Cucumber Yogurt Sauce (Khyar Bi Laban)

Name: Cucumber Yogurt Sauce (Khyar Bi Laban)
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Lebanese
Ingredients: 1 quart full-fat unsweetened yogurt; 3 Persian cucumbers; 2 fresh mint sprigs; 2 tbsp dried mint; 4 garlic cloves; Salt to taste

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This Lebanese cucumber yogurt sauce, also known as khyar bi laban, is a refreshing yogurt salad made with mint, yogurt, fresh garlic, and cucumber. It's my favorite side dish for grilled kafta, stuffed cabbage leaves, fried kibbeh, kibbeh bil sanieh, and chicken biryani rice.

There are two secrets to making this recipe perfect: use freshly mashed garlic and use both dried and fresh mint. After making this Lebanese cucumber yogurt sauce at least a hundred times over the years, it's perfect.

cucumber mint yogurt with fresh mint and dried mint

What I Love About This Sauce

This cucumber yogurt sauce reminds me a little bit of tzatziki sauce, just not as thick. But what truly sets this yogurt sauce apart from all others is the combination of crunchy cucumbers, tangy mashed garlic, and refreshing fresh mint leaves. I have to make this sauce any time there's kafta, kibbeh, or biryani rice.

Ingredient Notes

ingredients needed to make cucumber mint yogurt

Fresh mint and dried mint: I recommend using both types of mint for this cucumber mint yogurt. Dried mint has a different flavor profile than fresh mint and both complement this yogurt extremely well.
Persian mini cucumbers: An alternative to Persian cucumbers is an English cucumber. I strongly suggest using either Persian or English cucumbers because they are crispy and less watery. Also, you do not have to remove the peel.
Fresh garlic cloves: The garlic must be mashed with a mortar and pestle to make this right. The garlic needs to be completely mashed so it mixes into the yogurt well. If the garlic is chunky, the yogurt sauce will have chunky pieces of garlic.
Yogurt: Use unsweetened plain yogurt. If you'd like a thicker sauce, you can use Greek yogurt or labneh.

How To Make Cucumber Mint Yogurt

Using a mortar and pestle, mash the whole garlic cloves and salt together. Mash the garlic cloves very finely.

garlic cloves and salt in a mortar and pestle

mash the garlic with a mortar and pestle

Chop the cucumbers finely. Remove the fresh mint leaves and chop finely. Add the yogurt, dried mint leaves, fresh mint leaves, chopped cucumbers, and mashed garlic into the same bowl.

chop the Persian cucumbers into small chunks

Add all of the ingredients together in a bowl

Mix the yogurt together. Salt the the cucumber mint yogurt as desired.

Mix the cucumber mint yogurt with the mashed garlic

the cucumber mint yogurt in a large bowl

Tips and Tricks

Use Persian cucumbers. Regular cucumbers are too watery to use for this recipe. The best cucumbers to use are either Persian cucumbers (baby cucumbers) or English cucumbers.
Use high-quality plain yogurt. I prefer to make this sauce with homemade yogurt, which can be found in this labneh recipe.

cucumber mint yogurt in a bowl with fresh mint and dried mint

Variation Notes

If using Greek yogurt or labneh in lieu of plain yogurt, chop the cucumbers very finely. Because the Greek yogurt and labneh are stronger in flavor and taste, reduce the quantity of labneh or Greek yogurt by half. Add a little bit of water if desiring a thinner consistency.

FAQs

Is Lebanese cucumber yogurt like tzatziki?

Yes, both cucumber yogurt sauces use herbs, yogurt, and cucumbers. Greek tzatziki uses Greek yogurt and dill whereas Lebanese cucumber yogurt uses plain yogurt and mint.

Can this be made fat-free?

Yes. Substitute fat-free yogurt for full-fat yogurt.

What goes with cucumber yogurt sauce?

Fried kibbeh, baked kibbeh bil sanieh, chicken biryani rice, stuffed cabbage leaves, and grilled kafta.

How to store?

Store in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.

Pairings With Cucumber Yogurt

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