A refreshing cucumber pico de gallo that uses simple ingredients and adds a boost of flavor to so many dishes. Enjoy it with tacos, on grain bowls, or serve it with chips.
The combination of crisp cucumbers, fresh Roma tomatoes, flavorful cilantro, a kick of jalapeño, garlic, and red onion all tossed with tangy lemon juice to make a bright refreshing cucumber salsa.
The pico de gallo with cucumbers can easily be adjusted to suit your preferences. Add more tomatoes to make it sweeter or more jalapeño for more heat. The garlic can be skipped, or try it with lime juice instead of lemon.
It's ready as soon as you combine all the ingredients, but I think cucumber pico tastes even better after resting for about an hour when all the flavors have blended together.
For more fresh condiment ideas, try mango salsa with corn, corn pineapple salsa, pico de gallo, or guacamole.
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Recipe features
- Naturally vegan, gluten-free, and oil-free!
- Made with refreshing cucumbers!
- Uses fresh produce to make a flavorful condiment!
- Easily adjust the recipe to suit your preference!
- Simple and easy to make!
Ingredient notes and substitutions
Simple ingredients for a simple recipe, but please see the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and exact measurements.
English cucumber - English cucumbers have thin skin and small seeds. So there is no need to peel the skin or remove the seeds. If you substitute with an American "garden" cucumber then I would peel it and remove the seeds. For more recipes with cucumbers, try lemon water with mint and cucumber.
Roma tomatoes - I use Roma tomatoes because they don't have as many seeds as other types of tomatoes. If you do substitute, deseed the tomatoes to prevent adding too much liquid to the cucumber pico.
Red onion - Use about ¼ cup of finely diced red onion. Finely dice the onion so you don't have large chunks. A white onion can also be used like in this pico de gallo. If you're not a fan of raw onion it can be skipped.
You'll most likely have quite a bit of leftover red onion. I prefer to quick pickle it using this recipe for quick pickled radishes the liquid may need to be increased depending on how large your red onion is. Another option for leftover onion is to roast it in the recipe for roasted sweet potato nourish bowl or add it to vegan strawberry spinach salad.
Jalapeño - The recipe calls for ½ of a jalapeño with the ribs and seeds removed. If you want the pico to be hotter, then don't remove the seeds or ribs, or add the entire jalapeño. For it to be even hotter use a Serrano pepper.
Garlic clove - Add one medium clove of garlic to the dip. Crush the clove or finely mince the garlic for it to blend well in the dip and to have no large pieces.
Lemon juice - Depending on your purpose of the pico de gallo with cucumbers, try lemon or lime juice. If I'm using it for tacos I'll use lime juice. If I'm using it for a grain bowl I'll use lemon juice.
Fresh cilantro - The fresh herb adds so much flavor to the pico. Fresh parsley can also be used if you're not a fan of cilantro or you just don't have it on hand, but I would use lemon juice with parsley. The stems of fresh cilantro have a lot of flavor, finely dice the small tender parts of the stem and discard the woody ends near the roots.
Salt - The salt brings out the flavors of all the ingredients and makes the pico salty. Add to taste to suit your preferences.
Tips
- Cucumber pico de gallo is meant to be chunky but to ensure everything can fit on a chip or in a bite, chop everything small. Dice the cucumbers and tomatoes small and roughly the same size. Then finely dice the jalapeño and red onion to be much smaller than the cucumber and tomatoes.
- Adjust the recipe to fit your taste preference. Prefer more onion or cilantro, add more!
- Don't use a food processor, it will not give you the right texture.
- The mixture will get juicer the longer it sits and marinates, stir before serving and use a slotted spoon to serve if needed.
- Since this is a fresh salsa, use quality ingredients to ensure the best flavor.
How to make cucumber pico de gallo
No cooking is needed for this fresh condiment. Dice the cucumber and Roma tomatoes into small equal sizes. Then finely dice the red onion and jalapeño to be smaller than the cucumber and tomatoes. Crush or mince the garlic. Then chop the cilantro, chopping the small tender parts of the cilantro stems is fine but discard the thicker woody ends. Add lemon juice and salt.
Then taste and adjust. Does it need more lemon juice or salt? It can be enjoyed now, but it's better if it rests for at least an hour. If you don't have an hour, any additional time is better. Many times I will make the cucumber pico de gallo first and let it rest while I prepare the rest of dinner. After it has rested, stir it a couple of times before serving.
Variations
The cucumber pico can be enjoyed in a variety of ways. Adjust it to suit your preferences.
- Use lime juice instead of lemon.
- Skip the garlic or the red onion.
- Skip the tomatoes and use the entire English cucumber.
- Use lemon juice and substitute the cilantro with fresh flat-leaf parsley.
Serving suggestions
My favorite way to serve cucumber pico de gallo is in grain bowls, but here are a few more suggestions.
- Use it as a dip with chips
- Add it to vegan tacos with walnut lentil taco meat
- Enjoy it with a vegan taco bowl
- Top burritos or nachos with the cucumber pico
- Try it on grain bowls
- Serve it on top of vegan avocado toast or vegan toast
Storage
I think it's best consumed the day it's made, but after it has rested for at least an hour. Leftovers can be stored for about 2-3 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. The cucumbers do hold up better than tomatoes, as the tomatoes will soften. After a few days in the refrigerator, the pico didn't seem as flavorful as the first or second day. If you prepare it in advance, stir it a few times before serving.
Frequently asked questions
I don't remove the tomato seeds for Roma tomatoes, but you can. If you use a large tomato like a beefsteak then I would remove the seeds to keep the salsa from being too watery.
Slice the cucumber widthwise into 2-3 sections for more manageable pieces. Then take a section and slice it into about 4 planks, lengthwise. Next slice each plank into strips, lengthwise. Then dice the strips into small pieces.
Yes, you can. I would peel and remove the seeds from a garden cucumber.
Related recipes
I hope you enjoy this recipe for cucumber salsa. If you did please feel free to rate it and leave a comment.
Recipe
Cucumber Pico de Gallo
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 2 ¾ cups 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
A refreshing cucumber pico de gallo that uses simple ingredients and adds a boost of flavor to so many dishes. Enjoy it with tacos, with grain bowls, or serve it with chips.
Ingredients
- ½ English cucumber, small dice (1 ¼ cups diced)
- 2 Roma tomatoes, small dice (about 1 ¼ cups diced)
- ½ jalapeño, seeds and ribs removed, finely diced
- ¼ cup finely diced red onion
- 1 garlic clove, crushed or minced
- ½ cup of loosely packed fresh cilantro, chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon salt, or to taste
Instructions
- Dice the cucumber and Roma tomatoes into small equal sizes.
- Finely dice the red onion and jalapeño even smaller than the tomatoes and cucumber.
- Crush or mince the garlic and chop the cilantro.
- Mix the cucumbers, tomatoes, red onion, jalapeno, garlic, and cilantro with the lemon juice, and salt.
- Taste and adjust for seasoning.
- Let the pico rest for at least 15 minutes and toss, but resting for an hour is better.
Notes
Cucumber pico de gallo is meant to be chunky, but chop everything small to ensure everything can fit on a chip or in a bite.
Peel and remove the seeds if you substitute the English cucumber for a garden cucumber.
If you substitute the Roma tomatoes with another type, remove the seeds.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Category: appetizer
- Method: no bake
- Cuisine: american
Sally says
I ate most of it with chips, it was delicious!
Allie says
It's pretty good with chips, I'm glad you liked the recipe!