Spicy Cucumber Salad

This spicy cucumber salad is made with 5 ingredients and comes together in less than 10 minutes. Each bite is full of bold, refreshing, and Asian-inspired flavors. Serve it as a light snack, appetizer, or side dish any day of the week.

Why you’ll love this recipe

• Diet-friendly: This recipe is both gluten-free and vegan, making it easy to serve to just about anyone. Plus, it can easily be adapted to be sugar-free.
• Healthy: Low in carbs and calories but rich in vitamins and minerals, spicy cucumber salad fits perfectly into a wide array of meal plans.
• Easy: This dish is quick and easy to throw together, regardless of your level of experience in the kitchen.

What is spicy cucumber salad?

This spicy cucumber salad is a quick, hydrating, and flavorful snack or appetizer that comes together in less than 10 minutes. It’s one of my favorite recipes for an afternoon pick-me-up, but it also pairs incredibly well with ramen, stir-fries, spring rolls, and other noodle dishes.

Sliced cucumbers are first marinated in salt, then tossed in homemade chili garlic sauce, creating a fusion of refreshing-yet-bold flavors. I love to serve mine with toasted sesame seeds, but it’s completely up to you!

Whether you’re trying to lose weight or complement a meal, this is a recipe you’ll soon be making over and over again.

Is it vegan?

If you follow the recipe as written, this spicy Asian cucumber salad is vegan-friendly. Cucumbers are obviously plant-based, but store-bought chili garlic sauce sometimes contains unwanted ingredients like shrimp paste or fish sauce.

To prevent this, I recommend making your own chili garlic sauce from scratch. It’s unbelievably simple to put together, and it lasts quite a long time!

Ingredients & Substitutions

• Cucumbers: It’s best to use Persian cucumbers (mini cucumbers) for this type of salad. They are smooth, crisp, and bite-sized. If you only have regular-sized cucumbers available, go for English cucumbers over field cucumbers.
• Chili garlic sauce: Either homemade chili garlic sauce or store-bought will work, but I’m partial to homemade! It adds the perfect amount of spicy, tangy, and sweet flavors.
• Salt: Draws liquid from the cucumbers, creating a crispy salad texture and preventing it from becoming too watery.
• Brown sugar: Provides sweetness with a rich complexity. If you prefer, you can use coconut sugar in place of brown sugar as an equally delicious alternative.
• Sesame seeds: I love to garnish my spicy cucumber salad with sesame seeds. They impart nutty, toasty flavors while also adding healthy fats, protein, B vitamins, fiber, and antioxidants.

Instructions

• Step 1: First, slice the cucumbers into ½-inch rounds, discarding both ends. Place the cucumber slices in a mixing bowl and toss them with salt. Set the bowl aside for about 20-25 minutes, which will allow the cucumbers to marinate.

• Step 2: Once they have marinated, drain the liquid released from the cucumbers. Toss the slices with brown sugar and chili garlic sauce. Taste and add more chili garlic sauce, salt, or sugar to your liking.

• Step 3: Serve this spicy cucumber salad with a sprinkle of sesame seeds for added crunch and flavor.

What to serve spicy cucumber salad with

Enjoy this spicy Asian cucumber salad on its own for a refreshing mid-afternoon snack, or serve it alongside mains like stir-fried glass noodles, chow fun noodles, TikTok ramen, or vegan lemongrass ramen.

Alternatively, try making a spread with other sides and finger foods like lettuce wraps, crispy baked tofu, spring rolls, kani salad, or miso garlic green beans.

Storage

If you like leftovers, follow these simple storage tips to keep your cucumber salad fresh:

• Fridge: Once assembled, spicy cucumber salad will last in the fridge for up to 4 days. I always prefer it freshly made, so it’s best to keep cucumbers in the fridge and a jar of chili garlic sauce at the ready for when hunger strikes.

Variations

• Protein: For a high-protein option, throw some crumbled tofu or cooked chickpeas into your spicy cucumber salad.
• Cheese: Add umami-rich flavors by crumbling vegan feta on top. If you don’t have vegan feta, nutritional yeast makes a great replacement.
• Sugar-free: To make a lower-carb and sugar-free variation, swap the brown sugar out for a sugar-free brown sugar replacement like Lakanato.
• Spiral cuts: For a unique presentation, rest the cucumbers on top of two chopsticks and slice them to make cucumber spirals.

Top tips

• Marinate the cucumbers: The key to crispy, non-watery cucumbers is marinating them in salt. Don’t forget this crucial step!
• Drain the cucumbers: Remember to drain and thoroughly rinse the cucumbers before mixing them with sauce. This will prevent the salad from turning out too watery and salty.
• Make your own sauce: Homemade chili garlic sauce always tastes much better than store-bought versions. Since it keeps so well, there’s no excuse not to try making your own recipe!

FAQ

Similar Recipes

If you enjoyed this spicy Asian cucumber salad recipe, don’t forget to try out some more of my favorite appetizers and sides like these:

• Kani Salad: A plant-based twist on a popular Japanese dish, featuring hearts of palm.
• Lemon orzo salad: Vibrant Mediterranean flavors combined in a simple side salad.
• Vegan tuna: Tuna salad made with chickpeas and vegan Kewpie mayonnaise.
• Watermelon salad: Juicy watermelon cubes mixed with cucumbers and vegan feta.