Cucumber Pomegranate Salad

By Naz Deravian

Updated Dec. 12, 2023

Cucumber Pomegranate Salad
Mark Weinberg for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini.
Total Time
20 minutes
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
5 minutes
Rating
5(850)
Comments
Read comments

Cucumber pomegranate salad is an early fall love story that confidently leaps into winter. Crisp and sweet Persian cucumbers are a welcome companion to ruby-red, tart pomegranate seeds, the jewels of cooler months. Tossed with red onion and both dried and fresh mint, this colorful and tangy salad enlivens a meal and your taste buds. There’s no need to prepare the dressing separately; drizzle and sprinkle everything directly on. The juice from the pomegranate seeds mingling with the lime juice makes for a pink-hued dressing that is worthy of slurping directly from a spoon.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings
  • 3Persian cucumbers, quartered lengthwise and sliced into ¼-inch pieces
  • ½medium red onion, finely chopped into ¼-inch pieces
  • 1large pomegranate, seeded (about 1 cup seeds)
  • 2tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal) and black pepper
  • 2tablespoons lime juice, plus more to taste (from 2 medium limes)
  • 2teaspoons dried mint
  • Large handful of fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

71 calories; 5 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 3 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 7 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 4 grams sugars; 1 gram protein; 238 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Place the cucumbers, red onion and pomegranate seeds in a medium bowl. Drizzle with the olive oil; sprinkle salt (about ½ teaspoon) and pepper to taste. Add 2 tablespoons lime juice, the dried mint and the fresh mint. Stir and taste. Add more lime juice as needed. It should make your lips smack with its tang, in a good way. Adjust for salt and serve.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
850 user ratings
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Comments

Robert in Flyover Country

I love the pairing of ingredients. An inspired choice, and particularly welcome at this time of year in the northern tier ( mid-December in Minnesota ). One suggestion; to remove the bite from the raw red onion, marinate the chopped onion for 15 minutes in either red wine or sherry vinegar. Drain off the vinegar to use in a vinaigrette, and add the marinated onion to the salad.

mary m

I was making this and was dismayed I was out of dried mint… but wait… was I? A Harney and Sons Organic Peppermint Tea bag saved me! (I checked to make sure it was only Peppermint and it was!)

added feta - it made the salad!

Amazing recipe and adding feta really rounded out the flavors.

selma

any way to make any of this in advance???

Will

How long does this keep in the fridge? After a couple days my salad developed a bumpy texture on all the chopped ingredients…it looked like little white bumps on everything… Did add Feta and made it even better… Thx

Jen M

I am curious where people are getting fresh pomegranates in July. These are not some thing that are in the store in New England at this time of year. And they are not something that I associate with summer eating.

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