Italian inspired, this tomato, cucumber and avocado salad is one of our family favorites. It’s so tasty and so addictive that you just want to eat more and more of it.
We make this salad all year round, even during winter. I often hear tomato and cucumber salads being labeled as ‘summer’ salads. I couldn’t disagree more, unless you think of them as a piece of summer during cold winter days.
You have to taste this salad to know why it’s so special. The base recipe for this salad supposedly originated in Italy and had been passed down from generation to generation for many years. Everything in this salad seems to be spot on and the resulting flavors are fabulous. You don’t eat it because you have to, you eat it because it entices you, it makes you want to have more of it. This salad is a sibling of my other favorite salad – rustic tomato and cucumber salad.
Making the salad dressing
A typical salad dressing consists of a 3:1 ratio of oil to acid. That’s the first thing you learn when you venture into the realm of making your own salad dressings. In this recipe, I use a 2:1 ratio of oil to acid. I love it. This makes the salad fresh and bright. You have to remember though that not all red wine vinegars are created equal. Some are more acidic than others. I like more mellow kinds. Pompeian Red Wine Vinegar that can be found at pretty much any store is an excellent choice with a very well-rounded taste. Holland House Red Wine Vinegar is another excellent and inexpensive choice for a mild flavor and well-rounded taste.
Tips to help make best tasting tomato, cucumber and avocado salad
- This salad tastes especially good when made with fully ripe and flavorful ingredients, which makes it incredibly flavorful and delicious.
- The salad only gets better with time as different flavors in it meld together so let it sit at room temperature for a few hours if possible. The oil and the red wine vinegar have time to do their magic to the veggies.
- If the tomatoes aren’t ripe, leave them on a windowsill for a few days to ripen. They will soften up and become richer in flavor and color.
- The cucumbers should be fresh and firm. Try to avoid soft, overripe cucumbers and opt for firm and crisp cucumbers instead.
- Avocados should be ripe and just slightly soft. When cut open, they should be bright green in color without brown spots which are an indication of over-ripening.
You can serve this salad as an appetizer or a side dish, or as a meal on its own with a piece of crusty sourdough bread or French baguette. Use that bread to soak in every last drop of that delicious salad dressing. It’s so good!
Ingredients
The Vegetables:
- 4 tomatoes (medium size, fresh and ripe)
- 4 baby cucumbers (fresh and firm)
- 1 Hass avocado (ripe and slightly soft)
- 1/2 red onion (medium size, peeled and diced)
- 1/2 bunch fresh basil (rinsed, dried and finely chopped)
- 1 pinch granulated sugar
The dressing:
- 6 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil (good quality)
- 3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
- 3/4 tsp kosher salt
- 3/4 tsp granulated sugar
- 1 garlic clove (pressed)
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 pinch black pepper (freshly ground)
Instructions
- Core the tomatoes, cut in half, then cut each half lengthwise into 3 wedges. Then cut each wedge in half crosswise. Place the tomatoes in a large bowl, sprinkle with a pinch of sugar and give them a quick toss.
- Cut off the ends of the cucumbers. Using a vegetable peeler, make long stripes going top down. Slice into 1/4" thick slices slightly on the diagonal. Transfer to the bowl with the tomatoes.
- Cut the avocado in 4 quarters lengthwise and remove the pit. Gently remove the skin, then slice into 3/8" thick slices on the diagonal and add to tomatoes and cucumbers, along with the diced onion and chopped basil.
- To prepare the dressing, throw all of the dressing ingredients into a small bowl and whisk together vigorously, until well blended.
- Pour the dressing over the vegetables and toss gently using both hands. You can serve immediately or cover the bowl with a plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature until ready to serve. This salad only gets better with time.
Nutrition
This post post updated on June 1, 2019
Kimberly S.
I made this salad today for dinner. It was DELICIOUS!
victor
Enjoy!
Terry
Excellent!! My new favorite. The pinch of sugar on the tomatoes and avocado take the sharp edge off.
victor
Happy to hear it, Terry. Enjoy!
Papergirl
How many T of red wine vinnegar? My recipe doesn’t show the number. Thanks!
victor
Three Tbsp. Enjoy!
Melinda
Great refreshing salad!
victor
Enjoy!
Lisa
I made this salad today to see I want to make it for event and it was delicious!! It is a go, definitely! But I wanted to know if it can be made a day or two ahead? Do you think it will hold up?
victor
I think it’s best made and consumed the same day. Tomatoes don’t store well once cut.
Kathy
Just curious as to how there’s 18 grams of carbs in this recipe. I’m on low carb and when subtracting the fiber…there’s a net carb of 11 grams which still seems like a lot. Is it because of the added sugar and natural sugar in the tomatoes?
victor
It looks like they come a little from tomatoes, avocado, red onion, red wine vinegar, and other ingredients.
Tracy
Can this be tweaked to make it a little healthier? This sounds so good.
victor
What’s not healthy about it? I suppose you could… remove the avocado and go lighter on the dressing/olive oil. But I think it’s quite healthy as it is, though it’s all relative.
FranSak
Just leave out the sugar and dramatically reduce the carbs!
Julie
This was such a simple but refreshing salad. I get tired of lettuce, tomato, coke salads.adding avacado just put it over the top!
victor
Glad you enjoyed it.
Vicky Sutherland
I made this along with a scrumptious pasta dish to share with family. Omgosh everyone loved it, grandkids included!!! I’d doubled the recipe and added just a bit more sugar and half the oil was canola. The olive oil was a bit strong for my taste. This recipe is a keeper!!!
victor
Glad you like my recipe, Vicky. Try it with heirloom tomatoes in a few months when they are in season, you will love it. Enjoy!
Vince
Great salad to go with any dish!
victor
Enjoy! Be sure to try it with heirloom tomatoes when they are in season. Love this salad in July-August with locally grown in-season tomatoes.
Lola
Looks really yummy and am going to try it
victor
Enjoy!
Marlee
I have tried this amazing super fresh salad was fantastic
victor
Happy to hear it, Marlee. Enjoy!
Da
Awesomely refreshing salad. A bed of baby spinach can also be layed down. I will definitely be making this often.
victor
Glad to hear it. Enjoy!
Michael
I just made this for the first time and will again!! Fantastic recipe, delicious!!!
victor
You are welcome. Glad you liked it. Happy cooking!
Renee
This recipe is soooo good. Even my husband and daughter like it and they are very picky eaters lol. Would definitely keep making.
victor
Happy to hear it. Enjoy!
Laura Karczewski
Best salad ever! Thank you for sharing this. My garden is filled with tomatoes, cucumbers and basil so it was so easy to make. Love love love❤️
Karen
How much is half a bunch of basil? I’m going to pick it from my garden and need a better idea of how much I need.
victor
About 1 cup of loose leaves.
Nelly
Looks beautiful, looking forward to making it.
Margaret
Absolutely love this salad. My new favorite
Ann
Hey Victor! We make this salad all year round, too. I totally agree with you that it’s really addictive. My husband often asks for it to be removed from his eyesight cuz he can’t control himself. He says he could be on a deserted island with this. Highly recommend everyone to give the recipe a try. Believe me, all of the flavors are fab!
Thank you so much for sharing the idea and all of your precious tips. I hope the recipe will inspire many of your readers. I’m so glad that I discovered your blog a few days ago. I’ll be coming around often. Keep up the good work!
Best wishes,
Ann
victor
LOL … Your comment made me laugh, Ann. I hear you, we make this salad, or some variation of it, a few times a week. So good and so easy to make! The best part is that the kids a lot of veggies because of it. I add or substitute celery, radishes, radicchio, and other veggies to change things up. Thank you for the kind words and do come back often.
Bella
This recipe is fantastic! I’ve been making this salad every day for the past week and can’t have enough of it. So addictive!
Ada
I?m impressed, I must say. A+++
Angela
What a gorgeous looking salad. Can’t wait to give this a taste! Yum!
victor
Thank you for the kind words, Angela.
Richard Benchimol
Thank you for this! For some reason, I have a lot of avocados passing through my kitchen. I was starting to run out of ideas, this is a big help.
victor
No problem, Richard. Glad this recipe caught your attention. I have a feeling it won’t disappoint 😉