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Home » Recipes » Dairy Free

Spicy Cucumber Salad

By Erin · June 11, 2022 · Updated February 27, 2023 · 8 Comments

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Gluten FreeDairy FreeVeganVegetarian
cucumbers in a bowl with seasonings and a cutting board with sliced cucumbers

Crisp cucumbers and a simple yet spicy sauce come together to make this Spicy Cucumber Salad. Enjoy it as a boldly-flavored and refreshing snack, side dish, or appetizer!

sliced cucumbers in a bowl topped with chili flakes

Whip up this Spicy Cucumber Salad whenever you want to spice up your snack of sliced cucumbers or need a fun dish for get-togethers. It’s crisp, bursting with flavor, and easy to make.

All you need are a few boldly-flavored condiments and a handful of cucumbers. Mix them all together and you have an exciting, yet simple cucumber salad! It's similar to the Korean dish, Oi Kimchi, with a few minor ingredient tweaks. Plus, It’s suitable for anyone who eats a vegan, paleo, or gluten free diet, making it the ultimate salad for potlucks, family gatherings, get-togethers, and backyard parties. 

Anyone who loves spicy food or exciting side dishes will surely love this cucumber salad recipe. When you really want to turn up the heat, serve it next to these Spicy Paleo Chicken Wings and Cucumber Jalapeno Margaritas!

Recipe features

  • Easy to make with a handful of simple condiments and ingredients.
  • A bold and refreshing snack, side dish, or appetizer.
  • It’s dairy free, nut free, paleo, vegan, and easy to make gluten free. 
sliced cucumbers on a cutting board

Ingredient notes:

  • Cucumbers - Mini cucumbers or Persian cucumbers preferably. They’re small, crisp, and packed with a ton of juicy, refreshing flavors. If you can’t find them, use Japanese or English cucumbers instead.
  • Salt - Sprinkling salt over the cucumbers will help them release a bunch of extra liquid, preventing your salad from becoming overly watery.
  • Soy sauce - Use tamari for gluten free.
  • Chili oil - Sometimes I like to swap this with Chile Crunch for more texture.
  • Sugar - Honey or maple syrup works too.
  • Korean chili flakes - AKA gochugaru. This popular Korean spice is similar to chili powder and has a mild to medium spice level. Feel free to use red pepper flakes if you can’t find Korean chili flakes.

Step-by-step instructions

Step 1: Salt the cucumbers. Stir the chopped cucumbers and salt together in a bowl. Let them sit for 10 minutes to release extra liquid.

Step 2: Add the spicy sauce and enjoy. Drain the excess water from the bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients, stir to combine, then enjoy!

sliced cucumbers in a bowl on the left and soy sauce and garlic in a bowl on the right

Tips and FAQs

  • Save time by keeping a batch of the spicy sauce in your fridge at all times. Whenever you want a healthy snack, pour the sauce over the cucumber and dig in!
  • Let the salted cucumbers drain for 10 minutes. Any longer and they’ll begin to break down. Don’t skip this step or else the cucumber salad will be very watery.
  • For extra texture, smack the whole cucumbers a few times with a heavy rolling pin before slicing. 
  • You can omit the chili flakes and/or use less chili oil if the sauce is too spicy.

What can you serve with cucumber salad?

Enjoy the salad on its own for a snack, as an appetizer before the tofu broccoli stir fry, teriyaki pork meatballs, or ramen is ready, or serve it at parties with grilled meat and charred vegetables, tofu spring rolls, and chipotle chicken wings.

Storage

Refrigerator: The assembled salad will last in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. 

a bowl of seasoned cucumbers

More easy salad recipes

  • Sesame Cucumber Salad
  • Avocado Tuna Salad
  • Crunchy Peanut Tofu Salad

If you made this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and star rating below. Thanks!

sliced cucumbers in a bowl topped with chili flakes

Spicy Cucumber Salad

Crisp cucumbers and a simple, yet spicy sauce come together to make this Spicy Cucumber Salad. Enjoy it as a boldly flavored and refreshing snack, side dish, or appetizer!
5 from 3 votes
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 4
Author: Erin

Ingredients

  • 6 mini cucumbers sliced
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1 teaspoon chili oil or chili crunch
  • ½ teaspoon sugar
  • ½ teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
  • ¼ teaspoon Korean chili flakes or red pepper flakes

Instructions

  • Add cucumbers and salt to a bowl and let them sit for 10 minutes; drain any liquid.
  • Add the remaining ingredients in with the cucumbers and stir to combine. Enjoy immediately, or refrigerate for up to 4 days.

Video

Notes

*Calories are per serving and are an estimation
*Can't find mini cucumbers? Use 2 English cucumbers instead

Nutrition

Calories: 81kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 551mg | Potassium: 629mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 324IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 69mg | Iron: 1mg
Did you Make this Recipe? Tag me Today!Leave a comment below and tag @thealmondeater on Instagram!

UPDATE NOTE: This post was originally published in July 2017. It was updated with new text and photos in July 2017.

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About Erin

Erin is the recipe developer, writer and photographer behind the healthy food blog, The Almond Eater. She's been blogging since 2014 and loves to create food for many different diets, including vegan, gluten free and/or Whole30 recipes.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Craig says

    March 18, 2023 at 2:19 am

    5 stars
    This was absolutely refreshing and delicious. I now have a new favorite way of preparing cucumbers!

    Reply
    • Erin says

      March 19, 2023 at 9:24 am

      Thanks so much, Craig -- I'm glad you enjoyed it!

      Reply
  2. James says

    June 14, 2022 at 5:46 pm

    The is called Oi Kimchi, and it's a Korean side dish. You could at least credit the food culture it comes from instead of just calling it Spicy Cucumber Salad. You at least mentioned using gochugaru, but how about giving credit to the food culture you're borrowing it from, just a thought.

    Reply
    • Erin says

      June 15, 2022 at 8:42 am

      Hi James -- Thanks for bringing this to my attention, as I was unaware of Oi Kimchi, and didn't create this recipe with the intention of copying. I'll add a note within the blog post about it.

      Reply
      • James says

        June 16, 2022 at 4:12 pm

        5 stars
        Thank you, as a half-Korean, I learned how to make Oi Kimchi from my mom, and I appreciate you updating the recipe.

  3. Ann says

    July 20, 2017 at 11:13 am

    Have never heard of Tequila Lime Seasoning - a source please.

    Reply
    • Erin says

      July 20, 2017 at 7:25 pm

      I've been able to find some in the spice section at both Whole Foods and Giant Eagle!

      Reply
  4. Kevin | economicalchef.com says

    July 09, 2017 at 12:30 am

    Love the simplicity of this side! Sometimes, simple means more flavor. And it looks perfect for summer, thanks for the recipe!

    Reply

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