This Thai Cucumber Salad with Peanuts is crunchy, sweet & tangy. It’s a refreshing salad that can be made ahead of time and is perfect for the warm summer months.
Why You’ll Love It
This fresh and delicious cucumber salad is crunchy, tangy, salty and sweet. The dressing combines lime juice, garlic, fish sauce and sugar for the perfect blend of umami flavor. And, the salad ingredients couldn’t be simpler. Cucumber, red onion, jalapenos and cilantro.
If you’re eating it for lunch, you can add in some extra protein by sprinkling on some roasted salty peanuts. Or, you can serve this salad for dinner as a side dish with these Sesame Chicken Noodles or these Grilled Lamb Chops with Spicy Peanut Sauce.
Similar to this Daikon Radish Salad, this Din Tai Fung Cucumber Salad or this Asian Cucumber Salad, this spicy Thai cucumber salad is the perfect accompaniment with rich, hearty dishes since it’s so light and crunchy.
Ingredients Needed
- English Cucumbers – Regular or small Persian cucumbers will also work. Tip: Read all about the most popular types of cucumbers that you’ll find in stores.
- Lime juice – Fresh is best! You can also use rice vinegar for that tang.
- Fish sauce – This is optional, but it gives that hint of extra umami flavor!
- Sugar
- Jalapeño – You can leave out the jalapeno if you’r sensitive to heat. Or, for extra heat, substitute some thai chiles.
- Garlic
- Avocado oil – Or, canola oil.
- Fresh Cilantro – If you’re not a fan of cilantro, you can use parsley or mint.
- Red Onion – Or shallot.
- Peanuts – Or another favorite nut like almonds, cashews or walnuts.
How to Make It
- Slice the cucumbers in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds.
- Thinly slice the cucumbers.
- Whisk together the salad dressing ingredients.
- Toss together and serve.
How to Make Ahead & Store
- This salad will keep in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. However, the longer the cucumbers marinate in the dressing, the more they’ll lose their crispness. If you would like the salad to remain crisp, plan to serve it the day you make it.
- Alternatively, you can mix up the dressing separately (up to 3 days beforehand) and toss it with the cucumbers right before you plan to serve.
Recipe Tips
- Use English cucumbers (also called seedless or hothouse cucumbers) or Persian cucumbers. They aren’t treated with a wax coating like regular cucumbers and they have less seeds.
- Seed the cucumbers by slicing them in half and scooping out the seeds with a spoon. If you skip this step, the salad will become watery.
- For optimum flavor, let the salad sit in the fridge for at least 20-minutes before serving so that the dressing can soak in a bit.
- You can dress up your salad by adding in other vegetables like red peppers, carrots or radish. Also, you can make a Thai cucumber salad with peanuts, almonds, or toasted rice powder at the end for extra crunch.
What to Serve with It
- Sesame Chicken Noodles
- Lamb Dumplings in Spicy Ginger Broth
- Grilled Shrimp Skewers with Green Tahini Sauce
- Grilled Lamb Chops with Spicy Peanut Sauce
- Mango Lime Grilled Chicken
- Tan Tan Noodles
- Chicken Satay
- Grilled Chicken with Peanut Sauce
More Thai Salad Recipes
More Cucumber Recipes
- Din Tai Fung Cucumber Salad
- Asian Cucumber Salad Recipe
- Chilled Cucumber Soup
- Quick Pickled Cucumbers
- Tomato Cucumber Salad
- Shirazi Salad
- Raita Sauce
Did you make this Thai Cucumber Salad?
Please leave a comment and rating below, if you loved this Thai Peanut Cucumber Salad recipe. Also, be sure to snap a picture of your finished dish and share it with me on Instagram using the hashtag #platingsandpairings and tagging me @platingsandpairings.
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Thai Cucumber Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce
- 1 Tablespoon sugar
- 1 jalapeno pepper (thinly sliced)
- 1 clove garlic (finely chopped or grated)
- 2 Tablespoons avocado oil (or canola oil )
- 2 English cucumbers (halved lengthwise seeded and thinly sliced)
- 1/2 cup cilantro (chopped)
- 1/2 small red onion (thinly sliced)
- Kosher salt ( to taste)
- 1/2 cup roasted peanuts (chopped, optional)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk the lime juice with the fish sauce, sugar, chiles, garlic and oil.
- Add the cucumbers, cilantro, peanuts and onion and toss to coat.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Notes
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published in 2019. It was updated in 2022 to add new photos and again in 2023 to add new content. The cucumber peanut salad recipe remains unchanged. Enjoy!
This salad looks absolutely delicious! I agree with the tip about using English cucumbers, they are so much better than traditional. I love the spice level in this and the texture from the nuts.
Thanks Jenni!
This sounds do delicious and refreshing. And, oddly enough, I have all of the ingredients at home right now. I know what I’m having for lunch today!!!
This sounds do delicious and refreshing. And, funny enough, I have all of the ingredients at home right now. I know what I’m having for lunch today!!!
Yay!!!
Do you think I could replace the cilantro with parsley in this dish? I can’t stand cilantro. Thanks
You can definitely do that Sue! Or just leave it out.
Very good light side dish. Served with Thai chicken that I marinated 24 hours and cooked sous vide then finished on the grill. The chicken marinade had Thai basil which I think I will add to this salad next time.