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Light, refreshing with a satisfying crunch – Japanese Cucumber Salad (Sunomono) is the perfect side dish for all of your favorite Japanese dishes! You only need 6 ingredients and 15 minutes to toss this together!
Watch the Japanese Cucumber Salad (Sunomono) Recipe Video Below!
Table of Contents
Ingredients for Japanese Cucumber Salad
Refer to the recipe card for the full list of ingredients and measurements!
- cucumbers – I recommend using Japanese or Persian cucumbers. These are both cucumbers that are small, with a thin skin, and few seeds. They’re also sweeter and have less water, which makes them ideal for cucumber salads. Do not use American cucumbers – not only do they contain seeds, their skin is too thick and waxy for this recipe.
- They’re also used for cucumber salads like Din Tai Fung Cucumber Salad, Chinese Smashed Cucumber Salad, and Korean Cucumber Salad (Oi Kimchi).
- kosher salt – if you don’t have kosher salt or another larger grain salt on hand (like sea salt), you can use table salt but 1/2 of the amount. Table salt has a higher salt content than kosher salt, so it is not a 1:1 substitute.
- rice vinegar – if you don’t have rice vinegar on hand, you can substitute with apple cidar vinegar.
Japanese Cucumber Salad (Sunomono): Recipe Instructions
1. Prepare the Cucumbers
Use a knife or mandolin to thinly slice the cucumbers into 2-3mm thickness. If using a mandolin, please practice safety and use the guard that comes with it!
Place the sliced cucumbers into a large bowl and mix with kosher salt. Set aside to rest for 5 minutes to draw out any excess water. Drawing out the moisture will prevent the cucumber’s natural water content from diluting the salad dressing. This ensures a great crunch.
Remove excess water from the bowl, then rinse off the excess salt with cold water. (Otherwise your cucumber salad will be salty!) I like to squeeze the cucumbers gently until they feel relatively dry. If you don’t, the excess moisture will dilute the dressing.
2. Make the Dressing and Mix
In a small bowl, mix together rice vinegar, sugar, and soy sauce. This will be your cucumber salad dressing.
Add the dressing to the bowl of sliced cucumbers and add sesame seeds. Mix well. Serve immediately and enjoy your Japanese Cucumber Salad!
What Should I Serve with Japanese Cucumber Salad (Sunomono) ?
I love serving Japanese Cucumber Salad (Sunomono) alongside other popular Japanese main dishes like Miso Glazed Salmon, Chicken Teriyaki and Beef Gyudon! It’s so refreshing when served with fried dishes like Chicken Karaage, Chicken Katsu, or Pork Katsu. It also goes well with udon dishes like Yaki Udon, Creamy Mushroom Udon, and Cheesy Kimchi Udon!
PRO TIPS
Tips
- I recommend using Japanese or Persian cucumbers. These are both cucumbers that are small, with a thin skin, and few seeds. They’re also sweeter and have less water, which makes them ideal for cucumber salads. Do not use American cucumbers – not only do they contain seeds, their skin is too thick and waxy for this recipe.
- If you don’t have kosher salt or another larger grain salt on hand (like sea salt), you can use table salt but 1/2 of the amount. Table salt has a higher salt content than kosher salt, so it is not a 1:1 substitute.
- If you don’t have rice vinegar on hand, you can substitute with apple cidar vinegar.
- If using a mandolin, please practice safety and use the guard that comes with it!
- Salting the cucumbers helps draw out the moisture – drawing out the moisture will prevent the cucumber’s natural water content from diluting the salad dressing. This ensures a great crunch!
- Rinse off the excess salt on your cucumbers with cold water. Otherwise your cucumber salad will be salty!
- I like to squeeze the cucumbers gently after rinsing, until they feel relatively dry. If you don’t, the excess moisture will dilute the dressing.
Storage Tips
Store any leftover Japanese Cucumber Salad (Sunomono) in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You may notice the cucumbers releasing more moisture as it sits in the refrigerator – this is normal! However, I don’t personally prefer eating the cucumbers after 2ish days, as I find the salad becomes soggy and the dressing becomes diluted.
If you tried this Japanese Cucumber Salad (Sunomono) Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below!
Japanese Cucumber Salad (Sunomono) (VIDEO)
Ingredients
- 1 lb japanese cucumber, 2-3 cucumbers
- 1/2 tbsp kosher salt
- 3 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1/2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tsp sesame seeds
Instructions
- Thinly slice cucumbers with a knife or mandolin so they are 2-3 cm thick. Place in a large bowl and mix with kosher salt and rest for 5 minutes.
- Remove excess water, then rinse off the excess salt with cold water and squeeze the cucumbers until dry.
- In a small bowl, mix together rice vinegar, sugar, and soy sauce.
- Add the dressing to the cucumber, add sesame seeds, and mix well. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
