Raise your hand if you love pickles! I love pickles so much that in middle school a friend and I declared (unfortunately I can’t remember exactly which day) a certain day, National Pickle Day. Since I can’t quite remember which day that was, I make sure to eat pickles all the time.
I always think of pickles as being a low fat, healthy snack, but most store bought pickles can have a ton of sodium in them. For that reason, a few years ago I decided to make my own pickles. Aside from all the cucumber scrubbing, they were really easy to make and much better than any store bought pickle I had ever tasted.
I just planted some pickling cucumbers in my garden, so (fingers crossed that the neighborhood cat doesn’t dig them up) hopefully in a few months I’ll be working on another batch of homemade pickles!
My love of pickles brings me to this recipe. I took two components from other recipes that I had read about and put them together in this one dish, and if you are a pickle fan, like me, you will love it!
A few years ago, I was watching the Food Network and Anne Burrell was making lamb burgers with pickled feta. I’m not a lamb eater, but I have not been able to stop thinking about the idea of pickled feta ever since. For some reason it just makes perfect sense to me. When I looked up the recipe, there were like 100 ingredients in it, most of which I didn’t already have on hand in my kitchen. I remembered a friend telling me about this awesome salad from Smitten Kitchen, and he said that the pickled onions were to die for. Deb’s pickling recipe sounded really easy and delicious, and it worked really well with the feta.
The other component of this dish is the grilled cucumbers. Up until a few days ago, I had only ever eaten cucumbers in their raw form. And, honestly, when I opened up my copy of Food & Wine magazine a few weeks ago and saw this grilled cucumber recipe, I might have turned my nose up a little. Then, a few days went by and I still couldn’t stop thinking about it, so I made it and now I’m kinda obsessed with them.
The grilled cucumbers marinated in vinegar go so well with the pickled feta dip, it is kinda like pickles on pickles and who doesn’t like that? The pickled feta dip is my new addiction and when the cucumbers were all gone, I found myself scouring the kitchen looking for other foods that I could dip into it. And, let me tell you, it is good on everything! My new motto is: “We can pickle dip that”, (any Portlandia fans out there?!) Also, who doesn’t love baby vegetables?
Grilled Cucumbers with Creamy Pickled Feta Dip
Ingredients
Grilled Cucumbers:
- About 10 baby or kirby cucumbers
- 1/3 Cup red wine vinegar
- 1/3 Cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 1 pinch of salt
Pickled Feta Dip:
- 6 oz plain greek non-fat yogurt, or 1 small container
- 1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
- 1 small clove garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon chopped dill
- 1/3 cup distilled white vinegar, or white wine vinegar
- 1/3 cup water
- 1 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- A little less than 1 tablespoon salt
Instructions
Pickled Feta Dip:
- In a jar or small bowl, combine the vinegar, water, salt, and sugar. Mix until salt and sugar are dissolved.
- Add the feta in and let sit for at least 30 minutes. Once feta is finished pickling, drain the juice and set the feta aside.
- In a food processor or blender, add the yogurt, dill, garlic, and feta cheese. Blend until mixture is creamy.
Grilled Cucumbers:
- Cut the cucumbers in half, lengthwise, and then in half again.
- In a large bowl add the vinegar, olive oil, garlic, and salt and stir. Add in the cucumbers and toss to coat. Let marinate for about 10 – 15 minutes.
- Turn the grill on medium heat and place cucumbers on. Grill for about 10 minutes, flipping halfway through.
- Dip grilled cucumbers into the pickled feta dip and enjoy!
Notes
*Grilled Cucumber recipe adapted from Food & Wine Magazine.
*Pickling mixture for pickled feta adapted from Smitten Kitchen.
- Category: Appetizer, Gluten Free
And, yes, in case you were wondering, we can pickle dip Cheeto too!
Happy Friday! Just letting you know I featured this recipe in my Deliciously Healthy Low-Carb Recipes Round-Up for April 2015. Great recipe; I hope a lot of my readers will click over here and try it!
Hi Kalyn!! thank you so much for including my recipe! Everything looks so good! š
Have you actually tried it yet?
So excited to try this! Came upon this recipe when I Googled “grilled pickles,” with the hopes of finding an elevated version of fried pickles for a Memphis-style BBQ this weekend. I sent it to the host and her response was “OMG YES!” Looks awesome. Happy Labor Day!
Hi! I’m so glad you found them and you hope you guys love them! Have a great holiday weekend! š
I was drawn to this recipe because I love cucumbers, but have never thought to grill them! Brilliant idea. I love the feta dip too. I can’t wait to give these a try!
Hi Sheryl! Thank you so much! I had never thought to grill them either, but the summertime makes me want to put everything on the grill! I hope you really enjoy them š
Yes, I love pickles! I love buying the big ones at fairs and markets. These look delicious and I especially love that dip. š
Thanks Tina!! Pickles are the best snacks! I forgot about the big ones! I used to love eating those as a kid, but they were so big I could never finish one myself! The dip is so good š
I don’t like pickles…I am OBSESSED with pickles. I haven’t made my own yet because we have so little space, but not I’m feeling totally inspired!
Hi Erin! Pickles are the best! I will warn you that once you make your own pickles you will never want to eat the store bought ones again š
Pickled feta and grilled cucumbers – LOVE IT! What an amazing combination. We most definitely be trying my hand at this recipe… has me completely intrigued š
Thank you, Katriina! I hope you enjoy it! The pickled feta dip is so good and you will most likely want to put it on everything š
Massive pickle fan, couldn’t imagine the culinary world without them. Pickled feta is something I think I am going to have to try, sounds fantastic. Your grilled cucumbers look great, totally out of the box.
Hi Sara! Thank you! I couldn’t imagine any world without them! Pickled feta is the best and I want to put it on everything now š
I totally love pickles! Sadly, I’m the only one in my family. My husband and kids detest them. This sounds like something I need to make just for myself š Feta dip and grilled cucumbers…my mouth is watering! Pinning!
I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who hates pickles, ha! The hatred of pickles must run on your husband’s side of the family! Thank goodness you aren’t effected by it though! Sometimes I like it when my husband doesn’t like the same food that I do because that means I don’t have to share š Thanks for pinning!
I must try this recipe! The flavors sound so interesting! Grilled cucumbers? Pickled feta? This is going to be an adventure in flavors.
And I’d also love if you did a post on making pickles. I’ve always wanted to make pickles, but have never done it. My favorite are dill pickles.
Dill pickles just happen to be my favorites too!! And the pickled feta, oh man, it is so good! I would love to do a post on making pickles! Hopefully in a few months I will have my own pickling cucumbers to use and I would be so excited to come up with a great dill pickle recipe to share š
I freakin’ love pickles, so this recipe totally appeals to me! I’ve never seen anything like this before, but love all of the ingredients! You’ll have to show me how to plant cucumbers, since I have NOT a green thumb. š
I freakin love pickles too!! This is my first time growing cucumbers and they seem to be really easy so far. They are the only plant that has managed to grow in one of my little garden spaces that I was originally so excited about. So far I only have two plants going, so I think I might need to plant some more if I actually want to make some pickles out of them. I’m hoping that the hot weather that is coming doesn’t kill them! Maybe sometime this summer you can come over and we can grill together š
Yes, I would love that! My husband just has a weird schedule (24 hours on, off, etc.), so it seems like when he is home, we’re running around like crazy getting chores done, and all my fun gets put off! I definitely do want to get together though, so hopefully we can make it happen soon! š
The idea of grilling cukes has never crossed my mind! But I love everything about this. They look so good! Added to my must-try list. š
Thank you, Kare!! It had never crossed my mind either, but now I have something fun and new to throw on the grill this summer! The dip really puts them over the top š
Pickle lover here. What an interesting recipe. I’ve never had grilled cucumbers but these pictures make me want to try it.
I had never grilled them before either! I like to think of grilled cucumbers as a healthy alternative to fried pickle chips! And this dip is much better than any fried pickle dip I have ever tasted š
I adore pickles. I developed a habit during pregnancy than never went away! I spend far more on artisan pickles than I care to admit. I need need need to try these grilled cucumbers. They look so good!
Thank you! I don’t even want to know what my pickle obsession will be like if I’m ever pregnant, probably through the roof! There is something so good about a crunchy, salty, vinegary pickle! Artisan pickles sound amazing and much better than the regular baby dills that we always seen to have in the refrigerator š
Oh, how I love pickles. I LOVE the idea of grilling these little babies. And that feta dip! It looks like the perfect finishing touch. Can’t wait to try this dish this summer! š Pinned.
Aren’t pickles just the best! I keep forgetting that it isn’t summertime everywhere in the world, we’ve been having temps in the 90s lately and all I want to do is sit in the shade and eat pickles š I hope you enjoy them!
My family absolutely loves pickles!! The kids just gobble them down, but you’re right, the store variety is loaded in salt and probably not all that good for you.
As long as I have been growing cucumbers, I have never thought to grill them, ever! I love this idea. I grill zucchini but never cucumbers, just never thought to before. And I really like the grill marks on yours, that’s my goal =)
And the pickled feta dip adds just a whole other layer of tasty goodness! You’re right, you could just about dip anything in that and it would make it so good.
Hi Laura! I’ve never thought to grill them either, but they are kinda similar to zucchini, so I guess it makes sense! I’ve also been using the grill a lot lately (trying to perfect my grill marks!), so I’ve been throwing everything on it. It is so nice using the grill in the summer because I don’t have to heat the house up and there is just something delicious about grilled food! Yes! The pickled feta dip is soooo good and I wish I would have made more because I want some right now š
Wow, I’ve never heard of cooking cucumbers but I love it! So unique! And of course cucumbers go perfectly with feta, so the combo sounds amazing. I have some cucumbers in my garden too, so I hope they grow!
I had never heard of it either and it sounded kinda strange, but I figured if it was in Food & Wine it must be good, and sure enough, it was! That is so exciting that you are growing cucumbers! I only have two plants so far, so I’m thinking I might need to plant a few more if I want to grown enough to actually doing something with!
This is so clever! I would have never ever thought to grill cucumbers, but this sounds great! And that dip – wow! I love anything with Feta!
Thanks Annie! I always want to call you Maebell, haha. I love anything with feta too and I’m so obsessed with this dip now. I want to eat it on everything! I might have used my finger to scrape the last of it out of the bowl…
Izzy! Me, me, I love pickles!
Okay, first of all, I’m a Portlandia fan!!! Second of all, you’re a gardener and a pickle maker? Teach me your ways! I love pickles and all things soaked in vinegar. I didn’t even know you could cook/grill cucumbers -so cool! I dig this pickle dip and I too want to pickle dip everything! I think we need to go to the potato chip people and ask them to create a Grill Pickle Chip so we can dip it in this pickle dip! (was that a rhyme? lol)
Can we just call today National Pickle Day please? Because now I have a craving!
I don’t think I’ve ever written the word “pickle” so much in my life, but I’m really excited about this recipe! š
Somehow I just knew that you loved pickles and that you were a Portlandia fan too! Our friendship is truly meant to be š I also love your rhymes, you’re a poet and you didn’t even know it (too cheesy? lol)! I got into canning a few years ago and pickles were the only thing that I ever made because I started to get scared I was going to poison someone if I did something wrong, haha. But, from what I read pickles are hard to mess up because there is so much vinegar involved, and I happen to love pickles so it all worked out!
Apparently November 14th is National Pickle Day (why am I not surprised they already have one), but I think that we should just celebrate today instead! Now my mind is going crazy thinking of a grilled pickle chip recipe! Also, I just heard someone refer to mini cucumbers as “cutecumbers”, I thought you would appreciate that amazing new word š
I love everything about that reply. I almost want to print it off and display it on my fridge! Yes, our friendship is meant be! I knew it! And no, that was not too cheesy -nothing is ever too cheesy for me š
That’s totally why I’m afraid of canning -the dreaded botulism! muwahahaha (that was an evil laugh). I’m glad it worked out though. They look super professional! Much better than the store-bought kind. November 14 is way too long to wait. I’ve already eaten a pickle today, so we’re sticking with today! And OMG cutecumbers!? I lol’d for real. That is absolutely incredible!
I’m also a fellow pickle lover — always dill, not bread and butter for this gal. I’ve never thought to grill cucumbers, I’m totally intrigued!! And that dip sounds amazing!
Hi Nicole! I agree, dill pickles forever! The only time I ever use bread and butter pickles is in a potato salad recipe that has been passed down, and somehow they just work, but I would never snack on them plain! The dip is so delicious and is good on everything from sandwiches to potato chips š