Creamy Cucumber Salad

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This simple, four-ingredient Creamy Cucumber Salad, made with Greek yogurt and fresh dill, is one of my family’s favorite summer side dishes.

Creamy Cucumber Salad
My dad’s recipe for Creamy Cucumber Salad is made with sour cream, but I swap it for full-fat yogurt, which has more protein, less fat, and is just as delicious. It’s a fast, fresh and easy side dish perfect for summertime parties, picnics, potlucks and quick weeknight meals. More of my favorite cucumber recipes are this Watermelon Cucumber Feta Salad, Black Bean, Avocado, Cucumber, and Tomato Salad, and Chickpea Salad with Cucumbers and Tomatoes.

Why You’ll Be Making Cucumber Salad All Summer
Easy: This summer salad takes less than 15 minutes to make with only four ingredients, including salt.Healthy: Cucumbers have a high water content, making them low in calories and carbs. They are packed with vitamins and minerals, like vitamins C and K and potassium. Greek yogurt boosts the protein in this salad while adding calcium and probiotics.Refreshing: Cucumbers are so refreshing on the dog days of summer, and this creamy cucumber salad is the best summer side to cool you off.
Ingredients

Cucumbers: Peel two medium cucumbers.
Greek Yogurt: Use full-fat yogurt for the creamy sauce.
Salt draws out the excess moisture from the cucumbers.
Dill: Mix fresh dill into the salad and garnish with more.

How to Make Creamy Cucumber Salad

Cucumber Prep: Peel and slice cucumbers with a mandolin and sprinkle with salt.
Gently toss the yogurt and dill with the cucumbers in a large bowl.
Serve: Eat right away or refrigerate until ready to serve. Garnish with fresh dill.

How can I thicken my cucumber salad?
This is best served the same day, because it will get watery if you make it in advance. If your cucumber salad gets watery, drain in a colander add a little more Greek yogurt to thicken it.
What to Serve with Creamy Cucumber Salad
Serve this salad with your favorite protein, such as steaks, pork chops, grilled salmon, grilled chicken, or burgers. If you want a starchy side, you could make these lemon-parsley potatoes, macaroni salad, corn-tomato-avocado salad, or Mediterranean bean salad.
How to Store Cucumber Salad
Cucumber salad is best eaten the day of so it doesn’t get too watery. If you have leftovers, they’ll last up to 2 days in the refrigerator.
Variations

Cucumbers: Regular cucumbers are used here but you can also use English cucumbers or Persian cucumbers, and bonus you don’t have to peel them.
Cream: Swap the yogurt for sour cream or use a combination of sour cream and mayo.
Slicing Cucumbers: If you don’t have a mandolin, slice them as thinly as possible with a sharp knife.
To make a cucumber onion salad: Add red onion.
Herbs: Swap dill with parsley, tarragon, or chives for a different flavor profile.
Spices: You can add garlic powder and black pepper to taste.
Acid: You can add some white vinegar or fresh lemon juice, for variations.

More Summer Side Recipes You’ll Love

Creamy Cucumber Salad Recipe

This four-ingredient Creamy Cucumber Salad, made with Greek yogurt and fresh dill, is one of my family’s favorite summer side dishes.

Prep: 10 minutes minsCook: 0 minutes minsTotal: 10 minutes mins

Yield: 4 servings
Serving Size: 3 /4 cup

Equipmentmandolin optional but quicker to slice and makes even slices
Ingredients
ul.wprm-advanced-list-5265 li:before {background-color: #424242;color: #ffffff;width: 22px;height: 22px;font-size: 12px;line-height: 12px;}InstructionsSlice the cucumbers 1/8-inch thick with a mandolin, season with salt and combine with yogurt and fresh dill in a large bowl.Refrigerate until ready to eat.Transfer to a serving bowl topped with more fresh dill, for garnish.

Last Step: Please leave a rating and comment letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business to thrive and continue providing free, high-quality recipes for you.

NotesMakes 3 cups.
Change it up! This is a basic recipe, feel free to change it to suit your taste. Here are some variations:

Cucumbers: Regular cucumbers are used here but you can also use English cucumbers or Persian cucumbers, and bonus you don’t have to peel them.
Cream: Swap the yogurt for sour cream or use a combination of sour cream and mayo. You can also use reduced fat yogurt, but I personally think it’s best with full fat.
Slicing Cucumbers: If you don’t have a mandolin, slice them as thinly as possible with a sharp knife.
Add red onion.
Herbs: Swap dill with parsley, tarragon, or chives for a different flavor profile.
Spices: You can add garlic powder and black pepper to taste.
Acid: You can add some white vinegar or fresh lemon juice, for variation.
If you make it, comment below and let us know!

NutritionServing: 3 /4 cup, Calories: 60 kcal, Carbohydrates: 7 g, Protein: 5 g, Fat: 1.5 g, Saturated Fat: 1 g, Cholesterol: 7 mg, Sodium: 229.5 mg, Fiber: 1 g, Sugar: 4 g
Categories:

COFFEE BREAK | Toronto’s Transit Complaints Become Art – Opera Revue Presents TTC: Toronto Transit Comedy

Classical Music

Opera Revue’s Toronto Transit Comedy (Still from the video, courtesy of Opera Revue)
There is nothing that Torontonians love quite so much as complaining about the TTC, or Toronto Transit Commission. The Opera Rebels, or Opera Revue, include soprano Danie Friesen, baritone Alexander Hajek and pianist Claire Elise Harris, and they definitely have opinions on the subject they want to share in advance of the coming municipal election.
With more than 100 candidates vying for Toronto’s top job, the 2023 mayoral election is already shaping up to be one for the books. In their hands, the TTC becomes the Toronto Transit Comedy, and a message delivered with operatic flair.
[embedded content]
The Toronto Transit Comedy by Opera Revue is set to the opening duet from Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro. New lyrics were written by Alexander Hajek, and taped in a performance by Hajek, Danie Friesen and Claire Elise Harris on location. Friesen also acted as video editor, with Michael McKenzie as sound engineer.
Opera Revue is establishing a reputation for bringing opera into what might be called non-traditional settings, including opera + burlesque shows, and performances at breweries and distilleries in the area. Bringing opera to the people means making it relevant.
Opera Revue (Photo courtesy of the artists)
Certainly, if there is any municipal story worthy of an operatic treatment, it is the ongoing saga of the TTC and its woes.
“Opera and social commentary have gone hand in hand since the art forms inception. Open rebellion against the ruling class or foreign invaders could get you killed when these pieces were written (Viva Verdi), but not when you put some of the most glorious Western music ever written beneath some witty rhymes, now it’s just a “mythical cautionary tale”,” notes Alexander Hajek in a statement.
Opera Revue has performances coming up in May and June. More info here.
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Anya Wassenberg is a Senior Writer and Digital Content Editor at Ludwig Van. She is an experienced freelance writer, blogger and writing instructor with OntarioLearn. Latest posts by Anya Wassenberg (see all)

CRITIC’S PICKS | Classical Events You Absolutely Need To See This Week: May 22 – May 28

Classical Music

James Ehnes (Photo: B. Ealovega); The cast of The Soul of the Philosopher (L’anima del filosofo) L-R: Asitha Tennekoon (Orfeo); Lindsay McIntyre (Euridice); Parker Clements (Creonte); Maeve Palmer (Genio) (Photos courtesy of UofT); J.S. Bach (public domain)
This is a list of concerts we are attending, wishing we could attend, or thinking about attending between May 22 and May 28, 2023. For more details on what’s happening around Toronto, visit our calendar here.
Canadian Opera Company/Tosca
Tuesday May 23 at 7:30 p.m. (repeats Saturday May 27 at 4:30 p.m.). Four Seasons Centre. $65+
The COC revives the Puccini standard with the Irish soprano Sinéad Campbell-Wallace in the title role. Limited availability on May 27. Read our interview with Scottish opera director Paul Curran here, and Joseph So’s review here. Ticket info here.
Toronto Symphony Orchestra/James Ehnes/Jader Bignamini
Wednesday May 24 at 8 p.m. (repeats Thursday May 25 at 8 p.m. and Saturday May 27 at 8 p.m.). Roy Thomson Hall. $95+
The dependably excellent James Ehnes plays Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto; Jader Bignamini, the Italian music director of the Detroit Symphony, leads Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition in the familiar Ravel orchestration. Also on offer: Alison Yun-Fei Jiang’s Hwa (Flowering), an eight-minute TSO commission. Info here.
U of T/McGill/L’anima del filosofo (Orfeo)
Friday May 26 at 7:30 p.m. (repeats Saturday May 27 at 7:30 p.m.). MacMillan Theatre. Free (registration required).
If you haven’t seen Haydn’s 1791 take on the Orpheus myth, don’t blush: neither did the composer. U of T and Opera McGill join forces to present what is billed as the North American premiere. A symposium on the opera, Haydn’s last, will be held Saturday May 27 at 10 a.m. in Walter Hall. Read our Preview here. Info here.
Toronto Bach Festival/Leipzig Cantatas
Sunday May 28 at 4 p.m. Eastminster United Church (310 Danforth Ave.).
The weekend Bach fest concludes with the substantial Cantatas BWV 75 and BWV 76. Tafelmusik oboist John Abberger leads a compact choir and orchestra. Note also a talk at 1:30 by musicologist Daniel Melamed on Bach’s move from Köthen to Leipzig. Read our Preview here. More info here.
#LUDWIGVAN
Get the daily arts news straight to your inbox.
Sign up for the Ludwig van Daily — classical music and opera in five minutes or less HERE.

Arthur Kaptainis has been the classical music critic of the Montreal Gazette since 1986 and wrote for the National Post 2010-2016. His articles have appeared in Classical Voice North America and La Scena Musicale as well as Ludwig Van. Arthur holds an MA in musicology from the University of Toronto. Latest posts by Arthur Kaptainis (see all)