olive brine
- ½ teaspoon of garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon of salt
- ½ teaspoon of black pepper
- 1 teaspoon of dry oregano
- 1 lemon
- ½ block of super firm tofu, crumbled
- 3 cucumbers, peeled and diced (3 to 4 cups)
- 1 pint of cherry tomatoes, halved
- ½ cup of sliced black olives
Dressing
- 5 tablespoons of olive oil
- ½ teaspoon of salt
- ½ teaspoon of black pepper
- 1 teaspoon of dry oregano
- 5 tablespoons of olive brine
- onion-lemon marinate juice
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, add the thinly sliced onion, lemon juice, and salt. Toss well for all of the onion slices to be soaked with the lemon juice and salt. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, add the olive oil, olive brine, garlic powder, salt, black pepper, oregano, and juice of one lemon. Mix well until all flavors are fully combined. Crumble the tofu in small pieces to resemble feta cheese. Mix well and set aside.
- In a large bowl, add the diced cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, and black olives. Make sure to reserve the juice, drain the onions and add them to the bowl.
- In a small jar with a lid, add the 5 tablespoons of olive oil, salt, black pepper, oregano, olive brine, and the reserved juice from the onions. Mix well and add 2-3 tablespoons of dressing to the bowl with the cucumber salad. Mix well and top with crumbled tofu mixture to taste.
- Serve with more dressing on the side and enjoy cold! The longer it sits, the more flavorful it gets.
Notes
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- Allow the flavors to meld: Once assembled, Greek/ Mediterranean cucumber salad highly benefits from at least 30 minutes of ‘marinating’ in the fridge. 1-2 hours is better.
-
- Adjust the texture: Enjoy the veggies fairly chunky or finely diced/chopped based on your desired texture.
-
- To avoid watery salad: If your cucumbers and/or tomatoes are very seedy, de-seed them.
-
- To save time: A mandoline or vegetable chopper can help speed up prep. Â
Nutrition
Disclaimer: Although plantbasedonabudget.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, kindly note that these are only estimates. Nutritional information may be affected based on the product type, the brand that was purchased, and in other unforeseeable ways. Plantbasedonabudget.com will not be held liable for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information. If you need to follow a specific caloric regimen, please consult your doctor first.
Love the tofu feta!