Artificial Food Coloring Free Cucumber Mint Sauce
Cool, herby, and bright with lemon, this blended sauce is the kind of thing you'll want to drizzle over everything from grilled chicken to roasted vegetables. Every ingredient here is whole and recognizable — fresh cucumber, mint, parsley, garlic, lemon, and olive oil — so there's zero guesswork about what's actually going into your food. That matters more than people realize, because bottled green sauces and store-bought condiments are surprisingly common hiding spots for synthetic dyes used to punch up color. This one gets its gorgeous pale green hue entirely from real produce, no artificial help needed. The trick of salting and draining the cucumber first pulls out excess moisture so the sauce stays vibrant and cohesive rather than watery. A few quick pulses in the blender keep the texture pleasantly chunky, while a slow drizzle of olive oil brings it all together into something that feels genuinely restaurant-worthy. Make a batch ahead and keep it in the fridge — it's just as good the next day spooned over a grain bowl or used as a dipping sauce.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
- 1 medium english cucumber, peeled, seeded, and roughly chopped
- ½ cup fresh mint leaves, packed
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 small clove garlic, minced
- ¼ tsp sea salt, or to taste
- ⅛ tsp ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley leaves, roughly chopped (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Place the chopped cucumber in a fine mesh strainer set over a bowl. Sprinkle with a pinch of the sea salt and let it drain for 15 minutes, until the cucumber has released most of its excess water.
- 2
Transfer the drained cucumber to a blender or food processor. Add the mint leaves, parsley (if using), garlic, lemon juice, and lemon zest.
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