Arugula and Cucumber Salad with Tzatziki Dressing
on Jul 17, 2020, Updated Jun 25, 2025
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Greens and sliced vegetables get slicked with a garlicky, lemony yogurt vinaigrette salad dressing.
This recipe takes the concept of tzatziki, which is a yogurt and cucumber spread or dip, and kind of deconstructs it. The cucumber is the main veggie in the salad, and the creamy yogurt-based dressing features lemon, some dill, and a bit of shallot. It’s cool and very flavorful.
This salad was inspired by a recipe in Cooking for Good Times by Paul Kahan. It’s like a little kiss of spring or early summer. For this version I picked spicy arugula to pair with the cucumber, and I also added radishes for their delightful peppery crispness. The potatoes provide a tender and mildly flavored base to complement all of the other flavors and textures in the dish.
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This fresh, crunchy salad is perfect for pairing with a rich Filet Mignon with Parmesan Sauce, Grilled Loin Lamb Chops with Mint-Basil Pesto Sauce, or, continuing the Greek theme, with some Greek Lamb Kabobs.
What's In This Post?
Arugula and Cucumber Salad with Tzatziki Vinaigrette: Greens, potatoes, cucumbers and radishes, get slicked with a garlicky, lemony slightly creamy yogurt dressing.
Arugula and Cucumber Salad With Tzatziki Dressing Ingredients
- Baby potatoes – The sliced, boiled baby potatoes have the best creamy texture.
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Shallot
- Greek yogurt – Use plain, thick yogurt for the best texture in your vinaigrette.
- Dill – Some of the fresh herb goes in the dressing, and some gets sprinkled on top for a pretty presentation. Don’t use dried!
- Jalapeño – Remove the seeds for a milder spice level.
- Lemon juice – Brightens up the vinaigrette.
- Garlic – The garlic and yogurt combination in this dressing really brings that signature tzatziki flavor.
- Baby arugula – I think this would also be amazing with escarole or frisée, or a combo. In another direction, it would be lovely with mild delicate Bibb or Boston lettuce.
- Baby cucumbers – I like using the smaller ones, but any type will do.
- Radishes – Another type of bright, peppery, fresh crunch. Adds nice color, too!
- Black or green olives – Use your favorite kind.
How to Make Arugula and Cucumber Salad with Tzatziki Dressing
- Cook the potatoes: Boil the potatoes in salted water for a few minutes, just until tender. Let them cool.
- Make the vinaigrette dressing: Blend together the oil, shallot, yogurt, dill, jalapeño, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper in a blender or food processor.
- Combine: Add the arugula, potatoes, cucumbers, radishes, olives, and dressing to a bowl. Toss to combine. For the best presentation, throw a few extra sprigs of dill on top.
Make Ahead Tzatziki Vinaigrette
You could definitely make the dressing up to 4 days ahead of time and keep it in the fridge. You could also cook the potatoes and slice the cucumbers a day ahead and then just toss the whole thing together before serving. This would be excellent on a picnic or as a potluck offering.
This little grouping of sides below are: Roasted Cabbage Wedges, Japanese Soy Sesame Cucumber Salad, Modern Three Bean Salad, and this salad with Tzatziki Vinaigrette. They don’t really have a ton in common, other than I made them all on the same day, and so we ate them all on the same day. Behind the curtain in a food writer’s life.
What to Serve With Arugula and Cucumber Salad
More Cucumber Salad Recipes
- Creamy Cucumber Salad
- Thai Cucumber Salad
- Japanese Cucumber Salad
- Turkish Cucumber Salad
- Vietnamese Cucumber Salad
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Arugula and Cucumber Salad with Tzatziki Dressing
Equipment
Ingredients
- 6 baby potatoes (sliced)
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 small shallot
- ¼ cup plain Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup roughly chopped fresh dill (plus more for garnish)
- 1 teaspoon minced jalapeño
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 garlic clove
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
- 4 cups baby arugula
- 4 baby cucumbers (sliced)
- ½ cup thinly sliced radishes
- ½ cup halved black or green olives
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the potatoes and cook for 7 or 8 minutes, until they are just barely tender. Drain and cool.
- Meanwhile, place the oil, shallot, yogurt, dill, jalapeno, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper in a food processor or blender and process until smooth.
- In a large serving bowl, combine the arugula, potatoes, cucumbers, radishes, and olives. Drizzle over the dressing and toss to combine. Top with the chopped fresh dill.
