What's your favorite way to use up a lot of cucumbers but not pickling

July 30, 2023 10:32 AM

It's my first time growing cucumbers and this thing is producing like crazy. Recipes, please?

I'm looking for recipes to use up the 2 large cucumbers this plant is producing seemingly daily. There are only two of us and we are falling behind (there are currently 8 in my fridge with at least 3 ready to pick off the plant and these suckers are huge).

Recipes I do not need:
- tabouli
- jerusalem salad
- any sort of sour cream/mayo/sugar/dill type cucumber salad
- pickling (please don't tell me to pickle them, quick/refrigerator pickles or otherwise)

How do you use up an abundance of cucumbers? The cucumbers are delicious (not even remotely bitter) so I'm just eating slices and salads a lot, but what is your favorite way to use up cukes?

Note: our block party is this Saturday, so in addition to food recipes I'd be open to a punch-like beverage that can be made in large quantities, uses a lot of cucumbers, and can be consumed non-alcoholic but also with liquor added.

posted by misskaz to Food & Drink (44 answers total)

Cucumber Raita is yogurt based (so yes, a cucumber salad but not sour cream/mayo/sugar/dill). But if you're really behind why not give some to neighbors/friends? At a certain point, this is my solution to too many cucumbers.
posted by coffeecat at 10:36 AM on July 30, 2023 [3 favorites]

Thai Cucumber Salad

(I’m sure someone will come along with a more refined version of this, but the linked recipe will give you a place to start,)
posted by MonkeyToes at 10:37 AM on July 30, 2023 [3 favorites]

Best answer: I haven't made this Peanutty Marinated Cucumbers With Curled Scallion Salad but it's on my list of things to make. It calls for Persian cucumbers but I don't know why you can't just use what you have.

I have made Wakame Salad with Cucumber and Carrots before and I like it a lot.
posted by edencosmic at 10:42 AM on July 30, 2023

Response by poster: Assuming we have extras come Saturday I will absolutely share with neighbors during our block party but I thought it would be more fun to also share in the form of a finished dish/drink, plus have some recipes for ourselves as it continues to produce.
posted by misskaz at 10:43 AM on July 30, 2023 [1 favorite]

Gyros with tzatziki plus chopped cucumber and tomato. I presume there's a veggie protein alternative if you don't eat meat.
posted by Rhedyn at 10:43 AM on July 30, 2023 [3 favorites]

Best answer: Gazpacho with extra cucumbers blended into the base with diced cucumber on top.

Tzatziki (I use much more cucumber than this recipe calls for- feel free to load it up with cucumber!)

Asian Cucumber Salad ( This recipe is pretty close to what I make)

Cucumber Tea Sandwiches with Cream Cheese and or herbed Goat Cheese

I sometime make a cucumber & watermelon limeade - no recipe, but juice watermelon and cucumber (or blend in a blender with a bit of water) and add to a pitcher with lime juice and simple syrup. Top off with club soda. Add in a shot of vodka or gin per cup if desired.
posted by Champagne Supernova at 10:48 AM on July 30, 2023 [5 favorites]

Best answer: Japanese Cucumber Salad. I like the imitation crab meat variation.

Bang bang chicken. I always end up with way too much sauce when I make this recipe, not sure if I'm doing something wrong. Oh well, leftovers for dipping vegetables or w/e.
posted by automatic cabinet at 10:49 AM on July 30, 2023 [3 favorites]

Do you have a juicer? I’ve been making and drinking cucumber based juices all summer. Some of my favourites are cucumber with green vegetables and lemon/lime, cucumber pineapple, and cucumber watermelon. Add a pinch of salt. It’s incredibly hydrating. If you don’t have a juicer, you can use a powerful blender and hand strain the juice from the pulp.
posted by wheatlets at 11:07 AM on July 30, 2023 [4 favorites]

Best answer: This cucumber lemonade has been using up a good deal of the cucumbers I've gotten from the CSA. And even better - I actually find that the pound of cucumbers the recipe calls for is not quite enough to generate the cup of juice you're supposed to get.

(It's also massively easy - you blitz a little-over-a-pound of cucumbers in a food processor real good, then strain it to yield a cup of juice; throw that in a jug or big pitcher with a cup of lemon juice, 1/3 cup of sugar, and 2 cups water, then stir real good and let it chill out in your fridge.)

The recipe notes that this is nice when spiked with gin as well.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 11:12 AM on July 30, 2023 [8 favorites]

Best answer: Cold cucumber buttermilk soup is delicious. Just put roughly chopped cucumbers and herbs of your choice in the blender with buttermilk. You can also use yogurt.
posted by lesser whistling duck at 11:36 AM on July 30, 2023 [7 favorites]

You can stir-fry them!
posted by O9scar at 11:54 AM on July 30, 2023

Best answer: Just supporting some of the suggestions above: a Catalonian friend of mine claims that gazpacho is more of a cucumber cold soup with some extra goodies than a tomato cold soup.

And instead of gyros, tzatziki would work well with all sorts of veggies, roasted veggies, falafel, stuffed veggies. Or just some lovely bread, some olives and a glass of wine.

Very old recipes I have recommend slicing (or grating) and salting the cucumbers before use, like you would do with aubergines back in the day as well. This has gone out of fashion because the cucumbers are no longer bitter. But they are still really watery, and the salt helps get rid of the water, and for me makes them more digestable.

Oh, and thinking of old-timey recipes, I remembered stuffed cucumbers. This is just a random recipe from the internet, it's a very long time since I had them. A cream cheese based stuffing seems delicious to me, but I vaguely remember some with crab meat, which also seems good.

We have made something similar to this very frequently for years: SESAME-GINGER CUCUMBER SOBA NOODLE SALAD. This may well be the recipe we started out with, but today we just mix up stuff we find in the fridge and pantry without much measuring. It is a big favorite. So much that after this post, I think my lunch is solved for tomorrow. Maybe with a slice of pan-fried salmon, because the fish-car will be here, just before lunch.
posted by mumimor at 12:00 PM on July 30, 2023 [2 favorites]

Cucumber water. Dead easy and somehow way more satisfactory than plain water.

Good with a shot of Hendricks gin if that's your thing. Hendricks has additional cucumber cocktail recipes at their site if you like.

Not a specific recipe, but cucumber slices make a fun substitute for crackers for canapes. Crunchy and refreshing, works great with dips in lieu of chips as well.
posted by the primroses were over at 12:03 PM on July 30, 2023

if it's not too hot to cook, believe it or not Julia Child published a recipe for baked cucumbers. Please note that per the text it apparently goes great with sauteed brains... or chicken.

(I think an icy gazpacho sounds great.)
posted by fingersandtoes at 12:04 PM on July 30, 2023

Best answer: Irma La Douche Cocktail (the cucumber intensive way) (which is not the way I usually make it):

1 1/2 oz Hendrick’s gin
1/2 oz green Chartreuse
1/2 oz fresh cucumber puree (peel and blend cucumber, then pass through a sieve)
1/2 oz fresh lemon juice
1/2 oz grapefruit juice
1/4 oz simple syrup

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker and shake. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with a slice of cucumber.
posted by crush at 12:07 PM on July 30, 2023

Georgian cucumber (and tomato) salad dressing is magic. Grind together a handful of walnuts, a clove of garlic, a little salt, a spoonful of red wine vinegar, and half a teaspoon each of coriander seeds and fenugreek seeds. Add just enough water to form a paste, then maybe a little sunflower oil to thin it out optionally. Add to chunks of cucumber, tomato and onion. Completely different taste than usual cucumber salad and makes it a much more substantial dish. (That would be Georgia in the Caucasus.)
posted by I claim sanctuary at 12:15 PM on July 30, 2023 [5 favorites]

Yes to cold cucumber soup, i usually just peel and remove seeds (generously), add salt, pepper, fresh dill and blend to pulp the consistency of applesauce and then add a dairy product of your choice: plain yoghurt, sour cream, butter milk or combination of those. Just add enough dairy to make nice soup. If you like add some cubed/diced cucumber. Refrigerate before serving, sprinkled with fresh dill.
posted by 15L06 at 12:19 PM on July 30, 2023

Depending in what kind of cucumber you can also use cucumber in place of zucchini, especially if they are older/large they work well in any dish calling for zucchini, cooked or baked.
posted by 15L06 at 12:23 PM on July 30, 2023

With great cucumbers we take them sliced really thinly, on white bread toasted on one side, thin layer of butter and mayo, salt and a bunch of fresh black pepper. They're devine.
posted by Carillon at 12:26 PM on July 30, 2023 [2 favorites]

Just jumping in to agree that I find it not-an-effort-at-all to eat a portion of tzatziki made with an entire 25cm/10" cucumber, so it definitely uses them in good bulk.
posted by ambrosen at 12:56 PM on July 30, 2023 [1 favorite]

After thinking a bit, I think I'm going to make this for lunch tomorrow, instead of the above-mentioned soba-salad. Both recipes are great, but I am craving peanuts, for some reason.
posted by mumimor at 1:20 PM on July 30, 2023 [1 favorite]

I have made zucchini hummus before (not this exact recipe) and I don't know why it wouldn't work with cucumbers. I'm out of tahini but I'd actually like to try that.
posted by edencosmic at 1:28 PM on July 30, 2023

Best answer: Agua de pepino / cucumber agua fresca!!! I can’t link right now but the Muy Bueno Cookbook website has a good recipe. Basically cukes, lime juice, sugar, water. You can also include the cuke skin and then strain. So so so SO good and refreshing.
posted by sucre at 1:30 PM on July 30, 2023 [5 favorites]

I know a few people who have made delicious cucumber beers. Some of the most refreshing brews I have ever tasted.
posted by terrapin at 1:51 PM on July 30, 2023

Best answer: We make a version of this jicama cucumber salad - I can’t find an exact link, but ours is 60/40 cucumbers to jicama, and I chop a seeded jalapeño into the salad instead of using powders.
posted by Mchelly at 1:53 PM on July 30, 2023

Best answer: We had a similar cucumber problem at my mother-in-law’s one year and among other things, we made this cucumber sorbet. Tasty and uses a ton of cucumbers, but you need an ice cream maker
posted by donut_princess at 2:48 PM on July 30, 2023 [3 favorites]

I love Italian bread salad. I can't find my exact recipe online, but I used about half tomatoes and half cucumbers. This one is pretty close. I also added fresh mozzarella.

Also, cucumber sandwiches are wonderful. I would eat those up at a potluck (in my case, the butter or cream cheese would need to be vegan though).
posted by FencingGal at 2:56 PM on July 30, 2023 [1 favorite]

Join a buy nothing group and swap for someone else’s produce?
posted by St. Peepsburg at 3:31 PM on July 30, 2023

Panzanella salad - cucumbers seeded, diced up with seeded, diced fresh tomatoes, torn basil leaves, olive oil, finely diced red onion, balsamic and torn and lightly toasted ciabatta. A big bowl would be great for a block party ! I seed the cucumbers and tomatoes over a strainer and add the juices to the dressing. Yum yum.
ETA I add poached eggs sprinkled with lots of cracked pepper on top for brekky
posted by honey-barbara at 4:00 PM on July 30, 2023 [2 favorites]

oh panzanella would be amazing for a block party BUT I also think if you serve a vat of icy gazpacho (with grapes like this with little dixie cups, people would be excited about that too. (Pro tip freeze some of it in ice cube trays and serve it with the frozen cubes to keep it cold-cold)
posted by fingersandtoes at 4:16 PM on July 30, 2023

FYI, Italian bread salad and panzanella are the same thing.
posted by FencingGal at 4:53 PM on July 30, 2023

This cucumber lemonade is always a hit at parties! It can definitely be made with more cucumber if you like cucumber in drinks and making it for personal use. For a party, I would follow the ratios of cucumber/ lemonade pretty closely just because people like a hint of cucumber and are vary about trying radically different things.

This cucumber salad with everything bagel seasoning couldn't be easier and is not creamy.
posted by never.was.and.never.will.be. at 6:14 PM on July 30, 2023 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I have made cucumber popsicles, either cucumber puree + simple syrup + crème de violette or cucumber puree + elderflower syrup/liqueur + tequila.
posted by Hypatia at 6:17 PM on July 30, 2023

Best answer: You could try this cucumber peach salsa. I made something like it once and it was tasty and refreshing.
posted by ambulatorybird at 7:20 PM on July 30, 2023

[Sorry Fencing Gal, I didn’t preview your comment before I banged mine out. And mozzarella is the bomb on it, as you said]
posted by honey-barbara at 9:57 PM on July 30, 2023 [1 favorite]

This might fall too close to the pickle boundary, but Fuchsia Dunlop's smacked cucumber in garlicky sauce is amazing, and intended to be eaten immediately. For the basic recipe, you need garlic, rice vinegar, chilli oil, soy sauce, and a little bit of salt and sugar; there are also a couple of other variations offered in the article.

If 2 tablespoons of chilli oil seems like too much chilli oil (I'm pretty sure it would blow my head off), sub in plain sesame oil for some of it. Also, if you don't have black rice vinegar to hand, substituting white rice vinegar makes for something a little less sweet than the recipe as stated, but still very good. I imagine other vinegars would also yield tasty results.

The recipe says "serves 2", but I have no trouble at all eating a whole garlicky smacked cucumber at a sitting.
posted by ManyLeggedCreature at 1:05 AM on July 31, 2023 [3 favorites]

If I were dealing with a glut of cucumbers, I would also be looking for cake recipes. For instance: lemon and cucumber cake with elderflower icing (half a cucumber); nutty cucumber cake (two cucumbers); Indian-inspired vegan cucumber cake (two cucumbers). I can't actually vouch personally for any of those, but given how good zucchini cake can be, I'd definitely be interested to try them.
posted by ManyLeggedCreature at 1:17 AM on July 31, 2023 [3 favorites]

Cucumber paletas are a lovely refreshing treat on a hot day.
posted by guessthis at 4:25 AM on July 31, 2023

Halve the cukes lengthwise, scoop out the seeds, fill hollow with all the fixings of a delicious lox platter: cream cheese, capers, red onion, maybe some tomato, and of course lox. This is a great place for smoked salmon trimmings also, or other small preserved fish or seafood. Toasted bagels on the side if desired of course.

Cucumbers mix surprisingly well with a summer fruit salad, you may want to peel them if the skins are thick but otherwise add hearty chunks with any combo of melons and stone fruit, even better with some tender herbs like mint, basil, or cilantro and a mix of citrus zest and juice with a little simple syrup or honey, maybe a splash of sweet wine or sherry for an evening treat. In this context cucumbers taste a lot like honeydew melon.

Cucumbers are a great counterpoint to fried foods, even unpickled. Cube them up and sprinkle with salt and serve alongside any fried and sauced thing like spicy chicken wings or crispy tofu.
posted by Mizu at 4:49 AM on July 31, 2023 [1 favorite]

Cucumber ketchup is a thing. There are lots of recipes online.
posted by under_petticoat_rule at 5:14 AM on July 31, 2023

When you're done making the recipes you find here, kick back and enjoy a Pimm’s cup cocktail.
posted by Rykey at 6:40 AM on July 31, 2023 [2 favorites]

This cold avocado-cucumber-shrimp soup is amazing. It doesn't use a ton of cucumbers, but I could eat it every day.
posted by hydrophonic at 6:41 AM on July 31, 2023

Sichuan smashed cucumber: https://www.seriouseats.com/sichuan-style-smashed-cucumber-salad-recipe
Cucumber carpaccio / shaved with fennel
Shred and put in Vietnamese summer rolls / goi cuon
Cut into sticks and put chaat masala on them
Nimbu soda - Indian salty lime drink - with muddled cucumber
Cucumber doogh - Afghan salty yogurt drink
Just eat them with hummus or tzatziki or another dip or flavored salt
Caprese
Blistered cucumber spears?
Cucumber noodles, like zucchini?
Cucumber jelly?
posted by eyeball at 8:41 AM on July 31, 2023 [1 favorite]

A shingled layer on the bottom slice of an egg-salad sandwich is freakin' amazing.
posted by nenequesadilla at 9:54 PM on August 2, 2023 [1 favorite]