This refreshing Mediterranean Lemon Cucumber Soup is creamy, healthy, and made with yogurt, fresh herbs, garlic, lemon, and heirloom lemon cucumbers.
Mediterranean Lemon Cucumber Soup (Refreshing Cold Summer Soup)
Mediterranean Lemon Cucumber Soup
When summer gardens begin producing crisp cucumbers, Mediterranean Lemon Cucumber Soup becomes one of the easiest and most refreshing meals to make. Blended with creamy Greek yogurt, fresh dill, garlic, extra virgin olive oil, and bright lemon juice, this chilled soup delivers cool, vibrant flavor with almost no cooking required.
Unlike heavier cream-based cold soups, this Mediterranean version relies on wholesome ingredients that let the cucumbers shine. If you’re lucky enough to find heirloom lemon cucumbers, they become charming edible serving bowls that transform a simple soup into an elegant appetizer worthy of a brunch, garden party, bridal showers, or a light lunch on a warm afternoon.
Simple to prepare ahead of time and naturally packed with fresh herbs, this cold cucumber soup tastes even better after an hour in the refrigerator, making it one of summer’s easiest entertaining recipes.
What Makes This Recipe Special
This chilled cucumber soup is creamy without being heavy. Greek yogurt gives it body while fresh dill, garlic, lemon juice and olive oil provide the classic Mediterranean flavors that balance the sweetness of fresh cucumbers.
The result is bright, herbaceous, tangy and wonderfully cooling.
Why Readers Love This Recipe
Readers appreciate recipes that feel elegant while requiring very little work.
This soup comes together in minutes, uses simple wholesome ingredients, and can be prepared well before guests arrive. The optional lemon cucumber serving bowls create a memorable presentation that looks far more complicated than it actually is.
Mediterranean Refreshing Summer Appetizer
Whether the cucumber gazpacho of Andalusia, chilled cucumber soup of France, or Ayran, a yogurt drink known throughout the Middle East, cucumbers and yogurt have been served as a Mediterranean staple to cool and refresh on hot days for centuries.
Ingredients for Mediterranean Lemon Cucumber Soup
Lemon cucumbers (or English cucumbers) – Lemon cucumbers have a mild, slightly sweet flavor with very little bitterness. Their round shape makes beautiful edible bowls. English cucumbers work equally well if they’re easier to find.
Plain Greek yogurt – Greek yogurt creates a silky texture while adding protein and a pleasant tanginess.
Fresh lemon juice – Freshly squeezed lemon brightens every ingredient and enhances the natural freshness of the cucumbers.
Fresh dill – Dill is one of the signature herbs of Mediterranean cooking and pairs beautifully with cucumber and yogurt.
Garlic – Just a couple cloves provide depth without overpowering the soup.
Extra virgin olive oil – A drizzle of quality olive oil rounds out the flavors while adding richness.
Tools and Equipment
You’ll only need a few basic kitchen tools.
Food processor or blender is used to puree the ingredients into this refreshing cold soup.
Cutting board and sharp knife for dicing and preparing the ingredients to be pureed.
Airtight container with a pour spout and tight lid to store and chill the soup until ready to serve.
How to Make Mediterranean Lemon Cucumber Soup
Step 1: Prepare the cucumbers
If using heirloom lemon cucumbers, slice off the tops and carefully hollow out the centers.
Reserve the cucumber flesh.
If using English cucumbers, peel and chop them into chunks.
Step 2: Blend
Add the cucumber flesh, Greek yogurt, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, dill and sea salt to a food processor.
Blend until perfectly smooth.
Step 3: Chill
Transfer the soup to an airtight container.
Refrigerate for at least one hour so the flavors have time to develop.
Step 4: Adjust consistency
Before serving, stir well.
If the soup has thickened, whisk in a little cold water until it reaches your preferred consistency.
Step 5: Garnish
Pour into chilled bowls or hollowed lemon cucumbers.
Finish with:
- drizzle of olive oil
- fresh dill
- edible cucumber blossoms if available
- cracked pepper
Serve immediately.
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!
Real Homemade 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.
What Goes Well With Cucumber Soup?
A cold lemon cucumber soup can be served as an appetizer before dinner or a summer luncheon.
Here are some of the recipes I have served with cold cucumber soup:
- For a dinner menu cucumber soup is delicious served before Kofta Kabobs made with ground lamb and Za’atar spice, rolled into a sausage shape around a skewer, and once cooked these are served on Homemade Pita Bread.
- If serving cold cucumber soup for a luncheon, you might enjoy garden inspired Rice Wraps with edible flowers and dipping sauces, or Mustard Green Wraps with tahini sauce.
Cooking For Television
Having just wrapped up an 8-episode cooking show, The Great American Recipe with PBS, I was invited to FOX WBFF Television studio to share a few of my recipes, this Mediterranean lemon cucumber soup is one I shared with viewers.
It was the perfect recipe to transported to the television studio in an airtight container on ice, and it was easy to pour and serve on set. I explained that it is equally perfect for picnics and boating meals.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make cucumber soup ahead of time?
Yes. In fact, the flavors improve after several hours in the refrigerator.
Can I use regular cucumbers?
Absolutely. English cucumbers or garden cucumbers both work well.
Is this soup served hot or cold?
This is a chilled cucumber soup that should always be served cold.
Can I make it without yogurt?
Yes. Substitute plain kefir, labneh, dairy-free yogurt, or even avocado for a different texture.
Seek out ‘Lemon Cucumbers,’ at your farmers markets, or grow them, you’ll be glad you did!
Mediterranean 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.
Notes
- Regular cucumbers can be used with a decorative small bowl.
- The soup can be kept cold until ready to serve but will need to be whisked again before serving. If using Lemon cucumbers, they will last, once hollowed, for an hour in the fridge but not much longer.
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.