Cucumber Salad With Yogurt Dressing

Lebanese Creamy Cucumber Yogurt Salad

Published: by · This post may contain affiliate links

This refreshing Lebanese-style creamy cucumber salad is made up of just 5 ingredients and can be served as a dip, side, and party accompaniment! Plus, this cucumber yogurt salad recipe is healthy, low-carb, gluten-free, and can be made dairy-free!

Im ever so slightly obsessed with versatile dishes anything that you can use as a dip, sauce, sandwich spread, and salad at the same time is good in my books which is where this cucumber salad with yogurt comes in. Although this cucumber yogurt salad is often served as a dip, it is referred to as a type of salad just like fattoush and tabbouleh.

Depending on where youre based globally, you may have seen some variation of a creamy cucumber salad. In Greece, there is Tzatziki in Germany, there is gurkensalat in Poland, its mizeria and in Lebanon, its khyar bi laban.

Khyar bi laban is a traditional Middle Eastern cucumber yogurt salad, similar to Greek tzatziki, combining cucumber with yogurt, but with mint rather than the popular addition of dill in tzatziki. It is also traditionally made with sheep milk yogurt, rather than cows. Though, that isnt something you have to do when making this homemade creamy cucumber salad.

This easy cucumber salad is not only quick to prepare, but its made up of just a few simple ingredients and is super low effort!

How To Make Creamy Cucumber Yogurt Salad

Creamy Tomato Cucumber Salad

by Kate · This post may contain affiliate links

This Creamy Tomato Cucumber Salad is easy to make with only 7 basic ingredients! And, it’s quick to throw together in only 15 minutes. This tomato cucumber salad is a super refreshing summer side dish for a cookout or barbecue!

Note: this recipe was originally published in 2019 and updated in 2021 with new photos and improved instructions.

Who doesn’t love a refreshing, chilled tomato cucumber salad in the hot summer months? This salad is bursting with fresh flavor from vine-ripened tomatoes, cucumbers, and fresh herbs, and would go perfectly alongside your favorite grilled dishes for a backyard barbecue.

This salad also has a creamy, but not too heavy dressing that still allows the fresh flavor of summer tomatoes shine. It’s a mayonnaise base, but mixed with a bit of Greek yogurt that lightens up the dressing and gives it an extra bit of tang.

And, my favorite part of this recipe is that it’s easy and quick to make! You only need seven ingredients in all, and it comes together in only about 15 minutes! Summer barbecue, here we come!

Read Also: What’s In A Chicken Salad Sandwich

What Should I Pair With This Tomato Cucumber Salad

CHICKEN: This salad is a nice pairing for chicken like these Shish Tawook chicken thighs, this Mediterranean Chickenor this Chicken Shawarma.

BEEF:Beef is a nice protein to serve with summer salads. We love these Grilled Beef Kafta Kebabs, Beef Kafta Meatballsor with these Slow Cooker Mediterranean Beef Meatballs.

SEAFOOD: Seafood is something we eat a lot in our house. We especially love this Baked Lemon Cod and this Garlic Butter Baked Salmon.

Recipe Tips + Variations

• Storage this salad does not lend well to leftovers nor freezing. Its best enjoyed as soon as you toss it with the dressing while perfectly crunchy and creamy. The longer it sits the cucumbers start releasing their water content becoming soggy and making the dressing watery. You could however make the dressing ahead of time and refrigerate for a couple of days. The cucumbers can also be sliced ahead and refrigerated in lidded containers.
• Add Ins crisp sliced radishes in different colors make a really nice addition, so do tomatoes, black olives, slices of fennel, chickpeas and even tart green apples. A pinch of red chili flakes for spiciness is always welcome.
• Serving suggestions this salad is perfect for stuffing inside some of these mushroom gyros or spoon alongside Italian roasted potatoes, with a slice of Focaccia, paprika potatoes, or a bowl of this divine pesto quinoa.

You May Like: Moong Salad For Weight Loss

How To Make Cucumber Yogurt Salad

This creamy yogurt dill cucumber salad is super easy to make. Simply

Tip: If you have some time, you can make the dressing ahead of time and let it sit in the fridge for an hour or more to let the flavors combine.

Smashed Cucumber Salad With Greek Yogurt Dressing

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

Im in that Summer mode of eating juicy watermelon and crunchy cucumbers daily.

Lifeblood, for when the humidity rocks the upper 60s and sweat beads right off my nose as I trim tomato plants in the garden, preparing the next summer vegetable for its best life.

For now, this Smashed Cucumber Yogurt Salad with fresh dill, vinegar marinated shallots, and toasted walnuts has absolutely been my go to recipe for lunches and backyard bbqs. After several tweaks and tests, it had me coming back to the refrigerator for just one more bite, and I knew it was ready to share with you.

The Greek yogurt dressing is somewhere in between tangy, vinegar-based and lightly creamy. And its absolutely delicious.

I grew up eating creamy cucumber salad, my grandmothers recipe passed onto my mom, with thinly sliced white onions. A mayo based dressing, with punchy vinegar tang, and a little sweetness. Mom often made it weekly, accompanying whatever she made on the grill.

I enjoyed every fresh and creamy bite, even as a child, going back for seconds, and sometimes thirds, spooning the last drips of dressing into my mouth.

This modern version uses smashed cucumbers, which gives the salad lots of crunch, and the dressing something to cling to. It also removes any bitterness that the cucumbers might have.

What are Persian cucumbers?

How do you smash cucumbers?

How do I avoid a runny cucumber salad?

Don’t Miss: Whole30 Salad Dressing To Buy

Cucumber And Asparagus Dill Salad

Prep time: 20 minutes

Serves: 4 as a side

Ingredients:

Bunch of asparagus, trimmed and cut into 4cm lengths

½ large cucumber

1 tbsp sour cream or more yoghurt

1 tsp dijon mustard

1 tsp each dried dill and mint, or 1 tbsp each fresh, finely chopped

Salt and cracked pepper

Method:

Nicola Galloway is an award-winning food writer, cookbook author and culinary tutor.

What Is Cucumber Yogurt Salad Made Of

I recently started following Teri on IG and everything she makes looks insanely delicious, including her marinated onions. We make them all the time as they go with everything.

The combination of flavors is just so good. Not to mention the overall salad is so basic and easy. But thats what I love about it. You can pretty much whip up a bowl of this salad any day of the week.

Youll need the following ingredients to make Greek cucumber salad:

You May Like: Hidden Valley Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad

How To Make The Best Creamy Cucumber Salad

Our creamy cucumber salad and the vinegar based version start the same way. We salt the cucumbers. Think of this as a quick marinade for the cucumbers. Salting makes cucumbers taste better, with minimal effort from you. We do the same thing with tomatoes when making bruschetta or tomato salad.

To do it, toss cucumber slices with salt in a colander. After 30 minutes, rinse the cucumbers and shake mostly dry. While you wait for the cucumbers, make the dressing, which also benefits from some extra time.

For the dressing, combine Greek yogurt with garlic, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, dill and lots of black pepper. Season with a pinch of salt then set it aside while the cucumbers sit. Since theres garlic in the dressing, the extra 30 minutes gives the garlic a chance to flavor the dressing.

Since we love cucumber and onion salads, we throw in sliced red onion. Just like garlic, onion adds flavor, so we add the sliced onions straight to the dressing. This way, while the cucumbers are salting, we take full advantage of the time to infuse as much flavor into the dressing as possible.

When the cucumbers are ready, toss them with the dressing and onions. You can serve the salad straight away or let it sit in the refrigerator a day or so. As the salad sits, it becomes more flavorful, but the cucumbers do soften a bit. Were not too worried about that, but it is something to keep in mind.

You May Also Like These Salads with Cucumber

How To Make Creamy Cucumber Salad

There are two main components to this creamy cucumber salad: the cucumber and the yogurt.

Step 1: Make the dressingIn a medium bowl, combine the yogurt, dill, lemon, garlic, salt, and pepper. Stir until well combined.

Step 2: Prepare the cucumberCut the cucumber into thin slices . Pat dry with paper towels to remove as much moisture as possible.

Step 3: AssembleCombine the cucumber slices and the creamy dressing in one bowl. Gently stir to combine the yogurt dressing with the cucumber and red onion.

Read Also: Gorham Melon Bud Salad Fork

About This Easy Salad

Cucumber salad is super refreshing thanks to the fresh, crunchy cucumbers and tons of fresh herbs. I use chives, parsley and dill but any combination of fresh herbs works well. Dill goes especially well with cucumbers though. Sort of like dill pickles, right?

Other than the herbs, the dressing is very simple and easy yogurt, salt and pepper are the only other ingredients youll need. Use fat-free, low-fat, or regular yogurt, its up to you.

If you love tzatziki, a cucumber yogurt sauce thats often found in Middle Eastern dishes, youll love this salad. If you like, add a bit of grated garlic and a squeeze of lemon juice to add an extra layer of flavor.

Look for the printable recipe card at the end of this post.

If you have one, use a spiralizer to cut the cucumbers into pretty ribbons. If you havent jumped on the spiralizer bandwagon yet, its okay . A vegetable peeler works well to make thin ribbons or just cut the cucumbers into thin slices or half moons with a sharp knife, the thinner the better.

Hope you love this easy, light, and refreshing salad.

Easy Greek Yogurt Cucumber Salad

original sound Stella Drivas

One of my favorite quick prep salads because, of course, no lettuce to rinse and dry! Plus, I am a major fan of tzatziki and this tastes just like bathing your salad ingredients in it. I served this with my crispy skillet turkey burgers and it was perfect. Next time I will add some Kalamata olives to the mix.

My mom has shown me so many tips and tricks on how to prep foods the Greek way! This is one of her tricks to create a creamy salad without the mayonnaise. You literally cannot tell its missing. You can also customize this to whatever you have on hand in your fridge with carrots, jalapeños, corn, etc.

Thank you for swinging by Hungry Happens! If you create this dish or any other from our site, we would greatly appreciate you taking the time to comment and rate the recipe! LOVE YOUR LIFE!

Read Also: Chick Fil A Market Salad Nutrition

Best Cucumber For Creamy Cucumber Salad

This cucumber salad can be made with any type of cucumber but I think the best cucumber for this particular type of salad are the Telegraph / English cucumbers the long ones.

These cucumbers are not quite as juicy on the inside so when you bite into them, you still get the refreshing crunch but less water so it doesnt dilute the creamy dressing when you chew away!

However, this salad is still terrific made with the more common variety of shorter cucumbers . In fact, I make this more frequently with these because they are typically very good value year round, whereas the long cucumbers are more expensive certain times throughout the year.

Make this creamy cucumber salad with 2 long cucumbers, or 3 medium cucumbers.

A Few Questions Answered

Can it be made ahead of time?

Once mixed, this salad is best served immediately or within 30 minutes of tossing together. To prep ahead, mix the dressing and store it in a separate container from the sliced cucumbers. Then just toss everything together right before serving.

How long does this salad last in the fridge?

I dont find that this salad stores well once it has been mixed together. Its better to store the dressing separately and then just toss together the quantity of salad that will be eaten.

Do you peel cucumbers for salad?

I dont tend to peel the English cucumbers in this salad since they are thin skinned. One less thing to do! However, you can peel them if you prefer. I do peel them first when I make Creamy German Cucumber Salad. It all comes down to personal preference! However, if you use field cucumbers, it is a good idea to peel the skin as it tends to be tough,

You May Like: Dry Italian Style Salad Dressing Mix

What Ingredients Are In The Yogurt Salad Dressing

Yogurt dressings are among my favorite to make for many reasons. I love that they are creamy without all of the extra added ingredients, they are healthy and can be paired with spices and herbs. Here are the ingredients I used in todays dressing:

YOGURT:I like to use plain yogurt in my dressings but you can also use a Greek yogurt to make a creamier dressing with more protein.

OLIVE OIL:Extra virgin olive oil is added to this dressing. You can skip it or use regular olive oil.

LEMON JUICE:Lemon juice adds a sweetness to the dressing. You can use more or less for the ideal flavor that you like.

SPICES:I add fresh mint, dill and parsley to this salad. You can use dried if that is what you have on hand. I also like to spice it up with other spices like sumac or zaatar.

Cucumber Dill Greek Yogurt Salad Recipe

This light Cucumber Dill Greek Yogurt Salad recipe will surprise you at how easy it is. Its super tasty too!

A local sandwich shop serves a cucumber dill salad that I just crave. I always feel like Im choosing a healthy side when I order it. It is mostly cucumber after all. In an attempt to recreate it at home, I gave them a call to see what the creamy base was made out of it, hopeful that it was something healthy. The sweet lady told me that it was cole slaw dressing. Mayonnaise. Durn. Not that I dont like mayonnaise. I do. I like it very much. But bathing suits dont like it very much.

Instead of caving to the mayo, I used my typical cole slaw dressing ingredients, substituting 0% fat plain greek yogurt for the mayonnaise to create a lightened up version of this crunchy favorite. I was delighted to this Cucumber Dill Greek Yogurt Salad mighty tasty! Crunchy, refreshing, and light whats not to love?

As I mentioned, this cucumber salad is easy peasy. Begin by peeling the cucumbers. Then cut them in half and use a spoon to remove the seeds. The seeds water the salad down quite a bit. Finally, slice the cucumber halves. Next, mix up the simple dressing. Whisk together the yogurt, dried dill, vinegar, sugar, salt, black pepper and garlic powder. Add the cucumber slices and toss to coat. Thats it!

Recommended Reading: Does Salad Raise Blood Sugar

Can I Use Mayo Or Sour Cream Instead Of Yogurt

The short answer is yes but the flavor profile will be quite different. If you use mayo or Miracle Whip, those dressing bases will be the main flavor of the salad. If you use sour cream, there will be little to no flavor because it is so bland.

I know Greek yogurt can be a divisive ingredient, but only if youve never had a really good Greek yogurt. There are some brands out there that are so bitter and grainy! Do you research and find one that is thick, creamy, and perfectly tangy.

What To Serve It With

This cucumber yogurt salad recipe is a simple, refreshing side dish that is delicious served alongside

• Grilled foods: This is a great summer salad since it pairs well with grilled foods like steak, chicken kebabs, sausages, grilled salmon, shrimp skewers and more.
• Spicy or rich foods: A refreshing and cooling side dish for any spicy or rich dish.
• Meat + Seafood: Delicious side dish for roasts like this Herb Crusted Roast Beef, chicken, pork, fish, etc.
• Greek + Mediterranean food: Excellent side dish for all your Greek or Mediterranean favorites.

Read Also: Zaxby’s Chicken Salad Sandwich