Recipes › Fresh bowls & lunches› Cucumber, white bean and dill salad with feta
Fresh bowls & lunches · Easy · Serves 4

Cucumber, white bean and dill salad with feta

A cold, crunchy white bean and cucumber salad loaded with dill, feta, and lemon. No cooking, naturally gluten-free, and it only gets better after an hour in the fridge.

Anna Lind Harper
by Anna Lind Harper
Tested twice · Published 2026-06-18
A near-overhead view of a wide shallow cream-speckled stoneware bowl on a white marble counter, filled with a cold salad of creamy white cannellini beans, thin half-moons of crisp cucumber, slivers of red onion, a generous scatter of crumbled white feta, a lot of finely chopped fresh dill, and a few cracks of black pepper, all glossy with a lemon and olive oil dressing. A halved lemon, a small bunch of fresh dill, a small dish of flaky salt, and a folded striped cream-and-blue linen tea towel rest on the marble beside the bowl. Soft bright midday light.
Prep
15 min
Cook
0 min
Serves
4
Difficulty
easy

When it is too warm to think about turning on the stove, this is lunch. Creamy white beans, cold crisp cucumber, sharp red onion, a lot of fresh dill, and crumbled feta, all tossed in a bright lemon dressing. It comes together in the time it takes to open a can.

It is the kind of salad that actually improves while it sits, so I make a big bowl and eat it for two days. Very Scandinavian in spirit: cucumber, dill, and a cold fork.

“Creamy white beans, cold cucumber, a lot of dill, sharp feta. It only gets better after an hour in the fridge.”
Why this one earns a weeknight

What you'll love about it

  • 01No stove, naturally gluten-free, and ready in about fifteen minutes.
  • 02It improves as it sits, which makes it a genuinely good make-ahead lunch.
  • 03White beans make it filling enough to be a real meal, not just a side.
  • 04Cucumber, dill, and feta is the cold, bright combination summer was made for.
Anna, in a soft light-blue pullover, tossing the cold white bean and cucumber salad with two wooden servers in a large cream-speckled bowl on her marble kitchen island. A halved lemon, a small dish of feta, and a bunch of fresh dill sit on the counter, with her bright kitchen, stainless range, and farmhouse sink behind her.
Toss gently, and add the feta last so it stays in proper crumbles.
Ingredients

For the salad

  • 2 (15 oz)cans cannellini or butter beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1English cucumber, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
  • ½small red onion, very thinly sliced
  • 4 ozfeta, crumbled
  • ⅓ cupfresh dill, chopped
  • 2 Tbspfresh mint or parsley, chopped, optional

For the lemon dressing

  • 3 Tbspolive oil
  • 2 Tbspfresh lemon juice
  • 1 tspdijon mustard
  • 1small garlic clove, grated
  • ½ tspkosher salt
  • a few cracksblack pepper

To serve

  • extra chopped dill
  • flaky sea salt
  • lemon wedges
Method

How I make it

  1. 01
    Drain the cucumber.
    Toss the sliced cucumber with a small pinch of salt in a colander and let it drain for 10 minutes while you prep everything else, then pat it dry. This one step keeps the salad crisp instead of watery by day two. Worth it.
  2. 02
    Whisk the dressing.
    In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice and zest, dijon, grated garlic, salt, and a few cracks of pepper until it comes together.
  3. 03
    Toss it all together.
    Add the beans, drained cucumber, red onion, dill, and mint to the bowl and fold gently to coat. Add the feta last and toss just once, so it stays in proper crumbles rather than dissolving into the dressing. Taste and adjust the lemon and salt.
    A pair of hands in a soft blue pullover squeezing a lemon half over the finished bean and cucumber salad in a speckled bowl, a thin stream of juice catching the light.
    A squeeze of lemon right before serving wakes the whole bowl up.
  4. 04
    Let it rest.
    Let the salad sit for 15 minutes, or up to an hour in the fridge, before eating. The beans soak up the dressing and the flavors settle. Finish with extra dill and a pinch of flaky salt.
A close macro of the salad, showing creamy white beans, thin cucumber half-moons, slivers of red onion, big crumbles of feta, and lots of fresh dill, all glossy with lemon dressing.
A note from Anna

Two small things make this. Salt and drain the cucumber so the salad stays crisp instead of going soupy, and add the feta at the very end so it stays in crumbles. If you are taking it to work, it travels perfectly. Pack a lemon wedge to squeeze over right before you eat and it tastes freshly made. Butter beans make it a little creamier, cannellini a little firmer; both are lovely, so use whatever is in the cupboard.

What to serve with it

Round out the table.

  • ·01
    Warm pita or grilled rye
    For scooping up the beans and the last of the dressing.
  • ·02
    A jammy boiled egg
    If you want a little more protein on the plate.
  • ·03
    Cold sparkling water or a crisp glass of rosé
    It is very much a sit-in-the-backyard lunch.
Storage & reheating

Keeping the leftovers good.

Fridge: Keeps for 3 days, sealed. The cucumber softens slightly but stays good. Drain off any extra liquid and stir in fresh dill before serving.

Make ahead: A great one to make ahead. It is arguably better on day two.

Freezer: Not suitable. Cucumber and feta don't freeze well.

Recipe card

Cucumber, white bean and dill salad with feta

A cold, crunchy white bean and cucumber salad loaded with dill, feta, and lemon. No cooking, naturally gluten-free, and it only gets better after an hour in the fridge.

Prep
15 min
Cook
0 min
Serves
4
Total
15 min
Ingredients
  • 2 (15 oz) cans cannellini or butter beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 English cucumber, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
  • ½ small red onion, very thinly sliced
  • 4 oz feta, crumbled
  • ⅓ cup fresh dill, chopped
  • 2 Tbsp fresh mint or parsley, chopped, optional
  • 3 Tbsp olive oil
  • 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tsp dijon mustard
  • 1 small garlic clove, grated
  • ½ tsp kosher salt
  • a few cracks black pepper
  • extra chopped dill
  • flaky sea salt
  • lemon wedges
Method (short version)
  1. 01Drain the cucumber.
  2. 02Whisk the dressing.
  3. 03Toss it all together.
  4. 04Let it rest.

Nutrition information is an estimate. See full nutrition disclaimer.

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