Carrot and Cucumber Salad
Carrot and cucumber salad is the perfect side dish for all your favorite Japanese and Korean dishes, and even as a meal on its own! If you’re looking for more gluten-free & vegan Korean side dishes, make sure you try this spicy vegan japache too!
Cucumber and carrot salad is my go-to summer salad when I’m craving something that’s refreshing & flavorful, not to mention incredibly easy to make!
🥄 Why This Recipe Works
- Cucumber carrot salad is gluten-free and vegan so everyone can enjoy it!
- This salad is surprisingly filling, and can work as both a side dish and a main!
- Enjoy this salad alongside your favorite protein for a more substantial meal, such as tofu, chicken, beef, sashimi, or shrimp!
- Don’t like spicy food? No problem! This salad is just as flavorful and delicious without the serrano & chili crisp!
🛒 What You Need To Make Carrot and Cucumber Salad
📝 Recipe Modifications And Substitutions
- Fresh Cucumbers: Persian or English cucumbers work best because they have such thin skin and don’t need to be peeled!
- Carrots: I recommend using large carrots as they’ll be easier to make into “ribbons”.
- Furikake: This is a rice seasoning that includes sesame seeds, little pieces of nori (seaweed), salt, and other spices. It adds a ton of flavor, but if you don’t have any you can just use toasted sesame seeds.
- Soy sauce: You can also use gluten-free soy sauce or coconut aminos.
- Sesame oil: I used pure sesame oil. Roasted sesame oil is much stronger and will overpower the other ingredients.
- Rice vinegar & Mirin: Although these are both fermented ingredients commonly used in Japanese cuisine, the distinction is that rice vinegar is acidic and doesn’t contain alcohol, whereas Mirin is somewhat sweet and contains a small amount of alcohol.
- Minced garlic: Or fresh, of course!
- Optional ingredients: Chili crisp adds great texture & spice. A little salt & pepper never hurt anyone! Feel free to include other veggies like green onions, red onion, cilantro, sprouts, kimchi,
🥣 What Equipment Do I Need?
You’ll need a vegetable peeler in order to get those beautiful carrot “ribbons”. Though most grocery stores don’t carry them, I recommend adding furikake and chili crisp. To complete the aesthetic, I suggest using a lovely set of wooden chopsticks – if you never learned how to use them, now’s the perfect time to practice!
🥕 How To Make This Recipe
Step 1: Start with two large carrots and slice off the ends. Peel off the outer layer and discard along with end pieces. Peel the rest of the carrot into ribbons until you’re left with only a thin core. Add the ribbons to a small bowl as the base of your salad.
Pro Tip: Freeze the parts of the carrot you don’t use in a ziplock bag, along with whatever veggie scraps are left over when you cook until you have enough to make a nutritious & flavorful vegetable broth!
Step 2: Slice 2 small Persian cucumbers, along with fresh serrano and layer them over the bed of carrots. In a separate bowl, prepare the dressing by mixing soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, Mirin, and minced garlic.
Step 3: Drizzle dressing over your salad and toss until thoroughly combined. Top with furikake & chili crisp and enjoy!
Pro Tip: Some kimchi on the side is another great way to add a bit of spice & extra flavor!
🤷🏻♀️ Recipe FAQs
There are many benefits to eating cucumber and carrot, a few of which include:
•Hydration: Because cucumbers and carrots have a high water content, they can improve hydration!
•Antioxidants: Both veggies are rich in antioxidants, which can contribute to healthy skin, eyes, and muscles!
•Digestion: Because of the high fiber content, carrots & cucumbers can aid in digestion & gut health.
•Nutrient-desnse: Both of these raw veggies contain a wide range of essential vitamins and minerals!
•Taste: Carrots & cucumbers both make excellent snacks or additions to salads because they taste great and can be eaten in a relatively high volume.
It is safe to eat 1-2 raw carrots daily. When consumed in higher volumes, there is a slight risk of developing carotenemia, which causes the skin to turn yellow or orange.
👩🏻🍳 Pro Tips
- Store leftover carrot cucumber salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- I would not recommend freezing this recipe.
- Having trouble finding some of the ingredients? Find out if there are any stores near you that specialize in Asian food such as H Mart or 99 Ranch.
Love this carrot and cucumber salad recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the recipe card below & a review in the comments section further down the page.
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Carrot and Cucumber Salad
Ingredients
- 2 large carrots
- 2 small Persian cucumbers
- 1 small serrano (optional)
- 2 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp pure sesame oil
- 1 tsp rice vinegar
- 1 tsp Mirin
- ¼ tsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp furikake
- 1 tsp chili oil (optional)
Instructions
- Start with two large carrots and slice off the ends. Peel off the outer layer and discard along with end pieces. Peel the rest of the carrot into ribbons until you're left with only a thin core. Add the ribbons to a small bowl as the base of your salad.
- Slice 2 small Persian cucumbers, along with fresh serrano and layer them over the bed of carrots. In a separate bowl, prepare the dressing by mixing soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, Mirin, and minced garlic.
- Drizzle dressing over your salad and toss until thoroughly combined. Top with furikake & chili crisp and enjoy!
Notes
- Freeze the parts of the carrot you don’t use in a ziplock bag, along with whatever veggie scraps are left over when you cook until you have enough to make a nutritious & flavorful vegetable broth!
- Some kimchi on the side is another great way to add a bit of spice & extra flavor!
- Store leftover carrot cucumber salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- I would not recommend freezing this recipe.
- Having trouble finding some of the ingredients? Find out if there are any stores near you that specialize in Asian food such as H Mart or 99 Ranch.
Thank you for sharing this recipe! Can’t wait to try it.