Cucumber Pasta Salad

This creamy Cucumber Pasta Salad recipe is a light, bright, and flavorful twist on summer pasta salad.  Loaded with fresh summer cucumbers, red onion, and tender rotini pasta, this dish makes a fabulous side dish or vegetarian meal for your next picnic or potluck.  Served with a delightful lemon-dill dressing made healthy with Greek yogurt instead of mayonnaise.

Love salads with cucumber? Also, try my Creamy Cucumber Dill Salad, Tomato Cucumber Avocado Salad, and Avocado Pineapple Cucumber Salad too!

Cucumber Pasta Salad Recipe

This Creamy Cucumber Pasta Salad recipe is simple and unexpected, but big on flavor, crunch, and taste.  This twist on the classic summer Pasta Salad recipe comes together with just a handful of simple ingredients, but will wow your guests.  It's loaded with fresh, crisp cucumbers that have never tasted better, paired with simple red onion and pasta.  My son Hunter is obsessed with cucumbers, so we all love this one!

Much like my Creamy Cucumber Salad or Creamy Macaroni Salad, this summer classic comes together without the mayo or sour cream in the dressing.  I swap out Greek yogurt to make this traditionally Southern dish a bit healthier.  This might not have been exactly like my Grandmother would have made it, but I still think she would approve.  The combination of creamy Greek yogurt with lemon and dill makes a simple and addictive dressing.

This dish works great for everything from a summer potluck to a side dish for a cookout or even a vegetarian meal in the summer.  Plus, it's a great way to use some of those cucumbers from the garden.   Every bite of the delicious dish is absolutely delightful.  If you are looking for a unique pasta salad recipe, this one is it.+

Why You'll Love this Cucumber Pasta Salad ...

• This Cucumber Pasta Salad is mayo-free but still nice and creamy thanks to Greek yogurt.
• It's a great way to use up a bunch of cucumbers in summer.
• You can customize it by adding other vegetables or herbs.
• The fresh lemon and dill are a winner.
• It's so simple! Some pasta salads require so many ingredients, but this one keeps it nice and basic.
• It's crowd-pleasing for kids and adults, as long as they like cucumbers. 🙂
• It's healthy and low-calorie! Only 130 calories per serving.

Ingredients:

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

For the Cucumber Pasta Salad:

• Pasta: You'll need about ½ pound of pasta, which is about 3 cups of uncooked pasta.  I used rotini, but other short pasta shapes, like penne, macaroni, farfalle, or bowtie, will also work.  Cook the pasta in salted water, according to package instructions, until the noodles are al dente.
• English Cucumber: I prefer English Cucumbers, but you can use whatever type you like, and even fresh garden cucumbers.  To prepare the cucumbers, slice them in half and scoop out the seeds.  Then cut it into half moons.
• Red Onion: I love how the red onion adds depth of flavor and color to this pasta salad.  You can swap this out for a sweet white onion or even a sliced green onion.

For the Dressing:

• Plain Greek Yogurt: The dressing for the Cucumber Pasta Salad is made with plain Greek yogurt. You can use low-fat or full-fat, depending on your dietary preferences, but full-fat will yield a creamier result.  Low-fat will have fewer calories, though.
• White Wine Vinegar: A touch of white wine vinegar helps loosen up the Greek yogurt.
• Lemon Juice: Lemon juice brightens up the dressing.  Use the juice from a fresh lemon for the most flavor.
• Dill: Fresh dill adds so much to this! If you can find it, use it for this recipe.
• Garlic Powder: I like to add garlic powder to my dressings like this to make sure the garlic flavor is evenly distributed throughout the pasta salad.
• Salt & Black Pepper to Taste

Instructions:

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

1. In a large pot of salted water, bring water to a boil and cook the pasta according to package directions. Once cooked, drain the pasta and rinse it with cool water to cool it down.
2. Cut the cucumber and red onion.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients, including the plain Greek yogurt, lemon juice, white wine vinegar, dill, and garlic powder.
4. In a separate bowl, add the cooked, cooled cooked pasta, cucumber, and red onion. Pour the dressing over it and toss together.  Stir well.
5. Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to an hour to let the flavors combine.

Variations

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

• Make it Healthier: Consider using a pasta fortified with protein, or a chickpea pasta, to make it a bit healthier.
• Make it Gluten-Free: Use your favorite Gluten Free Pasta to make this gluten-free.
• Add Other Veggies: This recipe keeps it simple, but you can add other fresh summer vegetables like tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, black olives, corn, or bell peppers.
• Mix Up the Herbs: You can swap out the dill for other fresh herbs, such as parsley, mint, basil, or oregano.
• Make it Traditional: Swap the Greek yogurt for mayonnaise or sour cream for a more traditional Southern Creamy Cucumber Pasta Salad.
• Add Feta: Add some feta cheese for another flavor pop.
• Make it Italian: You can also swap out the Greek yogurt for my Italian Dressing.
• Make it Dairy-Free or Vegan: Swap out the Greek yogurt for a non-dairy Greek yogurt.

FAQ

Make Ahead

You can make this several hours in advance for a party.  If making more than a day ahead of time, prepare the pasta and dressing separately and mix them an hour before serving it.

How do you make cucumber salad not watery?

Taking the extra step to seed the cucumber before adding it to the salad helps.

If you have fresh summer cucumbers with a lot of water, you might want to consider salting them.  Cut them and put them in a colander in the sink.  Add salt to extract some of the excess water.  Try them on a paper towel before mixing them into the salad.

How do you cool down pasta for pasta salad?

The best way is to drain the pasta and rinse it with cool or cold water until it cools.

This Cucumber Pasta Salad recipe is So Refreshing!

This Cucumber Pasta Salad is so refreshing and unique. If you are tired of serving boring pasta salad, this one is unique and lets just a few ingredients shine.  Take THIS to your next barbecue.  The tender pasta and bright cucumbers are so delish. After you try it, you'll be making it all summer long.  This is really the best pasta salad to make when you want something unique and special.

It's hubby- and twin-approved too!  Hunter keeps asking for that pasta salad with all the cucumbers. 🙂

Serve this with any of your favorite summer cookout dishes. Here are a few ideas from my site.

Serve it with:

• Portobello Mushroom Burger
• Parmesan Crusted Cod
• Air Fryer Shrimp
• Blackened Salmon
• Blackened Mahi Mahi
• Grilled Vegetable Sandwich with Herbed Goat Cheese
• Grilled Cauliflower Stead with Green Goddess Sauce
• Pineapple Shrimp Skewers
• Salmon Foil Packets with Rainbow Veggies
• Easy BBQ Shrimp Skewers
• Black Bean Burgers

More Healthy Cucumber Salads to Try:

• Creamy Cucumber Dill Salad
• Tomato Cucumber Avocado Salad
• Avocado Pineapple Cucumber Salad
• Cucumber Watermelon Strawberry Salad
• Cucumber Avocado Feta Quinoa Salad

More Healthy Pasta Salads to Try:

• Zesty Italian Pasta Salad
• Healthy Macaroni Salad
• Deviled Egg Pasta Salad
• Mexican Macaroni Salad
• Crab Pasta Salad
• Caprese Pasta Salad
• Bruschetta Pasta Salad
• Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad

If you make this Cucumber Pasta Salad 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!

Cucumber Pasta Salad

Julie Wunder

This creamy Cucumber Pasta Salad is a light, bright, and flavorful twist on summer pasta salad.  Loaded with fresh summer cucumbers, red onion, and tender rotini pasta, this dish makes a fabulous side dish or vegetarian meal for your next picnic or potluck.  Served with a delightful lemon dill dressing that's made healthy with Greek yogurt instead of mayonnaise.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 15 minutes mins

Course Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine American

Servings 8

Calories 130 kcal

Ingredients

  

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For the Cucumber Pasta Salad:

• ½ pound rotini pasta
• 1 english cucumber, seeded & sliced into half moons (about 3 cups)
• ½ red onion, diced (about 1 cup)

For the Dressing:

• 1 cup Plain Greek Yogurt
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons dill, chopped
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder

Instructions

 

• In a large pot of salted water, cook the pasta according to package instructions. Once cooked, drain the pasta and rinse it with cool water to cool it down.
  
• In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients including the plain greek yogurt, lemon juice, white wine vinegar, dill and garlic powder.
  
• Add the cooked, cooled pasta, cucumber, and red onion to a bowl. Toss together with the dressing.
  
• Serve immediately or put in the fridge for up to an hour to let the flavors combine.
  

Nutrition

Calories: 130kcalCarbohydrates: 24gProtein: 7gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0.1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.2gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.1gTrans Fat: 0.001gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 12mgPotassium: 169mgFiber: 1gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 48IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 42mgIron: 1mg

Keyword Cucumber Pasta Salad

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