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This Cucumber Radish Tomato Salad has amazing flavor from fresh ingredients, an interesting yogurt-tahini dressing, and a sprinkle of Sumac! And this is a salad recipe that has good memories for me from the early days of my blog!

PIN Cucumber Radish Tomato Salad to try it later!

This Cucumber Radish Tomato Salad really wowed me when I first tried it years ago! I was in Chicago with my blogging friend Lydia, and we went to Old Jerusalem Restaurant for a quick lunch. Lydia and I both have middle-eastern tastebuds, and we loved this unpretentious restaurant, with me especially swooning over the Jerusalem Salad with a yogurt and tahini dressing.

I was determined to recreate that dressing when I got home, although after I found their website I realized my salad was slightly different! But I loved the dressing on this salad with cucumbers, tomatoes, and radishes that I came up with. And the salad not only has a very interesting yogurt-tahini dressing, but the sprinkle of Ground Sumac really makes the flavors shine!

If you’re not sure about radishes in a tomato-cucumber salad, please trust me on this. The radishes added a delightful crunch and flavor that made this salad a wow for me, and if you have fresh garden tomatoes that will make this salad even better! If you don’t have Tahini, Aleppo Pepper, or Sumac, there are notes about substitutes you can use. But if you’re a fan of middle eastern flavors like I am, I urge you to make this salad right away!

What ingredients do you need?

(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe with ingredient amounts.)

What makes this Cucumber Radish Tomato Salad so good?

One thing that makes this salad so fun is the addition of radishes to a cucumber and tomato salad. But the interesting dressing with middle eastern ingredients is what really makes it a wow for me!

What if you don’t have all the ingredients?

I sometimes get e-mails from people urging me to just use “ordinary” ingredients on the blog, and this recipe isn’t one that will make you happy if you’re that kind of cook because it has Tahini Sauce (affiliate link), Aleppo Pepper (affiliate link), and Ground Sumac (affiliate link), all of which are probably not familiar for many people. But if you don’t want to look for those ingredients, here are some ideas for substitutes:

  • Tahini Sauce (affiliate link) is made from sesame seeds, and in some recipes I have recommended substituting it with peanut butter, which might not be bad here. But I think almond butter or cashew butter would be the best substitute if you have one of those.
  • Aleppo Pepper (affiliate link) is a type of ground red pepper from the middle east that has a pleasant slightly spicy flavor. You can use a smaller amount of another type of hot red pepper flakes to replace that. (The recipe only calls for two pinches of Aleppo Pepper and I’d use half that much if you’re using another type of spicy red pepper flakes!)
  • Ground Sumac (affiliate link) is a middle eastern spice that I absolutely adore, and the flavor is very similar to lemon juice. I don’t think there’s really a substitute for Sumac and it’s definitely optional, but if you like lemon you might use an extra teaspoon or two of lemon juice in the dressing. (I would taste it before you add more lemon.)

How low in carbs is the Cucumber Tomato Radish Salad?

This tasty salad with middle eastern flavors has only 7 net carbs per serving (and 7 grams of protein from the Greek Yogurt in the dressing!

I hope you try this Yogurt Tahini Dressing on some other summer salads!

I’m thinking there are lots of other salads that would work well with this interesting dressing. If anyone tries it on something else, I’d love to hear about it in the comments!

Tomato, Cucumber, and Radish Salad process shots collage

How to make Cucumber Radish Tomato Salad:

(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.

  1. Start by peeling and dicing the cucumbers and placing in a colander in the sink. (Fresh garden cucumbers or mini-cucumbers may not need to be peeled.
  2. Then add a generous amount of salt (about 1 tsp.) Let the cucumbers sweat out the water and drain while you prep other ingredients. Most of the salt gets washed away in this process, but taste the salad before you add more salt.
  3. Then mix the Greek yogurt, tahini sauce, lemon juice, cumin, garlic, and Aleppo pepper (or other hot pepper flakes). Taste and see if you want to add more cumin or a pinch of salt, then let the ingredients hang out together while you chop cucumbers and radishes.
  4. I used these grape tomatoes from Costco, which I love for salads. But fresh garden tomatoes will only improve the salad if you have those!
  5. I love radishes, especially when they’re cut into half-moon shapes like this. I used more cucumbers than tomatoes or radishes because that’s what I happened to have, but I think you can change the proportions here based on what you have.
  6. Mix in the desired amount of dressing (you might have some left for another salad).
  7. Sprinkle salad with Sumac if you have some and serve!
  8. Cucumber Radish Tomato Salad makes four side-dish servings, but I’d happily eat twice as much and call it a meal when the weather is hot!

Make it a Low-Carb Meal:

Cucumber Radish Tomato Salad is a great side dish for any type of grilled food, but here are some main dishes I think would go especially well with the middle eastern flavors in this salad:

Tomato, Cucumber, and Radish Salad in serving bowl with spoon

More Salads with Tomatoes and Cucumbers:

Want More Summer Tomato Salads?

Check out my big round-up of Favorite Summer Tomato Salads for even more tomato salad ideas.

Tomato, Cucumber, and Radish Salad finished salad in bowl
Yield: 4 servings

Cucumber Radish Tomato Salad

Prep Time 35 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes

Cucumber Radish Tomato Salad (with Yogurt-Tahini Dressing) is a perfect summer salad when you have fresh ingredients from the garden, but you can make a tasty version of this with store-bought tomatoes and cucumber as well. And this simple salad recipe is loaded with interesting flavors.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups chopped cucumber
  • 1 cup chopped tomato
  • 1 cup chopped radishes (Any proportion of cucumber, tomato, and radishes can be used, or use just cucumber and tomato if you don’t have any radishes)
  • 1 tsp. salt (for salting cucumbers) plus more to taste
  • 1/2 cup Greek yogurt (see notes)
  • 1/4 cup tahini sauce (See notes)
  • 2 T fresh squeezed lemon juice (see notes)
  • 1/2 – 1 tsp. ground cumin (start with 1/2 tsp. and taste)
  • 1/2 tsp. finely minced garlic
  • 2 pinches Aleppo pepper or cayenne pepper (see notes)
  • ground Sumac (optional, for sprinkling on salad)

Instructions

  1. Wash cucumbers and peel if desired. (If you can get fresh garden cucumbers, they don’t have to be peeled.)
  2. Cut cucumbers into same-size pieces about 3/4 inch and place in a colander sitting in the sink.
  3. Sprinkle with about 1 tsp. salt, mix with your hand so all the cucumber pieces are salted.
  4. Let cucumbers stand and release water while you prep other ingredients, or if you have time, let cucumbers drain in the sink for 20-30 minutes. (The salad will be more watery if you skip this salting step, but if you’re eating it right away it probably doesn’t matter too much.
  5. While cucumbers drain, put Greek yogurt, tahini sauce, lemon juice, 1/2 tsp. ground cumin, minced garlic, and Aleppo pepper in a small bowl or measuring cup and mix together. (I found a fork worked best for mixing.)
  6. Taste and see if you want to add more ground cumin or a pinch of salt, then set aside to let ingredients blend.
  7. Wash tomatoes and cut in half (if using cherry tomatoes) or cut into 3/4 inch pieces (if using whole tomatoes.)
  8. Wash radishes, cut off stem and root ends, then cut in half and slice into half moon pieces.
  9.  Blot cucumbers dry with a paper towel (most of the salt will have rinsed off if you’ve drained them long enough.)
  10.  Combine cucumbers, tomatoes, and radishes in a bowl.
  11.  Stir in enough dressing to moisten (I used about half the dressing, save the rest in the fridge for another salad.)
  12.  Sprinkle salad with Sumac if desired.
  13.  Serve immediately.

Notes

Here's more about tahini paste, also called tahina.

Here is more about Aleppo pepper.

Here is more about Sumac.

I used fresh frozen lemon juice for this recipe.

Use low-fat or full-fat Greek Yogurt, whichever you prefer.

Recipe inspired by Jerusalem Salad at Old Jerusalem Restaurant in Chicago.

Nutrition Information

Yield

4

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 132Total Fat 9gSaturated Fat 1gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 7gCholesterol 1mgSodium 50mgCarbohydrates 10gFiber 3gSugar 4gProtein 7g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

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© Kalyn Denny
Category: Salads
Tomato, Cucumber, and Radish Salad finished salad in bowl

Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
This Cucumber Radish Tomato Salad is a great choice for most any low-carb or low-glycemic diet plan. If made with low-fat or fat-free Greek yogurt, this could be a great choice for any phase of the original South Beach Diet; other low-carb diets will prefer full-fat yogurt. 

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Salad Recipes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This salad recipe with cucumbers, radishes, and tomatoes was first posted in 2009 after I tried the recipe in Chicago with Lydia, and I’ve made it quite a few times since then. It was last updated with more information in 2025.

Pinterest image of Cucumber Radish Tomato Salad

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