Cottage Cheese Cucumber Salad

This Cottage Cheese Cucumber Salad was popular at Threadgill’s Restaurant in Austin, and it’s become famous since the restaurant closed. If you love cottage cheese and cucumbers and are trying to eat plenty of protein, I bet you’ll make this over and over!

PIN the Cottage Cheese Cucumber Salad to try it later!

This new recipe for Cottage Cheese Cucumber Salad will be perfect for the hot summer days many places are having right now. Not long ago in Utah the temperature hit 109F! And you don’t want to spend much time cooking when it’s that hot, am I right?

The extra-easy salad with cucumbers, cottage cheese, green onions, and some fresh or dried herbs is so refreshing when the weather is hot. And I’m not exaggerating when I say you can mix this up in about ten minutes for a quick lunch.

This salad would also be great as a side dish for dinner. If you like these ingredients, I hope you try the Cottage Cheese Cucumber Salad right away. Keep reading for fun ideas for other things you could add to this classic salad.

What Ingredients do you Need?

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

• cucumber
• cottage cheese (preferably Good Culture Cottage Cheese)
• dried dill weed, (or use fresh parsley or fresh dill if you have it)
• Spike Seasoning (affiliate link) or similar all-purpose seasoning blend
• sliced green onions
• salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste

More about the history of this Cottage Cheese Cucumber Salad:

This internet-famous salad was created by Threadgill’s, a famous music venue and restaurant in Austin, Texas. At one time, artists like Janis Joplin got their start at Threadgill’s. The last location closed on April 20, 2020 due to Covid and declining earnings. Since then many legendary Threadgill’s recipe have become famous around the web.

What cucumbers should you use for Cottage Cheese Cucumber Salad?

I experimented with this recipe to make it easy and affordable, and ended up writing the recipe to use one European cucumber to make three servings of salad. I used a plastic-wrapped European cucumber because that type of cucumber is good any time of year, and many people buy them at Costco. But if you have fresh garden cucumbers, by all means use those. And this would also be great with the little mini-cucumbers that are especially good during the summer. If you use regular store cucumbers with a waxy skin, I would peel those completely.

What herbs did I use for this famous salad with cottage cheese and cucumbers:

I loved the original version of the salad that used fresh parsley. But I realize fresh herbs are pricey these days if you have to buy them at the grocery store. So I chose to photograph the version that used dried dill weed, because I want to emphasize you can make a very good version of this without fresh herbs. Here are the herb variations I tried, all good!

• You can make a very good version of this with 1/2 tsp. of dried dill weed, which I think many people have on hand.
• If you have fresh dill, it will be great with that; I’d use about 2 Tablespoons of chopped fresh dill.
• And of course I love parsley, so I loved the original version with chopped parsley. I used about 1/4 cup of finely chopped parsley, But use even more if you’re a parsley fan like I am.

Other things you could add to this salad:

This salad is delicious with just the minimalist ingredients shown. But I think there are some interesting possibilities if you wanted to add something more. Here are some things I thought of; please share your ideas in the comments if you come up with a winner!

• chopped fresh tomato
• chopped avocado
• chopped fresh mint
• chopped radishes
• Feta cheese
• chopped cooked shrimp

What if you don’t have Spike Seasoning?

Regular readers won’t be surprised that I added a bit of my beloved Spike Seasoning (affiliate link) in this salad. But if you don’t have Spike and don’t want to buy it, use another all-purpose seasoning blend that you like the flavor of. Or just leave it out completely!

How low in carbs is the Cottage Cheese Cucumber Salad?

This amazingly easy summer salad has only 5 net carbs in a side-dish serving, with 15 grams of protein!

How to make Cottage Cheese Cucumber Salad:

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

1. I recommend Good Culture Cottage Cheese if that’s available at your store and in the budget for you. I love this brand for the flavor, and also because it’s lower in carbs and higher in protein than other cottage cheese. But any brand you like will be great for this salad.
2. Measure out the cottage cheese.
3. Chop up enough cucumbers to make at least 2 cups. (I used European cucumbers and peeled the skin in strips. But young garden cucumbers or little mini cucumbers may not need to be peeled. )
4. Put cottage cheese, chopped cucumber, dried dill weed (or whichever fresh herbs you are using), Spike Seasoning, and sliced green onion into a bowl.
5. Stir gently until ingredients are well combined.
6. Season the Cottage Cheese Cucumber Salad to taste with salt and fresh-ground black pepper.
7. I haven’t had any leftovers to see if this will keep in the fridge, but I am guessing it’s best freshly made.

Make it for a Low-Carb Meal:

The salad with cottage cheese and cucumbers would be a great side dish for any of these main dishes:

• Rosemary Mustard Grilled Chicken
• Chicken Cutlets with Mustard Sauce
• Grilled Salmon Burgers with Caper Mayonnaise
• Baked Parmesan Crusted Chicken
• Grilled Shrimp Skewers

More Refreshing Salads with Cucumbers:

Check out Amazing Cucumber Salad Recipes to see lots more salad ideas for cucumbers. Or use the category for Cucumbers to see all the recipes on my site that include cucumbers.

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Yield: 3 servings

Cottage Cheese Cucumber Salad

Prep Time 10 minutes

Total Time 10 minutes

This extra-easy Cottage Cheese Cucumber Salad can be made with chopped fresh parsley, chopped fresh dill, or dried dill weed, whichever you prefer. And no matter which type of herbs you use, this salad is refreshing and delicious.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups cottage cheese (see notes)
• 2 cups chopped fresh cucumber
• 1/2 tsp. dried dill weed (or see amounts below for fresh herbs)
• 1/2 tsp. Spike seasoning (optional, see notes)
• 1/4 cup sliced green onions
• salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

1. I love Good Culture Cottage Cheese for this salad, but use the cottage cheese you prefer. Measure out 1 1/2 cups cottage cheese.
2. Chop up enough cucumbers to make at least 2 cups chopped cucumber, or slightly more. (I used one large European cucumber and peeled the skin in strips. Young garden cucumbers or little mini cucumbers may not need to be peeled at all. Cucumbers from the store with waxy skins should be peeled completely, and if you have mature cucumbers with large seeds, I would scrape the seeds out with a spoon.)
3. If you're using fresh herbs, chop up 2 tablespoons of fresh dill or 1/4 cup fresh parsley. You can use a bit more if you're a fan of fresh herb flavors.
4. Slice enough green onions to make 1/4 cup.
5. Put cottage cheese, chopped cucumber, whichever fresh or dried herbs you are using, Spike Seasoning (if using), and sliced green onion into a bowl.
6. Stir gently until all ingredients are well combined.
7. Season the Cottage Cheese Cucumber Salad to taste with salt and fresh-ground black pepper. (I used a generous amount of both.)
8. I haven't managed to have leftovers of this to see if it will keep in the fridge, but I am guessing it's best freshly made.

Notes

I love 4% fat Good Culture Cottage Cheese which has small curds. I love this cottage cheese that's lower in carbs and higher in protein than many brands, but use any cottage cheese you prefer for this.

I love the slight flavor boost Spike Seasoning (affiliate link) adds to so many things. You can use another all-purpose seasoning blend if you don't have Spike, or skip it completely.

This recipe was adapted from many versions of the famous Threadgill's Restaurant Cottage Cheese Cucumber Salad found around the web.

Nutrition Information

Yield

3

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 117Total Fat 4.5gSaturated Fat 3gCholesterol 15mgSodium 380mgCarbohydrates 6gFiber 1gSugar 4gProtein 15g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

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Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
This refreshing and easy salad with cottage cheese and cucumbers is perfect for low-carb or Keto diets, and for any phase of the original South Beach Diet. South Beach would prefer reduced-fat cottage cheese, while low-carb diets will prefer a higher fat version.

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Salad Recipes to see more salad ideas. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.