Wanna know what to do with extra cucumbers? Cucumbers are one of the easiest garden crops to grow and you might get overwhelmed with your harvest, but don't let them go to waste. From drinks to sandwiches to pickles (of course).
Jump to:
- Cucumber Drinks
- Agua de Pepino
- Cucumber Lemonade
- Cucumber Lime Smoothie
- Salads & Soups
- Easy Balsamic Cucumber & Tomato Salad
- Cucumber Avocado Salad
- Sweet Pepper Cucumber Crunch Salad
- Cucumber Vinegar Salad
- Creamy Cucumber Salad
- Cold Cucumber Soup
- Dips & Appetizers
- Spicy Tuna Cucumber Bites
- Cucumber Sandwiches
- Avocado Goat Cheese & Cucumber Appetizer
- Cucumber Cream Cheese Spread
- Layered Greek Dip
- Pickles and More
- Pickle Relish
- Pail Pickles
- Garlic Bread and Butter Pickles
- Cucumber Chips
- Air Fryer Dehydrated Cucumbers
- In Conclusion
There are so many different types of cucumbers, and growing cucumbers tends to be pretty easy. So, it's common to end of with excess cucumbers and need to use them up before they go bad.
Of course, you can freeze cucumbers to store them for later. But sometimes you want to eat them right away, or have a full dish made that can be frozen and made later.
We have hand selected some of the best ways to use up cucumbers based on the following: how many cucumbers it uses, how easy it is to make, if it can be stored for later.
Cucumber Drinks
These easy, refreshing and delicious drinks range from juices to smoothies.
Agua de Pepino
This Agua de Pepino (otherwise knows as cucumber agua fresca) is a hydrating, lightly sweet and refreshing drink.
Why it's good: it only takes about 10 minutes to mix up a pitcher. Though it doesn't use a TON of cucumbers, it's a super refreshing drink that's great for the summer heat.
Cucumber Lemonade
Yet another super refreshing drink, this cucumber lemonade is easy to make. It has a lightly sweet and tangy flavor, smoothed with the cucumber.
Why its good: it only uses 4 simple ingredients and is fast to make. You can freeze this to store it for later.
Cucumber Lime Smoothie
This cold and refreshing cucumber lime smoothie is delicious. This is super easy to make, and you can customize the sweetness to your desire.
Why it's good: only takes 5 minutes and 4 ingredients to blend this one up. It is a light and hydrating drink.
Salads & Soups
These salads range from crunch to creamy. All are full of fresh vegetables and lots of cucumbers.
Easy Balsamic Cucumber & Tomato Salad
This cold and refreshing balsamic and tomato cucumber salad. This one is quick and easy as well as relatively inexpensive.
Why it's good: this is super easy to customize with cheeses, dressings, beans and more. It takes only 15 minutes to make.
Cucumber Avocado Salad
A little creamy and a little crunch, this cucumber avocado salad has a nice citrus tang added in as well. It's light and refreshing with a little bit of spice added in.
Why it's good: it's super easy to customize with different herbs, corn, dressings and other items. It's super fast to make - ready in under 15 minutes.
Sweet Pepper Cucumber Crunch Salad
This sweet pepper cucumber crunch salad is packed with flavor and lots of fresh vegetables. It's a crunchy salad with a kick of spice added in.
Why it's good: it uses a whopping 8 cucumbers. You only need 10 minutes and 8 ingredients to get it together.
Cucumber Vinegar Salad
This cucumber vinegar salad is crunchy, refreshing and has a little zing to it. The crisp texture mixes tow well with the bite of the vinegar.
Why it's good: It uses 3 - 4 cups of cucumbers. You can easily make big batches of this in a short amount of time.
Creamy Cucumber Salad
This creamy cucumber salad is the perfect mixture of creamy sour cream dressing and crip and crunchy cucumbers and onions. Add in the dill flavor and you have a flavor packed dish.
Why it's good: no cooking needed, so this is super fast and easy to make. It uses 1 pound of cucumbers.
Cold Cucumber Soup
Looking for a soup based option, but want to stick with the cool, refreshing summer vibes? Try this creamy and cold cucumber soup.
Why it's good: this soup is super easy to make and you can easily freeze it to save for later.
Dips & Appetizers
Here you will find sandwiches, dips and fun appetizers for when you want something a little more substantial to serve.
Spicy Tuna Cucumber Bites
Spicy tuna cucumber bites have a little crunch, a little spice and a little cream. They are easy to make and perfect as a snack.
Why they're good: these are super easy to make and only take about 5 minutes. They are a budget friendly snack.
Cucumber Sandwiches
Ok, so cucumber sandwiches don't use a TON of cucumbers, but they're fresh and delicious. They have a crunch combined with cream cheese and herbs and spices.
Why they're good: use your favorite bread to change up textures and flavors. You can use your favorite herbs and spices to change up flavor as well.
Avocado Goat Cheese & Cucumber Appetizer
These are super cute, bite sized avocado, goat cheese & cucumber appetizers. They have a light flavor with a little bit of citrus mixed in.
Why they're good: these are super easy to make - they only take about 15 minutes.
Cucumber Cream Cheese Spread
This fun and delicious cucumber cream cheese spread is a versatile snacking option. It has a creamy and refreshing flavor.
Why it's good: it's so easy to make with just 5 ingredients, you can have it mixed up in about 10 minutes. It's great to use on a variety of items from crackers to sandwiches to burgers.
Need to get all your food preserved easily? Check out the Ultimate Guide To Freezing Food so that you can fill your freezer without in minimal time.
Layered Greek Dip
Layered greek dip is great for serving with so many different foods from pretzels to pita chips to fresh veggies. It is light and flavorful with a variety of textures.
Why it's good: you can customize the flavor in so many different ways to make it exactly how you like. It only takes 10 minutes to make it.
Pickles and More
Of course, we couldn't have this list without at least some pickles. Check out a few different types of pickles as well as some dehydration recipes.
Pickle Relish
This tangy and sweet pickle relish is the perfect addition to hot dogs, hamburgers and more. It's the perfect flavor combination of apples, onions and cucumbers.
Why it's good: it uses up 8 pounds of cucumbers. And, there are canning instructions, so it is preserved for later use.
Pail Pickles
Sweet, crunchy and tangy these pail pickles are so good. You can make this your own by using additional vegetables in there as well to vary the flavor.
Why they're good: there's no cooking necessary and only takes 15 minutes of prep work. Plus, this uses 5-6 pounds of cucumbers.
Garlic Bread and Butter Pickles
Lightly sweet with a punch of garlic, these homemade garlic bread and butter pickles are easy to make. They are great for snacking, sandwiches and more.
Why they're good: this recipe uses a total of 8 cucumbers. Though they aren't canned, they stay good in the fridge for a few weeks.
Cucumber Chips
These easy cucumber chips are crunchy and easy to make. You can use a dehydrator or just use your oven.
Why they're good: you can customize with any flavor additions you want. You can make big batches and store up to a year.
Air Fryer Dehydrated Cucumbers
Air fryer Dehydrated Cucumber Chips are just another way to make cucumber chips. These are a great substitute for regular potato chips.
Why they're good: they only take about 10 minutes of prep time. The cooking time is passive as they are in the air fryer.
In Conclusion
Whether you have a plethora of cucumbers from the garden, or want to stock up at the store when they are on sale there are a ton of yummy ways to use them up.
If you need more help getting your foods frozen, check out the Ultimate Freezing Food Guide for a complete quick start reference so that you can have a well-stocked freezer.
