As a pro recipe creator who’s made vegetables my thing, this Asian-style Cold Cucumber Salad is the ultimate in fresh, flavorful, and stupid-easy salads. Best part? You shake it all up in a container—no fancy mixing bowls needed.

Asian cucumber salad finished in a white bowl.

This salad is not only gluten-free, but it’s packed with hydrating, nutrient-dense veggies that are light on calories but big on flavor. Cucumbers bring that crunch while providing a boost of vitamins and antioxidants—it’s a cool way to make healthy feel exciting.

Asian Cucumber Salad Recipe

My reader-favorite Marinated Cucumbers are FAB, but needed a twist. I went to my Asian pantry (you know, rice vinegar, sesame oil, tamari) and made something my kids devoured when they came home from school. Honest.

I’ve spent years perfecting veggie dishes, and this one? It’s a must-make. I’ll show you how easy it is, what you need to have, and you’ll have this prepped and ready to go in under 15 min!

Ingredients for Asian cucumber salad: English cucumber, jalapeño, red onion, cilantro, mayonnaise, rice vinegar, Asian chili sauce, tamari, honey, and sesame oil.

Cucumber Salad Asian Ingredients

All of these ingredients are easily found in most grocery stores!

English Cucumber: I like English ones because of their mild flavor and thin skin. And the fact that I don't have to peel or seed them. #lazymuch
Red Onion: I love the color and pop of flavor it adds!
Jalapeno:
Rice Vinegar: My favorite vinegar to work with because it's more mellow than other types. And super versatile!
Sesame Oil: A little goes a long way with this! Love the sesame flavor it adds.
Mayonnaise: Just a little to give it a hit of creaminess.
Tamari soy sauce: I use tamari because it's soy-based and gluten free. Regular soy sauce is partly wheat-based and isn't gluten free.
Asian-style chili sauce: You can use sambal oelek or sriracha or whatever you have on hand to give it some kick.
Honey: Just a touch for some sweetness to balance all the acid going on.

Chopped cokes, onion, cilantro, and jalapeño on a cutting board.

Plastic deli container with the dressing ingredients inside.

How to Make Cucumber Asian Salad

Combine the dressing ingredients in a salad bowl or a quart-sized container fitted with a lid. Mix it around a bit to loosen up the mayo. It doesn't have to be perfectly smooth.
Chop the cucumbers, onion, jalapeño, and cilantro. Add them to the container with the dressing.
Shake, shake, shake!
Eat right out of the container or transfer to a serving bowl.

Chopped veg being added to the container with the dressing.

Cucumber Salad Asian Variations

Use regular cucumbers instead of English, if you prefer. Especially if you have them pouring out of the garden. You may need to peel and seed them if that's your preference.
Use coconut aminos or fish sauce instead of tamari if you're avoiding soy.
Omit the onion and/or jalapeño if you prefer. Or swap the onion for milder thinly sliced green onions.
Omit the cilantro if you're a "cilantro is soap" kind of person.

Creamy Cucumber Salad Recipe Tips

The thinner you sliced the cucumbers and onion, the better this will taste.
Shake it really, really well to make sure the mayonnaise isn't clumpy.
If you don't want it spicy at all, omit the Asian chili sauce or cut the amount by half. Also make sure you seed the jalapeño or omit it entirely.

Finished salad poured out into a serving bowl.

What to Serve With Cucumber Asian Salad

Here are a few things that would be great alongside this cucumber salad!

Try it as part of a Sushi Bowl Recipe. Or as a side dish with some Spicy Shrimp Rolls.

Add it to this Ground Turkey and Rice bowl.

Take it to a potluck and pair it with some grilled meat like Grilled Lemon Chicken, or basic steak.

Storing Cucumber Salad With Mayo

Store any leftovers in a lidded container for up to 5 days for best flavor. I love these quart deli containers for storing (and freezing!) salads, leftovers, soups, broths...

More Cucumber Salad Recipes on Perry's Plate

If you like this recipe, try another one of my easy salads with cucumbers!

Cucumbers in Vinegar

Sesame Cucumber Noodles

Cucumber Tomato and Feta Salad

Cucumber and Cabbage Salad

Mango Cucumber Salad

If you make one of my recipes, I'd love to see! Post it on social media and tag me at @perrysplate or #perrysplate so I can send you some love!

Cucumber Salad With Mayo

Name: Cucumber Salad With Mayo
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 3
Cuisine: East Asian
Ingredients: 1 English cucumber; 1/4 red onion; 1/2 jalapeno; 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro; 2 Tablespoons rice vinegar; 1 Tablespoon tamari (GF soy sauce) or coconut aminos; 2 teaspoons mayonnaise; 1 teaspoon sesame oil; 1 teaspoon Asian style chili paste like sriracha or sambal oelek; 1/2 teaspoon honey; Sea salt, to taste

Yield: Serves 3 as a side

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

As a pro recipe creator who’s made vegetables my thing, this Asian-style Cold Cucumber Salad is the ultimate in fresh, flavorful, and stupid-easy salads. Best part? You shake it all up in a container—no fancy mixing bowls needed.

Ingredients

1 English cucumber
¼ red onion
½ jalapeno
⅓ cup chopped fresh cilantro

For the dressing:

2 Tablespoons rice vinegar
1 Tablespoon tamari (GF soy sauce) or coconut aminos
2 teaspoons mayonnaise
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon Asian style chili paste like sriracha or sambal oelek
½ teaspoon honey
Sea salt, to taste

Instructions

Cut the cucumber in half widthwise, then quarter each section lengthwise. Chop them into small pieces so you have a bunch of triangles.
Thinly slice the red onion and small dice the jalapeno, removing the seeds from the jalapeno (unless you want some serious heat).
Add the dressing ingredients to a quart-sized container fitted with a lid. (Or use a salad bowl if you don't plan in shaking this up.) Mix it around with a fork to break up some of the mayo. It doesn't have to be totally smooth at this point.
Add the chopped vegetables into the dressing. Put the lid tightly on the container and SHAKE! Taste, and add a generous pinch of salt if you think it needs it.
Eat it right out of the container like a rockstar or transfer it to a serving bowl.

Notes

This recipe has a little kick of heat, so if you're sensitive to that, omit the jalapeno and chili sauce entirely or use a lesser amount of both.

Cucumber Asian Salad