Japanese Cucumber Salad (Sunomono 酢の物) – Sweet, Tangy & Refreshingly Crisp

A simple Japanese cucumber dish with minimal ingredients is a must-add to your side dish recipes. Cucumber sunomono is light, tangy, and incredibly refreshing. It takes less than 10 minutes to prep, and our recipe is sure to impress.

Ever wonder how a cucumber salad can feel light, refreshing, and packed with tangy flavour, yet take less than 10 minutes to make? That’s exactly why I keep coming back to this Japanese cucumber sunomono. 

This Japanese cucumber salad is versatile and works for any occasion.

It’s served often as an appetizer in Japanese restaurants to wake up your tastebuds, and I adore it as a quick pickle on the side. It also pairs well with hibachi or grilled meats, making it a perfect complement to any meal.

What I love about this recipe is how it balances simplicity and taste. With one main vegetable and just three ingredients in the dressing, you get crisp, zesty, slightly sweet cucumber slices that practically sing in your mouth. 

I’ve tried different types of cucumber for sunomono, but smaller Persian or Japanese cucumbers are my favourite. Their thin skin and fewer seeds work perfectly with the vinegary dressing. 

Like many of our easy cucumber salad recipes, I love how quick and effortless this one is to prepare. It’s reliable, refreshing, and I keep coming back to it again and again.

For spicy Asian cucumber salad options, try our Korean cucumber salad or smashed cucumber recipe. Or you can try our cucumber, seaweed and imitation crab sunomono!  

Recipe Overview

Flavour/Texture: This cucumber salad recipe is the perfect balance of sweetness and acidity, with the crunch of thinly sliced cucumbers. The light vinegar dressing adds a refreshing tang, while soy sauce provides umami depth.

Ease: This cucumber sunomono recipe is extremely simple, with no cooking involved. It’s perfect for beginners or those who are short on time.

Time: Sunomono can be prepared in as little as 10 minutes, making it a quick and convenient option for a weeknight meal.

Ingredients For Japanese Marinated Cucumber

Cucumbers: Typically, you would use Japanese cucumbers for this recipe, but since we don’t have access to them, I use Persian cucumbers. They have thin skin and few seeds but still have a refreshing crunch. Be sure you pick the freshest cucumbers you can find. 

Salt: Used to draw out excess moisture from the cucumbers, enhancing their crunch.

Toasted sesame seed: Adds a nutty flavour and a bit of texture to the salad.

Rice vinegar: The key ingredient for the tangy and mildly sweet base of the dressing.

Sugar: Balances the acidity of the vinegar with a hint of sweetness.

Soy sauce: Quality light soy sauce is essential for sauces and dressings in your pantry. Provides a touch of umami depth to the salad, enhancing its overall flavour.

Variations and Substitutions

Cucumber options: You can substitute Persian cucumbers with continental or English cucumbers. If there are many seeds, remove them to avoid excess liquid in the salad.

Additional ingredients: It is quite common to add other ingredients to classic cucumber sunomono. Seaweed is a popular choice, as are boiled octopus, imitation crab, anchovies, or other vegetables like carrots and burdock root.

Add crab: Add crab and make our Crab Sunomono (Japanese Crab Cucumber Salad).

Gluten free option: If you need a gluten free salad, use tamari instead of soy sauce.

Sesame swap: Replace toasted sesame seeds with crushed roasted peanuts for texture.

How To Make Recipe for Sunomono

Wash and thinly slice cucumbers using a mandoline or knife. 

In a bowl, add sliced cucumbers and sprinkle with salt. Leave for 5 minutes to extract the moisture from cucumbers.

Squeeze to remove excess water.

In a small bowl, mix dressing ingredients – rice vinegar, sugar, and soy sauce until sugar dissolves.

Toss cucumber with dressing.

Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds to serve.

How to Make This Salad Perfectly [Expert Tips]

Choosing the right cucumber: I find that short Persian cucumbers work perfectly, but longer Continental or Japanese cucumbers are great too if they’re available. I avoid English cucumbers because they are too large and have more seeds.

Don’t slice the cucumbers too thin: I’ve made the mistake of slicing cucumbers wafer-thin before, and the vinegary dressing quickly made them too soft. For the best texture, aim for slices 1mm-1.5mm thick. Your mandolin should help with consistency.

Salting the cucumbers: This step is crucial for drawing out excess moisture, which keeps them crunchy and prevents the salad from becoming watery.

Squeeze the cucumbers after salting: You might wonder, “Won’t this make them soft?” On the contrary! I always squeeze as much water as possible. This helps the cucumber stay crisp and allows them to soak up the dressing without diluting the flavour.

Chill the salad: To further enhance flavours, I like to chill cucumber sunomono in the fridge for 10-15 minutes before serving. It makes the salad extra refreshing and bright.

Frequently Asked Questions