Smashed Cucumber Salad

Yumna Jawad

Updated May 02, 2026

5 from 1 vote

Simple Mediterranean smashed cucumber salad with a lemony sumac dressing, crumbled feta, and toasted sesame seeds. Mostly hands-off!

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Prep Time 20 minutes
Servings 4 servings
Comments
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I love a good smashed cucumber salad!

I know smashing cucumbers sounds like unnecessary work, but it genuinely changes how the salad eats. The rough, cracked edges hold onto the dressing instead of letting it slide off, and you get more dressing on the cucumbers. I make my smashed cucumber salad with sumac and dried mint, which I always have in the pantry from Lebanese cooking, and a simple lemon-and-olive-oil dressing that comes together in a couple of minutes.

I make this Mediterranean smashed cucumber salad a lot as a side with yogurt marinated chicken, basmati rice, or whatever I’m throwing together on a weeknight. The feta and sesame seeds on top are not optional in my opinion. I usually salt and drain the cucumbers first, which takes about 30 minutes but is mostly hands-off. If you’re planning ahead, keep the cucumbers and dressing separate until right before serving so nothing gets soggy.

Happy Cooking!
– Yumna

Smashed Cucumber Salad Ingredients

Ingredients for recipe: English cucumbers, lemon, shallot, salt, dried mint, sumac, black pepper, crumbled feta cheese, sesame seeds, and oil.
  • English cucumbers: These have small seeds that aren’t bitter! That way, you don’t have to de-seed the cucumbers before smashing them. Plus, the skins are nice and thin, so you won’t need to peel them, either. You’ll just want to wash them thoroughly, before halving them, cutting them into thick slices, then using a meat mallet (or another blunt object) to smash them against your cutting board until they’re slightly flattened and craggy (this will help them soak up the dressing). Once they’re smashed, add them to a strainer and sprinkle them with salt yo help the moisture drain, then, after 30 minutes, wipe them dry with a paper towel.
  • Dressing: While your cucumbers are drying out, you’ll want to whisk together minced shallots, fresh lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, dried mint, and sumac in a large serving bowl. If I’m eating them raw, I like to dice my shallots extra finely so the flavor isn’t overpowering, or I leave them in vinegar while I’m cooking to neutralize them a bit. I love the flavor of lemon juice here, but if you don’t have any on hand, you can sub in equal quantities of rice wine vinegar or white wine vinegar. And if you don’t have dried mint or sumac, try subbing in 1-2 table spoons of fresh mint. Once your ingredients are fully combined, you can add your cucumbers directly to the bowl and toss to coat.
  • Finishing: Once my cucumbers are dressed, I like to finish off my salad with crumbled feta and toasted sesame seeds. I like to buy blocks of whole milk feta cheese and crumble them with a fork, but pre-crumbled feta will work, too. And if you’re not a cheese fan, feel free to skip it completely. I find store-bought, toasted sesame seeds to be a great time-saver. However, you can absolutely toast seasame seeds yourself!

How to Make Smashed Cucumber Salad

Cucumber cut into half moons on a cutting board.
Step 1: Cut the cucumbers in half and then into thick slices.
Meat mallet smashing cut cucumbers.
Step 2: You can use a meat mallet or another heavy flat object to smash the cucumbers until they flatten slightly.
Half moon cucumber slices in a fine mesh sieve.
Step 3: Transfer the smashed sliced cucumbers to a strainer over a bowl and sprinkle with salt. This will help extract extra moisture from the cucumbers.
Drying cut cucumbers in a bowl with a paper towel.
Step 4: After they’ve rested for a while, add them to a bowl and use a paper towel to dry the cucumbers.
Dressing ingredients in a bowl before mixing.
Step 5: Add the shallot, lemon juice, olive oil, mint, sumac, and black pepper to a serving bowl.
Dressing in bowl after mixing.
Step 6: Whisk the dressing to combine it.
Cucumbers tossed in dressing.
Step 7: Transfer the cucumbers on top of the dressing and toss to coat.
Feta and sesame seeds added on top of dressed cucumbers.
Step 8: Sprinkle the feta cheese and toasted sesame seeds on top and serve.
Smashed cucumber salad recipe.

Smashed Cucumber Salad Recipe

Author: Yumna Jawad
5 from 1 vote
Easy smashed cucumber salad with sumac, dried mint, lemon, feta, and toasted sesame seeds. The cucumbers are salted first so it never turns watery.
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Prep Time20 minutes
Total Time50 minutes
Servings4 servings

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Ingredients
 
 

  • 2 English cucumbers
  • 2 teaspoons sea salt plus more as needed
  • 1 small shallot finely minced
  • 3 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • ½ teaspoon dried mint
  • ½ teaspoon sumac
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese
  • 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

Instructions

  • Place the cucumbers on a cutting board, and slice each cucumber in half lengthwise. Then cut into 1 ½-inch thick slices and and use a meat mallet or heavy flat object to pound the cucumbers until they smash and flatten slightly.
  • Transfer the smashed sliced cucumbers to a strainer set over a bowl. Sprinkle the cucumber with salt and mix until well combined. Rest for 30 minutes to allow the liquid to drain from the cucumbers.
  • Meanwhile, make the dressing by whisking together the shallot, lemon juice, olive oil, mint, sumac and black pepper in a serving bowl.
  • Use a paper towel to dab the cucumbers dry. Transfer the dried cucumbers on top of the dressing and toss to coat. Sprinkle the feta cheese and toasted sesame seeds on top and serve.

Equipment

Notes

My Top Tip: Don’t over-smash. You want the cucumbers cracked and flattened with rough edges, not completely broken down. Smash each piece 2 to 3 times and stop. If they’re too broken up, the salad turns mushy quickly once dressed.
Storage: Kept in the fridge in an airtight container, this salad will last for a 3-4 days. Enjoy it cold, straight from the fridge!

Nutrition

Serving: 2cups, Calories: 169kcal, Carbohydrates: 9g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 15g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 9g, Cholesterol: 8mg, Sodium: 974mg, Potassium: 282mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 203IU, Vitamin C: 9mg, Calcium: 111mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.

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Recipe Tips

  1. Don’t skip the salting time. This helps make the cucumbers extra crisp. That fresh crunch is the best part of a cucumber salad!
  2. Don’t over-smash. You want the cucumbers cracked and flattened with rough edges, not completely broken down. Smash each piece 2 to 3 times and stop. If they’re too broken up, the salad turns mushy quickly once dressed.
  3. Dress right before serving. Once the cucumbers are tossed with the dressing, they start to release more liquid and soften. If you’re prepping ahead, keep the dried cucumbers and dressing separate in the fridge and combine them right before you eat.

Serving Ideas

Smashed cucumber salad in a bowl with feta and sesame seeds.

More Cucumber Recipes

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Comments

  1. Jackie P says:

    This cucumber salad was so delicious! My husband was drinking the dressing from the bottom of his bowl 🤣

    Reply
    1. Yumna J. says:

      Oh my goodness hahaha I love that!! Thank you, so happy you both enjoyed the recipe!

      Reply
  2. Sarah says:

    This sounds delicious! How does it keep?

    Reply
    1. Yumna J. says:

      Hi Sarah! It keeps well for 24 hours since a lot of the moisture is already released from the cucumbers. But unfortunately there is still some moisture, so after 24 hours it’s not as crunchy.

      Reply