Crunchy Sesame Cucumber Salad (Soy Free)

Learn how to make this easy, crunchy sesame cucumber salad with a simple sesame oil and rice vinegar dressing to pair perfectly your next Asian-inspired meal! It has a crave-worthy fresh-crisp texture with light and well-balanced flavors that is such a treat for raw veggie side dish lovers. Our version is made using coconut aminos instead of soy sauce to make it gluten free, and lots of the prep time is hands off!

The crunchy sesame cucumber salad we can’t stop eating

This cucumber salad boasts some big flavor with a really simple ingredient list, and it pairs beautifully with a variety of dishes. We love serving it alongside Garlic Ginger Chicken Kebabs, with our Gluten Free Salmon Poke Bowls, or Garlic Ginger Glazed Salmon. The dressing cuts through richer flavors for a perfectly balanced plate of YUM.

There are so many types of cucumber salads, but this is the one we make the most. It has the same vibe as this single-veg-ingredient Chopped Vinegary Green Cabbage Salad that gives an instant upgrade to any dinner spread.

It’s easy to make ahead by a few hours or to prep while you cook, and the tangy vinaigrette could also be prepared several days in advance – ready to toss with the cucumbers to marinate for a brief period before serving.

Flavor bonus! The extra dressing left in the bowl after the salad has chilled is delicious in its own right. There’s so much lovely flavor in it that you should most definitely be scooping it onto your plate with abandon.

The ingredient details

The type of cucumber you use matters

After testing this recipe with English cucumbers, slicing cucumbers, and Persian cucumbers, Persian cucumbers were the superior option.

Why? Because of their thin skin there’s no need to peel them. And their texture is naturally crisper and crunchy! We typically pick up a bag at Trader Joe’s, but Whole Foods and other traditional grocery stores also sell them.

If you can’t find Persian cucumbers, English cucumbers make the next best substitute! If they’re quite wide, you may want to quarter or half them lengthwise before cutting them into 1/2-inch pieces.

Salting the cucumbers vs marinating

Many cucumber salad recipes suggest salting the cucumbers before adding the vinaigrette to draw out some water and enhance the crunchy texture.

I’ve found however, that by using Persian cucumbers, including enough salt in the dressing, and marinating the salad before serving, that step can be skipped to save some time and dishes, too!

Swapping out some more traditional ingredients

For a gluten free, soy free, substitute, I wrote this recipe using coconut aminos instead of soy sauce. We LOVE cooking with coconut aminos because of their naturally sweet, and a bit less salty (than tamari) flavor. It’s a kitchen pantry staple I always have on hand.

Traditionally, a cucumber salad like this will include sugar in the dressing. I’ve opted to use honey in its place for a naturally sweetened option. It whisks right in, and adds the perfect amount of extra sweetness to balance the out the acidity in the rice vinegar.

How to make this sesame cucumber salad 

Making it ahead of time

This salad can be fully prepared up to 3 hours before serving and still maintain its crispy texture and punchy flavor.

If you want to prep it even further in advance, the dressing can be whisked together and cucumbers cut and stored separately until closer to your serving time.

If you enjoyed this cucumber salad I’d love it if you would take a moment to rate and review it below! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 It’s also a great place for questions, and super helpful for other readers if you share any modifications you made to the recipe. 

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