Spicy Asian Cucumber Salad

This spicy asian cucumber salad is a take on the viral TikTok salad! It’s crisp, refreshing, easy to make and perfect for a simple side dish or appetizer. It’s naturally vegan, gluten free and ready in 15 minutes.

I was obsessed with the viral TikTok cucumber and bell pepper salad for a while, so I wanted to make my own take on it! This spicy asian cucumber salad is crisp, easy to make, healthy and takes just 10 minutes to whip up.

It’s super easy to customize, you could add other veggies, make it more or less spicy, sweeter, tangier… whatever you like!

It’s made with simple ingredients, vegan and gluten free. If you love this recipe, try my peach summer salad or my spicy chili noodles next.

How to make spicy asian cucumber salad

Wash the cucumbers and cut off the ends. Slice into about 1/4 inch thick pieces and add to a bowl.

Whisk together all ingredients for the dressing in a bowl.

Pour on top of the cucumbers and toss to combine. Taste and adjust flavors as desired. For more salt, you can add more everything bagel seasoning, a touch of soy sauce or simply some salt, for more spice add some chili crunch or sweetness some honey!

Enjoy as is or serve as a side with your favorite protein and jasmine rice.

Key ingredients & swaps

Cucumbers: Mini cucumbers work best here!

Carrot & ginger dressing: I used a carrot and ginger dressing from Acid League, but you can also use a plain carrot dressing, and then the ginger and sesame dressing from Bragg’s or Primal Kitchen are really good.

Chili Crunch: I used the Trader Joe’s one, but Momofuku is another popular brand. Just be sure to get the original one, not the truffle.

Herbs: Fresh green onion and cilantro help round out all of the flavors. If you don’t like cilantro, you can omit or just use extra green onion.

Lime: Helps to balance out the spice and add a little tang.

Everything bagel seasoning: Originally a Trader Joe’s product, but variations are now found at most common grocery stores!

How to store

Any leftovers will last up to 3 days stored in an airtight container in the fridge. The cucumbers will become a bit softer with time because of the dressing, but they’re a pretty sturdy vegetable so they won’t get soggy.

I would not suggest freezing this cucumber salad as this will soften the cucumbers when they are thawed and the texture will not be pleasant!

Tips for success

I recommend sticking with the mini cucumbers because they have a firmer, crispier texture and are also seedless. They’ll hold up better in the fridge as well. English cucumbers should also work, you just want to make sure you stick with something seedless!

I used the chili crunch from Trader Joe’s which isn’t as spicy as the Momofuku chili crunch so I used 2 tablespoons. I suggest starting with 1 and adjusting as needed. 

Do I need to sweat the cucumbers?

Sweating cucumbers is a practice of salting them before adding the dressing to help remove the excess moisture and make them crunchier. I opted against it to just make this recipe super quick and easy, but you can definitely do this and it can result in a crispier, more flavorful salad!

To do so, cover the sliced cucumbers in a bit of salt and refrigerate for 20 minutes to 1 hour, then drain the water. The salt will draw out the excess moisture from the cucumbers, which leaves them crunchier. This can help prevent the salad from getting watered down by the dressing.

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