Cucumber Tomato Avocado Salad
Our family’s favorite cucumber and tomato salad gets a creamy upgrade with ripe avocado, fresh cilantro, and a bright lemon dressing. This Cucumber Tomato Avocado Salad is ready in just 15 minutes with no cooking, making it an easy side dish for summer meals, cookouts, and weeknight dinners.
Cucumber Tomato Avocado Salad Video
Why You’ll Love This Salad
This is the salad I make all summer long and bring most often to my parents’ house for Sunday lunch. I never seem to get tired of it, especially with garden-grown cucumbers and tomatoes. The simple lemon dressing makes it taste fresh and bright year-round, even when tomatoes aren’t at their summer best.
It’s perfect with grilled meats, seafood, or a simple weeknight dinner, and it always disappears fast. It’s also naturally gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian, and vegan, so it works for a wide range of diets, meals, and gatherings.
Cucumber Tomato Avocado Salad Ingredients
This easy salad is all about fresh ingredients, so use the best tomatoes and avocados you can find. Garden cucumbers and tomatoes make it extra special and give this salad the best summer flavor.
- Tomatoes – Roma tomatoes work well because they are firm and not overly juicy. Cherry or grape tomatoes are also great and hold their shape nicely.
- Cucumber – English or Persian cucumbers are crisp, mild, and don’t need to be peeled. Garden cucumbers also work, but peel them if the skin is thick or waxy and remove any large, mature seeds.
- Avocados – Choose ripe but firm avocados so they hold their shape when tossed. Avoid overripe avocados, which can get mushy.
- Red onion – Slice it thinly so it blends into the salad. The lemon juice helps mellow the onion as it sits, but if your onion is extra strong, soak the slices in cold water for 10 minutes, then drain well.
- Cilantro – We love its fresh flavor here, but you can substitute fresh dill or chives.
- Lemon juice and olive oil – This simple dressing is light, fresh, and lets the vegetables shine. You can substitute fresh lime juice for the lemon juice.
Ingredients
- 1 lb Roma tomatoes, chopped
- 1 English cucumber, Persian, or garden cucumbers, sliced
- 1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced
- 2 avocados, diced
- 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil , or sunflower oil
- 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice, (from 1 medium lemon), or lime juice
- 1/4 cup cilantro*, chopped
- 1 tsp sea salt, or 3/4 tsp table salt
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Prep Veggies – Place chopped tomatoes, sliced cucumber, sliced red onion, diced avocado, and chopped cilantro into a large salad bowl.
- Add Dressing – Drizzle with 2 Tbsp olive oil and 2 Tbsp lemon juice. Toss gently to combine.
- Season and Serve – Just before serving, toss with 1 tsp sea salt and 1/8 tsp black pepper, or season to taste.
Nutrition Per Serving
261kcal Calories17g Carbs3g Protein22g Fat
How to Make Cucumber Tomato Avocado Salad
- Prep the veggies – Chop the tomatoes. If your tomatoes are extra juicy, you can seed them first, but I usually don’t bother. Slice the cucumber and red onion, dice the avocados into bite-sized pieces, and chop the cilantro. Add everything to a large salad bowl.
- Dress the salad – Drizzle with olive oil and fresh lemon juice, then gently toss to combine.
- Season and Serve – Just before serving, add salt and pepper to taste and toss gently again. This helps keep the salad from getting watery too quickly.
Tips for the Best Avocado Salad
- Use ripe but firm avocados – Soft avocados can turn mushy when tossed. Dice them into bite-sized pieces, but don’t cut them too small or they can fall apart.
- Dice the avocado last – This keeps it fresher and helps prevent browning.
- Toss gently – Use a large spoon or spatula to fold the salad instead of stirring hard, which can crush the avocados and make the salad mushy.
- Salt just before serving – Salt pulls moisture from cucumbers and tomatoes, so this keeps the salad crisp and fresh.
