This cucumber salsa is cool and zesty, pairing this crunchy veggie with jalapeño, cilantro and lime. Ideal for chips, tacos, and more!

Here’s a unique salsa variation everyone should try: Cucumber Salsa! Using this green vegetable instead of tomato is a bit off the beaten path. But turns out, cucumber is just the veggie for pairing with jalapeño, cilantro and lime! It adds a cooling essence and a hydrating crunch to each bite. Zingy and zesty, it’s ideal for dipping chips or showering over tacos. Or, sprinkle it over grilled salmon for a summery meal. Anything goes here!

Ingredients in cucumber salsa

All you need are a handful of ingredients to make a killer cucumber salsa! Like with any salsa, the time is in the chopping. It takes about 15 minutes to chop all the ingredients: but the payoff is immense! Take one bite, and the zingy, crunchy cool flavor will sweep you off your feet. Here’s what you’ll need:

• English cucumber (or standard cucumber; see below!)
• Red bell pepper
• Red onion
• Jalapeño peppers
• Cilantro
• Cumin
• Lime juice
• Kosher salt

English cucumber vs standard cucumber

This cucumber salsa is best with an English cucumber, but you can use a standard cucumber if that’s what you have on hand! What’s the difference and why is it better in this salsa?

• English cucumbers are long and straight, with a thin skin with ridges. The seeds are very small and the flavor is sweeter than a standard cucumber. Because of the thin skin and small seeds, it doesn’t need to be peeled or seeded before eating! The flesh has a bright green color which looks beautiful in recipes. Because the thin skin is so fragile, it’s sold with a plastic covering in the grocery store.
• Standard slicing cucumbers are shorter, with thick, dark green skin and very large seeds. The thick skin and seeds can be bitter, so they’re often removed when cooking. You can use it here, but you’ll need to peel and seed it first. The flavor is not quite the same as the English cucumber, but it’s still tasty!

How long does cucumber salsa last?

Homemade cucumber salsa lasts 4 days refrigerated. While it’s best when it’s fresh, it lasts well and the flavor intensifies over time.

Ways to use cucumber salsa

This cucumber salsa is quite versatile: it’s great on its own as a dip, but it’s even more fun combined into a meal! Here are a few ways to serve it:

• As a dip for chips
• With tacos like Chickpea Tacos, Salmon Tacos, Shrimp Tacos or Black Bean Tacos
• Over grilled fish like Grilled Salmon or Grilled Tilapia
• On nachos like Sheet Pan Nachos

How do you plan to serve your cucumber salsa? Let us know in the comments below!

More cucumber recipes

Got a few more cool cucumbers on hand? Here are some of our favorite cucumber recipes to use them:

• Try Creamy Cucumber Salad or Cucumber Salad with Vinegar
• Go for Quick Cucumber Sauce
• Grab a Cucumber Margarita
• Blend up Cucumber Juice, Easy Cucumber Smoothie, or Cucumber Lemonade

01

Creamy Cucumber Salad with Sour Cream

02

Easy Cucumber Smoothie

03

Quick Cucumber Sauce

04

Cucumber Lemonade

This cucumber salsa recipe is…

Vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free and gluten-free.

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