This Lebanese Cucumber Yogurt Salad is a refreshing summer dish perfect for serving on hot days.
Made with simple ingredients, this cucumber and yogurt salad comes together in no time and can be served as an appetizer, a light meal with pita bread or a side dish along grilled meats such as these Kafta Kebabs or these Chicken Shawarma Kebabs.
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This fresh cucumber yogurt salad is very common in the Middle-East and is a healthy, gluten-free and vegetarian favorite.
This flavorful dish is similar to Greek tzatziki, but is thought of as a salad rather than a dip. In fact, variations of this dish featuring different herbs and spices exist in different regions of the world.
How to Make it
If you enjoy making Middle-Eastern food recipes, you'll be happy to know that making a large bowl of this cucumber yogurt with mint salad couldn't be easier.
All you need are a handful of ingredients to make this salad and it's a great way to use up cucumbers from your garden. Here's an overview of the required ingredients. Amounts needed are in the recipe card at the end of this post.
Ingredients Overview:
- Lebanese cucumbers, also known as Persian cucumbers and mini cucumbers. You can also use an English cucumber but it will need to be peeled and deseeded. Using fresh, crunchy cucumbers will ensure a fresh tasting salad with lots of crunch!
- Yogurt - You'll need plain yogurt for this recipe. My favorite store bought yogurt is the Balkan kind.
- Garlic clove - You'll need one medium-sized fresh garlic clove.
- Dried mint
- Salt
- Fresh mint - A little bit goes a long way and if you don't have it, the salad can be made with dried mint only.
Steps Overview:
- Start by washing and chopping the cucumbers into a medium sized dice or to your liking and set them aside.
- Make the garlic paste by crushing the garlic with the salt. I like to do this using a mortar and pestle.
- In a large salad bowl add the yogurt and whisk it until smooth.
- Add in the garlic paste and dried mint and whisk thoroughly until combined.
- Add the chopped cucumbers to the yogurt mixture and combine well.
- If using a very thick or creamy yogurt you may need to add a bit of water to thin the yogurt dressing. About a 1/4 cup of water should be enough if you're using a Balkan-style yogurt, you may need a little more if using a Greek-style yogurt.
- Top with chopped fresh mint right before serving. This salad is best enjoyed within a couple of hours of making it.
Tips: If using a cucumber with a thicker skin make sure to peel it before chopping it. If the cucumber has bigs seeds, it's best to remove the seedy section of the cucumber or the salad will become too watery. Removing the seeds can be easily done by slicing the cucumber in half lengthwise and running a spoon down the length of it to scoop out the seeds.
How to Serve
Perfect for family dinners, this Lebanese Cucumber Yogurt Salad is delicious served on a hot summer day. It's a great accompaniment to grilled beef and chicken or spicy dishes. Serve it as a side salad in small bowls. This salad can also be eaten with fresh pita bread.
How to Store
Because of the water content in cucumbers, the yogurt sauce in this salad gets watered down if it sits for too long. Therefore, it's best enjoyed fresh.
Enjoy!
More Lebanese Dishes to Try
Lebanese Cucumber Yogurt Salad (Khyar Bi Laban)
Ingredients
- 4 Lebanese cucumbers
- 1 teaspoon dried mint
- ¾ teaspoon salt more to taste
- ¼ cup water
- 2 cups plain yogurt
- 1 clove garlic crushed
- 1 Tablespoon fresh mint chopped just before adding to salad
Instructions
- Start by washing and chopping the cucumbers into a medium sized dice or to your liking and set them aside.
- Make the garlic paste by crushing the garlic with the salt. I like to do this using a mortar and pestle.
- Add the yogurt to a large bowl and whisk until the yogurt is smooth.
- To the yogurt, add the crushed garlic (with the salt), and dried mint. Whisk until combined. Add the chopped cucumbers and mix well.
- If the yogurt is too thick you can add a bit of water to thin it down, start with a 1/4 cup and mix well.
- Top with freshly chopped mint and serve.
Notes
- Seeding the cucumbers. Since Lebanese cucumbers are small I don't remove the seeds, if using cucumbers with larger seeds such as an English cucumber, I recommend removing the seeds. This can be easily done by slicing the cucumber in half lengthwise and running a spoon down the length of it to scoop out the seeds.
- If using a very thick or creamy yogurt you may need to add a bit of water to thin the yogurt dressing. About a 1/4 cup of water should be enough if you're using a Balkan-style yogurt, you may need a little more if using a Greek-style yogurt.
- If not serving immediately place the salad in refrigerator until ready to serve. Salad is best if served within a couple of hours of preparing.