Gingery Smashed Cucumber Salad

This Asian-inspired take is super fresh, crunchy, savory, a little spicy, and full of ginger and sesame flavor. Plus, so EASY — just 10 ingredients, 1 bowl, and 10 minutes required. Let us show you how it’s done!

Recipe Inspiration

This smashed cucumber salad is similar to pai huang gua, a Chinese cucumber salad featuring a garlicky sesame-soy-vinegar dressing and chili crisp and/or chili oil topping. Our inspired version is naturally sweetened with maple syrup, swaps the chili oil for chili flakes, and also draws influence from Japanese cuisine with the inclusion of pickled ginger for a sweet, tangy addition.

How to Make Smashed Cucumber Salad

Smashing cucumbers is all about getting the dressing to better hold onto the cucumber. And this dressing? You’re definitely going to want it smothering that cucumber. It’s perfectly balanced thanks to tangy rice vinegar, aromatic garlic and ginger, savory tamari, nutty toasted sesame oil, sweet maple syrup, and spicy red pepper flakes. Now, let’s talk about how to smash that cucumber. After cutting it in half lengthwise, place it on a cutting board and use a rolling pin or heavy skillet to smash, smash, smash. Gentle is not the answer here! When it’s looking thoroughly craggy, you’re ready to slice it up and toss with the dressing, green onion, sesame seeds, and pickled ginger. Welcome to YUM town. We hope you LOVE this cucumber salad! It’s:GingerySavorySpicyUmamiCrunchy& SO refreshing!

What to Serve with this Smashed Cucumber Salad

It’s an easy, versatile side that pairs well with crispy salmon + rice for a simple meal. Or, try it with any of your favorite Asian-inspired mains. Here’s some inspo:

Baked Crispy Peanut Tofu Creamy Sesame Noodle Salad Grilled Teriyaki Chicken Skewers Sesame Eggplant & Almond Butter Tofu Bowls 30-Minute Portobello Mushroom Stir-Fry Easy Vegan Fried Rice