Creamy Cucumber Salad Recipe with Yogurt and Dill

With a base of mostly yogurt, this Creamy Cucumber Salad recipe is lower in calories and fat, but still has tons of flavor. A sprinkle of goat cheese (or feta) and fresh herbs really take the taste up a notch.

I have had more than my fair share of cucumber salads in my day!

Different Types of Cucumber Salad

My Mom’s Cucumber Salad with Italian Dressing

My mom’s was the first cucumber salad I had! As kids we had it frequently (at least twice a week) every summer.

She always made her cucumber salad into a chunky-style chopped salad. It had cucumber and tomato, and sometimes she’d also add carrot, snow peas, or bell pepper. Italian dressing was her favorite way to dress it.

Indian Raita

Back in college, Indian Raita was my first introduction to yogurt-based cucumber salad-type dishes. Even though it’s more of a sauce than a salad, the flavors are similar. With tangy yogurt, refreshing cucumber, and a plethora of herbs and/or spices, it’s a classic that you can’t go wrong with.

Side Note: I make our favorite Raita with a little salt, fresh-crushed garlic, fresh-grated ginger, ground coriander, cumin, and fresh mint. It’s the perfect way to cool down a spicy curry, and a delicious accompaniment to rice!

Thai Cucumber Salad

Also during my college days, my friends and I used to love going out for Thai all.the.time. If you’ve been reading my blog for a while now, you probably know that I’m a condiment girl through and through, so you won’t be surprised that one of my favorite things about eating Thai out is the little dish of sweet and sour cucumber salad they bring out with the appetizers. It’s addictive; so much so that I made my own version of it a while ago.

Amish Cucumber Salad

In law school I had a friend whose dad was Chinese and mom was Amish; and they could both cook something fierce! They’d have me over for elaborate homemade stir-fries, noodle dishes, and classic home-cooked comfort food like roast chicken and from-scratch stuffing.

Her mom also made a really lovely pickled cucumber salad that had just cucumber, salt, sugar, and vinegar. It was incredibly refreshing and hydrating for those hot Florida days we had to endure (which was really not fun, especially during finals). It paired perfectly with just about any lunch!

Syrian Cucumber Yogurt

My Syrian mother-in-law makes a cucumber salad that she serves along with rice dishes like Maqluba (a Palestinian upside-down rice casserole, the recipe for which is in my cookbook).

She keeps her cucumber salad simple with cucumber, yogurt, salt, fresh-crushed garlic, and dried mint. It’s the perfect tangy, refreshing addition to a heavy rice dish.

Greek Tzatziki Sauce

And even though I don’t remember the first time I had it (although I think it was probably late-night at a Greek diner), I really enjoy a good Greek Tzatziki sauce.

I didn’t think about it until after I made it, but I think the flavors in my Creamy Cucumber Salad Recipe are most similar to Tzatziki!

Creamy Cucumber Salad Recipe

In this cucumber salad, cucumber and red onion make a refreshing mix, and are simply dressing with a creamy, tangy yogurt dill dressing. They are such simple garnishes, but I think the goat cheese, sprinkling of fresh herbs, and drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil makes this salad.

In this recipe, you can use feta instead of goat cheese if you prefer. And instead of using a mix of regular yogurt, Greek yogurt, and mayo, you can simplify and just use 1/2 cup sour cream.

Even with all the cucumber salads that I’ve tried in my day, this delicious version with yogurt and dill is pretty high up on my list!

Ingredients

• Persian cucumbers – or Kirby cucumbers or English cucumbers
• Red onion – the sharp flavor of red onion perfectly offsets sweet cucumber
• Salt – to pull out the flavor of everything else; here salt also helps to draw excess water out of the cucumber and to mellow the flavor of the onion
• Plain unsweetened yogurt – this is the base of our creamy salad dressing
• Plain Greek yogurt – this adds thickness and body to our salad dressing; you could substitute with labneh or sour cream if you prefer
• Mayo – for a little richness
• Dill – use fresh dill for the best flavor, but dried dill will also work
• Goat cheese – or feta cheese
• Fresh parsley – or try fresh mint for a different, yet surprisingly delicious flavor
• Extra-virgin olive oil – we use just a touch of good-quality olive oil drizzled on top for rich flavor
• Black pepper – to contrast the creamy flavor of this dish

Instructions

1. Toss the cucumber, onion, and salt together in a large bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and transfer to the fridge for at least 1 hour (or up to 4 hours) so the salt can draw out the cucumber’s water and mellow the onion’s flavor.
2. Mix together the yogurt, Greek yogurt, mayo, and dill.
3. When you’re ready to serve, drain the liquid out off the cucumber and stir the yogurt mixture into the cucumber mixture.
4. Transfer the salad to a serving dish and sprinkle the goat cheese and parsley on top. Drizzle on the olive oil and sprinkle on the black pepper.
5. Serve.

Storage

This salad is best served immediately after you add the dressing. However, if you have leftovers, creamy cucumber salad will last an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

What to Serve with Creamy Cucumber Salad

• Grilled Marinated Chiavetta’s Chicken
• Tender Juicy Beef Brisket
• Greek Turkey Burgers

More Summer Salad Recipes to Try

• Watermelon Salad Recipe with Feta
• Arugula and Fresh Cherry Salad
• Shirazi Salad with Chickpeas
• Spinach Strawberry Salad
• Lentil Salad Recipe with Herbed Goat Cheese and Balsamic Vinaigrette

This post was first published on An Edible Mosaic on July 9, 2014. I updated it with more information on June 1, 2020.