Cucumber Blueberry Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette
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Check out this incredible cucumber blueberry salad with homemade lemon vinaigrette! Crispy Persian cucumbers, sweet blueberries, fresh mint, and a honey lemon dressing come together with sliced red onion, crunchy pistachios, and tangy feta cheese for a burst of flavor and texture.
This is the perfect summer salad for your next BBQ or whenever you’re craving something fresh and delicious!
I love fresh, crunchy salads. I also love salads that aren’t just a typical bowl of lettuce with random veggies thrown on top. Spring is here, and I wanted to create a unique but pleasing salad. One thing I’ve noticed as I started listening to my body more is how my cravings and food desires naturally change with the seasons. I want light, fresh, & cold foods right now, and this cucumber blueberry salad with mint & feta fits the bill!
Cucumbers are a family favorite and one of my staple garden crops. We also buy greenhouse cukes all year round for the kids. I love the fresh flavor and crunch!
Salad Ingredients
You’re going to love the individual textures and flavors each ingredient brings to this blueberry cucumber salad recipe.
Persian Cucumbers – Crisp cucumber chunks serve as the salad base. I love Persian cucumbers for this salad because their slices give perfect bite-sized pieces. However, you can use whatever fresh cucumber you like. For larger cucumbers, you can halve or quarter the slices. I recommend using seedless cucumbers if you can so they don’t get mushy in the salad.
Fresh Blueberries -Use fresh blueberries for this salad. Frozen blueberries will be too mushy when thawed. Dried blueberries can be a good alternative if you don’t have access to fresh.
Red Onion - I just use about 1/4 of a small red onion sliced thinly. Use more or less to taste.
Mint – Fresh mint leaves complete this salad. My first version of this recipe didn’t use mint, and while it was tasty, I just knew it was missing something–and that something was fresh herbs! Mint goes so great with all of the flavors in this salad and complements everything beautifully. It really was the finishing touch this salad needed.
Pistachios - I use roasted & salted pistachios for the crunch, healthy fats, and earthy flavor.
Feta Cheese – Feta is one of my favorite salad cheeses that goes so well with mint, pistachio, lemon, etc. However, you can use parmesan cheese, mozzarella pearls, or goat cheese if you prefer.
Lemon Vinaigrette – This salad is tossed with an easy-to-make tangy homemade lemon vinaigrette.
Salad Assembly Instructions
It’s quick & easy to throw this simple salad together! I recommend serving this in a medium-sized platter or shallow serving bowl. This allows the salad to layer well so that you don’t end up with smushed berries, nuts at the bottom of the bowl, etc.
1. Prep the Dressing
Add all dressing ingredients to a pint-size mason jar: 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, the zest, and juice (about 1/4 cup) of one large lemon, 1 clove of garlic (grated using the zester), dijon mustard, honey, salt, black pepper, ginger, thyme, and rosemary.
Cap the jar and shake until well-mixed. For more dressing recipe details, check out my Honey Lemon Vinaigrette recipe post.
2. Slice Cucumbers
Wash and dry the cucumbers. Thinly slice them and place them in a medium-sized salad platter or bowl.
3. Add Berries, Onion, & Mint
Wash & dry the blueberries and add them to the salad platter of cucumbers, along with the sliced red onion (use about 1/4 of a small onion–more or less to your tastes). Rip the mint leaves into smaller pieces and sprinkle them across the salad.
4. Add Toppings & Dressing
Add the feta cheese & pistachios. Drizzle with 1/2 to 3/4 of the lemon vinaigrette, depending on how much dressing you like.
Make-Ahead Tip
If you are making this salad ahead of time to bring to a party or gathering, keep the dressing and nuts separate and add them before serving. I recommend serving this salad the same day it is assembled for the best tastes & textures.
Variations & Substitutions
- Instead of Persian cucumbers, you can use English cucumbers or mini greenhouse cucumbers.
- Try blackberries instead of blueberries.
- Instead of feta, try goat cheese or shaved parmesan flakes.
- If you don’t like lemon, swap out for a balsamic vinaigrette such as my citrus balsamic vinaigrette recipe. That recipe uses mostly orange juice for the citrus, and you can use lime juice instead of small amount of lemon.
- Pistachios can be swapped for walnuts, pecans, almonds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, or whatever crunchy nut/seed you’d like!
If you’d like to try some other salad recipes, try my Turkish Cabbage Salad, my Kale Crunch Salad, and my Kale & Pomegranate Salad.
Serving Suggestions
This would be the perfect side salad for any of the following main dishes!
- Traeger Smoked Whole Chicken with Citrus Rub
- Smoked Boneless Pork Sirloin
- Spatchcock Chili Lime Chicken
- Juicy Traeger Burgers
For more salad ideas, check out my fruit & veggie recipes.
Nutrition Information
This salad will serve 4 to 6 people a good-sized serving. For 1/4 of the salad, the macros are:
- Calories: 200
- Protein: 5g
- Fat: 14g
- Carbs: 17g
- Dietary Fiber: 3.6g
*Note: These macros are estimated by my macro-tracking app based on my chosen ingredients. Your macros may vary.
Refreshing Summer Flavors
Why not whip up this beautiful Cucumber Blueberry Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette today? Gather your ingredients and create these fresh, crisp textures and flavors. Your friends and family will rave about it!
If you give this recipe a try, please leave a comment and review! I do my best to reply to each one. 🙂
Cucumber Blueberry Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette
Equipment
- Cutting Board
- Sharp Knife
Ingredients
Lemon Vinaigrette
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large lemon - or 2 small
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
Cucumber Blueberry Salad
- 6 Persian cucumbers
- 1/4 whole red onion - sliced thinly
- 6 ounces fresh blueberries
- 6-8 leaves fresh mint
- 1/3 cup feta cheese
- 1/3 cup roasted pistachios
Instructions
- Prep the dressing: Add all ingredients to a pint-size mason jar: 1/4 cup olive oil, the zest and juice (about 1/4 cup) of one large lemon, 1 clove of garlic (grated using the zester), dijon mustard, honey, salt, pepper, ginger, thyme, and rosemary. Cap the jar and shake until well mixed. For more dressing recipe details, see the link in the notes.
- Wash and dry the cucumbers. Thinly slice them and place them on a medium-sized salad platter or bowl.
- Wash & dry the blueberries and add them to the salad platter of cucumbers, along with the sliced red onion (use about 1/4 of a small onion–more or less to your tastes). Rip the mint leaves into smaller pieces and sprinkle them across the salad.
- Add the feta cheese & pistachios. Drizzle with 1/2 to 3/4 of the lemon vinaigrette, depending on how much dressing you like.
Video
I love the fresh, tangy flavors combined with the crunchy texture of this salad! We made it to being to a friends house for dinner and everyone loved it! 🙂