This chilled Asian Cucumber Salad is zesty and garlicky with a bit of heat and a satisfying crunch! It’s made in just 5 minutes and then marinates overnight so the flavors can soak in. So refreshing and perfect as a healthy snack, side, or potluck addition.

Got extra cucumbers? Don’t miss our popular cucumber sandwiches!

Quick and Easy Asian Cucumber Salad Recipe

There’s an Asian restaurant near our house we frequent that serves this cucumber salad as a starter. I love it so much, I could forego the rest of the meal and just fill up on the cucumbers. But we can’t be eating out every night, so I recreated this version at home – now my fridge is never without them!

Small cucumbers are sliced into coins, then soak in a marinade overnight that includes Asian flavors like rice vinegar, chili garlic sauce, sesame oil, and a few other ingredients. The end result is zesty, garlicky, with a little bit of heat, and perfectly cool and crunchy.

We constantly snack on them like pickles, but they make a fantastic side paired with grilled chicken, steak, or turkey burgers. Consider making a double batch, taking it to a potluck, and watch it disappear!

Ingredients Needed

This cucumber salad recipe includes sliced cucumbers and a few common asian ingredients.
(Scroll below to the printable recipe card for details and measurements.)

• Rice vinegar – This provides a great bold tangy flavor.
• Mirin – This is sweet rice wine. It has a unique wonderful flavor and highly recommended for this salad, but if you can’t find it or don’t want to spend the money, a good substitute would be dry sherry mixed with a bit of granulated sugar.
• Honey – Just a bit of sweet honey balances out the vinegar. Without it, the dressing will be too harsh.
• Vegetable oil – A neutral cooking oil, with a mild flavor which helps dissolve any spices and seals in moisture.
• Toasted sesame oil – A little sesame oil lends a unique bold nutty aroma and fantastic flavor.
• Chili garlic sauce – This is hot and zesty, with a punch of garlic.
• Coarse salt – Elevates the taste of the other ingredients.
• Persian cucumbers – These are very small cucumbers (not to be confused with pickling cucumbers.) You could also use an English cucumber. Both carry less water and have perfectly edible skin. Avoid common waxy cucumbers. They should be washed and dried, cut into coins (see note.)

How to Make Asian Cucumber Salad

This salad comes together in just minutes and then chills overnight. It’s so easy.
(Scroll below to the printable recipe card for details and measurements.)

1. Make the marinade. In a shallow mixing bowl, whisk together the rice vinegar, mirin, honey, both oils, chili garlic sauce, and salt until combined.
2. Add the cucumbers. Add the sliced cucumbers to the marinade and gently toss, making sure all the cucumbers are completely coated in the liquid.
3. Chill. Tightly cover and chill in the fridge overnight. If you can, give it a couple shakes to redistribute the marinade.
4. Enjoy. You can either keep them in the fridge and munch on them like pickles, or if serving as a salad, drain the cucumbers and reserve a bit of the marinade. Transfer to a shallow bowl and drizzle with the reserved marinade. Enjoy cold.

Serving Suggestions

We love this cucumber salad all on its own to snack on just like pickles! Or served as a side to grilled chicken or grilled steak. It also pairs so well with turkey burgers, and beef kofta kabobs.

More Cucumber Recipes:

• Cucumber Sandwiches
• Cucumber Tomato Salad
• Beet and Cucumber Salad
• Creamy Cucumber Salad
• Watermelon Cucumber Salad
• Pineapple Cucumber Salad

I hope you love this delicious and easy recipe – be sure to give it a review below! Also don’t forget to follow Belly Full on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube!