Spicy Asian Cucumber Salad
This spicy Asian cucumber salad is made with crisp cucumbers, chili crisp, soy sauce and rice vinegar. It’s a refreshing go-to salad to serve alongside any Asian-inspired dishes and only takes a few minutes to make!
If you love this salad, you’ll also love this viral bell pepper and cucumber salad, this California roll cucumber salad, and this spicy carrot and cucumber salad!
Recipe Ingredients: Spicy Asian Cucumber Salad
For the dressing:
For the salad:
Ingredient Notes, Substitutions & Additions
Cucumber: My favorite cucumbers for this salad are Persian cucumbers. They are small and tasty and work so well with this salad. An English cucumber works great, too!
Chili crisp: My absolute favorite chili crisp is the Crunchy Chili Onion from Trader Joe’s! It’s mild and super flavorful. But there are countless brands of chili crisp–just find your favorite. If you can’t find it in your local grocery store, Amazon has lots of choices, of course!
Sesame seeds: These are optional but make the salad so pretty and they also give a nice little crunch. White and black sesame seeds are both perfect for this spicy cucumber salad.
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Expert Tips
- Salt the cucumbers: I have made this salad with and without salting the cucumbers first, and I MUCH prefer it when I take 2 extra minutes to salt the cucumbers. This draws out the water and enhances the flavor AND helps the salad stay extra crisp!
- Storage: This salad is best served fresh but will hold up pretty well in the fridge for 1-2 days. Store in an airtight container.
- Cutting the cucumbers: Cut the cucumbers on a diagonal for a nice effect. You can also use a mandolin to slide the cucumbers even thinner.
- How to serve: This salad is great on its own as a light dish or paired with your favorite protein like grilled chicken, tofu, or fish. It also makes a great accompaniment to a larger meal, especially Asian-inspired dishes like this easy dumpling soup!
- Add more spice! Need more heat?? Add a pinch of red chili flakes or whisk in a teaspoon or two of sriracha into the dressing.
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Thank you! ~ Casey
Spicy Asian Cucumber Salad
Ingredients
- 8 mini (Persian) cucumbers, cut into 1/4" (or less) rounds on the diagonal or one English cucumber
- 1/4 tsp coarse salt (sea salt, kosher salt)
- 2 tbsp soy sauce low sodium, if possible
- 4 tsp rice vinegar
- 2 tbsp chili crisp more for extra heat
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp sugar
- sesame seeds, optional
Instructions
- Slice and soak the cucumbers: Slice the cucumbers and place them in a medium bowl. Sprinkle the salt evenly onto the cucumbers and toss with a spoon or clean hands to ensure they are all coated in the salt. Allow them to sit 2-3 minutes while you prepare the “dressing.”
- Make the dressing: Add all dressing ingredients (soy sauce, rice vinegar, chili crisp, sesame oil and sugar) to a small bowl and whisk until the ingredients are well combined.
- Assemble the salad: Add the dressing to the salted cucumbers and toss well to coat. Add more chili crisp if you like, and top with sesame seeds.
This is my 5 minute go-to side dish for any Asian meal! I hope you love it–it’s SO EASY to make! XO ~ Casey