Spicy, savory, crunchy, and juicy, this Thai crunchy cucumber salad is a riot of flavors and textures in your mouth- just like my Thai fried egg salad.
The salad features cucumbers, red onions, and peanuts tossed in a sweet, spicy, and tangy dressing that's bursting with Asian flavors. It is the perfect summer side dish that is easy to make, versatile, and customizable.
I have to admit, I haven’t really tried a lot of Thai food, but the spicy, tangy, and savory flavors it promises made me want to jump in and try this simple salad recipe.
My obsession with cucumbers is leading me to try new salads and creations, and while my spicy Asian cucumber salad and cucumber Pico de Gallo are still my absolute favorites, I really wanted to try something a bit different.
Quick Look: Thai Crunchy Cucumber Salad
- 🔪 Prep time: 10 minutes.
- ⏲️ Cook time: 0 minutes.
- 👪 Servings: 2.
- 📋 Main ingredients: Cucumbers, red onion, peanuts, cilantro, fish sauce, chili sauce, sesame seeds.
- ♨️ Cooking method: Chop → whisk the dressing → toss → chill and serve.
- ⭐ Difficulty: Very easy.
- 🥣 Serving ideas: Pair with Thai curries, chicken satay or use as a topping over chicken egg roll in a bowl.
Jump to:
- Quick Look: Thai Crunchy Cucumber Salad
- What's So Great About the Recipe?
- Recipe Ingredients
- Substitutions & Variations
- How to Make Thai Crunchy Cucumber Salad
- 💭Top Tip
- Tips & Tricks to Nail the Recipe
- How to Serve Thai Crunchy Cucumber Salad
- Troubleshooting & FAQs
- More Asian Side Recipes
- Thai Crunchy Cucumber Salad
What's So Great About the Recipe?
- All it takes is 10 minutes to put it together, and it is ready to serve, teamed up with some simple fried rice or a Thai style feast of some Thai hot and sour chicken soup and chicken Satay.
- It's incredibly versatile! You can pair it with an Asian main or pretty much any grilled meat too.
- It's customizable- like my Asian chicken carrot salad. You can swap things around and play with the flavors.
Recipe Ingredients
Cucumber: English cucumbers are the best choice for this recipe. They’re super crunchy and hold their shape well, which is just what we need for this recipe.
Onion: I also used some red onion to bring a bit of pungent flavor to the salad, balanced out nicely with the refreshing cucumber.
Cilantro: Chopped fresh cilantro just takes the salad to the next level with its bright deliciousness.
Fish sauce: Fish sauce is truly the hero ingredient here. It lends a beautiful savory, umami deliciousness to the salad dressing, and is an absolute must!
Chili sauce: I skipped the red pepper flakes and just used a few dashes of my favorite chili sauce (or chili garlic oil) to lend the salad a bit of heat. Yes, Sriracha works wonderfully too- in fact, I used some of my homemade Sriracha salt too.
Peanuts: I also added some coarsely chopped peanuts for that authentic Thai flavor.
Sesame seeds: Sesame seeds again, bring in a nice crunch factor to the salad. Use lightly toasted sesame seeds for the best flavor or sprinkle some Gomasio seasoning.
Vinegar: Vinegar brings a nice tanginess to the salad dressing and ‘pickles’ the cucumbers.
Sugar: Sugar helps tone down the tanginess and brings a bit of sweetness to the salad.
See recipe card for quantities.
Substitutions & Variations
- I used white vinegar for this recipe because that’s what I had at hand. You can use any other kind of vinegar like rice vinegar, apple cider vinegar, hot pepper vinegar or even just some lime juice for that tanginess.
- To lend this salad a spicy kick, you can also add some chopped Thai chili into the mix.
- To make things quicker, you can just use some Prik Nam Pla along with crushed peanuts and sesame seeds to dress up the cucumber salad.
How to Make Thai Crunchy Cucumber Salad
Step 1: In a large bowl, combine the cucumbers and red onions, sesame seeds, cilantro, and peanuts.
Step 2: Whisk the dressing ingredients in a small bowl. Pour the dressing over it.
Step 3: Mix well.
Step 4: Cover and refrigerate for 15-20 minutes or serve immediately.
💭Top Tip
Don’t have cilantro? Use some fresh mint leaves instead. The idea is to use a fresh herb to get that pop of color and zesty deliciousness into the salad.
Tips & Tricks to Nail the Recipe
- I would recommend using thin cucumber slices for this salad. Begin by slicing the cucumbers in half lengthwise, and then into half-rounds like I did.
- If you want, you can also just simply slice them into circles. Just make sure you use a mandolin slicer or a sharp knife for best results.
- To tone down the pungent spiciness of the red onions, you can slice them, and soak them in some ice water for a few minutes before adding them to the bowl. I do this whenever I make laccha onions too.
- Chopped green onions lend a nice different flavor to the salad, so you can add them in too, if you want to, or use them to make a nice Korean green onion salad.
- To accentuate the Thai flavors in this salad, you can also add a dash of sesame oil to the dressing.
- You can also experiment and try adding some lime pickled onions or pickled green onions to the salad. While this is not authentic, the tanginess of these pickled veggies can add great flavors to this simple cucumber salad.
How to Serve Thai Crunchy Cucumber Salad
This crunchy Thai salad is best served chilled, which is why, I would recommend refrigerating it for 15-20 minutes before you serve it. That's actually what I do for most of my summer salads, including my spicy pineapple and cucumber salad.
You can team the salad up with some jasmine rice, chicken satay, or practically any Asian main of your choice. I love pairing it with my honey sriracha shrimp rice bowl, soy cured egg yolks with rice and even my teriyaki tofu bowl. The freshness of this delicious salad works wonderfully with both of these hearty Asian meals.
Troubleshooting & FAQs
While Persian cucumbers are the best choice for this recipe, you can also make do with regular cucumbers, if that’s what you have at hand. Make sure you peel them before you put them to use.
Yes, this salad is meant to be spicy, but if you can’t handle the heat, you can always cut down the amount of chili sauce you’re adding in, and adjust it to your preference.
Bulk up this salad with other veggies like julienned carrots, raw papaya, bell peppers, bean sprouts, corn or even some chickpeas or beans,
This salad tastes best when made and enjoyed fresh. If you do have some extra cucumber salad, you can refrigerate it in a clean glass container or an airtight container.
More Asian Side Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
If you tried this crunchy Thai cucumber salad or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Thai Crunchy Cucumber Salad
Ingredients
- 2 Persian cucumbers
- 1 red onion
- 1 tablespoon crushed peanuts
- ½ teaspoon sesame seeds
- 1 tablespoon vinegar
- 1 tablespoon chili sauce
- ½ teaspoon fish sauce
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon cilantro chopped
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the cucumbers and red onions, sesame seeds, cilantro, and peanuts.
- Whisk the dressing ingredients in a small bowl. Pour the dressing over it.
- Mix well.
- Cover and refrigerate for 15-20 minutes or serve immediately.
