This Cucumber carrot salad is packed with flavor and wholesome ingredients. It is easy to make, light and refreshing and makes a great tasting side dish with just a few ingredients tossed in the most amazing asian peanut dressing.
If you are looking for a fresh side salad with asian flavours, then this asian carrot cucumber salad is the perfect dish!
The carrots and cucumber are julienned or ribboned, then tossed with the most amazing asian peanut dressing that is packed with flavor. Some chopped peanuts add crunch and flavor, just like in this Red Lentil Salad with asian flavours and shredded carrot.
For another great asian style salad, try this or this Cold noodle salad.
Jump to:
Ingredients
To make this salad with cucumber and carrot, all that’s needed are just a few simple ingredients. Take a look at the ingredient list below.
For the full recipe with the quantities, see the recipe card below.
Salad
- English (Seedless) cucumber, julienned or ribboned
- Carrots, peeled, julienned or ribboned
- Roasted peanuts, chopped
- Shallot or green onions, finely sliced (optional)
- Sesame seeds and fresh cilantro for serving
Creamy Peanut Dressing
- Peanut butter, all natural crunchy or smooth
- Lime, juiced
- Garlic, minced
- Chili flakes, or more to taste
- Ginger, peeled and grated
- Honey or maple syrup for a vegan dressing
- Salt and ground black pepper to taste
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Making this asian carrot cucumber salad is fast and easy. Just follow the step by step photos below.
For the full instructions see the recipe card at the bottom.
- Step 1: Using a Julianne peeler, shred the carrot and then the cucumber. For the cucumber, discard the middle with the seeds. If you don’t have a julienne peeler, a normal vegetable peeler can be used to make thin, ribboned slices instead.
- Step 2: Stir together all the ingredients for the dressing in a small bowl. Thin out with more waters as needed but the dressing should be pretty thick. the cucumbers will relish a lot of liquids that will make the salad watery if the dressing is too thin.
- Step 3: Add the vegetables with the chopped peanuts and the optional onion in a salad bowl.
- Step 4: Pour over the dressing and toss well to combine.
Top the salad with some chopped cilantro, sesame seeds and chopped peanuts if desired.
Hint: The longer the salad sits, the more liquids the vegetables will release. Toss the salad well before serving since the dressing with gather at the bothom of the salad bowl.
Why not serve this salad along with a slice of homemade bread like this No knead olive bread or this No Knead Whole Wheat Bread.
Substitutions and Variations
- Spicy – To this a spicy cucumber and carrot salad, top the salad with some extra red chill flakes or chili oil. You can also add chili oil or more chili to the creamy peanut dressing.
- Vegan – For a vegan salad, use maple syrup instead of honey in the dressing.
- Veggies – Add more veggies to this salad, some great options are some shredded cabbage or some sliced avocado.
- Cucumbers – Using English cucumbers will give the best tasting cucumber salad. They are crispy, don’t have to be peeled and with fewer seeds. Persian cucumbers also tastes great, they are normally a lot smaller then English cucumbers, so go by the weight. Regular cucumbers can also be used, I would recommend peeling them before adding to this salad.
- Herbs – instead of chopped fresh cilantro, other herbs like parsley, basil or chopped chives also works well.
- Onion – The sliced shallot is optional, it can also be replaced with some pickled red onion or sliced spring onions. If you don’t like onions, just leave them out completely.
- Nuts – The chopped peanuts can be replaced with cashews, like in this Cucumber Salad with cashews.
Storage
This Thai style cucumber carrot salad can be prepared ahead of time for meal prep and stored in an airtight container in the fridge. It keeps fresh for about 4 days. Stir it well before serving, and top with some sesame seeds and fresh cilantro.
This salad does not freeze well so I don’t recommend that.
Another great salad to try is this Cucumber Salad with apple cider vinegar.
Top Tip
I have used the handy julienne peeler to make long strands of the cucumber and carrot. But if you don’t have one, no worries! Simply use a normal vegetable peeler to make thin ribbons of the vegetables. Just like in this Raw carrot salad.
A mandolin also works great!
FAQ
No, the carrots can be washed and scrubbed instead of peeled, and if you are using an English or Persian cucumber, there is no need to peel them. But if using a normal cucumber, I do recommend peeling. The peel on a normal cucumber can be tough and sometimes a little bitter to the taste.
English cucumber also known as seedless cucumber. They don’t have to be peeled, are crispy and with fewer seeds. You can also use Persian cucumbers, just keep in mind that they are normally a lot smaller than the English cucumber, so use 2 or 3 depending on the size.
I have used the handy julienne peeler to make long strands of the cucumber and carrot. But if you don’t have one, no worries! Simply use a normal vegetable peeler or mandolin to make thin ribbons of the vegetables. They can also be shredded.
I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU!
Let me know what you think by leaving a comment down below, and tagging me at @thedeliciousplate in your picture on Instagram. Your feedback is so helpful! Also, don’t forget to subscribe to my newsletter to be sure not to miss my latest recipes!
This Cucumber carrot salad is packed with flavor and wholesome ingredients. It is easy to make, light and refreshing and makes a great tasting side dish with just a few ingredients tossed in the most amazing asian peanut dressing.
- 1 large seedless cucumber, julienned or ribboned
- 4 carrots, peeled, julienned or ribboned
- ½ cup roasted peanuts, chopped
- 1 shallot or 2 spring onions, finely sliced (optional)
- Sesame seeds and fresh cilantro for serving
- ¼ cup peanut butter, all natural crunchy or smooth
- 1 small lime, juiced
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 tablespoon ginger, peeled and grated
- 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon chili flakes, or more to taste
- salt and ground black pepper to taste
- 1-2 tablespoons water, to thin out the dressing
-
Stir together all the ingredients for the dressing in a small bowl. Thin out with more waters as needed but the dressing should be pretty thick. the cucumbers will relish a lot of liquids that will make the salad watery if the dressing is too thin.
-
Wash and peel the carrots. Using a Julianne peeler, shred the carrot and then the cucumber. For the cucumber, discard the middle with the seeds. If you don't have a julienne peeler, a normal vegetable peeler can be used to make thin, ribboned slices instead.
-
Add the cucumbers and carrots to a bowl. Gently toss everything together and top with some sesame seeds, chopped peanuts and some fresh cilantro leaves.
Leave a Reply