Iced Cucumber and Yogurt Soup is one of my earliest cooking memories, one of the first times I ventured beyond brownies. I think I discovered it during the hot summer after college when I was suddenly responsible for feeding myself. You don’t even need a blender or food processor to do it, you can finely chop or grate the cucumber and stir it into the yogurt. It’s refreshing, light, and a godsend when it’s actually too hot out to eat.
Most cultures around the globe have some version of this soup. For variations, you can use cream instead of yogurt, fresh mint in place of the dill, or use lemon or lime juice to do the job of the vinegar… the soup just needs that little lift of acidity to perk up the creaminess of the yogurt.
It’s about the most refreshing thing there is.
Iced Cucumber and Yogurt Soup
Ingredients
- 1/2 English seedless cucumber, about a 6-7 inch piece
- 1 cup Greek yogurt
- 2 Tbsp approximate fresh dill
- 1 Tbsp champagne vinegar, or sherry, or apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 tsp onion salt
- 1/4 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
garnishes
- micro-greens or
- fresh dill
- halved tiny tomatoes
- slivered snap peas
- drizzle of olive oil
Instructions
- You can peel the cucumber, or not, according to your taste. The English cukes have soft edible skin that hasn't been waxed. I left a little bit on for a touch of color, but peeled most of it. Chop it in large chunks and add to the bowl of a food processor filled with the metal blade. Give the machine about 20 pulses, until the cucumber is pureed but retains a little texture.
- Add the yogurt and dill and pulse about 10 more times. Pulse in the vinegar, salt, and pepper.
- Remove the soup to a bowl and refrigerate for a few hours until nice and cold.
- Serve in small glasses topped with garnishes of your choice. If the soup seems too thick, thin it with a little cold water.
You can garnish it with anything that looks good to you.
More chilled soup…
Chilled Cauliflower and Yogurt Soup
This looks so good. I’ve been low-carbing it lately (and lost 15 lbs, yay!) so I’d like to swap out the Greek yogurt with cream as you mentioned. Can’t wait to try this! As always your photos are just beautiful!
Not only delicious but beautiful to look at! So refreshing for a hot summer day.