Cucumber Salad with Dill and chickpeas

This cooling and refreshing Cucumber Salad with chickpeas is the perfect summer side! It includes fresh veggies and a mouth-watering homemade dill yogurt dressing. Make in less than 30 minutes and serve at BBQs, picnics or potlucks.

This salad is filled with delicious ingredients and is so easy to put together. I planted two English cucumber plants last year and let’s just say that they are taking over my garden.

In fact, I now have more giant cucumbers than I know what to do with so looking forward to seeing lots of cucumber dishes!

Now, let’s get into it. Get ready to be wowed by this quick and easy cucumber salad.

Why I love this recipe

There are so many great things about this fuss-free salad and it will soon become your go-to side dish!

• This salad dish will have you feeling as cools as a cucumber. It is great for hot summer days because it is served chilled and has a high water content due to the cucumbers.
• Make this salad in less than 30 minutes! No one wants to stand over a hot stove during the summer so this quick salad is the perfect fix!
• No need to worry about still feeling hungry after eating this salad as it includes chickpeas which are quite filling.
• All you need is a handful of ingredients to make this refreshing salad. Grab 5 veggies, seasoning and your good to go.

What you’ll need to make Cucumber Salad

• Cucumbers – Are the main ingredient in this salad and are known to be cooling and refreshing due to their high water content. Wash cucumbers well and skin them before you add them to this salad.
• Chickpeas – Are a type of legume. They are yellowish/light brown in color and have a rough circular shape. You can buy chickpeas from most supermarkets and they are usually sold readymade in a can or dried in packaging.
• Grape tomatoes – These little juicy tomatoes are halved and add a delcious burst of sweet flavor to every bite of this salad!
• Red onions – Despite the name red onions usually have a deep purple color. They are great for salads because they have a mild, sweet flavor compared to white onions.

Ingredients For Greek Yogurt Dressing:

Greek yogurt – This is the creamy base for this dressing and has a delicious tangy flavour that compliments the salad ingredients really well. This thick and creamy yogurt will help to decrease the amount of liquid in your salad.

Vinegar – Add white wine vinegar or white vinegar to the dressing for a sour flavour.

Lemon juice – A splash of lemon juice adds a burst of citric flavour to the dressing.

Garlic powder – I added garlic powder to the dressing instead of fresh garlic because it is less visible.

Dill – Is a delicious fragrant herb from the celery family. It is easy to find in supermarkets and will add fresh flavours to this light and creamy cucumber salad.

Salt and pepper – Add salt and pepper to taste to enhance the flavours of this Greek yogurt cucumber salad.

How to Make Cucumber Chickpea Salad

1. Start by preparing the veggies. Skin the cucumbers and chop them into bite-sized pieces as shown, chop grape tomatoes in half and slice red onions thinly. Once you have finished preparing the salad ingredients add them to a bowl.
2. Next, remove chickpeas from a can, give them a good rinse, shake off excess water or pat them dry using a paper towel and add them to the veggie bowl.

3. Grab a small bowl, and add Greek yogurt, vinegar, lemon juice, garlic powder, salt, pepper and dill. Whisk until well combined. Taste the dressing and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
4. Finally, pour the dressing over the salad and toss the ingredients until they are evenly coated in the dressing. Cover the salad with a lid or plastic wrap, refrigerate and serve cold.

Making Cucumber Salad ahead of time

One thing I love about this salad is that it can be made ahead of time. To do so you will need to brine the cucumbers in saltwater to firm them up and remove excess water.

Pour about 3 cups of water into a saucepan and add 1 tablespoon of salt. Heat the mixture on the stove and stir until the salt dissolves. Then add washed and chopped cucumbers to a jar. The cucumbers should be cold. Pour brine into the jar and make sure the cucumbers are fully submerged. Leave cucumbers to sit in salted water for at least 30 minutes, drain excess water and prepare cucumber salad.

how long does cucumber salad last?

This simple cucumber salad is best eaten fresh however, it can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

How do I keep the cucumbers from getting watery?

Cucumbers sometimes get watery after they have been left to sit but, this can be prevented in many different ways. One way to do so is by removing the seeds from the cucumbers as they contain the most liquid. Alternatively, you can use seedless Lebanese cucumbers or English cucumbers as they have smaller seeds.

Storage

Store this cucumber salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. Any longer and the cucumbers may start to get slimy.

This recipe is not to be frozen.

Some Other Great Cucumber Recipes:

• Asian Cucumber Salad
• Cucumber Caprese Salad
• Frozen Cucumber Mojito
• Cucumber Peach Salsa
• Homemade Tzatziki Sauce