This easy cucumber, tomato, and feta cheese salad tastes like summer! What sets mine apart is a lemon vinaigrette dressing that brings in light and fresh Mediterranean flavor. I love it with a combination of parsley, mint, and cilantro, but choose the herbs you like best! Ready in 15 minutes (or less!)
This salad is full of the things I can never get enough of in the summer! Crisp, crunchy cucumbers, ripe tomatoes, salty feta, and all the fresh herbs I can cram onto my fork.
It's a slight variation on my chickpea, cucumber and tomato salad, just a little lighter, and changing up some of the herbs, suitable as a side dish for all that grilling you're doing. It's quick and effortless, you barely have to pick up a knife to make it.
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Ingredients you'll need
- Cucumbers: I prefer to use English cucumbers because they have a thinner skin and fewer seeds. That's what I use to make my creamy cucumber salad and what I keep around for snacking. Garden variety cucumbers will also work, you might want to peel strips of the skin off before slicing to make them a little more tender, and use smaller ones to control the amount of seeds.
- Cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes: Choose whichever is available, even orange and yellow cherry tomatoes would be great!
- Crumbled feta cheese: We're using crumbled feta so it gets up in every single bite, not the big cubes, save those for a Greek salad.
- Fresh herbs: Use any combination of fresh soft herbs that you like. I've chosen mint, parsley and cilantro. You can use all of thes or one of these. Other options could be tarragon, dill, or chives. Choose your own adventure!
- Lemon juice & zest, olive oil: This simple lemon vinaigrette dressing is what takes the salad over the top with Mediterranean flavors. It tastes like sunshine, so bright and light! And don't sleep on the lemon zest, when I use the juice, I always use citrus zest to add a floral aroma.
*Ingredients with measurements are listed in the recipe card below.
How to make a cucumber, tomato, and feta salad
Step 1: Chop the veggies and herbs
Use a good chef's knife to cut the tomatoes in half, slice the cucumber then cut the slices into quarters. Give the herbs a rough chop.
Step 2: Make the lemon dressing
Zest the lemon with a microplane grater, then juice it. Combine the juice, zest, olive oil and a pinch of salt in a mixing bowl and whisk together.
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Step 3: Toss the salad and add the feta
Place the cucumbers, tomatoes, and herbs in a mixing bowl and stir in the dressing.
Finally, add the feta and give the salad a quick toss. Serve immediately.
Don't chop mint, tear it!
If you're using mint, don't chop it with a knife because the blade will cause it to discolor. Tear the leaves into pieces, or leave the tiny ones whole.
Debra's Details: This tomato, cucumber, feta salad is light, fresh, quick, and easy!
- The bare minimum of chopping.
- Ready in 10-15 minutes!
- Crisp, fresh, and cold, just like a summer salad should be.
- Make the dressing up to 2 days ahead.
- The lemon vinaigrette is unique and takes the Mediterranean flavors over the top!
- Take this to summer picnics and 4th of July parties, just wait to add the dressing until you're ready to serve.
More summer salad recipes
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Recipe
Lemony Cucumber, Tomato, and Feta Salad with Herbs
Ingredients
- 1 English cucumber
- 12-16 ounces cherry tomatoes (or grape tomatoes)
- ¼ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley (see note)
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
- ¼ cup torn mint leaves
- zest of one lemon
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¾ cup crumbled feta cheese
Instructions
- Cut the tomatoes in half, slice the cucumber then cut the slices into quarters. Give the herbs a rough chop. If using mint, tear it, don't chop it, see note.
- Zest the lemon with a microplane grater, then juice it. Combine the juice, zest, olive oil and kosher salt in a mixing bowl and whisk together.
- Place the cucumbers, tomatoes, and herbs in a mixing bowl and stir in the dressing.
- Finally, add the feta and give the salad a quick toss. Serve immediately.
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Notes
- Use any mix of herbs you like: Try my combo, or use just one of them, or substitute other soft herbs like dill, tarragon, or chives. The salad could be new and different every time you make it by changing up the herbs!
- Tear mint, don't chop: The blade of the knife can cause mint to turn black. Tear it or keep the small leaves whole.
- Adjust the lemon juice and olive oil ratios: I like a TART, bright dressing. If you like yours a little less puckery, try 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and ยผ cup of olive oil.
- Don't add the dressing until you're ready to serve: Once you add the dressing, the tomatoes and cucumbers will start releasing their juices. If you're taking this to a picnic or barbecue, wait to dress it until it's time to eat.
- Mix in the feta after the dressing: This ensures that you get all the veggies and herbs evenly coated without beating up those feta crumbles until they turn into nothing.
- Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. (It will get watery, but still tastes good.)
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated as an estimate. Calorie accuracy is not guaranteed.
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