Cucumber Pico de Gallo
This cucumber Pico de Gallo is a light and refreshing take on your favorite Mexican salsa.
If you love the classic Pico de Gallo, you’re going to fall in love with this cucumber salsa recipe. It’s vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free and ultra delicious all at the same time- just like my Kakdi chi Koshimbir.
Traditional Pico de Gallo features tomatoes and red onions as the key ingredients, but this refreshing salsa has a bit of a unique spin with the delicious cucumber added in.
This recipe is a must-try if you love experimenting and trying out different variations to an all time favorite. I recently tried my hand at a cabbage Pico de Gallo and was amazed at how easy it was to get some delicious flavors with just a couple of ingredient swaps.
Quick Look: Cucumber Pico de Gallo
- 🔪 Prep time: 10 minutes.
- 🍳 Cook time: None.
- 🍽️ Servings: 3.
- 🥣 Main ingredients: Cucumber, red onion, jalapeño, citrus juice, cilantro, olive oil, salt, and pepper.
- ➡️ Method: Finely chop vegetables and herbs → add citrus and seasonings → toss → rest briefly → serve.
- ⭐ Difficulty: Easy.
- 🥢 Best served with: Tacos, tortilla chips, or grilled mains.
Jump to:
- Quick Look: Cucumber Pico de Gallo
- What's So Great About the Recipe?
- Recipe Ingredients
- Substitutions & Variations
- How to Make Cucumber Pico de Gallo
- 💭Top Tip
- Tips & Tricks to Nail the Recipe
- How to Store Leftovers
- How to Serve Cucumber Pico de Gallo
- Troubleshooting and FAQs
- More Recipes to Try
- Cucumber Pico de Gallo
What's So Great About the Recipe?
- From the zesty lime juice to the crunchy chopped cucumber, everything about this fresh cucumber salsa has my heart.
- This salsa is perfect if you’re not a fan of tomatoes, or just don’t have some at hand, but are still looking for an easy Pico de Gallo recipe that you can put together to go with your snacks and Mexican dishes.
Recipe Ingredients
You’ll need just a handful of simple ingredients to make this homemade Pico de Gallo.
Cucumber: I used English cucumber for this recipe. These are actually the best choice, since they’re crisp cucumbers that work perfectly with the other ingredients in the fresh salsa.
Red onion: Red onion brings an incredible layer of flavor and crunch into the salsa.
Jalapeño: Jalapeno peppers bring a nice kick of heat to balance out the cool from the cucumber. To tone it down, you can remove the seeds and ribs before chopping it up.
Lime juice: Fresh lime juice brings a little acidity into the salsa and helps tie all the flavors together.
Cilantro: Some chopped fresh cilantro is vital to this dish. It really gives it that classic Pico de Gallo flavor.
Garlic: Fresh garlic adds a nice bit of pungent flavor, which works wonderfully with the crispy cucumbers.
Seasonings: For seasonings, I kept it simple with some salt and crushed black pepper. For a kick of heat, you can also add a dash of homemade Tajin seasoning.
Olive oil: I also added a splash of olive oil to the salsa. You can skip this one if you want.
See recipe card for quantities.
Substitutions & Variations
- Serrano peppers can be a great alternative to the jalapenos that the recipe calls for.
- Don’t have cilantro? You can use flat leaf parsley instead.
- If you don’t have English or Persian cucumbers, you can use regular cucumbers too. Just remember to peel them and remove the seeds before chopping them up for the recipe.
- If you don’t have lime juice, feel free to use lemon juice instead.
How to Make Cucumber Pico de Gallo
Step 1: Chop the cilantro, cucumber and other ingredients and add them to a mixing bowl.
Step 2: Add the lime juice, seasonings and olive oil and toss everything together. Stir to combine.
Step 3: Let it sit for a few minutes to enhance the flavor. Serve and enjoy!
💭Top Tip
Finely dice the cucumber by hand for a crisp texture. If it is very seedy, remove the watery seed core before chopping.
Tips & Tricks to Nail the Recipe
- I haven’t used any tomatoes for the recipe, but you can throw in some diced tomatoes if you want to. Plum tomatoes, Roma tomatoes and cherry tomatoes are good options.
- You can also add some chopped avocado into the salsa if you want to. I did exactly that when I made my mango Pico de Gallo, and it turned out super delicious! Just remember to add some extra lime juice and seasonings into it to balance out the flavors.
- Chopped bell peppers are another great addition to this chunky salsa.
- You can also add some cumin or smoked paprika into the other ingredients to build up the flavor in this simple cucumber salsa.
- Remember to allow the cucumber Pico de Gallo to chill in the refrigerator for a while prior to serving it. This helps all the flavors to meld together.
- You’ll need to finely mince the garlic and chop up the other ingredients for the salsa fresca.
How to Store Leftovers
Like most other Mexican salsa recipes, this fresh cucumber Pico de Gallo can be stored in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
It is worth noting that since Pico de Gallo is made with fresh ingredients, it can start to get soggy and watery if you store it for too long. Freezing the Pico de Gallo is another big no-no, and I’ve actually outlined why in a detailed post about it.
With Nachos
This cucumber Pico de Gallo is the perfect teammate to your nachos, tortilla chips, burritos and quesadillas.
With Grilled Meats
This fresh cucumber salsa is perfect to serve with your grilled meats. It can be a great side dish to pair with any of your favorite Mexican recipes.
How to Serve Cucumber Pico de Gallo
Got everything ready in a bowl? Here’s a bit of inspiration to help you serve the refreshing salsa.
With Tacos
Cucumber Pico de Gallo is perfect for serving with your authentic Mexican tacos.
I love spooning some of it over my Air Fryer walking tacos with a bit of my homemade Chamoy sauce for that extra texture.
Troubleshooting and FAQs
Make sure you use cucumbers that are ideally seedless, or have very little seeds. If the cucumbers are seedy, you can use a spoon to scoop the center of the cucumber before you use it for the recipe.
More Recipes to Try
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
If you tried this cucumber pico de gallo or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Also Read: What to Do With Leftover Pico de Gallo - 10+ Ideas
Cucumber Pico de Gallo
Ingredients
- 1 English cucumber chopped
- 1 red onion chopped
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ tablespoon olive oil
- 1 jalapeno chopped
- ¼ cup cilantro chopped
- ½ teaspoon black pepper crushed
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Chop the cilantro, cucumber and other ingredients and add them to a mixing bowl.
- Add the lime juice, seasonings and olive oil and toss everything together. Stir to combine.
- Let it sit for a few minutes to enhance the flavor. Serve and enjoy!
