I first tasted cucumber soup at a college friend’s bridal shower. It was delicious, flavorful, and refreshing. At first glance, I thought it was vichyssoise, which my mom would occasionally make. Thank goodness I liked it because my tastebuds quickly decided there were no potatoes in it! Today I’m sharing my spin on cucumber soup, perfect for those full-on and slipping away summer days.
What I Love About Cucumbers
First of all, cucumbers are so versatile. You can add slices to glasses of water as an alternative to lemons, they are delicious in tzatziki and make the perfect summer salad mixed in with some fresh cherry tomatoes and feta cheese or fresh mozzarella and basil. Or you can use them to make homemade pickles in 5 minutes.
You know how animals blend in with their surroundings using nature as the perfect camouflage? The same can be said for cucumbers. My cucumber vines are plentiful but it can take a good ten minutes rooting around all those vines and leaves to find them. It doesn’t help that my cucumbers share a trellis with my sprawling delicata squash. That makes it a true hide and seek adventure.
For this cucumber soup recipe, you will need 1 1/2 pounds of cucumbers. A food scale comes in handy for weighing, but 2 large ones should get you there. I used 3 medium. For the creaminess of this cucumber soup, we’ll be adding buttermilk. For additional creaminess, you can additionally add 1/4 cup of Greek yogurt or sour cream. Onion and a bit of pepper give it some zest and dill and apple cider vinegar gives it zing. Best of all, the only appliance you’ll need is a blender.
Cucumber Soup Preparation
- Wash and dry the cucumbers. You won’t want to peel a wet and slippery cucumber, trust me!
- Cut off their ends.
- Holding the cucumber vertically, use a peeler and a downward stroke to remove the skin. (see recipe notes at the end of this post)
- Once peeled, halve the cucumber vertically.
- Run a spoon down the middle with the curved part of the spoon facing out to remove the seeds.
- Rough-chop the cucumbers.
Cucumber Soup Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds cucumbers
- 2 tablespoons chopped onion (yellow or white)
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt or sour cream (optional)
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Pinch of black pepper to taste
Add all ingredients to a blender and puree until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to eat and serve chilled. Enjoy!
Watch the Video!
Cool As a Cucumber Soup
This chilled cucumber soup is light, bright and refreshing. It's a delicious way to celebrate the flavors of summer.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds cucumbers
- 2 tablespoons chopped onion (yellow or white)
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt or sour cream, (optional)
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Pinch of black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Peel and seed the cucumbers and give them a rough chop.
- Add all ingredients to a blender and puree until smooth, about 30 seconds to one minute.
- Adjust seasoning to taste.
- Chill until ready to serve.
Notes
Peeling cucumbers takes a little time. If you forgot to peel them and they're already chopped or if you're in a hurry, don't panic. You can skip this step. Your soup texture will have bits of crunch, but it will still be delicious. I've done this before so you can take my word for it!
I always make my recipes low fat so I used low-fat buttermilk. Regular buttermilk is fine; it will just have a richer taste.
If you don't have apple cider vinegar, white vinegar may be substituted.
I hope you enjoyed this recipe. There are a few more chilled soups in my series to come before summer’s end.
Leave a Reply