Curried Cucumber and Salad

If you are looking for a delicious and refreshing summer salad that you'll want to share with your friends, this Curried Cucumber and Apple Salad is just the thing. Its bright flavours and pops of sweetness make it the perfect accompaniment to grilled or roasted meat, chicken or fish. You can serve it as a side or bulk it up with some protein for a meal. Either way, this is a recipe worth trying.

Jump to:

• Why Curry and Cucumber Work So Well Together
• Curry Sauce
• Curried Cucumber and Apple Salad
• Storage, Variations, and Making It a Meal
• Wrap-Up
• Recipe

Why Curry and Cucumber Work So Well Together

Have you ever wondered why certain flavour combinations just click? Curry and cucumber is one of those pairings that sounds a little unusual until you try it, and then it makes perfect sense. The warm, earthy spices in curry powder or garam masala -- things like cumin, coriander, and turmeric -- have a natural richness that can feel heavy on their own.

Cucumber brings the opposite energy: cool, crisp, and refreshing, with a high water content that tempers the warmth of the spices. The two balance each other beautifully, and when you add the sweetness of apple and honey into the mix, you get something that hits every note on the palate.

I've been playing with curry-spiced salads for years, and I keep coming back to this combination because it works in almost any setting. It's light enough for a hot summer afternoon but flavourful enough to hold its own next to bold proteins like tandoori chicken skewers or a spiced lamb burger.

The yogurt-based dressing ties everything together with a creamy tang that rounds out the dish. If you're someone who thinks salads are boring, this one might change your mind.

Curry Sauce

The curry sauce for this Curried Cucumber and Apple Salad combines yogurt, garam masala, honey, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt. You can switch the yogurt for mayonnaise and the garam masala for madras or yellow curry powder if you'd like. The mayonnaise-based version of this sauce makes an excellent dip for sweet potato fries.

Combine the yogurt, garam masala, honey, and lemon juice in a medium mixing bowl to make the curry sauce. Once mixed, taste the sauce and season it as needed with salt. You can use the sauce right away or cover it and put it in the fridge for an hour to let the flavours blend a little more. If you enjoy curry flavours, you might also love my guide to the basics of curry.

One thing I'll mention about the yogurt: go for a plain, full-fat Greek yogurt if you can. It's thicker, tangier, and clings to the salad ingredients much better than a low-fat version, which tends to be watery and can make the whole dish feel thin.

The extra fat also helps carry the flavour of the spices more effectively. If you're using mayo instead, any good-quality mayo will do, but I find the yogurt version lighter and more refreshing, especially in the summer months.

Curried Cucumber and Apple Salad

The salad ingredients are cucumber, apple, dried cranberries or raisins, cilantro, green onion, and slivered almonds. I made this salad with shaved cucumber, but I found that the cucumber became very soggy, and the salad was watery. So, I suggest dicing the cucumber.

This salad is best when served right away, but you can make it ahead of time if you leave the cucumber out until the last minute. If you must make this Curried Cucumber and Apple Salad ahead of time with the cucumbers, remove the seeds from the cucumbers. The seeds contain a significant amount of the cucumber's water content, so removing them will help prevent a watery salad. However, removing the seeds will not eliminate this problem entirely.

When it comes to choosing the right cucumber, you have options. I prefer English cucumbers for this salad. They have thinner skin, fewer seeds, and a milder flavour than field cucumbers, which means less prep work and less water seeping into your dressing.

If you can only find regular field cucumbers, that's fine -- just peel them, cut them in half lengthwise, and scrape out the seeds with a spoon before dicing. It takes an extra minute but makes a real difference. Whatever type you use, look for cucumbers that feel firm and heavy for their size, with no soft spots or wrinkled skin. A fresh cucumber should feel almost rigid when you pick it up.

As for the apple, I find that a tart variety works best here. Granny Smith is my go-to because it holds its shape after dicing and adds a sharp, bright contrast to the creamy curry dressing. Sweeter apples like Gala or Fuji will work, but they can make the salad lean a little too sweet, especially with the honey and cranberries already in the mix.

Honeycrisp is a nice middle ground if you want something with a bit of sweetness and a good crunch. Whatever you choose, dice the apple last to prevent browning, or toss the pieces in a bit of lemon juice if you're prepping ahead.

Making The Salad

To make the salad, dice half a cucumber and one apple and add them to the curry sauce. Next, add the dried cranberries, then slice the cilantro and green onions and put those in the bowl too. Finally, add the almonds and mix. Serve immediately.

This salad pairs beautifully alongside grilled tandoori chicken skewers or any of your favourite grilled meats.

Storage, Variations, and Making It a Meal

If you have leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the fridge. Honestly, this salad is best eaten the day it's made because the cucumber will continue to release water over time and the dressing thins out. That said, it will keep for about a day in the refrigerator and still taste good -- it just won't have the same crisp texture.

If you know you're going to have leftovers, store the dressing separately from the salad ingredients and combine them just before serving. That way, everything stays fresh and crunchy.

Now, let's talk about making this salad your own. Want to turn it into a full meal? Add some cooked chicken breast, cut into cubes. Leftover rotisserie chicken is perfect for this. You could also toss in some cooked chickpeas for a vegetarian protein boost -- they work beautifully with the curry dressing.

If you're not a fan of cranberries, here are some easy substitutions and additions:

• Golden raisins: A little sweeter and softer than cranberries.
• Dried apricots: Cut into small pieces for a different kind of fruity sweetness.
• Pecans or cashews: Excellent substitutes for the almonds. Cashews especially have a richness that pairs well with the curry spices.
• Diced bell pepper or fresh mint: Great additions for extra freshness.
• Feta cheese: A few cubes take things in a slightly different, tangy direction.

Wrap-Up

This Curried Cucumber and Apple Salad is one of those recipes that surprises people. It looks simple, it comes together in minutes, and then you taste it and wonder why you haven't been making it all along.

I love serving it at barbecues because it holds up well in the heat and gives people something different from the usual coleslaw or potato salad. It's also one of those dishes that gets better when you play around with it, so don't be afraid to experiment. If you're looking for more salad inspiration, check out my Mediterranean Chickpea Salad with Feta or the Best Chicken Salad Sandwich Recipe.

If you try this curried cucumber and apple salad, I'd love to hear what you think. Drop a comment below and let me know how it turned out, or if you made any fun substitutions!

Recipe