This Cucumber Carrot Salad is so easy to make and absolutely delish! Fresh carrots and cucumbers meet a creamy Asian inspired peanut sauce that is out of this world. The recipe takes under 30 minutes to make and is the perfect healthy side dish.
I'm all about fresh salads and I love simple cucumber salads for lunch or as a side dish for dinner. They come together in minutes, are packed with nutrients and the peanut sauce tastes so good paired with the carrot and cucumber.
Cucumber Salads have been all the rage on TikTok lately, and it inspired me to make this new version.
For more Cucumber Salad Recipes, try my Spicy Cucumber Salad and Tomato Cucumber Salad (A Greek Inspired Recipe).
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Why You'll Love This Cucumber Salad Recipe:
- Easy to Make. This is such a simple recipe and uses minimal ingredients and low effort techniques with no mandoline required.
- Quick. Ready in eat in under 30 minutes.
- So much Flavor. Fresh cucumbers with sweet carrots meet a savory dressing with tangy bursts for some serious flavor.
- Healthy. Cucumbers are healthy and hydrating with low calories. Carrots are high in Vitamin A, which is great for eye sight and immunity.
For more recipes with Peanut Sauce, try this Crunchy Kale Salad and Spring Roll Salad.
Ingredients:
English Cucumber: A great choice for firmness, less water and less seeds. Slice the cucumber as thin or thick as you would like.
Carrot: Adds sweetness and texture to the salad. I like using the vegetable peeler to slice the raw carrot into ribbons for a fancy look.
Peanut Butter: The main ingredient in peanut sauce. I like using the Jif or Skippy brands because they have some sugar content to add just a hint of sweetness.
Soy Sauce: Adds salty and umami flavors to the peanut sauce.
Rice Vinegar: Brings acidity and tanginess to the sauce.
Ginger and Garlic: Adds Asian flavors. Make sure the ginger is grated and the garlic is minced. These won't be cooked at all and you don't want to get a mouthful of either.
Crushed Red Pepper: Added for a bit of spice.
*Full recipe ingredients and quantities can be found in the recipe card below.
Swapping or Adding Ingredients:
You can substitute natural peanut butter for the Jif and Skippy Peanut Butter, but you may want to add a bit of granulated sugar or honey into the peanut sauce. Jif or Skippy has sugar in the peanut butter so it's not necessary to add any.
If you can't find English cucumber, Persian is a good substitute. English cucumbers are an average of 12 inches and Persian are only 5-6 inches, so you'll need 2-3 of them depending of their size.
Love Spicy? Add in a few more dashes of crushed red pepper flakes or a few squirts of sriracha sauce to the peanut sauce.
How to Make Cucumber Carrot Salad:
Step 1: Remove the stems of the cucumber, then cut the cucumbers into ¼ to ½ inch slices. Peel the carrot and discard the outer skin. Then, use the peeler and grate from top to bottom pushing firmly down to create ribbon like pieces.
Step 2: Place the cucumbers in a bowl and toss with salt. Allow to sit for 15-20 minutes at room temperature to draw out the water.
Step 3: In a medium bowl, whisk together the peanut butter, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and red pepper flakes. Pour in warm water and continue to whisk until smooth and creamy.
Step 4: Place the cucumbers onto a paper towel lined plate and cover with more paper towels and pat dry.
Step 5: Toss the cucumbers in the peanut sauce, then place in a serving bowl.
Step 6: Top with carrots, fresh cilantro, and sesame seeds. Serve and enjoy!
Chef Tips:
- Don't skip getting the water out of the cucumbers. You will end up with a much less watery salad by completing those steps.
- Adding a bit of warm water (about a tablespoon) will really thin out the peanut sauce to the best texture.
Looking for more lunch recipes? Try this Cranberry Pecan Chicken Salad, Mediterranean Chopped Salad and Dill Pickle Egg Salad.
Recipe FAQs:
Pair a fresh Cucumber Salad with Sticky Asian Meatballs, Ground Chicken Stir Fry, or Thai Shrimp Tacos. This Blackstone Fried Rice is also a favorite or check out these Teriyaki Beef Bowls.
I like serving it right after preparing it because the cucumbers will continue to drain as they sit. However, I ate this the day after and it still tasted amazing, it's just a bit more watered down.
Store the leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge and eat within 24 hours for the best taste.
More Salad Recipes You Will Want to Make:
If you tried this Cucumber Carrot Salad Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you!
PrintRecipe
Cucumber Carrot Salad
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
This Cucumber Carrot Salad is so easy to make and absolutely delish! Fresh carrots and cucumbers meet a creamy Asian inspired peanut sauce that is out of this world. The recipe takes under 30 minutes to make and is the perfect healthy side dish.
Ingredients
Cucumber Carrot Salad
- 1 English cucumber
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 large carrot
- 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, minced
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
Peanut Sauce:
- ⅛ cup creamy peanut butter, Jif or Skippy
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- ¼ teaspoon ginger, grated
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- ⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon warm water
Instructions
- Remove the stems of the cucumber, then cut the cucumbers into ¼ to ½ inch slices. Peel the carrot and discard the outer skin. Then, use the peeler and grate from top to bottom pushing firmly down to create ribbon like pieces.
- Place the cucumbers in a bowl and toss with salt. Allow to sit for 15-20 minutes at room temperature to draw out the water.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the peanut butter, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and red pepper flakes. Pour in the warm water and continue to whisk until smooth and creamy.
- Place the cucumbers onto a paper towel lined plate and cover with more paper towels and pat dry.
- Toss the cucumbers in the peanut sauce, then place in a serving bowl.
- Top with carrots, fresh cilantro, and sesame seeds. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Don't skip getting the water out of the cucumbers. You will end up with a much less watery salad by completing those steps.
- Adding a bit of warm water (about a tablespoon) will really thin out the peanut sauce to the best texture.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Category: Salad
- Method: No cook
- Cuisine: Asian
Josie
This is so good! I ate the whole bowl & was surprised by how I liked the peanut sauce with the cucumber.
Tara Smithson
I ate the whole bowl too. It is such a good combo.