Five ways to use up leftover cucumbers (2024)

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Sliced in sandwiches, ribboned in salads or batoned for crudités, cucumbers are a lunchtime favourite. But their high water content means they have a short shelf life and can quickly become soggy – this accounts for over half their wastage, adding to a total cost of £77m worth of cucumbers (or 43 thousand tonnes of cucumber) being thrown away every year! Read on for our tips on how to use them up.

Five ways to use up leftover cucumbers (2)

  1. Store them right

    Keep cucumbers in the vegetable drawer of the fridge. Make sure they stay dry and, once you've opened the packaging, don't re-wrap them completely as this can encourage condensation and spoiling. This will ensure they stay super fresh for throwing in recipes like our Indian-style cucumber salad.

    Five ways to use up leftover cucumbers (3)

  2. Make them go further

    Limp cucumbers can be revived by slicing off the end and standing in a bowl of cold water. If you find yourself with leftover sliced cucumber, store in a sealable container with a sheet of kitchen towel to keep them crisp. Why not try giving these revived cucumbers a new lease of life in this crisp and refreshingcucumber, fennel and parsley salad?

    Five ways to use up leftover cucumbers (4)

  3. Pickle them

    To make a quick pickled cucumber simply sprinkle sliced cucumber with salt; leave for 20 mins. Pat fry and transfer to a sterilised jar with equal quantities caster sugar and white wine vinegar. Use straight away, or leave longer for the flavours to develop. You can even jazz it up by adding extra ingredients likedillor fennel.

    Five ways to use up leftover cucumbers (5)

  4. Make a dip

    An easy cucumber raita can be the perfect complement to a dish like tandoori prawn naans. In order to make a bacth simply stir finely diced cucumber, lime zest, crushed chillies, and shredded mint and coriander leaves into Greek or coconut yogurt. Failing that, you could also try your hand at this super simple tzatziki.

    Five ways to use up leftover cucumbers (6)

  5. Make a drink

    Whether you're in the mood for an alcoholicapple and cucumber gin co*cktail or a non-alcoholiccucumber, lime and elderflower coolers, there's a load of lovely drinks and co*cktails that you can make that bring out the best of a cucumber's naturally refreshing properties.

    Five ways to use up leftover cucumbers (7)

Five ways to use up leftover cucumbers (8)
Five ways to use up leftover cucumbers (2024)

FAQs

Five ways to use up leftover cucumbers? ›

Simple Cucumber Soup

Combine cukes, onion and broth in a sauce pan and simmer for 20 minutes or until tender. Puree until smooth. Blend in sour cream, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Either chill and eat cold or serve warm immediately.

How do you use too many cucumbers? ›

Simple Cucumber Soup

Combine cukes, onion and broth in a sauce pan and simmer for 20 minutes or until tender. Puree until smooth. Blend in sour cream, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Either chill and eat cold or serve warm immediately.

What can I do with cucumbers other than pickles? ›

You'll find that the water-rich veggie is great blended into sweet smoothies; frozen into thirst-quenching, icy desserts; submerged in vinegar for crunchy, future pickles; or simply chopped raw for a quick and crisp sandwich topping.

How many ways can you use cucumbers? ›

10 Easy Ways to Use Cucumbers
  • Add them to smoothies. Cucumbers are cool, mild, and refreshing making them an excellent choice for summertime smoothies.
  • Pickle them. ...
  • Make frozen treats. ...
  • Toss them in drinks. ...
  • Make gazpacho. ...
  • Ferment them. ...
  • Try a different cucumber salad. ...
  • Add them to a stir fry.
Jul 24, 2018

What can I do with leftover cucumbers? ›

7 Different Ways to Eat Up Extra Cucumbers
  1. Find our Pickled Cucumbers recipe here. ...
  2. Tropical Cucumber Smoothie with Kale.
  3. Hydrating Cucumber Smoothie with Mango.
  4. Cucumber Mojito Mocktail.
  5. Mixed Berry & Cucumber Bellini Mocktail.
  6. Cucumber Melon Sangria Mocktail.
  7. Lemon Cucumber Virgin Cooler.
Sep 14, 2020

Can I freeze cucumbers? ›

Freezing cucumbers extends the vegetable's shelf life considerably. In the refrigerator, cucumbers last about four to six days, but properly frozen cucumbers may last for up to 12 months. For peak quality, though, it's best to consume frozen cucumbers within eight months, says Schwan.

What not to mix cucumbers with? ›

Eating things made of cucumber and milk together

Milk is a laxative, and melons are diuretic. As a result, combining them may cause digestive difficulties, which may result in vomiting or loose motions.

What's the best way to preserve cucumbers? ›

To maximize the freshness of your cucumbers, tuck the towel-wrapped fruit inside a plastic bag, leaving it open at the top (a little airflow helps prevent condensation from collecting around the cucumbers).

Can cucumber be cooked? ›

Thinly sliced and cooked in a hot skillet or wok, cucumbers still maintain some crunch and freshness even when cooked, like in our Sautéed Cucumbers With Green Herbs recipe. Or give sliced cucumbers a quick stir fry with ground beef or sliced steak, it's a perfect pairing.

Can dogs eat cucumbers? ›

Cucumbers are perfectly safe for dogs to eat, and offer a low-calorie, crunchy snack that many dogs love. Cucumbers only contain about 8 calories per one-half cup of slices, compared to the 40 calories in a single medium dog biscuit. Cucumbers are also very low in sodium and fat-free.

How to eat cucumber for weight loss? ›

Rules of the cucumber diet
  1. Eat a cucumber whenever you feel hungry.
  2. Make meals out of cucumbers, such as a cucumber smoothie and cucumber salad.
  3. Use a small amount of good fat, such as olive oil or flaxseed oil.
  4. Pair cucumbers with other protein-rich foods such as boiled eggs, lean meat, tuna, cottage cheese, and nuts.
Aug 11, 2022

Can you freeze cucumbers without them getting mushy? ›

How does a frozen cucumber not turn to total mush? The secret lies in the preparation. To freeze this garden item, you don't use a typical blanching process with boiling and ice water. Instead, you prepare the cucumbers in a brine solution, just like when you make pickles.

What's the best way to keep cucumbers the longest? ›

5 Steps for Keeping Whole Cucumbers Fresh
  1. Rinse and dry the cucumbers. ...
  2. Wrap the cucumbers in a paper towel or tea towel. ...
  3. Place the wrapped cucumbers in a plastic bag. ...
  4. Store cucumbers in the refrigerator door. ...
  5. Keep cucumbers away from other fruits and vegetables.
Oct 29, 2021

How do you preserve already cut cucumbers? ›

Surprisingly, once a cucumber is sliced, moisture loss is the greatest threat to freshness. Store sliced cucumbers in an airtight container, covered in water. The water will prevent the cut cucumbers from drying, shrinking or softening. Be sure to change the water every 2 to 3 days, to maintain freshness.

How do you preserve leftover cucumbers? ›

The best way to store cut cucumbers is to wrap them in a damp paper towel and place them in an airtight storage container. The tight, locking seal on the cover of the container will help to keep them extra fresh. Place the container in your refrigerator or in the crisper drawer and use the cut cukes within five days.

What can I use overgrown cucumbers for? ›

Even though we used crispy slices to make a cucumber salad, we can turn the rest of a cucumber, even if it's old cucumbers, into a delicious cucumber relish! I took the remaining cucumber parts, sliced them lengthwise, and scooped out the seeds. These were then cubed for relish!

Can too much cucumber be bad? ›

Excessive intake of cucumbers may trigger Hyperkalemia, which is a rare medical condition caused due to the presence of high potassium content in the body. Excessive intake of potassium rich cucumber may lead to flatulence, abdominal cramps and in some cases it can affect the renal system and kidneys.

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