Crunchy chilled cucumbers tossed in a refreshing light, tangy, savory dressing with a hint of spice! This easy 15-minute kewpie mayo cucumber salad is made with minimal ingredients. Great as a vegetable side dish with your meal or for barbecues!
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My Asian-inspired cucumber salad with mayo features cucumbers tossed in kewpie mayonnaise, garlic, scallions, soy sauce, sesame oil, vinegar, sugar, and gochugaru. It's meant to be enjoyed cold.
It's addictively delicious and made with simple ingredients! I love pairing it with barbecued meats and other sides (see pairing suggestions below). But it's so versatile you can enjoy it with steamed rice and any protein of your choice!
The supporting ingredient is kewpie mayo. Kewpie mayo is a Japanese mayonnaise made only of egg yolk and oil making it richer, smoother and more yellow. Regular mayonnaise, however, is made of whole eggs. Therefore, it's less yellow and less rich. But you can use regular mayo as a substitute for this recipe.
This version was inspired by my viral Spicy Asian Cucumber Salad, which is spicier as it contains chili oil and does not contain mayonnaise.
Why you'll love this easy cucumber salad recipe:
- super easy and made with minimal ingredients in 15-minutes or less!
- light, refreshing with tangy and savory flavors and a hint of spice. Note: The spice can also be omitted for those who can't tolerate it.
- a versatile side with your meal or great for barbecues.
- requires no cooking or heating, so you can whip it out of the fridge to enjoy cold.
- can be made gluten-free with substitutes listed below.
Ingredients & Substitutes
Please scroll down to below recipe card for exact measurements.
- Persian Cucumbers (a.k.a. Mini Cucumbers): or substitute with English Cucumber or any seedless cucumbers with a thin skin. Avoid using seeded cucumbers with a thick skin as they won't taste well.
- Salt
- Sesame Seeds: if you're allergic to sesame, omit this ingredient as it's an optional garnish.
Dressing
- Kewpie Mayonnaise (a.k.a. Japanese Mayo): or substitute with regular mayonnaise. Kewpie mayo is available at Asian grocery stores or on Amazon and comes in a clear bottle with a red cap. I don't recommend substituting with sour cream or yogurt as it curdles with the vinegar.
- Green Onion: or substitute with ¼ cup thinly sliced red onion or sweet onion.
- Garlic Cloves
- Sesame Oil: or substitute with peanut oil, chili oil, or a neutral tasting oil, like avocado oil or canola oil if you're allergic to sesame.
- Rice Vinegar: or substitute with apple cider vinegar, or white vinegar.
- White Granulated Sugar: or substitute with cane sugar or honey.
- Regular Soy Sauce: or substitute with low sodium soy sauce or light soy sauce. If you're gluten-free, substitute with tamari sauce, coconut aminos or a gluten-free soy sauce.
- Gochugaru (a.k.a. Korean red pepper flakes): or substitute with regular red chili flakes. Gochugaru is a spicy seedless red chili flakes used in Korean cooking and available at Asian grocery stores. If you're intolerant to spice, omit this ingredient.
Note: Most Asian grocery stores will carry most of the Asian specific ingredients or check online stores, like Amazon.
Expert Tips
- Chill the cucumbers in advance by storing them in the fridge. This will remove the need to chill the cucumber salad after it's been made.
- Evenly and thinly slice the cucumbers into ¼-inch-thick rounds so they're thin enough for the salt to penetrate and pull out some of the water content.
- Don't skip the salting process as this remove excess water in the cucumber through osmosis and makes them crunchier!
- Make sure to rinse the salted cucumbers with cold running water several times or they will be very salty!
- Strain the rinsed cucumbers well by shaking out excess water and pat them dry with paper towels or the excess water will dilute the dressing.
- Try to consume the salad immediately or within the same day as the cucumbers will naturally become saltier with time.
Instructions
Below are step-by-step instructions on how to make kewpie mayo cucumber salad:
- Trim and remove the cucumber ends. Then thinly slice cucumbers into ¼-inch-thick rounds. Transfer them to a large mixing bowl and massage the salt into the cucumbers. Rest for 10 minutes for the salt to pull out excess water from the cucumbers to make them crunchier.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl or cup, combine the dressing ingredients as listed above until the sugar dissolves. Set aside.
- Next rinse with cold running water at least 5-6 times to remove the excess salt or they will be very salty. Strain and shake out the excess water. Pat them dry with paper towels. Then transfer to a clean large bowl.
- Lastly mix the dressing into the sliced cucumbers and transfer to a serving plate. Garnish with sesame seeds. Serve and enjoy immediately.
Storage
- Leftovers can last up to 1 to 2 days stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator and can be enjoyed cold. Note: the cucumbers will naturally taste saltier with time, so it's best to enjoy immediately or same day.
- Freezer friendly? I don't recommend freezing kewpie mayo cucumber salad as it will become soggy.
Pairing Suggestions
Kewpie mayo cucumber salad serves well with:
- potato salad, crab corn salad, or salad with Japanese ginger salad dressing
- fresh or cooked vegetables
white or brown rice, cauliflower rice, or fried rice - barbecued meats
- Asian-style protein dishes like Kung Pao Chicken, Szechuan Chicken, Mongolian Beef, Honey Walnut Shrimp, Bang Bang Shrimp,
- Korean sides like kimchi, beansprout salad, zucchini fritters, gamja jorim, Korean spinach, japchae, fish cake stir fry, or Korean Braised Tofu.
FAQ
You can make this up to 1 day in advance at most and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. I don’t recommend preparing it any earlier, as the cucumbers tend to become overly salty over time. To save time, you can prepare the dressing in advance. Then, on the day you plan to serve it, simply prep the cucumbers and toss them with the pre-made dressing.
By omitting the gochugaru or red chili flakes, you can make this cucumber salad not spicy.
No, the dressing is supposed to be light and runny enough to evenly coat the cucumbers without it feeling too heavy in taste.
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📖 Recipe
Easy 15-min. Kewpie Mayo Cucumber Salad
Ingredients
- 1 lb Persian cucumbers aka Mini Cucumbers (or English cucumber) chilled
- 2 teaspoon salt to salt the cucumbers
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds optional garnish
Dressing
- 4 tablespoons Japanese mayo aka Kewpie mayo (or regular mayonnaise)
- 1 green onion finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar / white vinegar
- 2 teaspoon white granulated sugar or cane sugar / honey
- 2 teaspoon regular soy sauce or light soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon gochugaru or red pepper flakes (optional for spice)
Instructions
- Trim and remove the cucumber ends. Then thinly slice cucumbers into ¼-inch-thick rounds. Transfer them to a large mixing bowl and massage the salt into the cucumbers. Rest for 10 minutes for the salt to pull out excess water from the cucumbers to make them crunchier.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl or cup, combine the dressing ingredients as listed above until the sugar dissolves. Set aside.
- Next rinse with cold running water at least 5-6 times to remove the excess salt or they will be very salty. Strain and shake out the excess water. Pat them dry with paper towels. Then transfer to a clean large bowl.
- Mix the dressing into the sliced cucumbers and transfer to a serving plate. Garnish with sesame seeds. Serve and enjoy immediately.
Notes
Storage
- Leftovers can last up to 1 to 2 days stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator and can be enjoyed cold. Please note the cucumbers will naturally taste saltier with time, so it's best to enjoy immediately or same day.
- Freezer friendly? I don't recommend freezing kewpie mayo cucumber salad as it will become soggy.
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