Tomato cucumber salad with vegan feta

Ever since I started making my own vegan feta cheese a few weeks back, I’ve been dreaming of crumbling it on top of a tomato cucumber salad.

Crisp sliced cucumbers.

Summer tomatoes.

Onions for bite.

Crumbles of vegan feta.

Herbed lemon dressing tying it all together.

It just tastes like August.

In this post:

Fresh produce: Persian cucumbers, tomatoes, onion, and garlic.

Persian cucumbers or mini cucumbers are on the small side (about five or six inches in length). Their thin skin isn’t bitter. And they don’t have large, tough seeds inside. They are almost seedless, crisp, and not watery.

That makes them a great choice for this salad, because you don’t have to worry about seeding or peeling. You can simply chop & go.

Vegan feta cheese: I like to use homemade vegan feta cheese made with blanched almonds. But Violife, Trader Joe’s, and Herbivorous Butcher vegan feta are all good store-bought options.

For this salad, I recommend keeping the crumbles on the large side. That way you can snag big bites of it with your fork, along with the cucumbers & tomatoes. Plus, you can taste the way the lemon vinaigrette really penetrates it.

Extra virgin olive oil: This flavorful oil makes up the base of the dressing, so use one with a taste you enjoy.

Lemon juice: Freshly squeezed is best for the optimum flavor. Bottled just can’t compare.

Seasonings: Dried oregano, dried basil, salt, and pepper give this salad oomph.

Step by step instructions

Here’s how to make this recipe at a glance. For complete ingredient amounts & instructions, keep scrolling to the recipe card below.

Put the following salad ingredients into a mixing bowl:

• Sliced cucumbers
• Chopped onions
• Diced tomatoes
• Crumbled vegan feta (Set some aside to finish the completed salad.)

In another small bowl, make the salad dressing by combining the following:

• Extra virgin olive oil
• Lemon juice
• Minced garlic
• Dried oregano
• Dried basil
• Salt
• Pepper

Pour the dressing over vegetables in the mixing bowl. Use a spoon to get everything evenly covered.

Finish with the remaining vegan feta.

Cucumbers and tomatoes both get juicy and soften over time. So I recommend making this salad the day you’re going to eat it, if possible.

Store the vegan feta cheese and dressing separately from the tomatoes and cucumbers. Then use a sieve to drain the tomatoes and cucumbers before mixing with the dressing.

When you’re ready to eat, if there’s excess liquid in the bottom of the salad bowl, use a slotted spoon for serving.

You can make this salad your own by varying the ingredients.

• Instead of yellow onions choose red
• Replace the 2 Persian cucumbers with 1 English cucumber
• Add kalamata or Castelvetrano olives
• If tomatoes are out of season, use cherry tomatoes (They tend to hold onto their sweetness, even in non-summer months.)
• Replace homemade vegan feta cheese with store-bought or replace it with diced avocado
• Add a handful of fresh basil, cilantro, or parsley
• Add vegan croutons for a panzanella vibe

This summery salad is perfect with crusty bread & oil for dipping.

Or serve it with any of the following dishes:

• BBQ sandwich
• Vegan chicken salad sandwich
• Falafel bowl
• Hummus bowl
• Veggie chick’n wraps
• Double hummus wraps

📖 Recipe

Tomato cucumber salad with vegan feta

Author: Cadry Nelson

4.75 from 4 votes

This crisp, refreshing salad is filled with the summer's best. Slices of cucumbers, onions, and tomatoes intertwine with an herbed lemon dressing. It's finished with crumbles of vegan feta. It's a great side dish with corn on the cob or a veggie burger, hot off the grill.

Makes 4 small servings or 2 generous servings.

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 13 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 2 minutes minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 people

Course: Salad

Cuisine: Greek, Vegan

Keyword: cucumber salad, greek salad, summer side dish

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 Persian cucumbers or mini cucumbers, sliced
• ▢ 1 cup chopped tomatoes about 1 medium tomato
• ▢ 3 Tablespoons chopped yellow onion
• ▢ 5 Tablespoons vegan feta cheese
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• ▢ 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• ▢ 1 small garlic clove minced
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon dried basil
• ▢ Pinch of salt
• ▢ Dash of pepper

Instructions

• ▢
  Put sliced cucumbers, chopped tomatoes, onions, and ¼ cup vegan feta in mixing bowl. Set aside.
• ▢
  In a small separate bowl, whisk together extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, minced garlic, dried oregano, dried basil, a pinch of salt, and dash of pepper.
• ▢
  Pour the dressing over the tomato cucumber salad in the mixing bowl. Combine gently with a spoon until everything is evenly coated. Taste and add additional salt, if needed. Finish with the remaining Tablespoon of vegan feta on top.

Watch how to make it

Notes

If you don’t have Persian cucumbers, then you can replace the 2 Persian cucumbers with 1 English cucumber instead.

If you have a Microplane Zester, I recommend using that for the garlic. It helps the garlic to be almost paste-like in its consistency, which is easy to spread evenly throughout the salad. It also means there won’t be any big clumps of raw garlic. Otherwise, be sure to mince it as small as possible.

If you want to make this salad ahead of time, store the dressing & almond feta separate from the vegetables. Cucumbers and tomatoes get watery after being chopped. So drain them with a sieve when you’re ready to use them. Then add the vegan feta, and toss with dressing.

For best results, I recommend using my vegan feta cheese recipe for the cheese aspect. However, if you need a shortcut, there are some good vegan feta cheeses on the market like Violife, Trader Joe’s, and Herbivorous Butcher. Or you can replace the cheese with diced avocado.

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Nutrition

Calories: 83kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 187mg | Potassium: 165mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 100IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 1mg