I adore this cucumber salad. Sweet, tangy, cool (as a cucumber!), and bursting with umami from the toasted sesame oil, this Sesame Cucumber Spiralized Salad is absolutely perfect for hot summer weather and the perfect compliment to any Asian entree.
And it only takes FIVE minutes to throw together!!
It’s perfect as a side, for instance, to grocery store sushi. Zach and I have discovered that our HEB actually makes some of the best sushi around our neck of the woods! We’ve gotten in the habit of- at least weekly- picking up a couple of spicy California rolls and making this as a side- absolutely delicious, easy, and super refreshing. Usually, we get a seaweed salad when we go out for sushi.
The dressing on this cucumber salad tastes almost identical to most seaweed salads I’ve had, so if you like seaweed salad, you are definitely going to like this.
There are two things that make this salad extra special.
The first is that I am proud to say that I GREW the cucumbers used to make this MYSELF! It’s the first edible thing, besides herbs, that I’ve ever grown. It really made it taste that much better.
The second is that it’s spiralized. A spiralizer is a relatively new addition to my kitchen and I have to say: I love it. It makes veggies fun to eat (eating this salad with chopsticks was awesome), and often gives the impression that you are eating noodles (but a healthier, low carb version).
If you don’t have one, no worries. You can also make this salad by thinly slicing the cucumber (using a sharp knife or even a mandoline).
To make this (ridiculously easy) salad, just mix together some toasted sesame oil, rice vinegar, honey, salt, and red pepper flakes in a bowl. Toss with cucumbers (spiralized or sliced) and you’re done!
If you’re feeling fancy, garnish with toasted sesame seeds (just put some sesame seeds in a skillet and toast over medium high heat until they are just beginning to brown) and sliced green onions.
I don’t recommend making this salad in advance. The salt in the dressing will draw the water out of the cucumbers, so it will become watery almost instantly after adding the dressing.
You can mix the dressing in advance and toss with the cucumbers just before serving, but if you leave the cucumbers sitting in the dressing for too long you may end up with a liquidy, soggy (but still tasty!) mess.
One last thing: if you are in the market for a spiralizer, I recommend this one. It’s super sturdy, and adheres to your countertop with strong suction cups so it doesn’t budge, even with harder veggies like carrots.
The blades are super sharp, so they work extremely well and it takes very little effort to push on the vegetable to get it to turn into noodles. It has three different kinds of blades for thick, thin, and flat/wide “noodles.” You can even use the thick noodle setting on potatoes to make curly fries!! It’s the best. Try using a zucchini with it to make this teriyaki salmon and zucchini noodle bowl.
Looking for an awesome protein to pair with this salad? Try these Seared Ahi Tuna Steaks. They only take six minutes to make!
Recipe for Spiralized Sesame Cucumber Salad below! Enjoy, and stay cool out there, folks.
Spiralized Sesame Cucumber Salad
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes or more, depending on how spicy you like it
- 2 cucumbers spiralized (or sliced)
- toasted sesame seeds and sliced green onions for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Whisk together first five ingredients in a medium bowl.
- Add prepared cucumbers; toss to coat
- Top with toasted sesame seeds and green onions, if desired.
Notes
- The provided nutrition information does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. Feel free to calculate it yourself using this calculator or by adding the recipe to Yummly.
Nutrition
Nutrition Information Disclaimer
The provided nutrition information is my best estimate and reflects one serving of the recipe (total servings indicated at top of recipe card). It does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. I use an automatic API to calculate this information. Feel free to calculate it yourself using one of these tools:
transplantwest
Thank you…. I’m still going to make it again. Also like the other comment to add seaweed.
Vinita
Prepare this salad today .it’s too yummy & lookwise so tempting that a big bowl of about 1/2 kg cucumber plus onion finished first .
Thanks a lot
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Jason
It was okay. Needs less toasted sesame oil and a little more honey to actually make it taste like it’s not burnt.
A d it’s still watery even when served immediately.
Elizabeth Lindemann
Thanks for the feedback, sorry it didn’t work out like you wanted! The cucumbers do get very water right away. I think maybe using an English cucumber or a variety with less watery may help with this.
transplantwest
Delish… but sugar missing from macros…. :(
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it! The nutrition information says that there are 6g sugar in this recipe. Keep in mind – this is an estimate and I use an automatic API to calculate it, but it’s definitely there :-)
Therese Meyer
I subsituted with Jicama which I shredded with a fine mandolin. Skipped the honey, and added some Japanese 7 spice powder by McCormick. Also added a handful of sunflower seeds. YUM!
Elizabeth Lindemann
Oh wow, LOVE this idea! I love Jicama and am always looking for new ways to use it. Thanks for this idea!
Cstratton
I made this today for the first time and added a couple of tweaks. I used Sriracha in place of the red pepper flakes and added Wakame seaweed to the salad as well. It was amazing! I will make this again and again!! Thank you for this recipe ❤️
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it – I LOVE the idea of adding seaweed to the salad! Can’t wait to try that.
Lisa
I made this for my a group of 75+ ladies for my mother’s birthday…..wanted something light and tasty…..they all LOVED IT! It was so easy.
Now making it for my friends whom I’m sure will love it also.
Elizabeth Lindemann
Oh wow, so glad to hear it was such a hit! Thanks so much, and hope it’s a success with your friends as well :-)