This fast and easy cucumber salad is the perfect side dish recipe to make when you’re hot, tired, or hungry because the recipe involves no cooking, is easy and fast to make, and filling. You can serve it as a refreshing side dish during the spring or summer, or basically when cucumbers are available or in season.
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Reasons to Love Cucumbers
My favorite cucumber to buy are the Persian cucumbers. They’re about 5-6 inches long and about 1 inch thick. They’re easy to eat because the skin and seeds are tender and as a result there’s no waste. We think of cucumbers as vegetables even though they’re botanically a fruit and so tasty. They’re mostly water, low in calories (5 calories per 1/2 cup), and high in nutrition.
If you shop at an Asian or Japanese market, try making this cucumber salad recipe with Japanese cucumbers. They’re usually longer than Persian cucumbers (about 6-8 inches long) and have a bumpier skin.
I eat cucumbers plain, add them to salads, make Easy and Allergy Friendly Cucumber and Avocado Sushi Rolls, and make a quick pickle side dish with them. They add crunch and color to potato salads.
However, cucumbers become slimy and/or soft which are signs of spoilage and need to be tossed or composted. To avoid waste, I use them up within a day or two of purchase by making this cucumber salad.
This Recipe is a Must Try!
It takes less than 5 minutes to make this cucumber salad and you can serve it right away. Or you can make it when you have a few minutes and refrigerate it until your next meal.
But best of all, this salad can keep for a few days and save you from throwing out forgotten cucumbers. The cucumber salad stays refreshingly crunchy and delicious for 1-2 days. I like using air-tight, leak-proof glass storage containers.
I did not eat salads during my childhood. Chinese people seldom eat raw vegetables, perhaps due to culture, environment, or traditional Chinese medicine beliefs. But pouring hot chili oil over cucumbers might be considered “cooked” enough. I personally cannot handle spicy heat nor a lot of oil in my food, which is why I make my cucumber salad with a simple dressing of soy sauce and sesame oil.
Allergy Aware Cucumber Salad
This recipe is free of peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, dairy, shellfish, and fish as written. Because of the simplicity of the recipe, you can make a few easy swaps to make it suitable for your allergies.
People with a soy allergy can season the cucumbers with Soy-Free Soy Sauce Recipe, Top 9 Allergen Free or one of the store bought soy-free options.
If only wheat- or gluten-free, the easy swap is a gluten free tamari sauce.
I haven’t found a perfect swap for sesame oil. I think that the oily portion of a fresh jar of sunflower seed butter might be close. Often times, it’s easier to omit the sesame oil or use something completely different such as chili oil or saute some chopped garlic in olive oil.
Cucumber Salad with Soy & Sesame Dressing
This fast and easy cucumber side dish is the perfect side dish recipe to make when you're hot, tired, or hungry because the recipe involves no cooking, is easy and fast to make, and filling. You can serve it as a refreshing side dish during the spring or summer, or basically when cucumbers are available or in season.
Ingredients
- 5-6 Persian cucumbers
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
Instructions
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Roll cut or smash cucumbers into bite sized pieces and transfer to a medium sized mixing bowl. Add the sesame oil and soy sauce, toss to thoroughly coat the cucumber. Refrigerate while you prepare the rest of your meal or as a make ahead option.
Related Spring/Summer Time Recipes:
The last few summers have been so hot that I do not want to cook in our west-facing kitchen. Instead, I rely on fast-cooking meals such as Pasta with Chicken Sausages, Tomato & Brie Recipe.
My Broiled Teriyaki Chicken Thighs Recipe is also super fast and heats up the kitchen minimally since the broiler is on only for less than 10 minutes.
Recipes that can be prepped earlier in the day such as Cantonese-Style Poached Chicken Recipe and served cold or at room temperature can also help us manage our time.
We often associate using pressure cookers and slow cookers for hot and comforting stews and soups. But they’re also great for summer time use due to their time and energy efficiency. Try my recipe for Chinese Five Spice Soy Sauce Chicken Drumsticks or my Instant Pot Chicken Thighs with Teriyaki Sauce Recipe.
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That’s a refreshing twist! 🥒🥗 I bet the combination of flavors is amazing. Thanks for sharing this tasty and healthy recipe!
Indeed, I enjoy plain cucumbers but can only eat so much, lol! A little bit of soy and sesame oil goes a long ways.