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This simple Asian cucumber salad with a vinegar dressing is bursting with bright flavor, but only requires a few ingredients and three easy steps to make!
I love simple dishes that include lots of raw vegetables.
Don’t get me wrong, I love cooking with vegetables, too! I’m not one to pass up a hearty plant-based stew. But I do appreciate the crisp and refreshing taste of raw veggies mixed with simple ingredients.
This Asian cucumber salad is a perfect example! The vinegar-based dressing really compliments the bright crunch of the cucumber and carrots.
Add a few more bold ingredients like soy, honey, red pepper flakes, and scallions, and you have a dish that takes less than 10 minutes to make that’s wonderfully fresh and packed with flavor!
How to make Asian cucumber salad
This simple recipe comes together in just three easy steps:
Step 1: In a large bowl, whisk together the tamari or soy sauce, sesame oil, honey, rice vinegar, and crushed red pepper.
Step 2: Add the sliced or spiralized cucumbers, spiralized or grated carrots, and sliced scallions.
Step 3: Mix until the vegetables are well-coated, then garnish with sesame seeds.
Your crisp and refreshing vegetable salad is ready to enjoy!
Reducing the sodium
Watching your salt intake? There are a few things you can do to lower the sodium in this recipe.
First, you can reduce the amount of tamari or soy sauce added to the dressing. This potent ingredient will still add a nice bit of flavor even if you cut the amount used in half.
You could also dilute the rice vinegar. Instead of adding the full 1/4 cup to the dressing, use two tablespoons of rice vinegar and two tablespoons of water instead.
Storage
If you have any leftover vegetable salad, you can store it covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. After that, the vegetables will start to lose their freshness.
I recommend gently tossing the extra salad before serving again.
Other easy vegetable salad recipes
Not all salads are made with leafy greens! In fact, I love throwing together salads with fresh vegetables and bright, flavorful dressings. Here are a few of my favorites that I know you’ll love:
- Watermelon Salad with Goat Cheese & Basil
- Mediterranean Salad
- Summer Corn Salad with Basil Vinaigrette
You can also check out my roundup of diabetes-friendly salad recipes and low-carb salad dressings for more inspiration.
When you’ve tried this salad, please don’t forget to let me know how you liked it and rate the recipe in the comments below!
Asian Cucumber Salad
Ingredients
DRESSING
- 1 tablespoon low-sodium tamari , (or soy sauce)
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons honey
- ¼ cup rice vinegar
- Dash of crushed red pepper
SALAD
- 1 pound English cucumbers, (spiralized or sliced)
- 2 carrots, (spiralized or grated)
- 2 medium scallions, (thinly sliced)
- 2 teaspoons black sesame seeds
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the tamari or soy sauce, sesame oil, honey, rice vinegar, and crushed red pepper.1 tablespoon low-sodium tamari, 2 teaspoons sesame oil, 2 teaspoons honey, ¼ cup rice vinegar, Dash of crushed red pepper
- Add the sliced or spiralized cucumbers, spiralized or grated carrots, and sliced scallions.1 pound English cucumbers, 2 carrots, 2 medium scallions
- Mix until the vegetables are well-coated, then garnish with sesame seeds.2 teaspoons black sesame seeds
