For several years I grew an abundance of cucumbers, so many that we couldn’t keep up with them. Even after giving cucumbers away, we still had more than enough for the two of us. Therefore, I had to come up with creative ways to use the extras, and the ones that got away – the ones that got hidden and grew too big for salads and sandwiches. One of my solutions was cold cucumber soup.
Cold soup is perfect for hot summer months and it’s a great way to use garden surplus. However, my problem with cold cumber soup is that I had never had one I liked. Even though I love yogurt and sour cream, I just don’t care for cucumber soups that use a lot of yogurt or sour cream (or buttermilk) as the base. So I started experimenting with something completely different and here is the result. It still uses a little bit of yogurt, but the base is more of a broth base. This soup has been one of our summer staples for years. Served with a green chile cheese toas-tite or your favorite grilled cheese and your have a refreshing summer meal.
And for a spicy version – try my Green Chile Cold Cucumber soup. Same soup but with some New Mexico green chile to give it a kick.
Cold Cucumber Soup
A refreshing cold soup that celebrates summer cucumbers. Goes great with grilled cheese sandwiches.
*See Kitchen Notes for substitutions and further information.
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- ½ Tbsp. butter
- 1 cup sweet onion or just onion, coarsely chopped
- ~6 cups cucumber* ~2 pounds, peeled, coarsely chopped
- 4 cups vegetable or chicken broth*- homemade is best
- 1 tsp. fresh dill weed, chopped, or 1/2 tsp. dried dill weed*
- Salt and cracked white pepper, to taste
- juice from 1/4 of a lemon
- 1 Tbsp. fresh chives, chopped
- 4 – 8 ounces Plain Greek yogurt, to taste*
- fresh mint, chopped
- Fresh Dill or Basil, chopped
- Heat oil and butter in a large Dutch oven over medium heat until butter is melted.
- Add onions. Turn down heat to medium-low and slowly sweat the onions until translucent.
- Add the cucumber. If you are using dried dill weed, add it now. Increase heat to medium and cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add the broth. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat for a simmer and cook cucumber for 15 minutes or until soft.
- Remove from heat and let cool for about 15 minutes.
- Using a blender, puree the soup. An immersion blender works great and allows you to blend the soup in the pot you cooked it in.
- Whisk in the yogurt.
If the soup is too thick, add a little more water or broth for the desired thickness. Stir in the lemon juice, chopped chives and fresh dill (if you are using it).
- Season to taste with salt and pepper. I use a generous amount of cracked white pepper.
- Chill overnight.
- About 30 minutes before serving, remove from the refrigerator.
Ladle into small soup bowls. Top with chopped fresh basil, mint or more dill – whatever your heart desires.
Cucumbers – You can use seedless cucumbers or slicing cucumbers. I always peel and, if the seeds are large, I’ll remove the seeds. This is a great recipe for the overgrown cucumbers that you find hidden in the garden. Just taste first to make sure they haven’t become bitter.
The broth – Chicken broth or vegetable broth either one will work; however, if you can use chicken broth or stock make sure it’s as fat-free as possible because this is a cold soup and you don’t want it to congeal once the soup is chilled. Also, with a more concentrated broth, I cut the amount back to 2 cups and add 2 cups water.
Dill weed – I usually find myself adding a little more dill at the end, but some might find it too much. So taste first before you add more.
Yogurt – Do not use low fat or fat free yogurt! Use a good quality Greek style yogurt or goats milk yogurt for its creaminess or, a cream top yogurt.
Finishing herbs – This is a mood thing. Are you in the mood for more dill, some mint, basil or what? You can use a mix of herbs or a single herb. Thai basil creates a very interesting flavor, a well as lemon thyme. Mint provides a very refreshing taste and might be easier to find.
Vegetarian and Vegan version – Omit the butter, use vegetable broth and substitute the yogurt with soy or almond milk. I’ve used soy or almond milk several times when I didn’t have yogurt and they both work great.
Slightly revised June 2018
If you are curious about the brown little flying saucer in the picture, it’s a Toas-Tite sandwich, and for this soup, it’s a green chile cheese toas-tite sandwich.
For more cold soup ideas, check out this Roundup of 20+ Chilled Soups.
Thanks for this. I have been searching for a cold cucumber soup that requires sautéeing onions and cucumber. I used to have a recipe for such a soup but lost it. I really dislike the recipes that call for throwing all the ingredients in a blender–the finished product lacks the refined taste of a soup that requires a little more effort but has a much greater depth of flavor. I too like more dill–lots of it.
Your Cold Cucumber Soup sounds delicious, MJ! I like that the recipe uses a broth base and just a bit of yogurt to make it creamy. It’s also lovely that you can vary the herbs. I think this would make a beautiful starter next time I have folks round to dinner. Sharing on the Hearth and Soul Facebook page. Thank you so much for being a part of the party. Hope to ‘see’ you again this week!
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This looks so delicious and refreshing, MJ! I love this recipe and with the yogurt, it’s both healthy and delcious…thanks for sharing!
Thanks Jodee! This is a very refreshing summer soup.
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Your delicious soup is my personal pick this week at Weekend Potluck! Thanks for coming to link up, have a great weekend! 🙂
~Tonya
http://4littlefergusons.wordpress.com/2012/07/20/kansas-cornbread-salad-oven-free-weekend-potluck-27/
Oh my goodness! I love cold soup! My mom used to make a killer cold strawberry soup too. Thank you for sharing at Weekend Potluck!
~Tonya from 4 little Fergusons
I love soup and cannot believe I have never tried Cucumber soup. This looks fantastic! I’m printing as we speak. Thanks for sharing at the Weekend Potluck!
~Kim
Another delicious soup, MJ! It’s been a long time since I’ve had cucumber soup of any kind (last time was with melon and so good!) but this puts me in the mood for it again. It’s been so hot lately, this sounds really refreshing… Thanks so much for sharing with Made with Love Mondays…
I love the sound of this! Cucumber is so mild in taste, but the perfect thing to jazz up with fresh herbs and Greek yogurt (perfect choice!) Cool as a cucumber, right! Thanks for sharing this with Sunday Night Soup Night. Look forward to seeing you at Summer Sunday Salads!
I love cold soups in the summer. I have made a similar soup several times.