Creamy Cucumber Dill Salad

This Creamy Cucumber Dill Salad recipe is perfect for summer with red onion, dill, and a lightened-up dressing made with Greek yogurt instead of sour cream. You'll love this Healthy Cucumber Salad that can be made with just a handful of ingredients in less than 10 minutes.

Love cucumber salads? Also, try my Cucumber Pasta Salad & Cucumber Avocado, and Feta Quinoa Salad.

Creamy Cucumber Dill Salad

This Creamy Cucumber Dill Salad is healthy and the perfect thing to make when your garden is full of cucumbers.  It's made with loads of fresh cucumber slices, red onion, dill, and a delightful Greek yogurt dressing.  Unlike many traditional recipes, this one swaps out mayo or sour cream for the Greek yogurt, making it lighter and healthier.

Every summer, about this time of year, my cucumber plants go from tiny sprouts to giant creeping vines with more beautiful green cucumbers than I can eat.  I'm always looking for recipes that make this often-overlooked veggie from being a small part of a dish or garnish to the main event.  Cucumbers certainly star in this Healthy Cucumber Salad, and the entire base of this delightful salad includes 6 cups of sliced cucumbers, which is about 2 cucumbers.

This salad is super versatile.  It's great for everything from a simple weekday dinner to a pretty side dish for a cookout.  It's one of my favorite dishes of summer because the crisp and cool cucumbers pair perfectly with the slight bite of the red onion and fragrant dill.

Plus, you can't go wrong with a Healthy Cucumber Salad that's loved by both kids and adults.  The twins gobble this up and always ask for seconds.

Why You'll Love this Healthy Cucumber Dill Salad...

• Most Creamy Cucumber Dill Salads have sour cream or mayo as their base, but mine doesn't!  I added a healthy twist to my Healthy Cucumber Salad making it with my favorite secret ingredient - Greek yogurt - instead of sour cream or mayonnaise.
• The healthy swap adds more nutrients like probiotics and protein, AND keeps this dish much lighter and more nutritious.  This is the most hydrating and refreshing salad you can eat all summer.
• A serving of this satisfying summer side dish is only around 40 calories!
• It's easy to make in less than 10 minutes.
• Cucumber also has some surprising health benefits.  They are good for hydration, have vitamin K, fiber, and are good for heart health.  Cucumbers are even known to help with inflammation.
• It's great for weeknight dinners, picnics or potlucks!

Creamy Cucumber Dill Salad Ingredients:

Here's an overview of what you'll need to make this Creamy Cucumber Dill Salad recipe, but keep scrolling for the full recipe amounts.

For the Salad:

• Cucumber: You can use any type of cucumber for this salad, but I think the thin-skinned cucumbers, like English Cucumbers, with fewer seeds work the best.  However, feel free to use what you have.  If you do use a standard, thicker-skinned cucumber, you might want to cut part of the skin off and/ or scoop out some of the seeds.  If your cucumber is very round, you might want to cut it in half. Keep reading for a few varieties that I think would work the best.  I don't peel the cucumbers, but you can.
• Red Onion: You can make this without red onion, but I love the zesty bite a red onion brings to the recipe.  Make sure to thinly slice it so it doesn't overpower the flavor of the cucumber.

For the Dressing:

• Greek Yogurt: Many creamy cucumber dill salad recipes use sour cream or mayo; this recipe uses plain Greek yogurt instead.  This simple swap keeps this recipe super light and healthy, plus you get the extra health benefits of eating the yogurt, including protein and probiotics.  Use either low-fat or full-fat, depending on your preferences and dietary goals.  The full fat will obviously taste creamy and more luscious, but I have made it with low-fat and it also works.
• White Wine Vinegar: A touch of white wine vinegar gives the yogurt the texture and flavor you need to make a homemade dressing.  You can also use rice vinegar or red wine vinegar for a slightly different flavor.
• Lemon Juice: I love adding fresh lemon to my dressings to naturally bring out the flavors and freshness.
• Garlic Powder: Garlic powder evenly distributes just the right amount of garlic flavor to the dressing without overwhelming it.  You could also use fresh garlic.
• Dill: You need fresh dill to complete this recipe! Buy extra for a garnish.  If you can't find it, you can use dried dill, but it will not taste the same.  Fresh herbs make a difference here.
• Salt & Black Pepper to Taste

What Type of Cucumber Should I Use?

The thinned skin cucumbers are most often called English Cucumbers, seedless cucumbers, or hot-house cucumbers.  They look like the photo below and are dark-skinned, long, and thin.  They might also be called one of these names at a Farmer's Market.

• Lemon Cucumber
• Kirby Cucumber
• Persian Cucumbers
• Japanese Cucumber

Instructions:

This is an overview of the instructions to make this Creamy Cucumber Dill Salad recipe, but the full, detailed printable recipe is below in the recipe card.

Prepare the vegetables:

1. Cut your cucumber into thin and uniform slices. I used my favorite sharp knife, but if you aren't great with a knife, you can also use a mandoline.  Just be sure to use the handguard and be careful.  If you want perfect slices, that's the way to go!
2. Cut your cucumber into thin slices as well.  You can also use a knife or a mandoline.

How to make the Cucumber Salad Dressing:

1. I like to make the creamy dressing in the same large bowl I toss the salad in, so I have fewer dishes to clean.
2. Get out a large bowl and whisk together the dressing ingredients, including the Greek yogurt, white wine vinegar, lemon, and garlic powder.  Salt and pepper to taste.
3. Fold in the dill.
4. To finish the salad, just add the cucumber and onion slices to the same bowl and toss or stir well.

Creamy Cucumber Dill Salad Variations

I love this Creamy Cucumber Dill Salad recipe as written, but here are some fun variations.

• Remove the skins from the cucumber.
• Add cherry tomatoes.
• Added diced bell pepper.
• Add crumbled feta cheese or goat cheese!
• Switch out dill for fresh basil, mint, or parsley.
• Leave out the onions or use a sweet Vidalia onion

FAQ

I would not try to freeze this salad.

Can you make it in advance?

Yes! You can make this in advance.  If I were making this the early same day I was serving it I would make it just as written in the directions.  If I was making it several days in advance, I'd cut the veggies and make the dressing separately.  I'd store them by themselves and toss them together the day I was serving them.  This recipe does keep for several days, but it is best the day it is made.

Why is my cucumber salad watery?

Some cucumbers have a higher water content than others.  If it's bothering you, try to salt the cucumbers before making the salad.  To do that, you sprinkle salt on the cucumber and allow it to sit in a strainer or colander for about 30 minutes.  You then blog off whatever liquid comes out.  When using English or seedless cucumbers, I haven't had a problem with this.

Do yogurt and cucumber go together?

Yes! The flavors of yogurt and cucumber pair well together.  The creamy, tangy yogurt works well with the crispy and refreshing cucumbers.  This Creamy Cucumber Dill Salad recipe is a great way to make and serve them together.

Creamy Cucumber Dill Salad

I adore this refreshing Creamy Cucumber Dill Salad and know you will too.  This dish is great with so many recipes on Running in a Skirt!  You can serve it with everything from grilled fish to chicken or even hot dogs!  Here are a few ideas to round this out into a meal.

Serve it with:

• Blackened Mahi Mahi
• Blackened Shrimp
• Blackened Salmon
• Lemon Butter Baked Grouper
• Honey Lime Shrimp Skewers
• Shrimp Burger with Mango Salsa
• Caprese Pasta Salad
• Grilled Vegetable Sandwich with Herbed Goat Cheese
• The Best Portobello Mushroom Burger

More Healthy Salads with Cucumber:

• Cucumber Pasta Salad
• Tomato Cucumber Salad with Avocado
• Avocado Pineapple Cucumber Salad
• Cucumber Watermelon Strawberry Salad
• Cucumber, Avocado, and Feta Quinoa Salad
• Mediterranean Chopped Salad
• Rainbow Vegan Chickpea Salad
• Fresh White Bean Salad
• Hearty Vegan Cobb Salad

If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear what you think! Leave a comment and a star rating ★ below. Make sure to follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook too!

Creamy Cucumber Dill Salad

Julie Wunder

This Creamy Cucumber Dill Salad recipe is perfect for summer with red onion, dill, and a lightened-up dressing made with Greek yogurt instead of sour cream. You'll love this Healthy Cucumber Salad that can be made with just a handful of ingredients in less than 10 minutes.

 

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 10 minutes mins

Course Appetizer, Salad

Cuisine American

Servings 6

Calories 43 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

For the salad:

• 6 cups cucumber, thinly sliced
• 1 cup red onion, thinly sliced

For the dressing:

• ½ cup plain greek yogurt
• 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
• 1 lemon, juiced
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons dill, chopped
• salt and pepper , to taste
• Garnish: extra dill

Instructions

 

• In a large bowl whisk together the dressing ingredients: greek yogurt, white wine vinegar, lemon, and garlic powder. Salt and pepper to taste. Then fold in the fresh dill.
• Add the cucumber and sliced red onion into the same bowl and toss together until well combined.
• You can serve immediatly, but it also tastes great when you allow it to sit in the fridge for at least an hour to let the flavors combine.
• When to serve, garnish with extra dill.

Notes

Storage & Leftovers

This Creamy Cucumber Dill Salad can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to three days.

Freezing

I would not try to freeze this salad.

Nutrition

Calories: 43kcalCarbohydrates: 8gProtein: 3gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 10mgPotassium: 273mgFiber: 2gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 111IUVitamin C: 16mgCalcium: 48mgIron: 1mg

Keyword Creamy Cucumber Dill Salad, Cucumber Dill Salad, Healthy Cucumber Salad

Tried this recipe?Mention @Julie_Wunder or tag #RunninginaSkirt!

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