Name: Crunchy Asian Cucumber Salad (15 minutes)
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 4 tablespoons rice vinegar ((seasoned or unseasoned)); 2 tablespoons maple syrup; 1 teaspoon sesame oil; 1 clove garlic ((minced)); salt + pepper (to taste); 2 long English cucumbers (sliced); 1/4 cup cilantro leaves ((loosely packed)); 1-2 Thai chiles ((OPTIONAL- de-seeded and diced)); 2 shallots ((thinly sliced)); 1/4 cup roasted salted peanuts

By: Denise Bustard20 Comments
Posted: 6/19/20 Updated: 11/7/20

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This crunchy Asian cucumber salad is cool, refreshing and perfect for summer! Simple to prepare and made with fresh cucumber, cilantro, shallots and peanuts tossed in a rice wine vinaigrette, it's a great way to cool down in the heat.

When summer rolls around, we are all about the simple, refreshing, side salads. Our staple kale salad goes on repeat, as does orzo pasta salad. This crunchy Asian cucumber salad is another super simple recipe that is perfect for summer!

We always need a good recipe in our back pocket that can come together in under 15 minutes, right? Well this cucumber salad is the one for you!

With crunchy cucumbers and peanuts, fresh cilantro, shallots and (if you dare) Thai red chiles, this salad is tossed in a tangy rice wine vinaigrette. It is perfect for a weeknight dinner or a summer picnic!

Reasons you’ll ♡ Asian cucumber salad

it's light, crisp, and so refreshing
it comes together in 15 minutes
it's gluten-free, vegan, paleo and dairy-free

Recipe video

Watch the video below to see exactly how I prepped this Asian cucumber salad. It’s so easy! You can find more of my recipe videos on my YouTube channel.

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Start with the rice wine vinaigrette

The rice wine vinaigrette adds the perfect blend of tangy, savory and slightly sweet to compliment the fresh flavors of the salad.

rice vinegar- aka: rice wine vinegar- adds tangy and ever so slightly sweet flavors to this dressing. It is much less assertively tangy than it's white vinegar counterpart. You can use seasoned or unseasoned rice wine vinegar for this recipe.
sesame oil- adds a hint of sesame flavor that adds dimension to the dressing
garlic- adds a slight 'bite' and additional flavor to the dressing
maple syrup- balances the tanginess of the rice vinegar and the bite of the garlic
salt + pepper- bring all the flavors together

Shake the ingredients together in a mason jar or salad dressing shaker. This dressing keeps in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Making the salad

This cucumber salad does not keep well, so make sure you prep it right before you serve it. Here's what you'll need:

cucumber- I've used 2 long english cucumbers, but you can use any cucumber variety. Some people prefer to scoop the seeds out of the cucumbers, and you are welcome to do that.
cilantro- adds a fresh, herbaceous and slightly citrussy flavor to the salad. Stick to the leaves and try to avoid adding the stems in.
shallots- add a bite, but is mellower than a traditional red onion. In a pinch, you can swap for red onion, but you may want to soak them in water for 10 minutes to help to remove the bite.
peanuts- work surprisingly well with cilantro and cucumber and add a nutty crunch to the salad. I recommend using salted roasted peanuts.
Thai chilis- optional and please be warned: these are SPICY! If you don't want a spicy salad, omit them. If you do choose to add them, try to remove the seeds as much as possible and wash your hands thoroughly after handling.

To assemble the salad, simply toss the salad ingredients together with the vinaigrette and enjoy!

Recipe tips + swaps

this salad does not keep well, so make sure you serve it immediately after you prep it, and do not aim to keep leftovers
you may shake up the vinaigrette up to 2 weeks ahead
you can slice the cucumbers however you'd like: I've sliced them thinly (⅛ of an inch or less), but you can cut them thicker (¼ inch thick), slice in half, and scoop out the seeds, if you'd prefer
swap the peanuts for toasted sesame seeds
swap the Thai red chiles for sliced red pepper
swap the shallot for regular red onion
swap the cilantro for Thai basil

Serve it with

Salad adapted from Food & Wine
Dressing adapted from AllRecipes

Meet Denise Bustard

Denise Bustard is the creator of Sweet Peas and Saffron, a meal prep-focussed food blog. With a PhD in biochemistry, Denise takes a scientific approach to perfecting her recipes. You can find Denise's work featured on Huffington Post, MSN, Self and more.