Korean Cucumber Salad

This is not just any salad, this Korean cucumber salad happens to be one of our favorite quick-to-make recipes that our kids also love too. It’s not just any old salad, it’s so addicting we love to have it almost anytime of the day. It’s a great light lunch with a protein or a fresh addition on the side of our Korean ground beef for dinner.

We first had this Korean cucumber salad at our favorite Asian restaurant in Los Angeles many years ago. After moving away from LA, I knew we needed to recreate it at home. We did some research and found that the secret ingredient to source was gochugaru, or Korean chili powder. Luckily it’s easy to find at our local Asian market or online, and after a couple rounds of recipe testing, I perfected the recipe so we can have it weekly. It’s really adds to any of our Asian-inspired recipes, like baked miso chicken or pork stir fry.

Close-up image of Korean cucumber salad.

Why you’ll love this recipe

Side dish with less than 10 ingredients. Does it get any better?! We love when the shopping list is short. The best part is once you have all of these ingredients in your pantry, you can make this cucumber recipe over and over.
Restaurant-quality cucumber salad right at home. Inspired by the cucumber salad at our favorite Asian restaurant, it’s a recipe that comes together in almost no time.
A vegetable-based salad with no lettuce. This is one of those salad recipes that we eat as a snack, serve as an appetizer, or add to a meal as a side dish. It can be served so many ways and we love it’s versatility.

Tips for Busy Cooks

We recommend buying Asian or Japanese cucumbers for this recipe at your local Asian market. If they are tricky to find, Kirby, Persian, and English cucumbers also work well.

Key Ingredient Notes

Japanese cucumbers – This is also known as Kyuri and is the base of this cucumber salad recipe. They have almost no seeds, are super crunchy, and full of fresh flavor. Find them at your local Asian market or use Kirby, Persian, or English cucumbers.
Green onions – Adds a light onion note to the salad.
Garlic cloves – Infuses each bite with nice garlic flavor that pairs with the chili flakes and cucumber nicely.
Soy sauce – Adds the tangy umami as well as salt to the cucumbers.
Rice vinegar – This vinegar is heavily used in Asian cuisine and is lighter in flavor as well as tang compared to regular vinegar. It’s incredible delicious in our opinion.
Sesame oil – This is an oil where a little bit goes a long way, it’s rich and full of toasted, warm flavors that really adds something special to this side dish.
Gochugaru Korean red pepper flakes – These are Korean red pepper flakes or chili powder. They’re what adds the signature flavor to this recipe when you try it at a restaurant or market. They have a bit more smokiness and mild to moderate spice. You can add as much or as little as you like. Find at your local Asian market, in the international foods section of the grocery store, or easily online. Regular red chili flakes also work, but we highly recommend gochugaru for it’s smoky flavor.
Sugar – Just the smallest amount is used here to balance the vinegar and sesame oil flavors. You won’t even notice it, but it is the secret ingredient that helps every flavor shine.
Sesame seeds – The finishing touch that adds nutty flavor and a little bit of crunch!

Ingredients for Korean cucumber salad. These include cucumbers, scallions, soy sauce, garlic, sesame seeds, gochugaru, rice vinegar, sesame oil.

How to make Korean cucumber salad recipe

Making this cucumber salad couldn’t be easier. Let’s go.

Cucumbers being thinly sliced on a cutting board with a knife.

Step 1: Slice the cucumbers thinly.

Scallions being thinly sliced on a cutting board with a knife.

Step 2: Cut the green onions, both white and green parts.

A measuring cup with dressing ingredients.

Step 3: Mix garlic, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sugar in a liquid measuring cup.

Dressing is being poured over sliced cucumbers in a bowl.

Step 4: Put cucumbers in a large bowl and pour the sauce.

Ingredients for Korean cucumber salad in a large bowl. The gochugaru is on top.

Step 5: Add gochugaru chili powder.

Step 6: Mix everything. If needed, adjust the spice level to your liking.

Expert Tips:

If you can’t find gochugaru, you can use red chili flakes. We also recommend adding a pinch of smoked paprika to get the essence of warm flavors as well.
Add as much or as little gochugaru chili powder as you like. Taste a little sprinkle of the chili powder on a cucumber slice before adding it into the side dish; we recommend 2 teaspoons for our recipe but you can add less if desired.
Toast the sesame seeds for even richer flavor if desired. This is totally optional, but lightly toasting the seeds over low heat in a pan really allows the rich flavor of the seeds to come through.
Be sure to thinly slice the cucumbers. This sounds basic, but it’s a key detail in making sure the texture and flavor is correct for this Korean cucumber side dish. The cucumbers are almost ‘pickled’ by the dressing and by slicing them thin, they really soak up all that delicious flavor.

A black spoon is in a bowl of Korean cucumber salad.

What to serve with Korean cucumber salad

It’s hard to just name one recipe that pairs best with this cucumber side dish! Here are some of our favorites we make all the time at home:

Storing Tip

Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. We like to set the salad out on the counter to take the chill off for 10 to 15 minutes before enjoying and give it a nice stir. Taste it before serving, it may need a splash of soy, sesame oil, or another touch of salt as well.

If you want to prepare this salad in advance, it’s the perfect recipe to do so. Toss it together and store in the fridge until you are ready to eat!

A close-up image of Korean cucumber salad in a white bowl.

FAQs

What does gochugaru taste like?

It’s also known as Korean chili powder, it’s smoky in flavor with a moderate heat that isn’t too spicy. It adds lots of umami and warm flavors to anything it’s added to.

What is a good substitute for a Japanese or Asian cucumber?

Look for something with no seeds like a Persian or English cucumber.

Should I use seasoned or unseasoned rice wine vinegar in cucumber salad?

We prefer the unseasoned in this recipe, since there is so much flavor from the chili flakes, soy sauce, and sesame oil.