This Spicy Asian Cucumber Salad is full of heat and flavor. In less than 30 minutes, you can create this delicious and healthy cucumber dish! Just like my Thai Shrimp Tacos and Honey Sriracha Shrimp, this recipe is loaded with yummy Asian flavors!
These cucumbers are so yummy! I love having them in a rice bowl with salmon or shrimp. Also, this salad is an awesome side for pot stickers, my Asian Turkey Meatballs, Teriyaki Beef Rice Bowls or Ground Chicken Lettuce Wraps. They have just the right amount of heat and flavor to liven things up a bit.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe:
- It's healthy, delish and packed with flavor
- The recipe only takes 10 minutes to make. I like to allow the cucumbers to sit with salt to remove excess water for 20 minutes. It's optional, but highly recommended.
- This recipe uses minimal ingredients. If you cook Asian food a lot, you will most likely have everything sitting in the fridge already.
Love Asian flavors? Try my Thai Shrimp Tacos, Blackstone Fried Rice, Soy Garlic Chicken Wings & Panko Cauliflower Bites with an Asian inspired sauce!
The Ingredients:
Cucumber-English or Persian cucumbers work best in this dish because they are less seedy than other varieties. Try this Cucumber Carrot Salad too!
Sriracha- provides the spicy flavor to the dish and hits you a few moments after you eat them. If you love spicy, feel free to double what I used in the recipe. I'm a bit of a baby when it comes to heat.
Mayonnaise- Adds creaminess to the cucumber salad and balances out the heat.
Rice Vinegar- Just a touch to add acidity.
Sesame Oil- Earthy, nutty Asian flavor that I am really starting to develop a liking for. It needs to be used sparingly though, because it can really overpower.
Soy Sauce- For the umami flavor we all love!
Honey- Just a touch for sweetness.
Ginger & Garlic- Brings in a bit of texture to the dish and extra flavor punches.
Sriracha Mayo and Sesame Seeds- Optional, but really make the dish look incredible.
See the recipe card below for the full list of ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions and Variations:
- Feel free to use Coconut Aminos as a substitute for the Soy Sauce
- Kewpie Mayo would be an excellent substitute for the mayo if it is available to you. I used Hellman's because it is what I had in the fridge.
- If you are feeling really extra, you can toast the sesame seeds in a frying pan with no oil for 2 to 4 minutes over medium heat. Toasted sesame seeds offer a scrumptious, nutty flavor profile that is more intense than the original.
How to Peel Ginger:
There are a few ways. My preference is the lazy way, where I use a knife to chop off the skin and waste some of the ginger in order to remove the peel.
The more labor intensive, but correct way, is to use the tip of a spoon to shave off the exterior skin without wasting the ginger. You can get into the tough spots without having to chop them off.
Then, grate the ginger with the fine side of the cheese grater or microplane.
If you have leftover ginger, use it for this Teriyaki Broccoli Recipe.
How to Make Spicy Asian Cucumber Salad (Step by Step Instructions):
Step 1: Begin by slicing the cucumbers into thin slices with a knife or a mandoline. I like using a mandoline because they will all be exactly the same size in width. Recommended: Sprinkle ½ teaspoon of salt over cucumbers and place in colander over the sink for 20 minutes to allow the water to draw out. Pat dry with paper towels to remove excess water.
Step 2: In a large bowl, combine mayonnaise, sriracha, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, honey, garlic and ginger. Whisk together.
Step 3: Add the cucumbers over the sauce and toss.
Step 4: Top with sesame seeds if desired and drizzle sriracha mayo over the top of the salad. If you want to make your own like I did, add 3 tablespoons of mayonnaise with 2 teaspoons of sriracha. It does pack some heat. Enjoy!
Expert Tips:
- Salting and removing the extra water from the cucumbers is highly recommended in this recipe. Cucumbers contain a lot of water and the sauce will taste much better when it isn't watered down.
- If you use a knife, make sure it's sharp so you can make really thin slices of cucumbers.
Love Asian flavors? Try my Chili Oil Ramen, Spring Roll Salad, Ground Chicken Stir Fry and Chicken Teriyaki Pineapple Meatballs too!
Recipe FAQs:
It draws out the water, so you aren't left with ultra watery salad, that becomes less flavorful. I highly suggest salting the cucumbers with ½ teaspoon of salt and placing in a colander over the sink for 20 minutes to allow the excess water to drain.
You betcha! They are high in vitamins such as Vitamin K and also help to hydrate the body, because they are full of water.
This salad is really flavorful, with a bit of heat from the sriracha, but you also will get sweetness from the honey, a little earthiness from the sesame oil, and creamy flavor from the mayo. It's a light dish that won't leave you feeling heavy.
It's easier to add heat than to take it away. Start with 1 teaspoon of sriracha, taste and add more it you want spicier. If you accidentally add too much heat, add in an extra tablespoon of mayo to balance it.
Storage:
This salad can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days. It will get watery as it sits in the fridge, but it's still amazing and makes a great snack or side dish.
More Asian Inspired Recipes You'll Love:
If you tried this Cucumber Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you!
PrintRecipe
Spicy Asian Cucumber Salad
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
This Spicy Asian Cucumber Salad is full of heat and flavor. In less than 30 minutes, you can create this delicious and healthy dish!
Ingredients
- 1 long English cucumber or 4 Persian cucumbers, rinsed and dried
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1-2 teaspoons Sriracha (depending on the heat you want) You can always add more to taste.
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce or coconut aminos
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon fresh ginger, peeled and grated
- Optional: ½ teaspoon sesame seeds for garnish and Sriracha Mayo for drizzle.
Sriracha Mayo recipe: 3 tablespoons mayo mixed with 2 teaspoon Sriracha
Instructions
- Begin by slicing the cucumbers into thin slices with a knife or a mandoline. I like using a mandoline because they will all be exactly the same size in width. Recommended: Sprinkle ½ teaspoon of salt over cucumbers and place in colander over the sink for 20 minutes to allow the water to draw out. Pat dry with paper towels to remove excess water.
- In a large bowl, combine mayonnaise, sriracha, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, honey, garlic and ginger. Whisk together.
- Add the cucumbers over the sauce and toss.
- Top with sesame seeds if desired and drizzle sriracha mayo over the top of the salad. If you want to make your own like I did, add 3 tablespoons of mayonnaise with 2 teaspoons of sriracha. It does pack some heat.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Salting and removing the extra water from the cucumbers is highly recommended in this recipe. Cucumbers contain a lot of water and the sauce will taste much better when it isn't watered down.
If you use a knife, make sure it's sharp so you can make really thin slices of cucumbers.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Category: side dish
- Method: no bake
- Cuisine: Asian
Sarah Leigh
This recipe was so delicious and easy to make! I didn’t have sesame seeds, so I used Everything Bagel Seasoning and it was *chef’s kiss*.
Tara Smithson
Hi Sarah! So glad to hear that and everything bagel seasoning sounds yummy! Thanks so much for the review..means the world to me.
Holly
This is so yummy! Just the right amount of spice with a great Asian flavor!