A simple, light and flavorful summer salad, this Asian cucumber salad is the perfect side dish for your next BBQ! With a light and easy to make sauce, this healthy cucumber salad recipe is sure to please everyone.
Hot weather = cool salads
When the weather gets hot, cool and refreshing side dishes like this Asian cucumber salad really hit the spot. Crunchy cucumbers are something I love to eat fresh out of the garden. Mid-late summer when cucumbers are super fresh is the perfect time to get your fill of fresh and crispy cucumbers!
What kind of cucumbers do you use for this Asian cucumber salad?
You can use any kind of cucumber you have on hand for this recipe, and for the pictures in this post we used english cucumbers. Those are the really long cucumbers (about 18 inches long) that you see at the store. However, if you have them, medium sized pickling cucumbers would word great for this recipe. They have minimal seeds and a nice crunch.
Should I peel the cucumbers before slicing them?
You can, but we don’t recommend it. The skin helps to make a crunchier salad and it makes the salad look better too! Plus, the skin and seeds of a cucumber are the most nutritious part of the vegetable. They contain fiber and beta carotene, a powerful antioxidant.
Can I make this Asian cucumber salad ahead of time?
Since cucumbers have a lot of water in them and the sauce in this recipe “draws out” the water when it sits in the fridge, this salad is best immediately after making it. However, if you want to prep it in advance here are some tips:
- Prep the cucumbers, carrot and onion as noted and store them in a bowl.
- Prep the sauce as noted and store it in a small jar or container.
- When ready to serve, toss the sauce and salad ingredients together and serve immediately.
What to serve with this Asian cucumber salad
Your turn to try this asian cucumber salad
Whatever you are making for dinner, this Asian cucumber salad is the perfect light and refreshing side dish to go with! It pairs well with any meat for your summer BBQ! Leave a comment below, and let us know how it goes if you try it. Also, take a pic to share on Instagram. Tag us @realsimplegood, and give us a follow if you don’t already. We’d love to stay connected!
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Asian Cucumber Salad (Paleo, Whole30 + Keto)
Ingredients
For the salad:
- 2 English cucumbers, thinly sliced, (or sub 6-7 medium pickling cucumbers)
- 1 medium carrot, grated
- 1/4 cup red onion, thinly sliced
For the sauce:
- 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated on a microplane
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp coconut aminos
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 tsp fish sauce, (optional but highly recommended)
For topping:
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds
Instructions
- Prep cucumbers, carrot and onion as noted and place them in a bowl.
- In a separate small bowl or jar, mix all of the sauce ingredients together.
- Pour the sauce over the cucumber salad and mix. Serve immediately for best flavor (see recipe notes). Top with sesame seeds for serving.
Notes
Absolutely fabulous. So different from other cucumber onion salads. I added daikon radish to the mix. The sauce is perfect.
I’ve tried many of your side dishes this week and they are fabulous. Thank you so much.
We love hearing you enjoyed this one and other recipes of ours you’ve tried, too! Love the daikon radish addition. Thanks so much for coming back to let us know how it went. 🙂
This looks Awesome !! I’m going to try this on Sunday. It looks so delicious 😋
Perfect for my Whole30 diet! I loved it!
That’s great, glad you enjoyed the recipe :).
This was just ok for me. I think it needed something sweet. Maybe some stevia or something. Looking forward to trying some other things you have posted.
We hope you find some other recipes you enjoy :).
Really enjoyed this! I thought twice about fish oil with my cucumbers, but it gave a nice little kick. Thank you!
Perfect! Glad you liked the recipe :).
That really sounds good hope to try it soon. We tend to eat a lot of salads on our keto journey. Thanks for sharing!
We hope you like the recipe!