Greek Cucumber Salad With Yogurt is one of the most refreshing, and appetizing salads. The strained Greek yogurt gives a light creaminess to it and the fresh herbs (dill + spearmint) add a delicious freshness!
Greek cucumber yogurt salad is one of the best summer salads to make. It's perfect inside sandwiches and wraps, especially if you are looking for something creamy to swap mayo with.
The cucumber yogurt combination might be reminding you of Greek Tzatziki Dip. Which is also very appetizing but garlicky as well. While this salad has more of a bite to it and lacks garlic (apart from a tiny amount of garlic powder).
Is Cucumber And Yogurt Salad Healthy?
You can eat so much of this salad without feeling stuffed or full. And you won't even have to feel guilty about it since it's so healthy, nutritious, and full of probiotics due to the Greek yogurt.
And if you're on a low-carb diet, this salad is the perfect side dish to most meat dishes as it is keto and full of protein.
And if you're worried about the calories, simply add half the amount of olive oil (as one tablespoon equals 119 kcal). Also, you can make it using low-fat Greek yogurt.
How To Make Cucumber Salad Less Watery
First, let's start by saying why a cucumber salad is getting watery. Cucumbers are 96 % water. And when seasoned with salt their water starts to get released. So unless you don't season cucumbers with salt there is no way to prevent this.
There is a way to minimize it though. And that is to season the cucumbers with salt place them in a strainer to drain for a while and then squeeze them before mixing them with the yogurt dressing.
Another solution is to skip the pre-seasoning and season the salad just when you are ready to serve. This way though you can't keep it for long.
Vinegar and acids will also soften the cucumbers but not to the same extent as salt does.
What Type Of Yogurt To Use
For a creamy cucumber salad with yogurt, I'm using full-fat, strained Greek yogurt. You can use low-fat Greek yogurt but ideally strained. You can see here how to make strained Greek yogurt.
How Long Will Cucumber Salad Last
You can store cucumber yogurt salad for up to 2 days in the fridge. But expect it to become a bit more runny as time passes.
Serve With
Cucumber Greek yogurt salad is a delicious way to flavor a chicken sandwich, wrap, or burger. You can serve it together with fritters like Tomato fritters, Chickpea fritters, or Spinach Fritters, or even as a side to Fried Zucchini ( a favorite Greek appetizer). Or even with Keftedakia, they're perfect together!
For a healthy dinner serve it together with this Grilled Spatchcocked Chicken.
Recipe
Cucumber Salad With Yogurt And Mint
Ingredients
- 2 English cucumbers (about 530 grams / 18.7 ounces)
- 6-8 tablespoons Greek yogurt strained
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon dill minced
- 1 ⅓ tablespoon fresh spearmint or 1 tablespoon mint minced
- ½ lemon zested
- ½ teaspoon honey
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- table salt
- ground pepper
Instructions
- Slice the cucumbers as thin as you can, using either a really sharp knife or a mandolin grater.
- Place cucumbers in a strainer and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon table salt. Mix well and leave at room temperature for 45 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prepare the yogurt dressing. In a mixing bowl add all of the remaining ingredients along with ¼ teaspoon salt and some ground pepper. Stir well with a whisk. NOTE: Start by adding 6 tablespoons of Greek yogurt if you find your yogurt to be too thin you can add a tablespoon or two more. You can mix it in right at the end after adding the cucumbers.
- Place yogurt in the fridge to cool while the cucumbers are draining.
- After 45 minutes have passed, take handfuls of the cucumbers and squeeze them well with your hands to release most of their water. Then toss them in the yogurt dressing and stir well with a spoon.
- Serve right away or keep in the fridge for up to 2 days.
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