This refreshing Thai Cucumber Salad is the perfect accompaniment to a spicy curry or noodle dish. It takes just 10 minutes to make!
You can’t beat a salad with great crunch and a tasty dressing. This Thai cucumber salad has all of that. Plus, it is quick and easy to make! This recipe comes with courtesy of my lifelong friend who was introduced to it years ago in a Thai cooking class she took in Australia (thanks to the instructor, Chanin Somboonsook).
I made a few changes over the years to suit our tastebuds, toning down the fish sauce flavor of the dressing, swapping sugar with agave nectar and using half of the raw red onion. Feel free to make adjustments to suit your palate.
This salad is a fantastic accompaniment to Pad Thai or Thai-inspired red curry. It’s bright, refreshing flavors complement richer dishes beautifully.
Tips for making this recipe
- Feel free to use more red onion, if you prefer. I find that raw onion tends to overwhelm the other flavors, so I stick to ¼ onion.
- If you’re sensitive to spice, feel free to leave out the red chili pepper/red pepper flakes.
- This salad is best when served right after being tossed with the dressing. The cucumbers will be at peak crispness!
Ingredients and substitutions
- Cucumber: Use an English cucumber for this recipe. There’s no need to peel it or remove the seeds.
- Onion: A quarter to a half of a small red onion, depending on how much you like raw onion.
- Chile: Use a portion of a small red chile, seeds and membranes removed. I used a red jalapeño pepper. Red chile flakes can be substituted.
- Cilantro: Mince some fresh cilantro.
- Peanuts: I used roasted, salted peanuts.
- Dressing: The dressing is a combination of unseasoned rice vinegar, fish sauce and agave nectar. Honey can be substituted for the agave nectar. If you prefer to use granulated sugar, stir or whisk the dressing until the sugar dissolves.
How to make Thai cucumber salad
- Prep the veggies: Cut the cucumber in half lengthwise, then cut into ¼-inch thick slices. Peel the half or quarter red onion, depending on how much you like red onion, and slice thinly. Combine the cucumber and onion in a bowl.
- Make the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the rice vinegar, fish sauce and agave nectar. Stir in the minced red chile or chile flakes, if using.
- Toss: Toss the cucumber and onion with the dressing. Add most of the minced cilantro and peanuts and toss again.
- Garnish and serve: Garnish with the remaining cilantro and peanuts. Serve it up or cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.
Make-ahead and storage
Make-ahead: If making this salad ahead of time, I highly recommend storing the cucumber and onion separately from the dressing. Right before serving, toss the veggies with the cilantro, peanuts and dressing. This ensures crispy cucumbers!
Leftovers: Leftovers can be stored up for up to 24 hours. Store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator. After 24 hours, the cucumbers tend to soften.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you prefer a vegan salad, substitute the fish sauce with soy sauce. And be sure to use agave nectar or sugar in the dressing – not honey – to keep it vegan.
If you’re not a cilantro fan, substitute with a combination minced Italian parsley and fresh mint.
Printable Recipe
Thai Cucumber Salad
This refreshing Thai Cucumber Salad is the perfect accompaniment to a spicy curry or noodle dish. It takes just 10 minutes to make!
Servings: 4 Servings
Calories: 80kcal
Ingredients
- 1 English cucumber
- ¼ small red onion thinly sliced (See Note 1)
- 2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
- 2 teaspoon fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon agave nectar (See Note 2)
- 1 red chili pepper or ¼ teaspoon crushed red chile flakes (or less to suit your tastes) – See Note 3
- ¼ cup minced cilantro
- 3 tablespoons peanuts roughly chopped
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Instructions
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Cut the cucumber in half lengthwise and then in ¼-inch slices, on the diagonal. Place the cucumber slices in a serving dish, along with the red onion slices.
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In a small bowl, combine rice vinegar, fish sauce and agave nectar. Whisk to combine. Add the red chili pepper or dried chile flakes, if using.
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Just before serving, toss the cucumber and onion mixture with the dressing. Top the salad with the chopped cilantro and peanuts. Toss well and serve.
Notes
Note 2: Substitute with honey or sugar, if preferred. If you choose to use granulated sugar, stir the dressing until the sugar dissolves.
Note 3: If you’re sensitive to spice, leave out the chili pepper/red pepper flakes.
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I provide nutritional information for my recipes as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using the built-in recipe card nutrition calculator. While I attempt to provide information that is as accurate as possible, you should calculate the nutritional information independently before relying on it.
Nutrition
Serving: 0.75cup | Calories: 80kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 241mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 6g
This post was first published on August 22, 2009 and updated on June 7, 2024.
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