Description
This crunchy sesame cucumber salad is an easy, refreshing side dish made with a simple sesame oil and rice vinegar dressing. Inspired by the Japanese dish sunomono, it has a crave-worthy crunchy texture, with light and well-balanced flavors that make the perfect pairing for many Asian meals. Our version is made using coconut aminos instead of soy sauce (though you could use either), is gluten free, and naturally sweetened.
Ingredients
Scale
- 5–6 mini Persian cucumbers cut into 1/4-1/2 inch thick rounds (about 3 cups worth)
- 3 tablespoons coconut aminos (or gluten free soy sauce)
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons sesame seeds, plus more to garnish
Instructions
- Make the dressing. Whisk together coconut aminos, rice vinegar, honey, salt, sesame oil, and sesame seeds in a small bowl until well combined and salt and sweetener are dissolved.
- Mix salad together. In a medium sized bowl (one big enough to easily stir salad together), toss sliced cucumbers with dressing and move to the refrigerator to marinate for 20-30 minutes – ideally tossing every 5-10 minutes to ensure all pieces of cucumber have a chance to marinate in the vinaigrette.
- Season and serve. Toss salad once more just before serving and season to taste with salt if needed. Garnish with extra sesame seeds if desired. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Cucumber salad is best enjoyed the day that it’s made, though it will keep for 2-3 days in the refrigerator.
Other sweeteners can be used in place of honey to make this recipe vegan friendly.
Nutrition facts are for 6 servings, though if you love this salad as much as we do it might be more like 3-4 servings per recipe!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Salad
- Method: Cold prep
- Cuisine: Asian