Thai Cucumber Salad
Updated Aug 31, 2025
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This Thai Cucumber Salad is a refreshing and vibrant dish that's perfect as a light side with your favorite protein. This quick and easy salad has a perfect balance of tangy, sweet, and savory flavors, and comes together in about 10 minutes!
Serve these cucumbers alongside my Thai Peanut Chicken, steamed white rice, extra lime wedges, and plenty of peanut sauce for the ultimate dinner experience!
Recipe Ingredients
See the recipe card below for the complete list of ingredients with exact quantities.
- English Cucumber: I suggest using an English Cucumber because they are less watery and have a thinner skin than a traditional cucumber.
- Dark Brown Sugar: you can also substitute with light brown sugar for a similar flavor. Regular white granulated sugar will work as well, but has a less complex flavor. Palm sugar is a great option if you can find it because it's commonly used in Thai cooking.
- Thai Chili: these are quite spicy. You can remove the seeds to tone down the spice.
Thai Cucumber Salad (Step-by-Step Instructions)
See the recipe card below for the full list of instructions.
- Use a whisk or fork to thoroughly combine all dressing ingredients.
- Cut the cucumber in half length-wise first. Then cut it into half-moons slices.
- Toss the vegetables with the dressing. If you have time, I suggest covering the salad and placing in the fridge for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours to allow the flavors to meld.
- Serve the cucumbers alongside your favorite main course such as Thai Peanut Chicken.
Ready to try it? Scroll to the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts and full instructions.
Did you try this Thai Cucumber Salad? Leave a Review!
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Thai Cucumber Salad
Ingredients
- 1 English Cucumber
- 1 small Shallot, thinly sliced
- 3 tablespoons Fresh Cilantro, roughly chopped
- ¼ cup Roasted Peanuts, roughly chopped
- Kosher Salt, to taste
Dressing
- 1 ½ tablespoons Fish Sauce
- 2 teaspoons Dark Brown Sugar, or light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon Lime Juice
- 1 clove Garlic, grated or finely minced
- 1 Thai Chili, thinly sliced (or about 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together all the dressing ingredients until the sugar is fully dissolved.
- Slice the cucumber in half lengthwise, then cut into 1/4-inch thick half-moons. Add the sliced cucumber to the bowl with the dressing. Next, add the thinly sliced shallots and roughly chopped cilantro.
- Toss everything together until evenly coated. If time allows, cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or up to 2 hours, to enhance the flavors.
- Before serving, remove the salad from the fridge and taste. Adjust seasoning with a pinch of kosher salt, if needed. Garnish with chopped peanuts just before serving for added crunch.
Notes
- I suggest serving this Thai Cucumber Salad recipe with my Thai Peanut Chicken.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
So bright and flavorful! Loved how quick and easy this was to make, and it paired so well with the Thai peanut chicken recipe.