This Asian-inspired chili cucumber salad will be your new favorite summer side dish! It's made with crispy cucumber slices and crunchy peanuts in a kicky chili sesame dressing.
This chili cucumber salad will blow you away! It's packed with flavor, big time.
I'm all about cool summer salads this time of year, and cucumbers are a great main ingredients for these types of dishes. You probably know this if you've tried my creamy dill cucumber salad.
This time I decided to give my salad an Asian flare, kind if like I did with my Asian slaw and sesame edamame salad recipes. But this one is also spicy!
The salad you see in the photos isn't as hot as you'd think though. You actually have a lot of control as to how much heat goes into your salad. Read on for full details on that, and to learn how it's made. It's super easy!
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Ingredients You'll Need
- Soy sauce. You could substitute gluten-free tamari or liquid aminos and keep the entire recipe gluten-free, if needed!
- Chili oil. This is available in Asian markets, or online. Chili oils can vary a lot as far as heat level, so investigate before you buy. I've linked to a relatively mild chili oil in the recipe card, so use that one if you don't like a ton of heat. Be aware that the recipe will have a kick to it no matter what though!
- Rice vinegar. This is available in the international aisle of most grocery stores.
- Toasted sesame oil. You can also find this in the international aisle, probably not far from the rice vinegar.
- Brown sugar. Use organic brown sugar to keep the recipe vegan.
- Garlic.
- Cucumbers. Pretty much any variety of common cucumber will work. Garden cucumbers, Persian cucumbers, and English cucumbers are all fine options!
- Scallions. You might also know these as green onions.
- Peanuts. Feel free to leave these out or swap them out with another nut, or even sesame seeds, if you've got an allergy.
- Salt.
How It's Made
Below is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you'd like to skip right to the recipe!
Begin by making the dressing. Stir the soy sauce, chili oil, rice vinegar, sesame oil, brown sugar, and garlic together in a small bowl. Make sure to stir until the brown sugar is completely dissolved.
Tip: Not sure how much heat you can handle? Use about half of the chili oil called for in the recipe. You can always add more later!
Now place sliced cucumber, chopped scallions, and chopped peanuts into a large bowl. Add the dressing and stir it up!
Give your spicy Asian cucumber salad a taste-test and add some salt to taste. Adjust any other seasonings as you see fit.
The salad is ready to enjoy! You can serve it immediately, or chill it for later. I actually find that it's best when served the next day — this gives the cucumbers time to soak up the flavorful dressing.
Tip: A lot of the chopped peanuts and chili flakes will end up on the bottom of the bowl. Be sure to stir it up well, or transfer it to another bowl so that you don't miss out on any of the good stuff!
Shelf-Life & Storage
Leftover chili cucumber salad will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for about three days.
More Cool Summer Salads
Like this recipe? If so, please stop back and leave me a review and rating below if you try it! Also be sure to follow me on Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram, or subscribe to my newsletter for more recipes like this one!
📖 Recipe
Chili Crunch Cucumber Salad
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons chili oil, or to taste (Note 1)
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon organic brown sugar
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 ½ pounds cucumbers, sliced (about ¼ inch)
- ½ cup chopped scallions (about 5 scallions)
- ½ cup roasted and salted peanuts, chopped
- Salt, to taste
Instructions
- Stir the soy sauce, chili oil, rice vinegar, sesame oil, brown sugar, and garlic together in a small bowl. Stir until the brown sugar is completely dissolved.
- Place the cucumbers, scallions, and peanuts into a large mixing bowl. Add the soy sauce mixture and stir everything to combine.
- Season the salad with salt to taste. Adjust any seasonings to suit your preference.
- Serve immediately or chill in a sealed container for up to three days, until ready to serve.
Notes
- Start with one tablespoon of chili oil if you're not sure how much heat you can tolerate. You can also use a milder brand of chili oil, such as the one I've linked to in the recipe card.
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I've been in a funk about cucumbers for quite some time, but your recipe changed that! I follow a more Nutritarian plant-based diet, so I made some substitutions.
I used Bragg's Liquid Amino Acids in place of soy sauce and salt; I used date syrup instead of brown sugar; and I used only 1/2 teaspoon of sesame oil. In place of the chili oil, I used Trader Joe's Crunchy Chili Onion (with most of the oil drained back into the container). Instead of peanuts, I hand-chopped TJ's Chili Garlic Cashews. I also added a heaping teaspoon of Dijon mustard.
I used Persian cucumbers, sliced super-thinly with my food processor. Less than 1/8-inch, much like the cucumber salads I used to order at sushi restaurants.
All I can say is WOW, WOW, WOW!
It was the perfect balance of sweet, salty, crunchy, and SPICY! I will be making this again. In a future version, I'm considering using lightly sautéed summer squash in place of the cucumbers. Or using half cucumbers and half squash. The squash will likely offer a mellow, savory flavor.