Tarator Soup (Chilled Cucumber Yogurt Soup) – Kalyn's Kitchen

When it’s just too hot to cook, this low-carb cucumber-yoghurt soup called Tarator is refreshing, flavorful, and ready in minutes. See the links in this post for 10 other amazing cold soup recipes that are also low in carbs!

Pin this Tarator Soup Recipe to try it later!

Anyone who watches the news has heard that this summer’s extremely high temperatures are all over the world. And if your part of the world is experiencing extremely hot weather right now, now is the perfect time to make some chilled soup!

I turned to the cold soup idea a few years ago when I made gazpacho, and was amazed at how delicious and refreshing it was. The chilled soup called Tarator that I am sharing with you today is something that is popular in a few different parts of the world. And if you google the word Tarator, you’ll see that it can refer to Bulgarian soup or Lebanese garlic sauce, two completely different foods with the exact same name!

My version of Chilled Cucumber Yogurt Soup is modified from a recipe I found Zahav: The World of Israeli Cooking (referral link), cookbook from A world famous middle eastern restaurant It’s been at the top of the list of must-eat foods out there for a few years now. And for me, this soup definitely has a lot of Middle Eastern vibes in it.

I was flipping through the book on a day when the temperature in Salt Lake was about 100 F, so it’s no wonder cold soup seemed like a great idea. We loved it when we tested the recipe, and my friend Virginia who stopped by to try things we were testing that day made it too!

What ingredients do you need?

(This is a list of ingredients only; please scroll down for the full printable recipe. OR if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the full recipe.)

Greek yogurt (I used 5% milk fat Greek yogurt)
Fresh lemon juice I used Fresh and frozen lemon juice
Small cucumber or small cucumber
Chopped roasted walnuts
Chopped fresh herbs
minced fresh garlic (or more)
maiden olive oil (affiliate link)
half-and-half, heavy cream, milk, or buttermilk
water
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Tips for making tarator soup:

Chunky yogurt soup with chopped cucumbers, shredded fresh herbs, chopped walnuts, lemon juice, finely chopped fresh garlic, and olive oil blended together to create an interesting mix of flavors in a soup diluted with half-and-half (or a dairy drink of your choice) and water. As you read the recipe, if any of these ingredients seem like the amounts are more than you might prefer, I urge you to start with a smaller amount, then taste and adjust until the soup has the flavor combinations you like best.

What can you use to reduce tarator soup?

This is a thick, chunky soup, but you’ll want to thin it out a bit. We used some water with half-and-half to make a rich, creamy soup, and you can even use heavy cream on keto if you prefer. But if you don’t want a soup that much fat, I think it would still be delicious with plain milk (or even buttermilk for a slightly tastier soup).

How long will Tarator Soup keep in the fridge:

The day we tested this recipe we ate a few and gave some to my friend who stopped by. But I only had a little left over which I refrigerated overnight, and it was still great the next day. I suspect it will probably last another day, but probably no more than that. I noticed that the garlic flavor was a bit more pronounced when the soup was refrigerated overnight.

Some variations on the chilled cucumber yogurt soup?

The way my creative cooking brain works is that as soon as I try a delicious new recipe like this one, I start thinking about possible variations. This happens even when the recipe is adapted from a popular cookbook; I just can’t help myself. So if you want to make a slightly different version of this soup, I think diced avocado, hard-cooked shrimp, or even a small amount of crumbled feta or Mexican cotija cheese would all make interesting additions. And I certainly don’t mind a bit ground sumac (affiliate link) Sprinkle it on the finished soup!

How to Make Tarator (Cucumber Soup with Chilled Yoghurt)

(This is just a summary of the recipe steps; please scroll down for the full printable recipe. OR if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, you will be taken directly to the full recipe.)

Chop the cucumber, about 1/2 inch square.
Chop fresh herbs.
Finely chop fresh garlic.
Measure out 2 cups of 5% Greek yogurt.
Toast the walnuts in a dry frying pan for 2 minutes, then chop them.
Set aside a small amount of the cucumber, chopped herbs, chopped walnuts, and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil (for garnish).
In a mixing bowl, combine the cucumbers, chopped herbs, chopped garlic, chopped walnuts, and salt and pepper to taste.
Mix together Greek yogurt, lemon juice, 1/4 cup olive oil, and half-and-half (or a dairy product of your choice).
Stir until blended, then dilute with water until it’s as thick as you prefer.
Taste to see if you want more salt or freshly ground black pepper.
If your ingredients are cold, you may not need to refrigerate the soup before eating, but it should refrigerate for a few hours if necessary.
Serve cold, topped with chopped cucumber, chopped walnuts, chopped fresh herbs, and a little olive oil.
This kept well overnight in the fridge but I doubt it will last more than 2 days.

Ten other low-carb chilled soups:

ingredients

2 cups Greek yogurt (see notes)
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (see notes)
2 cups small or small cucumber, chopped
1/2 cup chopped roasted cashews
1/2 cup chopped fresh herbs (see notes)
1 tb fresh garlic, minced (or more)
1/4 cup + 2 tons of extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup and a half (see notes)
1/4 cup water (as needed)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

directions

Chop enough small garden cucumbers or baby cucumbers to make 2 cups chopped cucumbers, about 1/2 inch square. If your cucumbers are young or fresh from the garden, you don’t need to peel them, but if you have to buy larger ones from the store, I’d cut all or most of the skin off.
Chop 1/2 cup each of fresh mint, parsley, and dill. We used a combination of these three herbs, but use what you have on hand.
Minced about 1 tablespoon fresh garlic, more or less to taste.
Measure out 2 cups of 5% milk fat Greek yogurt
Toast the walnuts in a dry frying pan for 2 minutes, then chop them.
Set aside a small amount of the cucumber, chopped herbs, chopped walnuts, and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil (for garnish).
In a large glass or plastic bowl, combine the cucumbers, chopped herbs, minced garlic, chopped walnuts, and salt and pepper to taste.
Mix together Greek yogurt, lemon juice, 1/4 cup olive oil, and half-and-half (or the dairy product of your choice).
Stir until blended, then dilute with water until it’s as thick as you prefer. (We used a full 1/4 cup of water).
Taste the soup to see if you want more salt or freshly ground black pepper.
If your ingredients are cold from the fridge, you may not need to refrigerate the soup while you’re making it, but refrigerate for 1-2 hours if it’s not cold.
Serve the soup cold, topped with chopped cucumber, chopped walnuts, fresh herbs, and a little olive oil
This kept well overnight in the fridge but I doubt it will last more than 2 days.

notes

I used Greek yogurt with 5% milk fat for this recipe. I have used Fresh and frozen lemon juice.

We used chopped mint, parsley, and dill for the soup, but if you don’t have all of those, use 1/2 cup (chopped) of the herbs you have on hand.

Use half-and-half, heavy cream, milk, or buttermilk to thin the soup, whichever you prefer or have on hand.

Recipe adapted by Kalyn and Kara from a recipe for Tarator soup that I spotted Zahav: The World of Israeli Cooking (referral link).

Nutrition information:

fruit:

Serving size:

1

Amount per service:
Calories: 174Total fat: 13 gramsSaturated fat: 3 gramsUnsaturated fats: 0 gramsUnsaturated fats: 9 gramsCholesterol: 11 mgsodium: 138 mgcarbohydrates: 7 gramsFiber: 1 gramsugar: 4 gramsprotein: 10 grams

Nutrition info is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I’m using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, as many variables affect these calculations.

Low Carb Diet / Low Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
This delicious tarator soup is perfect for low-carb or keto diet plans. High-fat yogurt, half-and-half, and a generous amount of olive oil make it quite the fat in the original South Beach diet, but I bet if you follow South Beach strictly, you can make a pretty tasty version using fat-free yogurt, milk or buttermilk, and maybe a little olive oil.

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Uses Soup recipes To find more recipes like this. Use the Diet type indicator To find recipes suitable for a particular food plan. You may also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on PinterestAnd in FacebookAnd on instagramAnd on TikTokor on YouTube See all the good recipes I share there.