Cucumber Salad

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Our Cucumber Salad is the perfect light, crispy, flavorful summer salad. It’s made with fresh cucumber slices tossed in a savory soy ginger dressing. Garnish with some green onions and toasted sesame seeds. It’s so simple and takes just 10 minutes to prep!

Top down view of cucumbers with dressing.

Best Cucumber Salad Recipe

This salad recipe is a little bit different from the traditional, creamy cucumber tomato salad.

Instead of a dressing made with mayonnaise or sour cream, we’re going with Asian-inspired flavors using a light and vibrant soy ginger dressing.

Our cucumber ginger salad recipe combines fresh, crisp cucumbers with a flavorful dressing, and is finished off with a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds and bright chopped green onions.

It’s simple, so tasty, and completely dairy-free. It’s perfect with some pork chops, beef with garlic sauce, a caprese sandwich, or chicken stir fry!

What’s in Our Cucumber Salad?

Low-sodium soy sauce: This is the base for the soy ginger dressing. Swap the soy sauce with tamari for a gluten-free option or with coconut nut aminos for a soy-free version.

Sesame oil: Adds a bit of sesame flavor and helps emulsify the dressing.

Granulated sugar: Gives the dressing a touch of sweetness and helps balance the flavors. Use honey or agave nectar in place of sugar if desired.

Rice wine vinegar: Adds a touch of acidity and gives the dressing a slightly tart flavor.

Garlic and ginger paste: Provides flavors for the dressing, and since they’re in paste form they’re easy to mix. If you can’t find paste, use finely minced garlic and ginger.

English cucumbers: Obviously, you’ll need cucumbers! English cucumbers are best for salads since they’re seedless and have a thinner skins. If English cucumbers aren’t available, use Persian cucumbers that have been peeled and the seeds removed.

Green onions and sesame seeds: These are optional garnishes, but they add a little something extra. I never skip them!

Large bowl of sliced cucumbers with asian dressing.

Tips

Tips

Salt the cucumbers. Before the making the salad, sprinkle the cucumbers with salt and let them sit on paper towels while you make the dressing. This helps draw out excess moisture.

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

To keep the salad from getting soggy, start by salting your cucumbers and letting them rest for about 5-10 minutes before combining them with the soy ginger dressing. This process draws out excess moisture.

Additionally, add your dressing just before serving to make sure the cucumbers stay crispy.

That depends on what variety of cucumbers you use. I usually go with English cucumbers, which have a thin skin that incorporates just fine into the salad.

If you decide to use Persian, aka regular, cucumbers, you may want to peel the skin off since it tends to be a little bit thicker and waxier. 

You can use a sharp knife or a mandoline. Either way will give you thin, uniform pieces that are perfect for soaking up the dressing. Using a sharp knife allows for various sizes and shapes, while a mandoline ensures consistency in thickness for each slice.

There are a number of other ingredients that taste good on this salad. Here are some options:

  • Thinly sliced red onion.
  • Sprinkle of red pepper flakes.
  • Fresh dill.
  • Roasted chickpeas.
  • Fresh squeezed lemon juice.
  • Crumbled feta cheese.
  • Halved cherry tomatoes.

When stored in an airtight container, it will stay good for 2-3 days. If it’s already dressed, the texture of the cucumbers will begin to diminish. It’s better to serve our salad immediately when possible.

More Side Dish Recipes to Try

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Top down view of a plate of cucumber salad with two wooden spoons.

Cucumber Salad Recipe

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Author: Kim Vargo
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 4 Servings

Ingredients

  • ½ cup low-sodium soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons garlic paste, or finely minced garlic
  • 1 teaspoon ginger paste, or finely minced ginger
  • 2 English cucumbers, large in size, sliced to about ¼-inch thick
  • ½ cup green onions, chopped
  • Toasted sesame seeds, for garnish (optional)

Instructions
 

  • In a medium bowl, combine the soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, vinegar, garlic paste and ginger paste.
    ½ cup low-sodium soy sauce
    2 tablespoons sesame oil
    1 tablespoon granulated sugar
    2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
    2 teaspoons garlic paste
    1 teaspoon ginger paste
  • Place the cucumbers in a large bowl then pour the dressing over top. Add the green onions and toss to combine.
    2 English cucumbers
    ½ cup green onions
  • Serve with toasted sesame seeds if desired.
  • Scroll up and see the post for tips, FAQs, and recommend storage.

Notes

  • The calories listed are an approximation based on the ingredients in the recipe card and a serving size of 1 cup of cucumber salad. Actual calories will vary.
  • The total amount of cucumber salad varies between 4 to 5 cups depending on the size of the cucumbers.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cupCalories: 130kcalCarbohydrates: 13gProtein: 5gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gSodium: 1630mgPotassium: 390mgFiber: 2gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 511IUVitamin C: 12mgCalcium: 60mgIron: 2mg

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