Ina Garten vs. Martha Stewart: Who Makes the Best Cucumber Salad?

My summer CSA share has me rich in cucumbers right now. While I’ve eaten my fair share sliced and salted, stacked in sandwiches, and brined, I’ve really not eaten enough cucumber salads this summer. In an effort to remedy that, I wanted to test some beloved recipes to find one that I really love and can eat as long as the essential summer produce keeps coming off my local farm. 

In my opinion, creamy cucumber salads are the best because they combine the cool crunch of cucumbers with dairy-based dressings that have sour cream or yogurt. A cucumber salad really isn’t complete without a heavy-handed sprinkle of dill, either.

With these thoughts top of mind, that’s how I selected Ina Garten’s Creamy Cucumber Salad and Martha Stewart’s Cucumber Salad With Sour Cream and Dill Dressing for this challenge. While both recipes are similar, one easily captured my heart, and I’ll be serving it at every get-together this summer.

Ina Garten’s Creamy Cucumber Salad

I was skeptical of Ina’s Creamy Cucumber Salad recipe at first glance, as it required a few extra steps and I worried that the red onions would overpower the cucumber. However, it came highly recommended by a trusted friend, so I had to give it a shot.

The Barefoot Contessa’s recipe calls for hothouse cucumbers, red onion, yogurt, sour cream, Champagne or white wine vinegar, and dill. It’s essential that the cucumbers and onions are sliced super thin (a mandoline is ideal for this), and then they are heavily salted and set to drain in a colander set within a bowl. The yogurt is also set in another draining rig (hope you have room in the fridge for both setups). For both of these steps, Ina’s goal is that the salad will stay crisp and won’t get watery as it sits.

After about four hours, the cucumbers are patted dry with paper towels and combined with the drained yogurt and other ingredients.

The resulting salad is very creamy, and it holds up really well in the fridge for hours (or on a picnic table). I worried the salad might taste like onion, but the cucumbers hold their own, and when combined with the yogurt, dill, and sour cream, the salad reminds me of a sour cream-and-onion potato chip in the best way.

Martha Stewart’s Cucumber Salad With Sour Cream and Dill Dressing

Martha’s Cucumber Salad With Sour Cream and Dill Dressing uses just a few ingredients, including small, thin-skinned Kirby cucumbers. This was a boon for me, as that’s what is currently filling my farm CSA box each week.

Her salad is simple yet specific: besides cucumbers, the only other flavor enhancers are a little low-fat sour cream, lemon juice, and dill. The Kirbys are sliced into half-moons and tossed with the other ingredients—that’s it. You can serve the salad immediately or refrigerate it for up to four hours. 

I loved the simplicity of this salad and that it helped me use up an abundance of cucumbers, but it still it didn’t have the same indulgent creaminess of Ina’s recipe. Also, I missed the onion flavor! The longer it sat in the fridge, the soggier it became.

The Winner: Ina Garten’s Cucumber Salad

Coming into this recipe face-off, I really wanted Martha’s recipe to win, mostly because it was quick to put together. Ina’s version requires a bit more work, but it’s more flavorful, extra creamy, and sturdy enough to hold up for long periods. It is one of the rare instances where I can truly say the added effort is worth it. 

Next time I make Ina’s recipe, I’ll use half the onion as a personal preference. Some reviews noted that the salad can lean a bit salty, so I recommend using The Barefoot Contessa’s preferred salt— Diamond Crystal kosher—or using a bit less in the salting process, and then tasting before you add more to the dressing.

I’ve eaten this recipe twice since I’ve reviewed (first alongside smoked ribs and then grilled sausages) and found Ina’s thoughtful cucumber salting technique work just as well with different varieties. That’s great for me—I’ll still be able to use up my surplus.