The summer is here, once again. It is hear earlier than usual and much warmer as well. We’ve just started April and the weather department has been telling us it’s about 5 to 6 degrees C hotter than it should be. I don’t have to tell you that the kitchen isn’t my favourite place right now. This is when meals like this Chilled Cucumber Yogurt Soup are a saviour. It’s just the thing for a hot summer day.
When I think of soups, I think of cooking, blending, and cooking some more. That‘s definitely what I don’t want to be doing right now, not until two months down the road. So this Chilled Cucumber Yogurt Soup ticks all the boxes. There’s no cooking, just some blending and the soup is ready. It’s made with cucumbers, yogurt and mint so it’s cooling. The yogurt makes the soup creamy but light as well. What more could one want from a summer soup?
You could make this with any cucumber really, but choose a variety that doesn’t have too many seeds. I find English cucumbers work the best for this recipe. If you use English cucumbers, you don’t need to peel them. They’re sweeter too. If using other cucumbers, peel the cucumbers thin so that you lose only the peel and not much of the flesh. You can adjust all the seasonings to your taste.
This soup should be lightly salted and peppered with a hint of sweet and tang. You can thin it down some more with chilled water, adjust for taste and serve this soup as summer cooler as well.

Chilled Cucumber Yogurt Soup
Ingredients
- 4 English cucumbers peeled and deseeded
- 1/2 tsp garlic paste
- 8 to 10 mint leaves
- 1 1/2 cups plain thick yogurt
- 1 tbsp fresh lime juice or to taste
- 2 tbsp honey
- 3/4 cup water
- Salt to taste
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- sprigs of fresh mint to garnish
- 4 tbsp finely chopped onion for garnish
- 3 tbsp broken and toasted walnuts for garnish
Instructions
- Cut the cucumbers in chunks. Blend together the cucumber chunks, garlic paste, mint leaves, yogurt, lime juice, and honey till smooth. Add the water and blend again.
- Season with salt, pepper and a little more lime juice if necessary. Chill until ready to serve. Stir well before serving, and ladle into bowls. Garnish with a little finely chopped onion, walnuts and a sprig of mint. Serve with crisp plain or herbed flatbreads.
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