This cold cucumber soup recipe is perfect for hot summer days. Creamy, cool, bright, and refreshing, it’s a delicious, nourishing starter or side dish.
Prep Time: 10minutes
Chilling Time: 4 hours
Total Time: 4 hours 10 minutes
Serves: 8
Ingredients
- 6 cucumbers, thinly sliced, reserve a few slices for garnish
- 1½ cups plain whole milk Greek yogurt
- ¾ cup fresh basil leaves
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill, plus more for garnish
- 1 garlic clove
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon honey
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Fresh mint or chives, for garnish
Instructions
Step1
In a blender, combine the cucumbers, yogurt, basil, olive oil, lemon juice, dill, garlic, salt, honey, and several grinds of pepper and blend until smooth. Chill for at least 4 hours.
Step2
Ladle into bowls and drizzle with olive oil. Garnish with the reserved cucumber slices, freshly ground black pepper, and fresh dill, mint, and/or chives. Serve cold.
Cold Cucumber Soup Serving Suggestions
This cold cucumber soup is a wonderful starter or side dish. On summer nights, I often serve it as part of a light dinner with a substantial salad like my Chickpea Salad, Panzanella Salad, or Cherry Tomato Couscous Salad. For a heartier meal, serve it as an appetizer with these Stuffed Zucchini Boats, Grilled Vegetable Skewers with Tzatziki, or my Roasted Vegetable Pasta.
This cucumber soup is also a lovely starter for a spring or summer brunch. I love pairing it with a few salads, like my Carrot Salad or Simple Green Salad, and a savoury main course like a Frittata or Breakfast Casserole.
Finally, this cold cucumber soup is a perfect lunch on a hot summer day. Enjoy it with a hunk of good crusty bread or focaccia, a slice of avocado toast, or a simple sandwich. A Caprese Sandwich, a Chickpea Salad Sandwich, or an Egg Salad Sandwich would be a great choice.
Helpful Swaps
- Use your favourite tender herbs. I use dill and chives but you easily substitute herbs like tarragon, chervil, and parsley. Just be sure to use tender herbs over woody herbs (like thyme and rosemary).
- Switch up the topping. In this recipe, I used chopped cucumber pieces and herbs to bring in additional flavor and texture. Feel free to add whatever you’d like. Toasted seeds or dukkah would be delicious.
Storage Tips
The soup can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Stir before serving.
Nutritional Info
Dietary Tags:
- vegetarian
- peanut-free
- soy-free
- wheat-free
- sulphite-free
- tree-nut-free
- pork-free
- low-carb
- fish-free
- red-meat-free
- pescatarian
- egg-free
- alcohol-free
- shellfish-free
- gluten-free
| Nutrient | Amount (Per Serving) | % Daily Value |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 265 | – |
| Total fat | 22.5 g | 34.6% |
| Saturated fat | 5.5 g | 27.3% |
| Total carbs | 9.8 g | 3.3% |
| Dietary fiber | 1.5 g | 6.1% |
| Sugar content | 5.1 g | – |
| Protein content | 8.9 g | 17.7% |
| Sodium | 56 |