This Thai-style cucumber salad recipe is fresh, light, and the perfect complement to chicken satay, curries, summer BBQs, and more! Cool crisp cucumbers get tossed in a tangy Thai dressing to make a delicious side dish any time.
We’re deep into grilling season at our house, and between Chicken Burgers and Chicken Satay Skewers, I’m always in need of a good easy side dish to complete my meal.
This Thai-inspired Cucumber salad is a light, refreshing side dish recipe that’s perfect on a hot day or paired with warm meals. The fresh flavors and cooling cucumber are a perfect complement to all sorts of delicious recipes (more on that in a minute!), and there are many different recipes out there to enjoy. Today, I’m sharing my twist on Thai cucumber salad.
Authentic Thai cucumber salad (Ajaad) is a fresh cucumber quick pickle (some even call it a relish) typically made with cucumbers, Thai chilis, cilantro, and a vinegar syrup made from a mixture of sugar, vinegar, and salt. In a way, it’s kind of a Thai version of refrigerator pickles and strikes the perfect balance of salty, savory, sweet, spicy, and tangy flavors!
I live in an area with many different grocery stores, and I have a REALLY hard time finding Thai red chilis (as in, I can never find them). My take on this classic cucumber salad for satay is made using ingredients that may be easier to find in the United States.
Let’s take a look at the ingredient list…
Simple Ingredients To Start
Can’t find Thai red chiles? Me either. So here’s a peek at how I make my Thai-inspired Cucumber salad recipe without these chilies:
- Cucumbers. I like English cucumbers or Persian cucumbers, since they’ve got thinner skin and smaller seeds.
- Salt. We’ll use salt to salt the cucumbers
- Green Onion. Some recipes use sliced red onion or shallot, but I’m using green onions since they’re a bit less assertive.
- Cilantro. Fresh cilantro adds a lovely note of brightness to this delicious salad! Can’t do cilantro? You can swap it for fresh herbs, like a little Thai basil & mint if you want.
- Rice Vinegar. I love the flavor of rice vinegar (sometimes labeled rice wine vinegar) with the cucumbers. It’s a more subtle than white vinegar, and more delicate than apple cider vinegar.
- Thai Sweet Chili Sauce. This is where we get our sweetness and heat, since we’re not using sugar and Thai chilis. It’s pretty widely available in the U.S. these days, since it’s a common dipping sauce.
- Toasted Sesame Oil. This adds a little depth to the quick dressing.
- Optional Extras. To finish the cucumber salad, you can sprinkle it with sesame seeds, crunchy peanuts, or red pepper flakes. (Or red Thai chilis, if you can find them!)
How To Make Thai Cucumber Salad, Step By Step
As always, you can find the full recipe with ingredient amounts, detailed instructions, and tips in the recipe card below.
- First, Make The Dressing. In a small bowl, combine rice vinegar, sweet chili sauce, and toasted sesame oil. Whisk or stir to combine. (You can mix the dressing up a day in advance, if needed!)
- Combine Salad Ingredients. In a large bowl, combine cucumber slices, green onion, and cilantro.
- Toss With Dressing. Drizzle the salad with the salad dressing and gently stir to combine, until everything is well blended and evenly coated. (It will seem like a lot of dressing!) Taste and season with salt or pepper, to taste.
- Garnish. Finish the salad by sprinkling with sesame seeds, red pepper flakes, crushed peanuts, more cilantro, or even some sliced red chilis, if you can find them.
- Serve & Store. Enjoy right away, or chill in an airtight container until ready to enjoy. This salad is best enjoyed within 2-3 hours of making it so that the cucumbers are crisp, but leftovers can be stored up to 3-4 days. The cucumbers will continue to marinate and soften with time.
Optional Trick: Salt The Cucumbers First
If desired (to prevent watering down your salad), sprinkle cucumbers with 1/4 teaspoon salt and let rest for 10-15 minutes. Drain any excess liquid, pat the cucumbers dry, then proceed with remaining ingredients. If you’ll be serving this immediately, you can skip this step.
What To Serve This Cucumber Salad With
This Thai style cucumber salad isn’t just great with Thai food! It’s also a perfect summer side dish. Here are a few of our favorite ways to serve this delicious recipe:
- Chicken Satay. We often make this simple Thai cucumber salad for chicken satay. The bright, refreshing flavors are a delicious complement to these grilled chicken skewers, especially paired with peanut sauce, and some rice (or coconut rice!).
- Butter Chicken. Or, you can use this light cucumber salad as a side dish for a richer, heavier main dish, like butter chicken.
- Curry. Whether it’s Chicken Curry, Shrimp Curry, or a delicious Vegetarian Curry, a creamy curry is the perfect pairing for this refreshing cucumber salad.
- Grilled Chicken. In the summer, we love to pair cucumber salad with other light main dishes, like simple grilled chicken, shrimp, or steak. It’s a perfect side dish for all kinds of grilled favorites in the summer!
FAQ + Tips And Tricks For The Best Thai Cucumber Salad
Try Thin Skinned Cucumbers. English cucumbers, Persian cucumbers, and seedless cucumbers are my favorite choices for Thai cucumber salad. They’re thin-skinned, so they can more easily absorb the dressing and they have smaller seeds, so they won’t water the salad down.
Cut Down On The Liquid. If you’re using regular cucumbers (not English or Persian cucumbers), We recommend slicing them in half lengthwise and using a spoon to scrape out the seeds. Then, you can slice the cucumbers into slices. (They’ll be in a “U” shape since the seeds have been removed)
Speed Up The Prep. This cool cucumber salad recipe is super fast and easy. The slowest part of the process is slicing the cucumbers. You can speed things up with a mandoline slicer, or the slicing blade of your food processor. Aim for pretty thin slices.
Variations & Swaps To Try. Craving a change of pace? Try one of these twists:
- SWAP YOUR SALT. Try adding 1 tsp of soy sauce, coconut aminos, or gluten free tamari instead of the salt. The umami flavor can be a nice addition!
- SWAP THE ONIONS. Swap thinly sliced or finely minced red onion instead of green onion. It lends a pretty color and a stronger onion flavor than the green onions.
- ADD MORE KICK. You can totally make this simple side dish spicier by adding more red chili flakes, or by adding a little bit of sriracha or Sambal Oelek to your dressing.
Did You Make This Recipe?
Tell me all about it! Leave a star rating below when you try our easy Thai Cucumber Salad recipe. I can’t wait to hear how it goes!
Thai Cucumber Salad
Ingredients
For the salad:
- 4 cups sliced cucumbers about 2 English/seedless cucumbers or 5-6 Persian cucumbers
- 1 green onion sliced
- 2- 3 Tbsp minced cilantro or, you can substitute 1 Tbsp mint + 1 Tbsp basil
For the Dressing:
- 1/3 cup rice vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons Thai sweet chili sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon toasted sesame oil optional
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon sesame seeds
- Red chile flakes to taste
- Crushed peanuts optional
Instructions
- First, Make The Dressing. In a small bowl, combine rice vinegar, sweet chili sauce, and toasted sesame oil. Whisk or stir to combine. (You can mix the dressing up a day in advance, if needed!)
- Combine Salad Ingredients. In a large bowl, combine sliced cucumbers, green onion, and cilantro.
- Toss With Dressing. Drizzle the salad with the dressing and gently stir to combine, until everything is well blended and evenly coated. (It will seem like a lot of dressing!) Taste and season with salt or pepper, to taste.
- Garnish. Finish the salad by sprinkling with sesame seeds, red pepper flakes, crushed peanuts, more cilantro, or even some sliced red chilis, if you can find them.
- Serve & Store. Enjoy right away, or chill in an airtight container until ready to enjoy. This salad is best enjoyed within 2-3 hours of making it so that the cucumbers are crisp, but leftovers can be stored up to 3-4 days. The cucumbers will continue to marinate and soften with time.
Notes
- Optional Trick: Salt The Cucumbers. If desired (to prevent watering down your salad), sprinkle cucumbers with 1/4 teaspoon salt and let rest for 10-15 minutes. Drain any excess liquid, pat the cucumbers dry, then proceed with remaining ingredients. If you’ll be serving this immediately, you can skip this step. If you plan to make this last longer, you will want to follow the salting step in the directions, as this will help prevent your dressing from being watered down as the salad sits.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition facts are an estimate only and will vary based on brands and amounts used.
Find it Online:
https://www.onelovelylife.com/thai-cucumber-salad/Recipe originally shared August 2019. Fully updated June 2024.
This is a fun twist on a summer favorite!
SOOOOOO good!!! It’s like the fancy (and expensive) restaurant thai cucumber salad, but WAY BETTER!! I did a half batch a few days ago, and I have another half batch going right now! I totally would recommend this to anyone, and this will DEFINITELY be a regular in our house! And it’s super easy to make!!
I can seriously polish off a whole batch alone in a day or two! So glad you loved it as much as I do!