Lemon Herb Smashed Cucumber Salad
This Lemon Herb Smashed Cucumber Salad is a mix of marinated onions, cucumbers and avocado dressed in a delicious lemon herb mix. Easy to put together and a fun and refreshing way to get in your veggies.
As I was packing up the last of my apartment before the big move, there were some really nice warm sunny days. And when I found some time between packing, I began craving something fresh and packed with veggies, so had to throw this mix together.
The onions are the main star, and after making onions this way for a while, I knew that they would be particularly delicious with a sweet lemon dressing. The perfect tangy flavor profile to match well with some cucumbers. One giant mix later, and this made for a delicious dinner, but also doubled for some yummy leftovers the next day.
Why You’ll Love This Lemon Herb Smashed Cucumber Salad
- Easier to make than you think. There are different elements to this salad, but each pieces requires minimal effort to put together. Most of this recipe involves cutting and mixing. Some roasting gets in there, but we’re keeping this part as simple as possible too.
- Easy to customize to your preference. With multiple components comes multiple opportunities to change up flavors and ingredients to match your preference. Read some of the suggestions and tips below to make this recipe even easier and suited to your needs.
- A refreshing and flavorful way to get in your veggies. Cucumbers are very hydrating and loaded with valuable antioxidants and soluble fiber. A perfect ingredient to eat more of during the warmer months.
Key Ingredients and Substitutions
- Cucumbers: I recommend using an English cucumber, Japanese cucumber or Persian cucumbers for this salad as they tend to be crunchier in texture.
- Red Onions: Red onions work best for this salad, but you can also use white onions as an alternative.
- Herbs: I used a combination of parsley and dill, but you can also change this combo out for cilantro, chives, or even add in a little mint to change the flavor profile.
- Maple syrup: Feel free to swap with your preferred sweetener. You can use agave, regular sugar, or coconut sugar.
- Chickpeas: I used canned chickpeas for ease, but feel free to use cooked chickpeas from scratch. Not a fan of chickpeas? You can omit them or feel free to roast a different bean of your choosing. I like to roast lentils, white beans or tofu as an alternate protein source, so choose what you prefer. For a no roasting option, try adding in thawed edamame to the salad base.
- Avocado: If you are not a fan of avocado, you can always omit it and use more cucumbers if desired.
- Seasoning: I used a combination of garlic powder and thyme, but you can play around with any seasoning combination you like.
- White wine vinegar: You can adjust the amount based on your preference, but this helps add an extra zing to the salad. Alternatively, use rice vinegar or even apple cider vinegar to taste.
How to Make a Smashed Cucumber Salad
Preheat the oven to 425F. Add the thinly sliced onions to a mixing bowl with the garlic, lemon zest and juice, maple syrup, oil, vinegar, mustard, parsley, dill and a generous pinch of salt. With clean hands, massage the ingredients together to soften the onions. Cover and place in the fridge while you prep the remaining ingredients.
Place the rinsed chickpeas on a clean kitchen towel and pat dry, discarding any chickpea skins that rub off on their own.
Transfer the chickpeas to a parchment lined baking tray then top with the oil and a pinch of salt. Toss to coat then spread them out into a single layer on the tray. Place in the oven on the bottom rack to bake for 20 minutes then remove from the oven to cool for 10 minutes. Add the garlic powder and thyme, then toss together with a spoon and bake again for 10 minutes to crisp up.
Meanwhile, place your halved cucumbers cut side down on a flat cutting board then with the flat side of your knife, smack down along the length of the cucumber until it splits. Slice the cucumbers diagonally into 1/2 inch pieces.
Transfer the cut cucumbers to a strainer propped on top of a bowl. Top the cucumbers with a generous sprinkle of salt and allow to sit and drain for 15-20 minutes. Give the cucumbers a gentle squeeze to release more water if desired, then transfer them to a mixing bowl with the marinated onions and avocado. Toss to evenly mix the salad.
Portion and serve the cucumber salad over your favorite grains then top with the crispy chickpeas. Add additional fresh herbs as desired and enjoy.
Expert Tips
- For less of that sharp astringent onion taste, soak your onions. Place the sliced onions in a cold water bath for 10 minutes while you are prepping the rest of your ingredients. Drain them well then use in the recipe as instructed. This will make the onion taste milder.
- Sprinkle your cucumber with salt and/or sugar to draw out more water. While you can skip this step, drawing out that extra water will help keep the cucumber crisp and also prevent your salad from getting overly soggy.
- If you want crispy chickpeas, do the following. Make sure to dry your chickpeas well with a kitchen towel before placing on the baking sheet. After the initial roast, allow the chickpeas to cool for 10 minutes then toss with your spices and allow to roast again to crisp up. It also helps to allow the chickpeas to cool completely. All these steps help to reduce the amount of moisture that the chickpeas hold, which leads to a crispier chickpea.
- Customize this to your liking. Not a fan of chickpeas? Make this with roasted lentils or tofu. Don’t like avocado? Try this with grilled or roasted zucchini. Change up the herbs or seasonings based on your preference. This is just a simple framework that is easy to customize with what you have on hand.
- Save time. There are areas of this recipe that you can adapt to fit your time commitment. You can skip draining your cucumbers if you don’t mind the extra moisture they bring to the dish. Feel free to skip roasting the chickpeas and just add them straight to the mix if you don’t feel like turning on the oven (also works with edamame as an alternative). As always, do you.
Frequently Asked Questions
If making this dish for meal prep, I would recommend preparing the cucumber salad without the avocado. Store the cucumber salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. Store the roasted chickpeas in a separate glass container with a loose fitting lid at room temperature on the counter for up to 3 days. When ready to eat, add the avocado to the cucumber salad and toss to combine then serve topped with the chickpeas.
Traditional smashed cucumber salads are said to originate in the Chinese province of Sichuan. You can see various renditions of this salad throughout East Asian cuisine. This technique became popular for a variety of reasons including that it helps to drain excess water away from the cucumber and gives it more surface area to be coated in various dressings and sauces. The texture is also just more enjoyable in this form, so if you haven’t tried it already, I highly recommend that you do!
Make it a Complete Meal
The base is delicious on it’s own and makes a great side to enjoy with anything you like. If you want to turn this into a complete meal, consider serving over your favorite grains of choice. A nice hearty serving of chickpeas does provide protein for this meal, but if you need another boost in protein, pair this salad with some quinoa or farro, a sprinkle of some hemp hearts, or pair with some baked tofu.
More Nutrient Dense Salads
- Roasted Cauliflower Date Salad
- Avocado Citrus Salsa with Crispy Garlic Rice
- Roasted Cabbage Salad with Maple Miso Dressing
- Lemon Basil Pasta Salad
- Cilantro Lime Slaw Bowl with Roasted Sweet Potatoes
If you tried this recipe or any other recipe on the blog, then let me know what you thought in the comments below! And if you loved it, don’t forget to rate it too. Feel free to follow on Instagram, Pinterest, and TikTok for the latest nutrition tips and recipe videos.
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Lemon Herb Smashed Cucumber Salad
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 3 servings 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: Roasting
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This Lemon Herb Smashed Cucumber Salad is a mix of marinated onions, cucumbers and avocado dressed in a delicious lemon herb mix. Easy to put together and a fun and refreshing way to get in your veggies.
Ingredients
- 1/2 med red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 small garlic clove, grated
- Zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tsp white wine vinegar
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1/3 cup fresh parsley, minced
- 3 tbsp fresh dill, minced
- 1, 15 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 tbsp avocado oil
- 1 large English cucumber
- 1 large avocado, cubed
- 1/2 tsp dry thyme
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- Kosher salt
To serve: cooked grains of choice like rice, quinoa, farro, etc.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425F. Add the thinly sliced onions to a mixing bowl with the garlic, lemon zest and juice, maple syrup, oil, vinegar, mustard, parsley, dill and a generous pinch of salt. With clean hands, massage the ingredients together to soften the onions. Cover and place in the fridge while you prep the remaining ingredients.
- Place the rinsed chickpeas on a clean kitchen towel and pat dry, discarding any chickpea skins that rub off on their own.
- Transfer the chickpeas to a parchment lined baking tray then top with the oil and a pinch of salt. Toss to coat then spread them out into a single layer on the tray. Place in the oven on the bottom rack to bake for 20 minutes then remove from the oven to cool for 10 minutes. Add the garlic powder and thyme, then toss together with a spoon and bake again for 10 minutes to crisp up.
- Meanwhile, place your halved cucumbers cut side down on a flat cutting board then with the flat side of your knife, smack down along the length of the cucumber until it splits. Slice the cucumbers diagonally into 1/2 inch pieces.
- Transfer the cut cucumbers to a strainer propped on top of a bowl. Top the cucumbers with a generous sprinkle of salt and allow to sit and drain for 15-20 minutes. Give the cucumbers a gentle squeeze to release more water if desired, then transfer them to a mixing bowl with the marinated onions and avocado. Toss to evenly mix the salad.
- Portion and serve the cucumber salad over your favorite grains then top with the crispy chickpeas. Add additional fresh herbs as desired and enjoy.
Notes
For less of that sharp astringent onion taste, soak your onions. Place the sliced onions in a cold water bath for 10 minutes while you are prepping the rest of your ingredients. Drain them well then use in the recipe as instructed. This will make the onion taste milder.
Sprinkle your cucumber with salt and/or sugar to draw out more water. While you can skip this step, drawing out that extra water will help keep the cucumber crisp and also prevent your salad from getting overly soggy.
If you want crispy chickpeas, do the following. Make sure to dry your chickpeas well with a kitchen towel before placing on the baking sheet. After the initial roast, allow the chickpeas to cool for 10 minutes then toss with your spices and allow to roast again to crisp up. It also helps to allow the chickpeas to cool completely. All these steps help to reduce the amount of moisture that the chickpeas hold, which leads to a crispier chickpea.
Customize this to your liking. Not a fan of chickpeas? Make this with roasted lentils or tofu. Don’t like avocado? Try this with grilled or roasted zucchini. Change up the herbs or seasonings based on your preference. This is just a simple framework that is easy to customize with what you have on hand.
Save time. There are areas of this recipe that you can adapt to fit your time commitment. You can skip draining your cucumbers if you don’t mind the extra moisture they bring to the dish. Feel free to skip roasting the chickpeas and just add them straight to the mix if you don’t feel like turning on the oven (also works with edamame as an alternative). As always, do you.
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