youryum

Smashed cucumber and peanut salad with yogurt
youryum.com/recipes/smashed-cucumber-and-peanut-salad-with-yogurt · serves 4

Cool yogurt, cold cucumber, plenty of crunch

Cool Greek yogurt makes the lemony cucumber feel creamy without taking away the peanuts or the snap.

  • Vegetarian
  • Gluten free
Maren Ashby in her kitchen, in a dark apron, looking away from the camera
By Maren Ashby · Writes and tests everything here
Published 30 July 2026
Share it Jump to recipe Send it
Smashed cucumber and peanut salad with lemon yogurt
Pin it for later
Prep
15 min
Cook
—
Total
15 min
Serves
4
Per serving
244kcal
Effort
Easy

Yogurt is a good finish for cucumber as long as it stays a finish. Stir it through the whole bowl and the salad becomes pale, wet and difficult to season. Keep it cold, season it separately, then spoon it over the top.

Peanuts bring the chew that yogurt lacks. Use full-fat Greek yogurt so it holds its shape against the dressed cucumber.

Ingredients

Makes 4 servings

Lemon yogurt

Salad

Equipment

  • Large chopping board
  • Chef's knife
  • Colander
  • Small bowl

Method

  1. Season the yogurt

    Stir the yogurt, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic and salt together. Keep it chilled while you prepare the salad.

  2. Smash and drain

    Crack the cucumbers with the flat of a knife, cut them into chunks and toss with a pinch of salt. Leave for ten minutes, drain and pat dry.

  3. Dress the cucumber

    Whisk the olive oil and vinegar in a bowl. Add the cucumber, peanuts and herbs and toss gently so the dressing reaches the broken surfaces.

    If the cucumber is still wet when it meets the lemon yogurt, drain it again. Water is not neutral here: it thins the dressing, carries the salt to the bottom of the bowl, and leaves the peanuts tasting like an afterthought. If the pieces feel soft, stop tossing. A few careful lifts with your hands are enough.

    Hands preparing lemon yogurt smashed cucumber and peanut salad during the dress the cucumber step

  4. Let it settle

    Leave the cucumber for five minutes, then taste. It should be sharp enough to stand up to the yogurt; add another drop of vinegar if it tastes dull.

  5. Spoon over the yogurt

    Spread the cold yogurt on a platter or spoon it into bowls. Pile the cucumber salad over it and finish with the remaining peanuts and herbs.

    If the cucumber is still wet when it meets the lemon yogurt, drain it again. Water is not neutral here: it thins the dressing, carries the salt to the bottom of the bowl, and leaves the peanuts tasting like an afterthought. If the pieces feel soft, stop tossing. A few careful lifts with your hands are enough.

Cucumbers peanuts herbs and ingredients for lemon yogurt smashed cucumber salad arranged on a kitchen counter
The ingredients for the lemon yogurt version, ready before the cucumber gets smashed.

Why smashed cucumber works

The yogurt is a sauce, not a marinade. Keeping it separate means the cucumber stays crunchy and the yogurt stays cool. It also lets each mouthful have a different balance of sharp, creamy and salty.

Salting the cucumber before dressing is especially important here. Watery cucumber will thin the yogurt and make the whole platter look tired.

The small failures are useful

If the finished bowl tastes dull, add acid before salt. Cucumber and peanuts can absorb more seasoning than you expect, while too much salt makes the water come out faster. A teaspoon of lemon juice or vinegar usually fixes the balance without changing the character of the lemon yogurt.

If the cucumber has gone soft, serve it colder and stop stirring it. The texture will not return, but the flavour can still be good over warm rice or beside grilled bread.

For a different meal, replace the peanuts with toasted cashews, sunflower seeds or crisp beans. Keep the same smashed-and-drained method. The dressing is flexible; the texture work is not.

One last check before it leaves the kitchen: taste a piece from the bottom of the bowl, not the top. The dressing settles there, and a salad can seem seasoned on its surface while the cucumber underneath is bland. Lift the pieces once, adjust with a small splash of acid, then stop. The lemon yogurt should be visible and distinct rather than folded into a single wet flavour.

Nutrition

Per serving, for 4 servings. Estimated from ingredient weights — it moves with the brands and cuts you actually use.

NutrientPer serving
Calories 244 kcal
Protein 6 g
Carbohydrate 14 g
Fibre 3 g
Fat 14 g

Source: Estimated from ingredient weights, USDA FoodData Central

Questions

Can I use plain natural yogurt?
Yes, but strain it if it is loose. Add the lemon and salt after straining so the flavour stays concentrated.
Can I make this dairy-free?
Use thick unsweetened plant yogurt, or leave the yogurt out and add extra lemon and peanuts.
Why did my yogurt go watery?
Usually the cucumber was not drained enough, or the yogurt was too loose. Keep the two parts separate until serving.

Filed under

Cook this next

All recipes →