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Asian Cucumber Salad is so packed with flavor and textures. Drizzled with homemade dressing, this vibrant, tasty salad is a must try!
Featured with this Recipe
This Asian Cucumber Salad recipe has so many fresh flavors and crunchy textures in every bite. It’s colorful, with red peppers, carrots, and my favorite- edamame. It makes such a pretty side dish. You will love the homemade dressing; it’s a little bit of a sweet cilantro vinaigrette kind of flavor. This is a great side for any Asian or Thai food. I especially like to serve it with satay or curry dishes. But it is also great on its own. Full of fiber and low on carbohydrates, this salad is also a healthy addition!
Ingredients in Asian Cucumber Salad
- Cucumbers – slice cucumbers as thin as you can for this salad. You’ll need a good cutting board and a sharp knife.
- Carrots
- Red Bell Pepper
- Shelled Edamame – if using frozen edamame, place into a colander in the sink and run cold water over the edamame to thaw while you are cutting the vegetables.
- Fresh Cilantro and Toasted Sesame Seeds for Garnish
- Optional: add protein to this salad with shrimp, shredded chicken, or tofu
Asian Cucumber Salad Dressing Ingredients
- Rice Vinegar
- Water
- Sugar – you can also use honey or maple syrup
- Salt
- Fresh Cilantro
- Optional Dressing Additions: sesame oil, garlic, soy sauce (or tamari for a gluten-free option), chili oil, fish sauce, red pepper flakes, lime juice, or fresh ginger.
Suggestions for this Salad
- Not a fan of one of these veggies? You can add any kind of vegetables you like! I love this salad with purple cabbage, green onions, orange or yellow peppers, broccoli or crisp pea pods. Use whatever you have on hand or whatever your family likes.
- This is one of those salad recipes that tastes better the more it chills, so try to chill it in the fridge for at least an hour before serving. The longer you let the flavors sit in the bowl together, the better.
- Leftovers taste delicious! This salad stays nice and fresh in the fridge for up to three days. Any longer and the cucumbers start to taste a little bit bitter.
Frequently Asked Questions
With this salad, the cucumbers are cut so thin that the skin isn’t an issue. However, if you aren’t a fan of cucumber skins, then you can peel them. They might get soggy a little quicker. You can also use cucumbers with thin skin like Persian cucumbers, mini cucumbers, or English cucumbers.
Eat this yummy salad as a side dish or as a main course on top of rice or cold noodles.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge. Serve within 3 days for the best taste.
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What to Serve with Asian Cucumber Salad
- Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce
- Mongolian Beef Satay
- Chicken Tikka Masala
- Savory Sweet Asian Glazed Pork Kabobs
- Panda Express Chow Mein Copycat
- Sesame Chicken Recipe
How to Make Asian Cucumber Salad
Asian Cucumber Veggie Salad
Video
Ingredients
- 3 cucumbers sliced thin
- 1 red pepper cut into thin small slices
- 1 carrot shredded
- 1 cup edamame shelled
- toasted sesame seeds for garnish
For the dressing:
- 3/4 cup rice vinegar
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 Tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 Tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix together all the pre-cut vegetables and edamame.
- In a small bowl, mix together all the dressing ingredients.
- Pour over the vegetables and toss to coat. Refrigerate for at least an hour and toss again before serving. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds.
Notes
- Not a fan of one of these veggies? You can add any kind of vegetables you like! I love this salad with purple cabbage, green onions, orange or yellow peppers, broccoli or crisp pea pods. Use whatever you have on hand or whatever your family likes.
- This salad is best served cold so try to chill it in the fridge for at least an hour before serving. The longer you let the flavors sit in the bowl together, the better.
- Leftovers taste delicious! This salad stays nice and fresh in the fridge for up to three days. Any longer and the cucumbers start to taste a little bit bitter.
Thank you so much is good recipe
This sounds like such a healthy and flavourful salad! Perfect for a light lunch.
We are full of cucumbers and this is the best salad to make with them! So tasty!
Beauty is in simplicity – this extra special salad never disappoints. And I think I have everything I need for it right now, so why not trying it, right?! 🙂
This salad looks so fresh an colorful! Very lovely… will try the splenda variation, thank you!
I love a good cucumber salad! can’t wait to make this, since I already have all the ingredients I need for it
I’ve made a simple Asian cucumber salad many times, but this one is even tastier! I can’t wait to make it again!
YUM my favorite ingredients in an asian inspired salad. LOVe cucumber and love sesame seeds! This is so good!
how many does this serve??
This makes about 6 servings. Hope this helps!
Can you use brown sugar or honey or do you know of a healthier substitute than using sugar? Or should I just use regular sugar since the amount you’re using isn’t a lot so it still makes it healthy?
Yes, honey is a GREAT substitution. I have actually used honey in this recipe and it is wonderful. Hope this helps!
Love this salad. Thank you.