Turkish-inspired Creamy Cucumber Salad with dill and mint in a lemony creamy yogurt dressing. Cool and refreshing this herby lemony summer salad pairs well with grilled meats or fish, or falafels!
Check out our 20+ Cool & Refreshing Cucumber Recipes!
It is what you are that heals, not what you know.
Carl Jung
Cool, crunchy and refreshing – Creamy Cucumber Salad, also called “Cacik” is made with small sweet Turkish cucumbers, and tossed in a creamy yogurt dressing with fresh mint and dill. It’s a perfect complement to grilled meats and fish, offsetting heat and heaviness.
I especially love this salad with this grilled Chicken shawarma, 7-Spice Lebanese Chicken, grilled whole fish or even falafels. The next day, I like to spoon the leftover salad into warm soft pita bread for a light refreshing lunch.
Best Cucumbers to use in Cucumber Salad:
- Turkish cucumbers
- Persian cucumbers
- English Cucumbers
Cucumbers are members of the gourd family, Cucurbitaceae. When it comes to cucumbers, there are three classifications: slicing, burpless and pickling. Burpless cucumbers tend to be less bitter, milder in flavor and thought to contain less of the burp-causing compound, cucurbitacin. Their skin is smooth and thin. Their flesh is crisp, sweet, succulent, and void of developed seeds. They have an amazing capacity to retain water and to remain cool. In fact, it has been found that their interior flesh may be up to twenty degrees cooler than their skin! This is what we are using for this salad!
How to make Creamy Cucumber Salad:
- Slice the cucumbers and salt them. (Using a mandolin makes this especially fast and easy)
- Drain.
- Make the creamy yogurt dressing.
- Chop the fresh herbs.
- Combine everything in a bowl!
Tip: Salting the cucumbers first will allow them to release some of their liquid. If in a hurry feel free to skip this step.
Red onion gives this Creamy Cucumber Salad it just the bite it needs.
Creamy Cucumber Salad Dressing:
- yogurt
- sour cream
- garlic
- lemon
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
Mix the dressing ingredients in a bowl.
Toss it all together and voila!
Have a great week! Enjoy this Creamy Cucumber Salad and let us know what you think in the comments below!
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Creamy Cucumber Salad
- Prep Time: 45
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 1x
- Category: salad, cucumber salad
- Method: tossed
- Cuisine: Turkish
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
A Turkish- inspired, Creamy Cucumber Salad with fresh dill, mint, lemon and yogurt – the perfect side to Mediterranean-style grilled meats and fish.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 1 1/2 lbs Turkish cucumbers ( 7-8 small cucumbers or 2 English Cucumbers )
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2– 1 cup fresh dill- chopped
- 1/2 cup fresh mint- chopped
- 1/4 cup red onion-very finely sliced
- 3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup Sour cream (or sub more yogurt)
- 1/8 cup fresh lemon juice, plus more to taste
- 2 garlic cloves- finely minced or grated
- cracked pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon honey or sugar
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- Using a mandolin, or sharp knife, slice cucumber into thin uniform disks and place in a strainer over a bowl. Toss with the salt, and let stand 15-30 minutes (or place in the fridge overnight for a couple of hours) to help them release a little liquid. Drain or pat dry. (If in a hurry feel free to skip this step).
- Place drained cucumbers in a large bowl. Add chopped dill, chopped mint and thinly sliced onions to the bowl. (If you are sensitive to onions, you could soak them in cold salted water for 15 minutes to help remove bitterness.)
- In a small bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients -yogurt, sour cream, lemon juice, minced garlic, pepper, honey and olive oil and stir until smooth. Spoon over cucumbers and gently stir to combine. Taste for salt, and lemon, adding more to taste.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Notes
Salad will keep up to 3 days in the fridge.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 104
- Sugar: 7.5 g
- Sodium: 312.5 mg
- Fat: 5.1 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 15.2 g
- Fiber: 1.5 g
- Protein: 2.8 g
- Cholesterol: 4.7 mg
We love cucumber salads and this one is really good! I used my homemade sheep milk yogurt, my garden fresh mint and dill. I followed the 1/2 recipe and it came out great. Served with Shawarma seasoned chicken thighs on rice.
Sounds perfect Celine! Love it!
Just made this yesterday for dinner with some turkish style lamb casserole, everybody loved it!
Sounds tasty Matthew!
This is an intense, rich salad like a chunky dip that is best used like a condiment. If you’re in a small household you may wish to halve the quantity. I did so and also mixed it approximately half and half with warm baked/peeled/cubed potatoes to make a potato salad. Worked out well!
This produces an intense, richly flavored result that is best used like a condiment. If you’re in a small household you may wish to half the quantity. I did so and also mixed it with with baked/diced potatoes to make a potato salad. Worked out well!
Thanks so much and so happy you liked it!
Reminds me of my childhood growing up in Saskatoon, Saskachewan, Canada. My mom made it with cold buttermilk. The best on a hot day.
Love it! Buttermilk sounds good too!
This was SO good! I planted cucumber this year on our deck garden and have lots of lovely, organic cucumber coming up. I’ve made the cucumber soup and the other cucumber salad you have – and now this one. They are ALL so very good!
Thanks – again.
I had to leave a compliment on such a fantastic recipe.
We have been growing lots of marketmore cucumbers and were looking for a recipe with some great taste. I am so glad I found this one.
The blend of herbs and yogurt and cucumbers is a delight when served chilled on a hot summer day.
I used Icelandic style yogurt in lieu of the Greek yogurt / sour cream combo cause I wanted something a little less watery as the cucumbers release lots of water (even after draining and squeezing moisture out).
Great recipe. Can’t say enough good things about it.
Thanks so much Brett, and great to hear! 🙌
Amazing!!! I used honey in place of sugar. Served it with Broiled Halibut.
yum! sounds perfect!
This looks great. Just copied the recipe. Dont often see turkish cucumbers. Will have to go to a farmers market.
Trader Joes often carries them, if you have access.
I love this with the Baked Falafel!
A perfect pairing!
Very tasty, easy, complimentary to kofte!
Write more, thats all I ave too say. You definitely knoww what youre talking about.
Actually, I don’t think this is how we make it here, it is usually diced cucumbers, some minced garlic, yogurt mixed with some preferably cold water and dried mint, plus some salt, but this looks absolutely fantastic and I hope to try it as soon as possible, Thanks.
It’s definitely my take on it. Not traditional 😉
Will the Israei salad and Turkish cucumber salad keep overnight?
Yes, it will keep, but I do like it best the first day.
Oh yummy! Will be making it soon with your chicken shawarma..drools.
Thanks for your wonderful article….
Actually, in Iran cucumbers are treated as a fruit and a vegetable. Growing up we often had them in our fruit bowls right next to grapes and oranges and would snack on them like an apple! Love this recipe – it goes great with so many things.
Sounds like a great idea!
The print button doesn’t seem to be working for me.
Thanks for letting me know…it should work now!
i love cucumber salad. this sounds great!
Looks terrific. Going to try this soon!
Thanks Louise! let me know how you like it.
This used to be a regular in our home, maybe I’ll bring it back