Easy Japanese Cucumber Salad (Sunomono) (VIDEO)
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Light, refreshing with a satisfying crunch – Japanese Cucumber Salad (Sunomono) is the perfect side dish for all of your favorite Asian dishes!
Watch the Japanese Cucumber Salad (Sunomono) Recipe Video!
A Note from CJ
Cucumber Salads Are My Favorite!
And this Japanese cucumber salad only requires 6 ingredients and 15 minutes to toss together! I love serving this one with other Japanese dishes like Miso Glazed Salmon, Chicken Teriyaki, Chicken Karaage, Chicken Katsu, or Pork Katsu!
If you love cucumber salads like I do, try my Din Tai Fung Cucumber Salad, Chinese Smashed Cucumber Salad, and Korean Cucumber Salad (Oi Kimchi).
Ingredient Tips
Refer to the recipe card for the full list of ingredients and measurements!
- cucumbers – I recommend using Japanese or Persian cucumbers – both are small, with a thin skin, few seeds, and less water, which makes them ideal for cucumber salads. Do not use American cucumbers – they have seeds and their skin is too thick and waxy.
- 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.
How to Make Japanese Cucumber Salad (Sunomono)
Slice, Salt, and Squeeze/Dry Cucumbers – Thinly slice cucumbers with a knife or mandolin so they are 2-3 cm thick. Place the cucumbers in a large bowl and mix with kosher salt and rest for 5 minutes to let the excess water release from the cucumbers. Squeeze out the cucumbers to remove excess water, then rinse off the excess salt with cold water and squeeze the cucumbers until dry. Place on a paper towel to pat dry.
Make Dressing and Mix with Cucumbers – In a small bowl, mix together rice vinegar, sugar, and soy sauce. This is the cucumber dressing. Add the dressing to the cucumber, add sesame seeds, and mix well. Serve immediately and enjoy!
PRO TIPS
CJ’s Recipe & Storage Tips
Practice safety and use the mandolin guard that comes with it!
Remove as much moisture as possible from the cucumbers – we do this by salting them and then squeezing them gently after rinsing the salt off with water. Excess moisture will result in a watery cucumber salad.
Storage – 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 the cucumbers in a large bowl and mix with kosher salt and rest for 5 minutes to let the excess water release from the cucumbers.
- Squeeze out the cucumbers to remove excess water, then rinse off the excess salt with cold water and squeeze the cucumbers until dry. Place on a paper towel to pat dry.
- In a small bowl, mix together rice vinegar, sugar, and soy sauce. This is the cucumber dressing.
- Add the dressing to the cucumber, add sesame seeds, and mix well. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- cucumbers – I recommend using Japanese or Persian cucumbers – both are small, with a thin skin, few seeds, and less water, which makes them ideal for cucumber salads. Do not use American cucumbers – they have seeds and their skin is too thick and waxy.
- 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.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This Japanese Sunomono Salad recipe was originally published in February 2025, and updated in February 2026.
Very easy and tasty 🙂
So glad you enjoyed it, Sonia!