Sweet Thai Chili Cucumber Salad

Sweet Thai Chili Cucumber Salad is crisp, cool, sweet n’ spicy. Thinly sliced cucumbers and onions tossed in a sweet chili vinaigrette make this a perfect summer side dish!  

When the warm weather starts, I am all about the salads. And nothing hits quite like a cool cucumber salad on a hot summer day. Whether you’re looking for a salad to bring to your next BBQ or a side salad to serve along side some grilled flanken ribs, this Thai Cucumber fits the bill. 

And guess what, it could not be easier to make! AND it’s even great the next day so you can totally make it ahead of time. Talk about a win! 

Let’s talk about what you need first! 

What ingredients do you need?

To make this cucumber salad, you only need a handful of ingredients. Some you might not have on hand but they are pretty easy to find.

• ENGLISH CUCUMBER: I like to use these because the skin is thin and you don’t need to peel them. You can use a regular cucumber as well, just peel it first.
• YELLOW ONION: Yellow onion is mild enough for this recipe. If you want it to be even more mild, soak it in cold water for 20 minutes before using it to take the bite out of it.
• RICE VINEGAR: It is, as it sounds, vinegar made with rice. Fermented rice to be exact. It’s mild and slightly sweet. It’s common in Asian cooking and can be found in the vinegar aisle or in the Asian food aisle at your grocery store.
• SESAME OIL: This gives the dressing a slight nutty flavor. There isn’t really a substitute for this one.
• SWEET THAI CHILI SAUCE: It’s a sweet sauce made with peppers, rice vinegar, garlic and a sweetener like sugar or honey. It too is usually found in the condiment aisle or Asian food aisle of the grocery store.
• SUGAR: Adds just a touch more sweetness. You can leave it out if you want to keep sugar low.
• GRANULATED GARLIC: For just a hint of garlic flavor. You can substitute garlic powder if needed.
• SALT: just to taste you don’t need a lot.

Tips for making Thai Cucumber Salad:

The salad itself is really easy to make. You simply need to whisk the salad dressing ingredients together. Pour them over the cucumbers and onions and let it sit a bit so the flavors can meld. There are a couple of tips to ensure it’s fab!

TIP #1: Thinly sliced cucumbers and onions work best in this recipe. They absorb the dressing a bit better. And you don’t really want to bite into thick raw onion.

TIP #2: You want to make sure to let the salad marinate for at least an hour. It gives the flavors a chance to develop, for the cucumbers to absorb some of the dressing. This would be even great the next day!

If you love the Asian flavors in this Thai Cucumber Salad you’ve got to try my Sweet Chili Chicken Wings and while you’re at it check out these other Asian inspired recipes:

• Instant Pot Chicken Adobo
• Cold Sesame Noodle Salad
• Filipino Lumpia
• Pancit Recipe