This refreshing Cream of Cucumber Salad is served chilled with chickpeas, fresh herbs, and a tangy tzatziki dressing. I perfectly paired with warm, crispy pita croutons for a light yet satisfying bite.
It’s a Creamy Salad!?
It’s hard not to love a classic tzatziki, fresh cucumbers and pita combination! This one specifically is a salad topped with pita bread croutons (and they’re incredible!!). My husband actually came up with the pita crouton idea. I told him I wanted a heartier protein no lettuce salad (similar to my Lemony Cannellini Bean Salad or my Meal Prep Cobb) and he suggested topping it with some crunch.
This Cream of Cucumber Salad is full of fresh flavors and a variety of textures. Exactly what a salad should be, as I will not subscribe to the belief that salads are boring!!
The creamy dressing has the perfect tang thanks to the plain greek yogurt and fresh lemon juice, brightened with fresh dill weed and crisp cucumbers creating the perfect salad. This delicious salad is a perfect summer side dish and makes for a fresh addition to a summer BBQ.
I’m a big fan of greek flavors: My Dill Feta Dip, Mediterranean Chicken Wrap, Mediterranean Chopped Salad, are all favorites of mine and I’m excited to add this delicious Cucumber salad to the line up.
Recipe Ingredients
- Cucumbers – I like to use mini cucumbers or english cucumbers which have thin skin and you can eat the whole thing. Regular summer cucumbers (typical fresh garden cucumbers) have a thicker skin and larger seeds, which aren’t ideal for this creamy cucumber salad recipe.
- Chickpeas – Drained and rinsed. If you’d like, you can air fry these with the pita.
- Fresh Dill and Green Onion – For extra freshness.
- Cheese – I used feta to keep on theme with greek flavors.
- Tzatziki – Homemade with greek yogurt, olive oil, dill, lemon juice, red onion and honey.
- Pita – Air fried to create pita croutons.
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions and Variations
- Instead of crisping the pita, air fry the chickpeas instead!
- Incorporate more veggies: Add diced cherry tomatoes, beets, or red or sweet onions. Slice some celery or bell peppers for extra crunch.
- Dressing: Instead of the tzatziki, use ranch dressing or a vinaigrette with either apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar.
How to Make This Recipe
1. Cut the cucumbers first and add a heavy pinch of kosher salt. This will drain excess moisture from the sliced cucumbers.
2. Preheat an air fryer. Use a pizza cutter to cut the pita bread into small squares.
3. In a large bowl, add avocado oil and swirl around the sides. Toss the pita squares into the bowl and use your hands to mix. Once oiled, season with seasoned salt and greek seasoning. Air fry the pita squares for 3-5 minutes until all are golden brown and crunchy! **cooking time will vary so keep a close eye on them.
4. While the pita croutons fry, make the tzatziki. Combine everything in a bowl and whisk together until smooth. Taste and see if it needs tweaking**adjust sweetness/acidity according to personal preference. I thought these ratios were perfect.
5. Add the chickpeas, salted cucumbers, fresh dill and green onions to the bowl. Toss until everything is coated in tzatziki.
6. Garnish the creamy cucumbers with crumbled feta cheese and pita croutons. Serve by the scoop, over a bed of rice or greens, with a protein (grilled chicken or steak is wonderful)! Enjoy cold.
PRO TIPS
You must use avocado oil for air frying the pita bread as it has a higher smoke point than olive oil and will create the perfect crunch croutons without letting them get burnt.
Fun Idea
Instead of serving with the pita croutons, enjoy IN a pita.
Recipe FAQs
Store this creamy cucumber dill salad in an airtight container and the pita croutons in a sealed baggie. The dressed salad will last ~3 days. You can get up to 5 days worth of storage if you keep the tzatziki separate from the salad ingredients.
Salting your cucumbers will draw out the excess liquid`1 from the veggie. When cut cucumbers sit for an extended period they’ll naturally lose some of their water. If you’re storing your salad whether that be for meal prep or you have leftovers, salting the cucumbers before will help avoid a soggy salad.
If you prefer a more mild dressing incorporate up to one tablespoon of honey into the dressing. If you like tangy salad dressings skip the honey and/or add a splash of red or white vinegar.
Serving suggestions
- Massaged kale would be an excellent addition to this salad if you need to extend the salad and serve more people!
- Pair with simple Ninja Foodi Grilled Chicken for a well-rounded meal.
- This would be TASTY as a topping on these Mediterranean Sweet Potatoes.
More Recipes You’ll Love
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Cream of Cucumber Salad
Equipment
- knife and cutting board
- Large mixing bowl
- Tongs
- Air fryer
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Whisk
Ingredients
Salad
- 6 mini cucumbers, quartered length wise then diced
- 15 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- ½ cup fresh dill, finely chopped
- 2 stalks green onion, diced
- 1/2 tsp cracked pepper
- 4 oz crumbled feta cheese
- Balsamic glaze, optional topping
Tzatziki Dressing
- 2/3 cup Greek yogurt
- 3 tablespoons Olive oil
- 2 tablespoons Fresh dill, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp Red onion, finely diced or grated
- 1/2 Lemon, juice
- ½ tablespoon honey
Pita Croutons
- 2 pita breads
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 2 teaspoons seasoned salt
- 3 teaspoons Greek seasoning
Instructions
- Optional prep: Cut the cucumbers first and add a heavy pinch of kosher salt. This will drain excess moisture from the sliced cucumbers and allow the salad to keep for longer.
- Preheat an air fryer. Use a pizza cutter to cut the pita bread into small squares.
- In a large bowl, add avocado oil and swirl around the sides. Toss the pita squares into the bowl and use your hands to mix. Once oiled, season with seasoned salt and greek seasoning. Air fry the pita squares for 3-5 minutes until all are golden brown and crunchy! **cooking time will vary so keep a close eye on them.
- While the pita croutons fry, make the tzatziki. Combine everything in a bowl and whisk together until smooth. Taste and see if it needs tweaking**adjust sweetness/acidity according to personal preference. I thought these ratios were perfect.
- Add the chickpeas, salted cucumbers, fresh dill and green onions to the bowl. Toss until everything is coated in tzatziki.
- Garnish the creamy cucumbers with crumbled feta cheese and pita croutons. Serve by the scoop, over a bed of rice or greens, with a protein (grilled chicken or steak is wonderful)! Enjoy cold.
Nutrition
Notes
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If you’re using MyFitnessPal, search ‘A Paige Of Positivity’ and find Cream of Cucumber Salad calories and nutrition facts. Disclaimer: for most accurate macronutrients and caloric breakdown, it is recommended that you input each ingredient into your MyFitnessPal food diary.
I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. It’s my passion to create dishes that can be shared with others. Tell me something you loved or just say hi!
the pita croutons are GENIUS! way better than store bought pita chips, too.
added some grilled chicken on top and it reminded me of CAVA. YURMY
Crunchy and fresh