It is already starting to get seriously hot here , and on days like this, the idea of a heavy meal just makes me want to go back to bed. This is what I make instead. My creamy cucumber salad isn’t one of those sad, watery bowls you see at potlucks. It’s the result of me finally paying attention to how my tante makes hers, and let me tell you, it changed everything. This version is sharp, cool, crunchy, and ridiculously satisfying. It’s the perfect antidote to a sweltering July afternoon.

What Goes In It

Nothing fancy, I promise. It’s all about how you treat these simple ingredients.

Cucumbers: Two big English ones. You can use the small Lebanese kind too, but I find they can be a bit seedy sometimes.

The Creamy Part: One cup of full-fat Greek yogurt. Don’t even look at the low-fat stuff for this, it just doesn’t have the right richness and will get watery. Sour cream works in a pinch, but the yogurt’s tang is better.
Onion: Half a red onion, and you’ve got to chop it fine. Like, as small as you can possibly get it. No one wants a huge chunk of raw onion.

Herbs & Flavor: A big bunch of fresh dill. A whole tablespoon of white vinegar. One clove of garlic, which I grate on a microplane so it melts into the dressing. A teaspoon of sugar, which might sound weird, but it cuts the acidity just right.
Salt & Pepper: You’ll need a fair bit of salt for the first step, and then more to taste later. And lots of freshly cracked black pepper.

The Time Commitment

Look, it’s not instant, but it’s zero stress.

Actual Work: Maybe 15 minutes of your time.
Total Time: You’ll be eating it in about 45 minutes. Most of that is just letting the cucumbers drain. Go pour yourself a glass of cold mint tea and relax.

Okay, Here’s How You Do It

Step 1: You absolutely cannot skip this.

This is the whole secret. Slice your cucumbers and get them in a colander in the sink. Now, salt them. And I don’t mean a little sprinkle; I mean a good, full tablespoon of salt. Toss them around with your hands and just walk away for 30 minutes. Seriously. You’ll come back to a shocking little puddle of water underneath. You’ve just pulled all the future sogginess out of your salad. Give them a quick rinse to get the surface salt off, then squeeze them GENTLY in a clean kitchen towel and pat them dry.

Step 2: The Dressing

While the cukes are doing their thing, mix up the dressing. In a decent-sized bowl, just dump in the Greek yogurt, the super-finely-diced onion, all that dill, the vinegar, grated garlic, and sugar. Give it a good stir and a few cracks of black pepper.

Step 3: The Grand Finale

Take your dry, slightly limp-but-still-crunchy cucumbers and slide them into the dressing. Fold it all together. Be nice to it; you don’t want to mash everything up. The goal is just to coat every slice. Now, if you have the patience—and you should—cover it and let it sit in the fridge for 15 minutes. It just makes everything taste… better. More cohesive.

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How I Eat This

Nine times out of ten, I eat this right out of the bowl as a light lunch. But it’s SO good next to some spicy merguez hot off the grill. The cool creaminess against the hot, savory sausage is a whole mood. It’s also incredible for scooping up with some fresh, warm khobz (bread). It basically goes with any heavy, spiced food to provide that perfect, refreshing contrast.

Hope You Love It.

For real, this is one of my favorite things to make when the weather turns. It’s simple, it’s fresh, and it’s a total game-changer if you’ve only ever had the watery kind. Let me know if you make it. Enjoy.

6 yield

creamy cucumber salad

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Additional Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

My recipe for creamy cucumber salad that's never watery. Super crunchy cool and tangy. Your new go-to summer side dish for sure.

Ingredients

2 large English cucumbers
1 cup full-fat Greek yogurt or sour cream
1/2 red onion chopped super fine

2 tablespoons fresh dill chopped
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 garlic clove mashed up

1 teaspoon sugar
Salt and black pepper

Instructions

Step 1

okay so first the big secret. put your sliced cucumbers in a colander and just salt them good. like a whole tablespoon. let them sit in the sink for 30 mins. you have to do this part it drains all the water. then just rinse em quick and pat them super dry with a towel.

Step 2

while the cukes are sitting grab a big bowl. throw in the yogurt the red onion dill vinegar garlic sugar and some pepper. just mix it all up until its smooth.

Step 3

now just add your dry cucumbers to the dressing. fold it all together easy dont break them. if you can wait stick it in the fridge for like 15 mins. it just tastes better when its all chilled out.

Notes

really use the full-fat yogurt. it makes it creamy not sad.

dont skip salting the cucumbers i mean it. its the most important step for no watery salad.
letting it chill a bit makes all the flavors wake up. so good.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 63Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 6mgSodium: 113mgCarbohydrates: 7gFiber: 1gSugar: 4gProtein: 4g

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