Tarator Soup (Chilled Cucumber Yogurt Soup)

Tarator Soup is a chilled soup made with cucumbers and yogurt that’s refreshing, delicious, and perfect when it’s too hot to cook! And this traditional cold soup is easy to make and such a treat for a summer meal; see links in this post for more amazing cold soup recipes!

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This Tarator Soup recipe was inspired by the extreme high temperatures this summer, all over the world. And if you’re having extra hot weather right now, it’s a perfect time to make delicious chilled cucumber yogurt soup! I became a convert to the idea of cold soup when I made Gazpacho, and I was amazed at how delicious and refreshing it was.

The chilled soup called Tarator is popular in a few different parts of the world. And if you google the word Tarator, you’ll see it usually means a Bulgarian or Balkan soup or a Lebanese garlic sauce. Don’t get confused by two completely different foods with the exact same name!

My version of this chilled cucumber yogurt soup was adapted from a recipe in Zahav: A World of Israeli Cooking (affiliate link). That’s a cookbook from the world-famous middle eastern restaurant that’s been at the top of my must-eat-there list for years. And to me this soup also has a lot of middle eastern vibes.

I was flipping through the book on a day when the temperature in Salt Lake was nearly 100F, so cold soup seemed like a brilliant idea. We loved the Tarator Soup when we tested the recipe! And my friend Virginia who stopped by to sample things we were testing that day also gave it a thumbs up! I hope you try it some time when it’s too hot to cook where you live!

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.)

• Greek Yogurt (I used Fage 5% milkfat Greek yogurt)
• fresh-squeezed lemon juice; I used my fresh-frozen lemon juic
• small cucumbers or mini cucumbers
• chopped toasted walnuts
• chopped fresh herbs
• minced fresh garlic (or more)
• extra virgin Olive Oil (affiliate link)
• half and half, heavy cream, milk, or buttermilk
• water 
• salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste

Tips for making Tarator Soup:

The recipe has chopped cucumbers, chopped fresh herbs, chopped walnuts, lemon juice, finely-minced fresh garlic, and olive oil. Those ingredients are all mixed together to create a chunky yogurt soup with an interesting blend of flavors. Read the recipe. and see if any of those ingredients sound like the amount is more than you prefer. If they do, I’d to start with a smaller amount, then taste and and adjust until the soup has a blend of flavors you enjoy.

What can you use to thin the Tarator Soup?

This is a thick and chunky soup, but you’ll want to thin it a bit. We used water with half and half to make a rich and creamy soup. You can even use heavy cream for Keto if you prefer. But if you don’t want a soup with that much fat I think it will still be delicious thinned with regular milk (or even buttermilk for a soup that’s a bit more tangy in flavor.)

How long will Tarator Soup keep in the fridge:

The day we tested this recipe we ate quite a bit of it and I gave some to my friend who stopped by. But I did have some left0vers that I refrigerated over night, and it was still great the next day. I am guessing it would might last one more day, but not longer than that. I did notice the garlic flavor was slightly more pronounced when the soup had been refrigerated overnight.

Some possible variations for this chilled cucumber yogurt soup:

The way my creative cooking brain works is that as soon as I try a delicious new recipe like this, I start thinking of possible variations. That happens even when the recipe is adapted from a famous cookbook; I just can’t help myself. So if you wanted to make a slightly different version of this soup I think diced avocado, finely diced cooked shrimp, or even a small amount of crumbled Feta Cheese or Mexican Cotija cheese would all make interesting additions. And I definitely wouldn’t mind a bit of Ground Sumac (affiliate link) sprinkled on the finished soup!

How low in carbs is the Tarator Chilled Soup?

This flavorful and refreshing cold soup only has 6 net carbs per serving, with 10 grams of protein!

How to Make Tarator (Chilled Cucumber Yogurt Soup)

(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. Chop cucumbers, about 1/2 inch square. 
2. Chop up fresh herbs.
3. Finely mince fresh garlic.
4. Measure out two cups of 5% milkfat Greek Yogurt.
5. Toast walnuts in a dry frying pan for about 2 minutes, then chop.
6. Set aside a small amount of cucumbers, chopped herbs, chopped walnuts, and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil (for garnish).
7. In mixing bowl combine the cucumber, chopped herbs, minced garlic, chopped walnuts, with salt and pepper to taste.
8. Mix in Greek yogurt, lemon juice, one-fourth cup of the olive oil, and half and half (or dairy product of your choice.)
9. Stir to combine, and then thin with water until it’s as thick as you prefer.
10. Taste to see if you want more salt or freshly ground black pepper.
11. If your ingredients were cold  you may not need to chill the soup before eating, but chill for a few hours if needed.
12. Serve cold, topped with chopped cucumber, chopped walnuts, chopped fresh herbs, and a drizzle of olive oil.
13. The Tarator Soup kept well overnight in the fridge but I doubt it would last longer than two days.

Make it for a Low-Carb Meal:

Tarator Soup would be an amazing first course for any low-carb summer meal, and it would be great with any of these main dishes:

• Kalyn’s Souvlaki
• Grilled Chicken Thighs Recipe
• Kabob Koobideh (Persian Ground Beef Kabobs)
• Grilled Tarragon Mustard Chicken
• Grilled fish with Lemon and Capers

More Amazing Chilled Soups to Try: 

If you like the idea of easy-to-make cold soup for dinner when it’s too hot to cook, you might enjoy my Gazpacho with Red and Yellow Tomatoes or Green Tomato Gazpacho!

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Yield: 6 servings

Tarator (Chilled Cucumber Yogurt Soup)

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 2 minutes

Additional Time 2 hours

Total Time 2 hours 17 minutes

Tarator is a chilled cucumber yogurt soup thats so cool and refreshing on a hot summer day. And this soup is loaded with flavor from Greek yogurt, lemon juice, cucumbersk walnuts, fresh mint, fresh parsley, fresh dill, olive oil, half and half, salt, and pepper

Ingredients

• 2 cups Greek Yogurt (see notes)
• 3 tablespoons fresh-squeezed lemon juice (see notes)
• 2 cups chopped small or mini cucumbers
• 1/2 cup chopped toasted walnuts
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh herbs (see notes)
• 1 T minced fresh garlic (or more)
• 1/4 cup + 2 T extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup half and half (see notes)
• 1/4 cup water (as needed)
• salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Chop enough small garden cucumber or small mini cucumbers to make 2 cups of chopped cucumbers, about 1/2 inch square. If your cucumbers are small or fresh from the garden you don't need to peel them, but if you have to buy larger cucumbers from the store I would cut off all or most of the peel.
2. Chop up a generous 1/2 cup of fresh mint, parsley, and dill. We used a combination of all three of those herbs, but use what you have.
3. Finely mince about 1 tablespoon fresh garlic, more or less to taste.
4. Measure out two cups of 5% milk-fat Greek Yogurt
5. Toast walnuts in a dry frying pan for about 2 minutes, then chop.
6. Set aside a small amount of the cucumbers, chopped herbs, and chopped walnuts, and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil (for garnish).
7. In a large glass or plastic mixing bowl combine the cucumber, chopped herbs, minced garlic, chopped walnuts, with salt and pepper to taste.
8. Mix in the Greek yogurt, lemon juice, one-fourth cup of the olive oil, and the half and half (or dairy product of your choice.)
9. Stir to combine, and then thin with water until it's as thick as you prefer. (We used the full one-fourth cup of water.)
10. Taste soup to see if you want more salt or freshly ground black pepper.
11. If your ingredients were cold from the fridge you may not need to chill the soup eating it, but chill for 1-2 hours if it's not that cold.
12. Serve soup cold, topped with the reserved chopped cucumber, chopped walnuts, chopped fresh herbs, and a drizzle of olive oil
13. The Tarator Soup kept well overnight in the fridge but I doubt it would last longer than two days.

Notes

I used Greek Yogurt with 5% milkfat for this recipe. I used my fresh-frozen lemon juice.

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

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 I spotted in Zahav: A World of Israeli Cooking (affiliate link).

Nutrition Information

Yield

6

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 174Total Fat 13gSaturated Fat 3gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 9gCholesterol 11mgSodium 138mgCarbohydrates 7gFiber 1gSugar 4gProtein 10g

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 tasty Tarator Soup is perfect for low-carb or Keto diet plans. The higher-fat yogurt, half and half, and generous amount of olive oil would make it high in fat for the original South Beach Diet, but if you’re strictly following South Beach you can make a pretty delicious version using fat-free yogurt, milk or buttermilk, and maybe a bit less olive oil.

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Soup Recipes to find more recipes like this one. 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.

Historical Notes for this Recipe:
The Tarator Soup recipe was first posted in 2023 when Salt Lake was having an extra hot summer! In the spring of 2026 I went to Bulgaria and some other Balkan countries, where I tried and enjoyed a few versions of this soup! The recipe was last updated with more information in 2026.