This Italian tomato cucumber salad is loaded with tons of fresh tomatoes, avocados, cucumbers, and soft mozzarella cheese tossed in a flavorful homemade Italian vinaigrette.
New summer salad crush alert! We’ve got the easiest lil gem on deck for today.
Cucumbers and tomatoes are one of our favorite salad combinations and today we’re putting them in the most incredibly fresh and flavorful salad.
The real bonus about this salad is that it’s one of those side dishes that you can throw together in literally only 20 minutes AND it uses up an abundance of garden vegetables.
Trust me, you won’t even mind having salad on the menu if this is the one that’s in question. Something about fresh mozzarella and silky avocado in a salad always bumps it up a level.
This Salad features…
- Crisp cucumbers and silky avocado
- Juicy tomatoes and soft mozzarella cheese
- A flavorful Italian vinaigrette
- Minutes to make with only a handful of ingredients
Making the Tomato Cucumber Salad
(scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe)
Ingredients You Will Need
- Avocados
- Tomatoes
- Cucumbers
- Mozzarella pearls
- Basil
- White wine vinegar
- Dijon mustard
- Honey
- Garlic
- Italian seasoning
- Olive oil
Can I Use Different Tomatoes?
Yes, you can! This recipe works great with cherry, roma, heirloom, grape, or plum tomatoes. You can even use a variety of tomatoes depending on what you have on hand.
Tips for Perfect Salad
- Cut vegetables the same size – try to get all your salad mix-ins in uniform 1/2-inch cubes to make this salad easier to eat.
- Add avocado and basil just before serving – this will prevent these ingredients from turning brown.
- Choose ripe tomatoes – When choosing your tomatoes at the store or farmers market, look for ones that are slightly firm to the touch and have a strong tomato aroma. This signifies the tomatoes are ripe and will taste super flavorful in the salad.
- Serve salad immediately after dressing – this helps all the ingredients stay fresh.
Recipe Variations
Try these ideas for a different twist on this salad.
- Try different vegetables – sweet pepper, corn, sauteed mushrooms, or green beans would be great extra veggie additions.
- Swap out cheeses – try goat cheese, feta, or burrata.
- Make it spicy – add a minced jalapeno, red pepper flakes, or a few shakes of hot sauce for salad with some kick.
- Add beans – try adding a can of drained and rinsed chickpeas or white beans.
Make Ahead Instructions
Follow these instructions for time-saving make ahead tips.
- Chop vegetables – chop the tomatoes and cucumber and store in refrigerator up to 3 days (wait until just before serving to cut avocado and basil)
- Make dressing – store the dressing in refrigerator up to 1 week.
- For serving – when ready to serve, cut the avocado and basil and toss together with vegetables and dressing in a large bowl and serve immediately.
This is just peak summer salad goodness, y’all! The combination of textures and fresh summer flavors with the homemade Italian vinaigrette is absolutely to die for.
Plus it’s freaking gorgeous. Try not to eat it all straight from the bowl.
Save this recipe using the ‘save to recipe box’ button below. If you make it, please let us know! Leave a comment + star rating below, or take a photo and tag it on Instagram with #wholeandheavenlyoven.
Watch this salad made step-by-step on Google web stories.
More beautiful loaded salads to try next!
Italian Tomato Cucumber Salad
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Ingredients
Tomato Cucumber Salad
- 2 medium cucumbers, cut into 1/2-in cubes
- 2 medium tomatoes, cut into 1/2-in cubes
- 2 medium ripe avocados, cut into 1/2-in cubes
- 8 oz fresh mozzarella pearls
- 1/4 cup torn fresh basil
Italian Vinaigrette
- 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons honey or agave nectar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 small clove garlic
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Tomato Cucumber Salad
- In a large bowl, combine all salad ingredients. Set aside for a moment.
Italian Vinaigrette
- In small bowl, whisk vinegar, honey, Dijon, garlic, and Italian seasoning until smooth. Slowly drizzle in olive oil, whisking constantly until dressing is smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Drizzle dressing over salad and toss to combine. Season salad with salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
This post was updated with new recipe adjustments and photos on 8/18/23.
Ashley - The Recipe Rebel says
This is the salad of my kids’ dreams right here! They LOVE tomatoes, avocados and cucumbers AND cheese BIG time — this would be gone instantly!
mira says
This is my kind of salad ! Love that you used mozzarella, great conbination. Can’t wait to try it!
Gayle @ Pumpkin 'N Spice says
This is definitely one big, beautiful summer salad! I love the mozzarella, tomatoes and avocado in here. I think I would eat this all, and not share with anyone!
Nancy says
I found this recipe a few weeks ago and I’m obsessed with the dressing! It calls for ingredients that I already have on had most of the time, other than the agave syrup, which I just use honey instead. I don’t necessarily make the exact salad because my husband won’t eat it, but I make regular salad for him and a modified “regular” salad for me but with the avocado, tomato, cheese, and dressing, for me. Do you have other dressing recipes that might be kind of similar to this one? I would love to try different dressing recipes that are as easy as this one to make.
Sarah says
Hi Nancy! So glad to hear you love this dressing! I’m attaching several links to a few other salad recipes with dressings I think you’ll enjoy! https://wholeandheavenlyoven.com/2020/10/26/candied-pecan-turkey-cranberry-apple-spinach-salad/
https://wholeandheavenlyoven.com/2021/01/11/avocado-smoked-salmon-salad-with-dijon-honey-vinaigrette/
https://wholeandheavenlyoven.com/2019/01/04/greek-steak-salad-with-honey-balsamic-dressing/
Nancy Beals says
Thank you so much! I’ll definitely be checking those out!
Jo Ann says
I made this salad twice and it was delicious! I am going to make it again this weekend. This was one of the best salads with the dressing f that I
Have ever made . It is a keeper! Thanks so much for the recipe. I even took pictures of it!!
Sarah says
Wonderful to hear, Jo Ann! I would love to see pictures if you have an Instagram and would like to share! Make sure to tag my handle @wholeandheavenlyoven 🙂