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.

Creamy Cucumber Dill Salad

Have a garden full of cucumber? This Creamy Cucumber Dill Salad is the perfect thing to make.

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 cukes.... 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 Cucumber Salad that's loved by both kids and adults.  The twins gobble this up and always ask for seconds.

Healthy Cucumber Salad - No Sour Cream or Mayo!

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 mayo.

The healthy swap adds more nutrients like probiotics and protein AND keeps this dish much lighter and healthier.  This really 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!

Health Benefits of Cucumbers

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.

Ingredients:

Here's what you will need to make my Creamy Cucumber Dill Salad.  It's just a handful of ingredients including many pantry staples for the dressing.

• Cucumber: You can use any type of cucumber for this salad but I think the thin-skinned 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 the circles in half. Keep reading for a few varieties that I think would work the best.
• 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 does overpower the flavor of the cucumber.

For the Cucumber Salad 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.
• Lemon: 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.
• Dill: You need fresh dill to complete this recipe! Buy extra for a garnish.  If you can't find it, you can use dried but it will not taste the same.
• Salt & 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 Cucumber
• Japanese Cucumber

How to Make Creamy Cucumber Dill Salad:

Making this Creamy Cucumber Dill Salad could not be easier!  Just follow these simple steps.

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 in thin slices as well.  You can also either use a knife or a mandoline.

How to make the Cucumber Salad Dressing:

1. I like to make the 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, garlic powder.  Salt and pepper to taste.
3. Fold in the dill.
4. To finish the salad just add the cucumber and onion slices into the same bowl and toss.

Questions & Variations

How long does this Creamy Cucumber Dill Salad Last?

This Creamy Cucumber Dill Salad can last up to three days.

How do you store it?

Store it in the fridge in your favorite airtight container.

Can you make it in advance?

Yes! You can make this in advance.  If I was 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 count 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 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.

Mix it Up

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

This is the Best 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:

• 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:

• 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 - Healthy & Light

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

  

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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

Store this Creamy Cucumber Dill Salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

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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