This Asian Cucumber Salad Recipe is made with crisp, fresh cucumbers, green onions, and a handful of simple ingredients. Ready in ten minutes, it’s light, refreshing, and perfect to enjoy as a flavorful appetizer, side dish, or snack!
Table of Contents
- Crisp, Crunchy, and Craveable: Why You’ll Love This Asian Cucumber Salad Recipe
- What Is Asian Cucumber Salad Made Of?
- What Kind of Cucumbers Work Best for This Salad?
- Chop, Toss, Enjoy! How to Make An Easy Asian Cucumber Salad
- Flavor Variations
- Serving Suggestions
- Common Questions About This Asian Cucumber Salad Recipe
- More Easy Salad Recipes
- Asian Cucumber Salad Recipe Recipe
Crisp, Crunchy, and Craveable: Why You’ll Love This Asian Cucumber Salad Recipe
Think cucumbers are bland and boring? Think again!
They’re one of our favorite ingredients. We use them in recipes like our chickpea cucumber feta salad, egg salad with cottage cheese, and this easy Asian cucumber salad recipe.
All it takes is one bite, and you’ll be making it on repeat! This salad is:
- Ready in minutes.
- Made with zero cooking required.
- Light and refreshing.
- Full of nutrients and fiber.
What Is Asian Cucumber Salad Made Of?
The secret to a show-stopping cucumber salad is using a variety of fresh ingredients to create a variety of tastes and textures. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Cucumbers – You’ll want large, fresh cucumbers. The fresher, the better!
- Rice Wine Vinegar – A staple in many Asian dishes, rice wine vinegar is tangy, slightly sweet, and perfect for amping up the flavor of the dressing.
- Toasted Sesame Oil – Rich and nutty, a little goes a long way.
- Fresh Herbs – Fresh chopped cilantro, fresh basil, and fresh mint add a bold, refreshing taste that balances out the heaviness of the oil.
- Green Onion – Also known as scallions.
- Garlic – Whole, fresh cloves work best.
- Ginger – Sweet, peppery, this adds a pleasant tang with just a touch of heat.
- Black Sesame Seeds – Earthy and nutty, these are sprinkled on top for a bit of extra crunch.
- Crushed Red Pepper Flakes – Use as little or as much as you like.
What Kind of Cucumbers Work Best for This Salad?
Believe it or not, there are actually quite a few varieties of cucumbers, nearly 100, in fact! For the best results, you’ll want to look for thin-skinned burpless cucumbers like Asian, Persian, Turkish, or English cucumbers.
We use English cucumbers because they’re easy to find and lack the bitter flavor found in thicker-skinnedIn varieties. In addition, they have small seeds that are easy to chew and nearly undetectable.
Chop, Toss, Enjoy! How to Make An Easy Asian Cucumber Salad
This recipe is a staple in our homes, especially when the weather gets warm. It’s light, filling, and requires absolutely no cooking and almost no work!
- Prepare. Peel the skin from the cucumbers, and thinly slice them into rounds.
- Combine. Add the cucumber slices to a large bowl along with the chopped green onions.
- Toss. Add the rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, and salt. Stir to combine. Add the herbs, garlic, ginger, and sesame seeds, and gently toss to coat the cucumbers. Add the red pepper flakes to taste.
- Enjoy! Serve your Asian cucumber salad recipe right away, or place it in the fridge to chill.
Flavor Variations
This salad boasts an explosion of flavors, but that doesn’t mean you can’t add more! Feel free to include extra items to add a little texture and enhance the taste even further.
Some of our favorite ways to switch things up include:
- Peanuts
- Gochujang Sauce
- Chili Paste
- Shrimp
- Chicken
Serving Suggestions
This Asian cucumber salad recipe makes for the perfect side dish with main courses like:
Common Questions About This Asian Cucumber Salad Recipe
Some people like to add salt to cucumbers before making a salad, because it draws out excess moisture, preventing the salad from becoming soggy.
You can, but we don’t recommend it. It can cause the salad to become tough and a little difficult to choose, especially if you use a thick-skinned cucumber.
This recipe is best enjoyed right away. However, if you have leftovers, they can be transferred to an airtight container and stored in the fridge for up to five days.
More Easy Salad Recipes
Looking for more salads that aren’t boring? We’ve got you covered with the recipes below!
- Spiraled Cucumber Yogurt Salad
- Cucumber Cottage Cheese Dip
- Easy Shirazi Salad
- Egyptian Cucumber & Tomato Salad
Asian Cucumber Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 medium English cucumbers thinly sliced
- 1 green onion chopped
- 1/4 cup seasoned rice wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
- Salt to taste
- 2 Tablespoons fresh cilantro chopped
- 2 Tablespoons fresh basil chopped
- 2 Tablespoons fresh mint chopped
- 1 clove garlic grated
- ¼ teaspoon fresh ginger freshly grated
- 1 Tablespoon black sesame seeds
- Crushed red pepper flakes to taste
Instructions
- Place the sliced cucumbers and green onions in a large bowl.
- Add the rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, and salt to taste, and stir to combine.
- Add the cilantro, basil, mint, garlic, ginger, and black sesame seeds. Toss to coat.
- Add the crushed red pepper flakes to taste. Mix again.
- Serve immediately.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Equipment
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I’m ready to test this recipe and am confused about Step 2 “chop the cucumber and green onions…”
Are there chopped cucumbers AND sliced cucumbers in this recipe?
Further, it seems an English cucumber can be substituted for the ‘Asian’ version.
Please advise.
Chef Shannon
Hello, sorry for the confusion. We adjusted the recipe, there is no chopped cucumbers. Also, we use English cucumbers, and they can be substituted. Let us know what you think! xo, Alia and Radwa