Thai Cucumber Salad (Video)

Thai Cucumber Salad will wake up your mouth with amazing flavors, and it’s perfect low-carb side dish for any main dish with Asian flavors. And if you like Thai food you’re going to love this cucumber salad that has amazing flavors often found in Thai dishes.

PIN Thai Cucumber Salad to make it later!

The flavors that are the trademark of Thai food work together so well in this Thai Cucumber Salad, even if some ingredients I’ve used are not authentically Thai. And this light cucumber salad is a perfect side dish for grilled meat, seafood, or tofu, and I’d also eat this as a very flavorful summer lunch. And all the flavors in this salad will definitely wake up your mouth!

If you like Thai food and cucumbers I bet you’re going to love this salad as much as I did! This is something I’ve made over and over since I first posted the recipe years ago, and I’m happy it’s getting new photos to encourage you to try it!

What ingredients do you need for this recipe?

(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

• European cucumbers or fresh garden cucumbers
• fresh mint
• chopped peanuts
• salt and pepper to taste
• fresh-squeezed lime juice, I used my fresh-frozen lime juice
• Fish Sauce, preferably Red Boat Fish Sauce (affiliate link) which is gluten-free
• Monkfruit Sweetener (affiliate link) or other sweetener of your choice
• Green Tabasco Sauce (affiliate link) or other spicy hot sauce
• garlic puree or minced garlic

What Are the Flavors of Thai Cuisine?

I’m a huge fan of Thai Cuisine, which is known for dishes that contain an assortment of spicy, sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and savory (or Umami) flavors. Read more about Thai Cuisine to see how these flavors are combined in amazing dishes.

What gives this cucumber salad Thai flavors?

I’m not claiming this salad is authentically Thai, but it does have a good combination of the flavors used in Thai cuisine. The dressing for the salad has lime juice, Monkfruit Sweetener (affiliate link) or your preferred sweetener, Green Tabasco Sauce (affiliate link), and garlic, and the Umami flavor notes come from fish sauce (affiliate link).

Do you have to have Fish Sauce for the Thai Cucumber Salad?

This interesting Asian condiment (with a strong aroma but fantastic flavor) may be an unusual ingredient for some readers, but I’d never make this salad (or any Thai recipe) without it. Be sure to use Gluten-Free Fish Sauce if you need the recipe to be gluten-free.

Want more recipes with Thai flavors?

I’m a huge fan of Thai food and if you’re also a fan you might like these:

• Thai-Inspired Ground Turkey Stir Fry
• Thai Turkey Lettuce Wraps
• Thai-Inspired Turkey Larb Salad

How to Make Thai Cucumber Salad:

(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

1. Cut up cucumbers into bite-sized pieces. (I’ve made this with European cucumbers, garden cucumbers, and also small Persian cucumbers, and all were good. I wouldn’t use waxy cucumbers from the grocery store for this salad.)
2. Whisk together the lime juice, fish sauce (affiliate link), Monkfruit Sweetener (affiliate link) or your preferred sweetener, Green Tabasco (affiliate link), and garlic to make the dressing.
3. Chop the mint, or cut mint leaves into thin strips if you prefer.
4. Combine the cucumber pieces and chopped or sliced mint in a bowl, then stir in the dressing.
5. Season to taste with salt and fresh ground black pepper.
6. Top the salad with a generous amount of chopped peanuts and serve immediately.
7. If the salad makes more than you’ll eat at one time I would prepare ingredients but refrigerate separately; then stir together as many servings of the salad as you’ll be eating!

Make it a Low-Carb Meal:

Thai Cucumber Salad would taste great with Sauteed Scallops with Garlic, Grilled Shrimp Skewers, Instant Pot Teriyaki Chicken, Low-Carb Grilled Fusion Chicken, or Sanpete County Grilled Turkey Kabobs.

More Salad Ideas with Cucumbers:

Check out 30 Low-Carb Cucumber Salads to find more interesting salads with cucumbers from Kalyn’s Kitchen! Can you tell I am a huge fan of cucumber salads!

Continue to Content

Print

Yield: 6 servings

Thai Cucumber Salad

Prep Time 20 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

This Thai Cucumber Salad is perfect as a side dish for any dinner with Asian flavors.

Ingredients

Salad Ingredients

• 2  European cucumbers or 4 fresh garden cucumbers
• 1/2 cup chopped or sliced fresh mint (measure after chopping)
• 1/4 cup (or more) chopped peanuts
• salt and pepper to taste

Dressing Ingredients

• 1/4 cup fresh-squeezed lime juice
• 1 1/2 T Fish Sauce (see notes)
• 1 1/2 T Monkfruit Sweetener (see notes)
• 1 tsp. Green Tabasco Sauce (see notes)
• 1 1/2 tsp. garlic puree or minced garlic

Instructions

1. Cut ends off cucumbers, then partially peel, leaving thin strips of peel in stripes along the cucumber.
2. Cut striped cucumbers in half lengthwise, then in 1/2 inch slices.
3. Wash mint, dry well and chop coarsely or slice into strips.
4. Coarsely chop peanuts.
5. Mix dressing ingredients.
6. Combine chopped mint and cucumbers in plastic bowl, add dressing and stir a few times so cucumbers and mint are completely coated with dressing.
7. Pour into serving bowl, season with salt and pepper if desired.
8. Sprinkle chopped peanuts over and serve immediately.
9. If the recipe makes more than you'll eat at once, I would cut the cucumbers, chop mint, and mix the dressing but keep them refrigerated separately and toss the toss the amount of salad you want together right before serving.

Notes

I like Red Boat Fish Sauce (affiliate link), but if you can’t find that I’d look for one that says Thai Fish Sauce. Red Boat Fish Sauce is gluten-free.

I would use Monkfruit Sweetener (affiliate link) for this salad, but use your preferred sweetener. If you don't have Green Tabasco (affiliate link) use any spicy hot sauce of your choice.

Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit Magazine, August 2001.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 53Total Fat: 3.1gSaturated Fat: .5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2.2gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 451mgCarbohydrates: 5.5gFiber: 1.1gSugar: 2.1gProtein: 2.3g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

Did you make this recipe?

Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating (under the PRINT button in the recipe) or share a photo of your results on Instagram! THANKS!

Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Cucumbers are a great low-carb food choice, and with an approved sweetener instead of sugar, this Thai Cucumber Salad would be perfect for low-carb or Keto diet plans, as well as any phase of the original South Beach Diet. (Even if you used sugar, this still wouldn’t have that much sugar in a serving.)

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Salad Recipes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find more recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This recipe was first posted in 2006, and I have literally made it every summer since then! The photos were updated in 2013 and in 2021 they were improved again. The recipe was last updated with more information in 2023.

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