Use it up · Vegetables

Cucumbers

Have extra cucumbers? Here’s how to choose, store and prep cucumbers, plus 19 family recipes to use it all up, best matches first.

🍽 See the recipes 🧺 Pick a few things you have

🛒 Choosing it

Choose firm cucumbers with no soft spots or yellowing.

Best season: Summer. Timing varies by region.

🧊 Storing it

Fridge: About 1 week
Freezer: Not recommended

Keep the fridge at 40°F or below and the freezer at 0°F. Freezer times are for best quality; food kept frozen at 0°F stays safe. When in doubt, throw it out. Times from Rutgers Cooperative Extension.

🔪 Prepping it

Peel if the skin is waxed or thick. Slice for salads, snacks and quick pickles.

🥣 Make it from scratch

Homemade staples that use cucumbers:

Refrigerator dill pickles

🌱 Grow it

You can grow your own: cucumbers. The Food Garden Planner shows how much to plant for your family and when it comes in.

🌱 Plan a garden with it →

📊 Nutrition per 100 g

Cucumber. 100 g is about 3 1/2 ounces.

Calories	15 kcal	1%
Protein	0.7 g	1%
Total fat	0.1 g	0%
Saturated fat	0.0 g	0%
Total carbohydrate	3.6 g	1%
Dietary fiber	0.5 g	2%
Total sugars	1.7 g
Sodium	2.0 mg	0%
Calcium	16 mg	1%
Iron	0.3 mg	2%
Potassium	147 mg	3%

% Daily Value for adults (FDA). From USDA FoodData Central 168409 (SR Legacy).

🍽 Recipes that use it up

19 recipes, the ones that use the most cucumbers first.

With a smaller amount

Baba Ganoush1 hr 10 min · serves 8 · snack, side 🥕 vegetarian

Plan them into your week in the meal planner, or find recipes for two or three things at once with the “What can I make?” picker.

Storage times and buying tips are general guides from the sources below; follow any date or instructions on the package. Cook meat, poultry, fish and eggs to the USDA safe temperatures in each recipe.