Refreshing chilled Lemon Cucumber Soup recipe is made the Mediterranean way, using heirloom lemon cucumbers, yogurt, lemon and fresh herbs!
Seek out ‘Lemon Cucumbers,’ at your farmers markets, or grow them, you’ll be glad you did!
Refreshingly Chilled Cucumber Soup
Cucumber soup has most often been served in France.
Most recipes I’ve encountered, stated that a chilled cucumber soup, served on hot summer days, originated there.
However, head over to Andalusia on a hot summer day, and you will encounter the cooling effect of a cucumber gazpacho.
Which leads me right back to my own ethnicity, the Middle Eastern world, in which Andalusia is strongly influenced by.
Mediterranean Refreshing Summer Appetizer
Arabs, however, have been making a cold refreshing drink out of yogurt for centuries. A drink often served as an appetizer or light lunch.
The yogurt is most often Homemade Yogurt. This Middle Eastern drink is known as Ayran.
Yogurt, a little ice water and a sprinkle of salt, and it’s perfect to sip, during the hot summer months because of the abundance of vitamins cucumbers contain.
What Is A Lemon Cucumber?
Summertime heat has graced me with an abundance of Lemon Cucumbers that will pair beautifully with yogurt in this cold soup recipe.
A lemon cucumber is an heirloom variety of cucumbers, round like a tennis ball and yellow like a lemon.
What Does A Lemon Cucumber Taste Like?
Despite its ‘lemon’ name, they don’t have a citrus-like flavor.
They simply taste like a traditional oblong, sweet, green cucumber.
Once I got ahold of seeds for this whimsical cucumber, found how vigorously they grow, they have become my favorite cucumber throughout the summertime.
Besides a few traditional cucumber plants I will still put in my garden, I mostly grow these now.
They make for a beautiful Cucumber Salad and are spectacular in Tzatziki!
Greek Yogurt vs Sour Cream
While sour cream may be easily swapped in a variety of recipes, let’s be clear, sour cream does not have the health benefits of real yogurt.
Yes, I said real yogurt.
Not all yogurt has been properly fermented into obtaining the needed daily values of probiotics.
Instead, many yogurts add the probiotics, thickeners and sometimes gelatin.
So, please, if you want both a refreshingly light meal on a hot day and the added health bonus, use reliable, plain real yogurt for this refreshing soup.
A Word About Greek Yogurt
As I have mentioned early, my concerns for obtaining real yogurt with natural probiotics, and not added, most Greek yogurt brands have tested true to being real.
How do I know?
Real Yogurt
Since I was a kid, we made yogurt the Syrian way; boil milk, cool to 115 degrees, add half cup of real yogurt, cover and sit out overnight.
The next day, it will have thickened. Store in the fridge and save half cup as starter for the next batch.
Fake Yogurt
I’ve never had a problem finding a store bought yogurt that had live probiotics to start my own batch (kind of like sour dough bread), until 1998.
Suddenly, every yogurt brand started cheapening their process, which also removed the natural, healthful probiotics.
I tested 10 different brands!
Fast forward to 2019, when several Greek yogurt companies appeared on the market, or small dairy farm, yogurt making companies, and I tested again.
It worked!
So, I only buy these brands.
Is Greek Yogurt Too Thick For A Chilled Yogurt Soup?
Yes, and no!
Obviously Greek yogurt is too thick to drink or have the consistency of a soup.
However, by the time the juicy cucumbers have been pureed, lemon juice and olive oil added, the consistency is perfect.
A splash of ice cold water can always be added to adjust the consistency, but at least you will know your yogurt has retained the natural health bonus we want in our food.
Summertime Chilled Yogurt Cucumber Soup
If you are looking for a light dinner, or quick lunch, keeping a container of cold Greek yogurt cucumber soup in the fridge, for a few days, is simply wise throughout the summer.
With only a few simple ingredients you can make this refreshing soup in just minutes.
Storing Lemon Cucumber Soup Until Ready To Serve
Once the cucumber yogurt soup has been made, it will store in an airtight container for several days.
When you are ready to serve, simply give a shake, adjust the salt and add a splash of ice water if needed and serve.
Cooking For Television
Having been invited to FOX WBFF Television studio to share a few of my recipes, this one is one that I took with me.
Transported in an airtight container, on ice, it was so easy to pour and serve.
Making it perfect for picnics and boating meals.
Why was I invited to the TV studio?
I had just wrapped up being featured in an 8-episode cooking show, The Great American Recipe with PBS, and the news channel was elated to share my stories with our state!
How To Make Cold Greek Yogurt Lemon Cucumber Soup
If using a traditional cucumber, simply peel and chop into smaller portions.
If using the heirloom lemon cucumber, take a moment to hollow out the cucumber from the inside, saving the outside to serve the soup in.
All of the ingredients get tossed into a food processor, blender or pureed with an immersion blender and blitzed into a creamy cold soup that is ready to serve immediately.
It’s as simple as that!
Equipment Needed
- Cutting board
- Paring knife
- Small spoon – like a demitasse spoon
- Blender
- Measuring spoons
- Garlic press
Ingredients Needed
- Lemon cucumbers – or regular. I grew my own and they are so easy to grow. My preferred Lemon Cucumber seeds in the link.
- Good Quality Plain Yogurt
- Lemon juice
- Olive oil
- Garlic
- Salt
- Dill
Lemon Cucumber Soup – Refreshingly Chilled
Equipment
- Food processor or blender
- Cutting board and knife
- Airtight container
Ingredients
- 4 Lemon Cucumbers or 2 English cucumbers
- 1 cup Plain Greek yogurt homemade
- 2 tbsp Lemon juice 2 lemons
- 2 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
- 2 Garlic cloves
- 1/4 tsp Sea salt or to taste
- 2 tbsp Fresh Dill extra for garnish
Instructions
- If using lemon cucumbers, carefully cut off a small part of the top and hollow them out, reserving the remaining chopped cucumber pieces. Save the lemon cucumber balls to use as small serving bowls. If using English cucumbers, simply peel, and reserve finely diced cucumber. Small decorative serving bowls will be needed.
- Place the chopped cucumber pieces in a food processor, along with the remaining ingredients and puree until you have obtained a creamy consistency. Transfer to an airtight container and chill for 1 hour.
- If using an immersion blender and a large bowl, combine cucumber, plain yogurt and lemon juice (lime juice can be used instead if that is your preference), and whisk with the blender until a creamy consistency is obtained. Add remaining ingredients and puree again. Cover with plastic wrap and keep in the fridge until ready to serve cold.
- When you are ready to serve, give the mixture a good shake, to mix well. Taste to see if you want more salt. If the mixture thickens, simply whisk in a little extra cold water to obtain the consistency you want, however the juice of the cucumbers should provide enough liquid for the perfect cold cucumber soup recipe. Portion into each bowl, give a little drizzle of olive oil across the tops, and add a sprig of dill for garnish.
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Notes
I believe the table... that place that draws people to gather, is the most powerful symbol of togetherness. All that happens before the table is set, the planning, the gathering, the preparing, are all an intricate part of the dance that create the mood of celebration to share with friends and loved ones.
