Cold Cucumber Salad with Apple and Pear

This delightfully fresh Cold Cucumber Salad with Apple and Pear is cool and refreshing. It's the perfect chilled dish to serve on a hot summer's day.

Summertime's bounty of fresh fruit and veggies is astounding, with something for everyone! For more healthy and fresh recipes, please click on the following titles for Zucchini and Corn Gratin, Chilled Broccoli and Apple Salad, Taco-Filled Zucchini Boats, Low-Sugar Peach Sorbet with Sage, and Cucumber Shrimp Salad with Potatoes and Sugar Snap Peas.

Ingredient Information-

For the dressing:

APPLE CIDER VINEGAR - For this recipe, I chose to use apple cider vinegar for the acidic component of the dressing to play off the apple and apple flavor of this dish.

Other kinds of vinegar would also work. They'll be listed below in the section called' Swap-outs and Add-in Suggestions.'

EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL - Here is where you want to use the finest extra virgin olive oil you have. Since the dressing is not cooked or heated in any way, the flavor of the extra-virgin olive oil used will shine through, so you want it to be of the best quality.

WHOLE GRAIN MUSTARD - I used whole grain mustard in the video because I thought I had Dijon in the fridge, but I was mistaken.

No worries, the whole-grain mustard tasted delicious in the dressing. However, if you prefer using Dijon mustard and actually have it on hand...lol, use it!

FRESH DILL - Fresh is best in this recipe, but dried dill will work in a pinch. Dill lends a bright, grassy, yet citrus-flavored component to the dressing, which pairs wonderfully well with the sweet and sour vinegar and oil.

If using dried dill in place of fresh dill, use half of what is called for in the recipe, as dried herbs are known to pack a more intense flavor punch than their fresh counterparts.

BROWN SUGAR - The subtle touch of brown sugar sweetness in the dressing balances out the vinegar, allowing the flavors of the apple and pear to stand out without getting lost.

BLACK PEPPER - Since the dressing has the salty component from the vinegar, the only other seasoning needed for this dressing is black pepper. Add as much or as little as you like, or you can forgo this ingredient altogether if desired.

For the salad:

PINK LADY APPLE - I love pink lady apples because they're tart, sweet, and crisp. If you have a favorite apple, feel free to substitute it. I'll leave suggestions below on some good apple varieties for swapping.

ANJOU PEAR - Anjou pears have a bright, juicy, somewhat citrusy flavor. I recommend using them before they turn overly ripe and overly juicy. There is no need to peel the pear, but you can do so if you prefer. Swap-out suggestions are listed below.

CUCUMBER - I used slicing cucumbers for this recipe. Since the skin on slicing cucumbers is relatively thick and waxy, I made sure to peel them before cutting the cucumbers lengthwise and scooping out the seeds with a teaspoon (see video).

See the swap-out section below for alternative cucumber variety suggestions.

RED BELL PEPPER - Much sweeter than their green bell pepper counterpart, the red bell pepper in this recipe brings an additional depth of color and sweet earthy freshness and flavor to the completed dish.

I do not recommend swapping out green bell peppers for red ones due to their pungent, peppery flavor, but I'll leave a few swap-out suggestions below.

SWEET ONION - Walla Walla, Vidalia, or Maui onions are all suitable for this recipe.

Since sweet onions lack the overpowering pungent bite of Spanish, white, or yellow onions, sweet onions round out and gently balance all the other ingredients in this delicious chilled salad.

KOSHER SALT - I use kosher salt for all my cooking, baking, and recipe writing. If you'd prefer to use table salt, by all means, do so. However, please take special note of the gray box below if doing so. Thanks!

*Important Note—If using table salt instead of kosher salt, please cut back on the amount of salt called for in the recipe card by half because they measure differently due to grain size.

What I wrote about this recipe in 2010:

I have a question that might surprise you just a bit - Do you mind if I get a little fresh with you?

If your home is overflowing with garden cucumbers (like ours is), this recipe is one you'll want to add to your summertime repertoire of delicious dishes.

All of the crunchy, zesty, sweet, and tangy flavors will dance across your taste buds and give your tongue a wake-up call after your first bite of this fresh and delicious chilled fruit and veggie salad.

Add-in or swap-out suggestions:

Swap-outs:

• If you prefer not to use (or don't have) apple cider vinegar, you may also use white vinegar, champagne vinegar, or even lemon juice. I recommend steering clear of red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar because they will cause the fruit to turn pink.
• Feel free to substitute Honeycrisp, Gala, Braeburn, Mackintosh, or Jonagold for Pink Lady apples.
• Using Bartlett pears (either red or green) in place of Anjou makes an excellent substitute.
• To avoid peeling slicing cucumbers, using seedless English cucumbers is a wise substitution. English cucumbers have a thinner skin than slicing cucumbers, and although they're touted as "seedless cucumbers," they still have seeds. Still, the seeds are finer in texture, less bitter, and not objectionable to leave in a salad.
• Using either an orange or yellow bell pepper in place of the red would make an ideal substitution, as they all share a similar sweetness level.

Add-in suggestions:

• blueberries, fresh or dried
• blackberries
• dried cranberries or cherries
• chopped celery
• pepitas, sunflower seeds, poppy seeds
• mandarin orange segments
• cilantro
• ground coriander (in the dressing)

My top tips for recipe success:

How to remove water from a cucumber:

Can this fresh fruit and vegetable salad be made in advance?

It can, but no longer than 24 hours in advance. Otherwise, you'll run the risk of the apple and pear oxidizing and turning brown.

How to store this healthy salad for optimal freshness:

Store this salad in a covered, airtight container (with plastic wrap directly on top of the ingredients, with the air removed) in the refrigerator.

Can this quick and easy healthy vegetable and fruit salad be frozen?

I haven't tried it, but I wouldn't recommend it, as I believe the texture would be soft and mealy upon thawing.

Can this homemade vinaigrette dressing be used for other things?

You bet!

You can use it as a 30-minute marinade for chicken, fish, or shrimp.

How about drizzling on your favorite roasted vegetables or brushing it on ears of corn on the cob when grilling?

The possibilities are endless. How would YOU use this homemade sweet and sour dill vinaigrette? I'd love to know.

Should you have any questions or comments regarding anything you've seen on my site, please don't hesitate to reach out to contact me. It is always my distinct pleasure to get back with you just as soon as I possibly can!

Thank you so much for visiting me today in my Kudos Kitchen. I hope you found something you'll love and that you will come back and visit me often. Please know that there is always room for you around my kitchen table!

Please don't forget to like and follow me across all of my SM channels, and while you're at it stop by and say hello! I'll be looking for you! 🙂

FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, TIKTOK, YOUTUBE, KUDOS AMAZON SHOPPING,

and PINTEREST

Until we eat again, I hope you have a delicious day!