Crisp and refreshing, this cucumber radish salad with creamy avocado, tangy olives, and a zesty dill vinaigrette is a delightful way to welcome the spring season. Bursting with vibrant colors and flavors, each bite is a celebration of the season's bounty.
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With its crisp texture, refreshing taste, and healthy ingredients, this salad is the perfect light lunch, side dish, or vibrant appetizer.
Cucumbers are a popular ingredient in salads because of their cool, refreshing taste and the fact that they perfectly balance spicier ingredients like radishes. Check this principle out in action in my Korean Cucumber Salad.
Top Tip: You might also enjoy my Israeli Cucumber Salad.
🧡Reasons You'll Love This Recipe
🧡Cucumber radish salad is healthy! Cucumber and radish are both low in calories and high in fiber, making this salad nutritious and filling. The avocado provides healthy monounsaturated fats, while the olives offer a range of antioxidants and other beneficial nutrients.
🧡All of the flavors in this salad really play off of each other. The salty, tangy notes of olives complement the herbaceous flavor of the dill, while the avocado adds a creamy undertone.
🧡It's super easy to make. If you don't want to make the cucumber ribbons, you can slice your cucumber into rounds.
🧡There's only 10 ingredients, and you can make this salad in about 15 minutes.
🛒Ingredients
- Cucumber: English cucumbers are the best choice for this cucumber radish salad They have fewer seeds and a much thinner skin than other varieties of cucumbers.
- Radishes: Radishes add a spicy contrast to the cool, refreshing cucumber.
- Avocado: Avocado has a creamy texture that balances out the sharpness of the radish and the saltiness of the olives.
- Black Olives: Choose a great quality black olive like Kalamata olives. The salty, briny flavor of the olives is a nice foil for fresh, herbaceous dill.
- Olive Oil: Choose a good quality extra virgin olive oil. The dill dressing is simple, so quality ingredients are a must.
- Apple Cider Vinegar: I love the tangy, slightly sweet taste of apple cider vinegar in this recipe. Plus, apple cider vinegar boosts the nutritional value of your salad. If you don't have apple cider vinegar on hand, you could also use white wine vinegar.
- Maple Syrup: Maple syrup balances out the acidity of the vinegar without using refined sugar. You could also use agave syrup.
- Garlic: Garlic adds a bit of a kick to the salad dressing.
- Dijon Mustard: Not only does Dijon mustard taste great, it acts as an emulsifier in salad dressings. An emulsifier is a substance that helps two liquids combine - In this case the oil and vinegar. Mustard contains a natural emulsifying agent called lecithin, which helps the oil and vinegar blend together more smoothly and prevent separation.
- Lemon Zest: The lemon zest is optional, but a quick shaving over the top of your cucumber radish salad adds a pop of color and a zest, citrus flavor.
🍴How To Make Cucumber Radish Salad
- Start by preparing the cucumber ribbons. Wash and dry the cucumber, cut the ends off and use a vegetable peeler or a mandolin slicer to slice the cucumber lengthwise into thin ribbons. Place the cucumber ribbons in a large bowl. You don't necessarily need to use cucumber ribbons for this salad, but I love the sensual feel they add.
- Rinse the radishes and trim off the root and stem ends. Slice the radishes thinly and add them to the bowl with the cucumber ribbons.
- Cut the avocado in half and remove the pit. Scoop out the flesh with a spoon and slice it thinly. Add the avocado slices to the bowl with the cucumber and radishes.
- Add the sliced black olives to the bowl with the other ingredients.
- In a small bow, whisk together the white wine vinegar, maple syrup Dijon mustard, chopped dill and salt and pepper.
- While whisking constantly, slowly drizzle in the olive oil. Continue whisking until the dressing is emulsified and smooth.
- Pour the dressing over the cucumber, radish, avocado, and black olive mixture in the bowl. Toss gently to coat everything evenly with the dressing.
🍽️Serving Suggestions
- Falafel: Serve crispy, homemade falafel balls with pita bread, tahini sauce, and a side of cucumber radish salad.
- Sweet Potato Lentil Soup: This comforting soup is perfect for a chilly day. Plus, lentils are packed with protein and fiber. Serve with a side of cucumber radish salad for a well-rounded meal.
- Tomato Avocado Toast: Top your favorite bread with mashed avocado, sliced tomatoes, and a sprinkle of sea salt. Serve with a side of cucumber radish salad for a fresh and satisfying breakfast or brunch.
- Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms: Stuffed Portobello mushrooms and cucumber radish salad would make a great vegan dinner.
❄️Storage Instructions
Refrigerator
Keep the salad and the dressing separate if you're making this salad ahead. Store the salad and the dressing separately in airtight containers. This will help prevent the salad from getting soggy and the dressing from making everything else in the container oily. Add the avocado right before serving. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can definitely eat raw radish in a salad! Radishes are low in calories, high in fiber, and contain vitamin C and other nutrients, making them a healthy addition to your diet. Raw radishes are crisp and slightly spicy, which can add a nice contrast to other ingredients in your salad.
Radish and cucumber are both low in calories and rich in vitamins and minerals, making them healthy additions to your diet. Radish contains fiber and antioxidants, while cucumber is high in water content and has antioxidant properties. Including these vegetables in your meals can help support your overall health and hydration.
To make cucumber ribbons, you can use a vegetable peeler or a mandoline slicer. Firstly, cut the ends of the cucumber off. If you're using a vegetable peeler, run the peeler down the length of the cucumber to create long, thin strips. Alternatively, using a mandoline slicer, you can carefully run the cucumber over the blade to create thin, even slices.
Craving More Easy Vegan Salad Recipes?
Vegan Chickpea Salad With Tahini Dressing
53 Luscious Vegan Salad Recipes
Chick-fil-A Kale Salad Recipe {Copycat Recipe}
Vegan Couscous Salad With Pomegranate
📖 Recipe
Cucumber Radish Salad With Dill Dressing
Ingredients
- 1 large cucumber I used an English cucumber
- 1 bunch of radishes
- 1 avocado
- ½ cup sliced black olives
Dill Vinaigrette Dressing
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1½ tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons maple syrup or agave nectar
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove finely minced
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- lemon zest optional garnish
Instructions
- Start by preparing the cucumber ribbons. Use a vegetable peeler or a mandolin slicer to slice the cucumber lengthwise into thin ribbons. Place the cucumber ribbons in a large bowl.
- Rinse the radishes and trim off the root and stem ends. Slice the radishes thinly and add them to the bowl with the cucumber ribbons.
- Cut the avocado in half and remove the pit. Scoop out the flesh with a spoon and slice it thinly. Add the avocado slices to the bowl with the cucumber and radishes.
- Add the sliced black olives to the bowl with the other ingredients.
- In a small bow, whisk together the white wine vinegar, maple syrup Dijon mustard, chopped dill and salt and pepper.
- While whisking constantly, slowly drizzle in the olive oil. Continue whisking until the dressing is emulsified and smooth.
- Pour the dressing over the cucumber, radish, avocado, and black olive mixture in the bowl. Toss gently to coat everything evenly with the dressing.
- Serve the cucumber radish salad immediately, garnished with additional chopped fresh dill if desired.
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