Spicy Pineapple Cucumber Salad

Name: Spicy Pineapple Cucumber Salad
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Ingredients: 2 cup pineapple (cut into chunks); 1 cucumber (chopped); 1 red onion (chopped); 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar; 1 tsp honey; 1/4 tsp red chili flakes; 1 tsp cilantro (chopped); 1/2 tsp lime juice

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This spicy pineapple cucumber salad is the side of your dreams!

With sweet, spicy, juicy, and tangy flavors all in a single bowl, this salad is a refreshing side that will take your taste buds on a ride.

Best of all, it comes together in under 10 minutes, making it perfect for summer potlucks and BBQs.

For me, summer is all about putting those juicy and refreshing fruits and veggies to use, and of course, the simplest way to do that is with a salad.

While my watermelon Tajin salad, mango Pico de Gallo, and Thai cucumber salad have been big hits, I wanted to try a concoction that has a nice balance of sweetness and spicy flavors.

And that’s when I thought of putting those juicy pineapple chunks to use and trying this recipe.

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What's So Great About the Recipe?
Ingredients For the Pineapple Cucumber Salad Recipe
How to Make Pineapple and Cucumber Salad
Substitutions & Variations
💭Top Tip
Equipment
How to Store Leftover Salad
Tips & Tricks to Nail the Recipe
How to Serve the Spicy Pineapple Cucumber Salad
FAQs
Related Recipes
Spicy Pineapple Cucumber Salad

What's So Great About the Recipe?

My favorite part about this fresh salad is the fact that it comes together in under 10 minutes.

The flavors are incredibly versatile and can be tweaked to your preference too, which makes this salad a perfect teammate to almost any and all of your favorite mains.

Ingredients For the Pineapple Cucumber Salad Recipe

To make this pineapple and cucumber salad, here’s all you’ll need.

Pineapple: Start with ripe, juicy pineapple. Choose one that is sweet, especially if you’re buying a whole pineapple.

Cucumber: You’ll also need a whole, fresh cucumber, ideally the Persian cucumber, which doesn’t need to be peeled.

Red onion: The pungent flavor of the red onion complements the flavor of the other elements of the salad beautifully.

Apple cider vinegar: Apple cider vinegar forms the base of the salad dressing. Use any other vinegar of your choice if you can’t find this one.

Red chili flakes: I also added a pinch of red chili flakes for that pop of color and a bit of heat to balance the sweet flavors of the salad.

Lime juice: This one’s optional, but highly recommended, as the acidity of the lime balances the sweetness of the pineapple beautifully.

Honey: I also added a bit of honey to the pineapple salad dressing. The marriage of apple cider vinegar and honey is just next level.

Cilantro: To add that pop of color and freshness, I also used some chopped coriander.

See recipe card for quantities.

How to Make Pineapple and Cucumber Salad

Ready with all the ingredients? Here’s what you’ll need to do to make this refreshing pineapple cucumber salad.

Step 1: Chop the cucumber, pineapple, onion and cilantro.

Step 2: Place them all in a large salad bowl.

Step 3: In another bowl, prepare the dressing with the rest of the ingredients.

Step 4: Pour the dressing over the salad and toss well.

Step 5: Chill for a few minutes in the refrigerator or serve immediately.

Substitutions & Variations

Want to make the salad vegan? Skip the honey and use agave or any other natural sweetener of your choice.
If you don’t have lime juice, you can make do with lemon juice instead.
If you don’t have cilantro, use fresh mint, parsley, basil, or any other fresh herb of your choice

💭Top Tip

If you don’t want the salad to be too spicy, cut down the amount of red pepper flakes you’re adding or use some paprika instead.

Equipment

How to Store Leftover Salad

This salad is best made and served fresh, but if you do have some leftovers, you can store them for up to a day in the refrigerator.

Remember that the fresh veggies will lose their crunchiness when stored for long, which is why, it is best to finish up almost all fresh salads immediately.

Tips & Tricks to Nail the Recipe

In addition to the cucumber and pineapple, you can also experiment and add in other veggies of your choice. Tomatoes, green onions, and avocados are good choices for a summer salad.
Bell peppers, specifically red bell peppers can be a great addition to this salad too!
If you want your salad to have some extra tangy flavor, add more of the lime juice and zest into the dressing.
Another great idea is to add a dash of lemon-infused olive oil to the dressing.
Once you’re done making the salad, pop it into the refrigerator for a few minutes to chill and let the flavors develop even more.

How to Serve the Spicy Pineapple Cucumber Salad

This spicy cucumber pineapple salad is absolutely delicious and makes for the perfect summertime side dish for almost any of your favorite mains.

Pair it with some grilled tandoori corn or sausage and potato foil packets or any of your favorite summer recipes.

This savory and flavorful salad can also be paired with some grilled chicken on your next cookout.

FAQs

Can I use canned pineapple for the recipe?

While I would recommend using fresh pineapple for this recipe, you can use canned pineapple if that’s what you have at hand. Make sure you drain the liquid and pat the pineapple dry before you add it to the salad. You may also want to skip adding the honey since canned pineapple is usually too sweet.

Can I use regular cucumbers?

These dark-green Persian cucumbers have a more crunchy texture as opposed to regular cucumbers, but if you don’t have them at hand, you can make do with the regular ones instead.

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