Hungarian Cucumber Salad - Recipes From Europe (2024)

Here’s A Delicious Hungarian Cucumber Salad Recipe To Try Out!

If you want to make a cucumber salad that will have people nagging you for the recipe, this is it.

This authentic Hungarian cucumber salad – known as uborkasaláta – is the perfect mix of creaminess, sweetness, and tanginess, all in one bowl.

Cucumber salad is a classic Hungarian side dish for meat dishes such as chicken paprikash and a staple of Hungarian cuisine.

That said, many other countries have similar versions that include different ingredients like dill, as in this German cucumber salad!

We are big fans of cucumber salad and make it regularly. This particular cucumber salad recipe was provided by a good friend of ours – it’s the way his Hungarian nagymama (grandma) used to make it.

It’s one of our absolute favorites because it’s a nice balance of sweet and creamy with just enough bite from the fresh garlic.

Ingredients

To make this recipe for Hungarian cucumber salad with sour cream, here are the ingredients that you will need:

• English cucumbers – Fresh, firm cucumbers.
• Salt – Helps release excess moisture from the cucumbers and seasons the salad.
• Hot banana pepper – Optional; adds a touch of heat.
• Garlic cloves – For extra flavor.
• Granulated sugar – To balance the acidity; adjust to taste.
• Vinegar – White vinegar or white wine vinegar both work.
• Sour cream – Makes the salad creamy and rich; feel free to leave it out.
• Black pepper – To season the salad.
• Paprika – Preferably sweet Hungarian paprika, but you can use other types of paprika. Adds color and flavor to the dish.
• Fresh chives – Optional garnish.

Recipe Tips

Before you make this cucumber salad, read our recipe tricks so that your salad will turn out delicious:

• You can peel the cucumbers or leave the skin on. If you leave the skin on, be sure to wash them thoroughly.
• Slice the cucumbers thinly and evenly. This works best with a mandolin, but you can also use a box grater or sharp knife.
• After sprinkling the cucumbers with salt, squeeze out as much water as you can. This will prevent the salad from being too watery.
• If you like your cucumber salad with a bit of heat, add more hot banana pepper. The level of heat can vary from pepper to pepper, so taste as you go. In general, though, banana peppers are pretty mild.
• Feel free to adjust the amount of salt, sugar, and/or vinegar to your liking – especially if you decide to skip the sour cream.
• Let the cucumber salad chill in the fridge for at least one hour before serving to allow the flavors to meld.

How to Make Hungarian Cucumber Salad – Step by Step Instructions

Making Hungarian cucumber salad is pretty simple. But if you’re not feeling super comfortable and prefer visuals, we’ve included all the recipe process photos in this section so that you can follow along at home.

Alternatively, you can find the recipe card with all the relevant details, but no photos, at the end of this post!

First, wash the cucumbers and peel them if you like. Then use a mandolin, box grater, or sharp knife to slice them thinly and evenly.

Place the cucumbers in a bowl, sprinkle with salt and mix. Then place the bowl in the fridge for about 1.5 hours.

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Drain the excess water from the bowl and squeeze the cucumbers well with your hands to remove and drain additional liquid.

Add the chopped hot banana pepper (optional), crushed garlic, sugar, vinegar, sour cream, pepper, and paprika to the bowl with the cucumbers.

Stir well and adjust the seasonings to your liking.

Refrigerate the cucumber salad for at least one hour. You can garnish it with more paprika and chopped chives before serving.

This cucumber salad goes well with meat dishes such as authentic chicken paprikash, easy chicken paprikash, Marhapörkölt (beef stew with Nokedli, egg noodles), Hungarian goulash, or easy cabbage roll casserole if you want to create a well-rounded Hungarian meal at home!

Storage Tips

If you have leftovers, it’s important to refrigerate any uneaten cucumber salad right away (especially if you used sour cream).

Store any leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 2-3 days. However, ideally, you eat the cucumber salad by the next day since it can become soggier and more watery over time.

Don’t forget to give the leftover salad a good stir before serving. You may also need to drain off some excess liquid.

FAQ

Related Recipes

For more great Hungarian recipes, check out these other classic dishes that Eric grew up eating!

• Hungarian Stuffed Peppers (Töltött Paprika)
• Creamy Green Bean Soup (Hungarian tejfölös zöldbableves)
• Marhapörkölt (Beef Stew with Nokedli)
• (Káposztás Tészta)
• Hungarian Goulash (Gulyásleves)

This recipe was first published in May 2020 and updated with new photos and tips in November 2023.