Asian Cucumber Salad Recipe

Asian Cucumber Salad Recipe – cool and refreshing crunchy cucumber salad with a simple flavorful dressing and crunchy peanuts. It could be served as a side salad, but also pairs well with many things like chicken and seafood. Could be added to sandwiches and wraps. Just 10 minutes and a few ingredients to make.

Crunchy and fresh Persian cucumbers, light and salty dressing made with rice vinegar, soy sauce and honey, peanuts, green onions and hot red pepper flakes come together in this delicious Asian cucumber salad recipe.

Why do I call it Asian? Well, while the recipe is not authentic, the flavors in the dressing are Asian.

I do have a few cucumber salad recipes on the blog, all of which taste delicious, but this one has the best flavors so far.

This light and healthy Asian cucumber salad is also gluten and dairy free.

How to make Asian cucumber salad

Ingredients

• Cucumbers – what cucumbers to use? Most types of cucumbers will work for this recipe, but I personally prefer Persian or English cucumbers, because both varieties have milder taste and a nice crunch.
• Sesame oil
• Rice wine vinegar
• Apple cider vinegar (optional) – adds an extra “zing” to the salad
• Soy sauce (or Tamari – thicker, less salty)
• Honey – to add some sweetness and balance the flavors
• Red pepper flakes (optional for a spicy Asian salad) 
• Sesame seeds (optional)

Directions

Wash, peel (optional) and thinly slice cucumbers. I personally prefer to use a sharp knife for slicing the cucumbers, but a Mandolin slicer can be used.

Tip: Some Asian cucumber salad recipes call for not peeling the cucumbers, but scoring the cucumber lengthwise, using the tins of a fork.

Place cucumbers in a bowl.

In a small bowl combine the dressing ingredients – sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar, soy sauce and honey. Whisk to combine.

Pour the dressing on top of the cucumbers. 

Sprinkle some red pepper flakes and sesame seeds on top.

Serve.

Can you prepare this salad in advance?

The short answer is – yes! This salad can be made up to 2 days in advance and stored in the fridge in airtight container. Just make sure you don’t add the chopped peanuts until you are ready to serve the salad.

I personally prefer it freshly made, because when you add the dressing to the cucumbers and they sit in it, they start to taste like “pickled”. Not that it is a bad thing, but the salad tastes different, if it is made in advance.

Storing tips:

Cucumber salads in general taste better served right after they are made and this recipe is non an exception.

You can refrigerate it for up to 2 days. When ready to consume, you may want to add some vinegar and soy sauce to enhance the flavors of the leftovers.

This salad can be served with sandwiches, pork chops, chicken breast, Barbacoa or burgers.

More cucumber recipes

• Smoked salmon appetizer with cucumber
• This Mediterranean Cucumber Salad from Calm Eats is freh and delicious and a great way to enjoy flavors or summer.
• Tuna cucumber salad
• The best cucumber salad recipe