Chinese Smashed Cucumber Salad
Updated Jul 14, 2025, Published on Apr 22, 2023
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This Chinese Smashed Cucumber Salad is a refreshing and flavorful recipe that comes together in minutes! It only uses a few ingredients - most of which I keep on hand!
Recipe Details
A smashed cucumber salad is a refreshing Chinese dish made with cucumbers that have been smashed or lightly pounded with a kitchen tool to break them down and release their juices. This technique helps to give the cucumbers a unique texture and allows them to better absorb the flavors of the dressing. The salad is typically dressed with a mixture of garlic, vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, chili oil, and sometimes sesame seeds for added flavor and texture. The result is a flavorful, crunchy, and cooling dish that's perfect as a side dish or light appetizer.
Smashed Cucumber Salad Ingredients
- 1 lb Persian or English Cucumbers - I used 1 large English Cucumber when I made this recipe.
- 1/2 tsp Salt
Dressing
- 2 cloves Garlic
- 2 tsp Black Vinegar - Chinese black vinegar is a type of vinegar that is commonly used in Chinese cuisine. It is made from fermented rice, wheat, barley, and sometimes soybeans, and has a dark color and a slightly sweet and smoky flavor. You can find it at international grocery stores or online. You can also substitute with rice wine vinegar which can be easier to find. The flavor is different, but serves a similar purpose.
- 2 tsp Soy Sauce - I use low-sodium light soy sauce for this recipe.
- 1/2 tsp Granulated Sugar
- 1 tsp Sesame Oil
- 1/2 tsp Chili Oil - adjust to your spice preference! You can always add more, but you can't take away.
- 1/4 tsp Red Pepper Flakes - adjust to your spice preference! You can always add more, but you can't take away.
- 1 tsp Sesame Seeds - these are optional, but I liked. the flavor and crunch they add.
Smashed Cucumber Salad Instructions
- Cut the cucumber in half length-wise. Smash each section with the flat side of a chef's knife. Cut each piece at a diagonal into bite-size pieces.
- Add the cucumber pieces to a large bowl. Sprinkle with the salt and stir to combine. Let the the cucumbers sit for at least 10 minutes to draw out water. After sitting, drain the excess water.
- Add all of the dressing ingredients to the cucumbers and mix well. Serve right away.
Did you try this Smashed Cucumber Salad? Leave a Review!
This easy salad takes about 15 minutes to make with only about 5 minutes of hands-on time. It's a perfect flavorful, refreshing, and healthy appetizer or side salad!
If you try this recipe, feel free to rate/leave a review. You can also tag me on Instagram or TikTok!
Enjoy this recipe? Check out this one as well!
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Chinese Smashed Cucumber Salad
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb English Cucumber, or Persian cucumbers
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
Dressing
- 2 cloves Garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoon Black Vinegar, can also use rice wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoon Light Soy Sauce, low sodium
- 1/2 teaspoon Granulated Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Sesame Oil
- 1/2 teaspoon Chili Oil, more or less based on spice preference
- 1/4 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes, optional; more or less based on spice preference
- 1 teaspoon Sesame Seeds, optional
Instructions
- Cut the cucumber in half length-wise. Smash each section with the flat side of a chef's knife. Cut each piece at a diagonal into bite-size pieces.
- Add the cucumber pieces to a large bowl. Sprinkle with the salt and stir to combine. Let the the cucumbers sit for at least 10 minutes to draw out water. After sitting, drain the excess water.
- Add all of the dressing ingredients to the cucumbers and mix well. Serve right away.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
