Cold cucumber soup is a refreshing and flavorful soup, perfect to serve as an appetizer, side dish, or for a light, healthy main dish.
Chilled Cucumber Soup with fresh dill.
This Cold Cucumber Soup was one of my dad’s favorite summertime soups. He’d request it for lunch when he’d stop by my house in during the summer. I taught him how to make it, so he could add it to his very limited repertoire of recipes, all super easy and healthy. Throw everything in the blender and this simple, tasty soup is ready in just minutes. I also like that it is no-cook. Use a full-fat Greek yogurt for a great low-carb and keto friendly appetizer. Each 1/2 cup serving has only 5 carbs. (This post was originally published on July 28th, 2014 and has been updated to contain nutritional information. This post contains affiliate links)
Throw everything in the blender for a quick summertime soup.
This is also the perfect recipe if you’ve got a bumper crop of cucumbers! Light and refreshing, it’s the perfect summertime sip, especially on a sultry day.
Sweating cucumbers
This is a super easy recipe!
To prepare, peel and slice the cucumbers. Next, “sweat” the cucumbers, by sprinkling them with salt, to get rid of excess water. While it sounds counter-intuitive, the salt brings some of the moisture to the surface. Then rinse the salt off with water and pat the cucumbers dry. While this step isn’t crucial, especially if you’re going to be eating the soup right away, I think it makes for a thicker and creamier soup. Put everything into a food processor or blender. And puree until smooth. Adjust the seasonings. Since the cucumbers will have salt on them from the sweating process, wait until after blending to check seasonings.
This Cold Cucumber Soup is also vegetarian and gluten-free, making it a nice, healthy lunch or light dinner.
Some of the items used in this post are available at my Amazon store.
Cold Cucumber Soup
Ingredients
- 2 cups Greek yogurt plain, full fat
- 2 cucumbers peeled and sliced
- 1 shallot minced
- 1 clove of garlic minced
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1-3 teaspoons fresh chopped dill
- Kosher salt to taste
Instructions
- Lay sliced cucumbers on a sheet pan covered with 2 layers of paper towel. Salt cucumbers liberally. Let them "sweat", about 20 minutes, to release moisture.
- In a blender or food processor, add cucumbers, yogurt, shallot, garlic, fresh dill, lime juice and ground cumin.
- Puree until smooth, about 1 minute.
- Check seasoning and add salt if necessary.
- Chill at least an hour before serving.
- Makes 3 cups
Video
Nutrition
More delicious chilled soup recipes to try:
Gazpacho {Chilled Soup Recipe}
Vichyssoise, chilled leek and potato soup.
Janette@culinaryginger says
I like to think chilled soups were invented for people like me who like to eat soup all year round. Beautiful recipe and I’ll be adding this to my recipe book.
Cynthia says
Janette, I could eat soups year round too!
Alexander Ivanov says
This is actually a traditional summer favourite in Bulgaria called ‘tarator’. We don’t blend it and just to make it more yummy we add some crushed walnuts and finish with some olive oil. 🙂
Cynthia says
Well that sounds positively delicious with the walnuts and olive oil! I’ve never heard of Tarator before, but I sort of based it on thinned down tzatziki.
Nibbles By Nic says
CONGRATS CYNTHIA!!!! Your fantastic Cold Cucumber Soup is being featured this week at MUNCHING MONDAYS!! Pl. spread the wonderful news. Warmest, Nic
Heidy L. McCallum says
Congrats we have featured you on our link party #TheWeekendSocial ! Thanks so much for sharing a fantastic recipe! We look forward to seeing you again tonight 9PM EST.
Heidy
Cynthia says
Wow Heidy! I’m so honored, thanks so much for hosting!
Marla says
Sounds so refreshing on a hot summer’s day. Love the ingredients. Thanks for sharing on Real Food Fridays Blog hop. I twitted and pinned.
Cynthia says
Thank you for hosting!
Marla says
Just want to let you know that I have chosen your post as one my features for this weeks Real Food Fridays blog hop. Thanks for sharing.
Cynthia says
Thanks marla!
Rob Henry says
I’m going to assume that the cucumbers are supposed to go into the food processor as well ?
Cynthia says
Yes! Thanks, I’ve amended it!
NANCY says
can you freeze the soup minus the yogurt and add yogurt before serving
Cynthia says
that’s a good question…I think I’d just like it fresh…not sure how it would hold up frozen.
Julie says
Could the greek yogurt be replaced with a non-dairy yogurt? If so, what would you recommend?
Cynthia says
Hmm, I actually don’t know how that would affect the taste, especially since the yogurt is such an integral part of it. I’ve never tasted a non-dairy yogurt.
Donna says
Sounds delicious. My garden is just starting to have cucumbers now and the weather is hot.What kind of cucumbers did you use because 2 English cucumbers will be much more than regular field cucumbers. Could you give me an approximate number of cups of sliced cucumber please.
Cynthia says
good question! Since it’s just a soup, I don’t think it makes a big difference if it’s not exact. I’ll measure next time I make it for sure, but 2 english cucumbers while longer also tend to be a bit skinner than regular cucumbers.
Once you taste it, you can decide if it’s too “cucumber-y” and add a bit more yogurt! Although I love cucumbers so I wouldn’t mind it with extra cucumbers!
Raia Todd says
Fun recipe! Almost like eating tzatziki sauce… which I love. Haha.
Cynthia says
Yes! My daughters drink tzatziki sauce too!
Megan Stevens says
Looks so special! It’s hot here, and I love this for a simple supper!
Cynthia says
Yes it was over 100 here today, so i could have used this soup!
Joni Gomes says
Such a simple, yet refreshing and filling soup! Loved the touch of ground cumin!
Cynthia says
Not everyone’s a fan of cumin, but I love just a hint.
ChihYu says
This soup isn’t just tasty and delicious, but it’s also elegant! Thank you!
Cynthia says
Thank you! A nice way to start a summer supper.
Jean Choi says
What a yummy and refreshing soup! I love cucumbers and this looks so perfect for hot summer days.
Zuzana says
You know? I have never ever made or tried cold cucumber salad. But your recipe makes me wanna have it right now. For sure will be making this, since we have so many cucumbers in the garden this year.
Cynthia says
I love cold soups in the summer! Perfect for excess cucumbers!
Annemarie says
We get so many cucumbers from our farm share this time of year. Can’t wait to try this!
Cynthia says
I wish I could grow cucumbers!
paleoglutenfreeguy says
I love savory cold soups like this in the summer. This one is such a winner!
Cynthia says
I love soups year round and this one hits the spot on a hot day!
Mirlene says
This soup must be such a life savor this summer. Cold, refreshing, healthy AND delicious! Isn’t it what a real summer recipe is all about?! Love it!
Cynthia says
Absolutely! I love soup any time of year!
Linda says
I love cold summer in the summer especially strawberry. But, I’ve never tried cucumber soup and it sounds so refreshing. It’s definitely something I need to try soon before summer ends.
Cynthia says
I’ve never tried strawberry soup! I’ll bet that’s great for dessert!
STACEY CRAWFORD says
I love how refreshing the cucumber is and that this is a no-cook soup! Perfect during warm weather 🙂
Cynthia says
I’m all about no-cook in the summer!
Erin says
I’ve been looking for good cold soup recipes! Totally saving this one.
Cynthia says
It’s been over 100 here this week, so we need cold soups!
Hope says
This looks so satisfying and refreshing! Perfect for a hot day!
easyketodishes says
I need to try this, the Frenchman loves cucumbers! It looks so light and refreshing for summer, too!
Cynthia says
I think cucumbers are one of my all time favorite vegetables (fruit actually!)
Kim says
I’m making your cold cucumber soup for the 2nd time obviously if I’m making it for the second time that says it all!!! There are really not a bunch of ways to do a whole lot with cucumbers & this is perfect on the end of a hot day, very refreshing I like the greek yougurt in it. Is there a reason you blend it due to just diceing it, ? I didnt blend mine just chopped it all it was the bomb, more like a dip! Haha soup blend,! Dip chop!!!!!!! Awesome either way
Cynthia says
I agree…sometimes I don’t even sweat the cucumbers…I just blend the whole thing!
Steve says
Hi, actually I’d like to know where you found those glasses! They look like they’d be perfect for Vichyssoise.
Cynthia says
Hi Steve, I actually got those little glass dishes at Bed, Bath and Beyond several years ago…If you scroll down to the bottom of the post you can see a link for some on Amazon.
Esti says
We didn’t have shallots, so I replaced them with chives from the garden, and it was a delicious, no-cook hit during this heat wave. Thank you!
Cynthia says
chives would be wonderful!
Afra says
Just went through a heatwave and totally loved this recipe. Added 1 tsp of mustard and served the next day with some sliced of cucumber topped with smoked salmon. Fabulous!!!
Suzanne says
This looks so good! What a light and refreshing summer soup!
Cynthia says
yes thank you Suzanne. It is light and healthy for the summer.
Vanessa says
Thanks for sharing! Does it keep long?
Cynthia says
Hi Vanessa, it never lasts long in our house, we usually finish it pretty quickly. But since it’s dairy and cucumber, I wouldn’t keep it more than 3 days.
Vanessa says
Thanks for sharing! Does it freeze well?
Cynthia says
Hi Vanessa, I’ve never tried freezing it. We usually finish it in a day or two!
Tracey says
What can i substitute the greek yoghurt for so I can make a vegan version of this soup. It looks delicious. the only vegan yoghurts I can get are made with coconut and I am not sure if that would work…
Cynthia says
I’m not sure Tracey. I’m not really familiar with dairy substitutes that are vegan. My daughter doesn’t drink cow milk, so I buy her oatmilk. I wonder if there’s an oat yogurt?
Anamit says
If I don’t have dill, can I use something else like mint or coriander?
Cynthia says
I’ll bet mint would be delicious as would corriander!
Cecilia says
Hi, I just found this recipe. I substituted yogurt for Kefir. I increased the dill and lime. Fabulous! This is a keeper!
Cynthia says
Kefir sounds like a great sub and fermented just makes it healthier!
Katty Middleton says
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! I grew up eating a soup exactly like this at my country club here in Kentucky. It’s so elegant and the one thing I crave terribly, lol. At our club, they used to add a dollop of sour cream to the top and if you wanted to make it a meal…shrimp sliced in just the right way. Mind-blowing delicious and refreshing!
Cynthia says
Thank you so much! The addition of the shrimp sounds wonderful!