Crunchy with sweet and sour flavor, this cucumber and carrot salad is the simple side dish that will compliment any of your favorite main dishes. It’s great on fried chicken sandwiches, contrasts perfectly with rich pulled pork, and is a natural side for your favorite Asian mains.
Cucumber and carrot salad is bright and tart with rice vinegar, and well balanced with a sweet and salty brine. This recipe is basically a quick pickle of the vegetables to produce a highly flavorful and crunchy salad. No heavy salad dressing in sight! A bit of sesame seed adds a nutty flavor and red onion and optional spicy chili oil add a pungent kick.
A tangy side dish with a hint of sweetness is always welcome at the dinner table to compliment more savory main dishes. Try this Melon Salad with Mojito Vinaigrette or a Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad next!
Jump to:
Ingredients
I include ingredient notes here when I think they’ll be helpful, including ways to source, any preparation tips, or why I've chosen a particular ingredient. Be sure to check out the recipe card below for the full list of ingredients and their quantities!
- Granulated Sugar - This pantry staple adds a simple sweetness to the brine with no competing flavors.
- Rice Wine Vinegar - You may also see this labeled as rice vinegar. It has a light and delicate flavor with mild acidity. You may have to look for it in the world foods section of your supermarket.
- Cucumber - The star of the show in this salad, I prefer to use Persian cucumbers (pictured above) or hothouse (English) cucumbers in this salad because of their relatively small seeds. If you have standard garden cucumbers on hand, absolutely use them! Cut them in half lengthwise and remove the seeds before slicing into half moons.
- Carrot - Carrots are great in a quick pickle because they will stay crunchy and provide a textural contrast to the silky cucumbers.
- Red Onion - Just a bit of red onion goes a long way in this salad, but the color adds to the visual appeal.
- Sesame Seeds - Use white or black sesame seeds to add a little bit of nutty flavor and crunch to the salad.
- Chili Oil - This is entirely optional, but a teaspoon of chili oil will transform this into a spicy cucumber salad with a kick. I find chili oil at my Asian market or in the world foods section of the supermarket.
Instructions
Combine the sugar, vinegar, and salt in a small saucepan and heat it over high heat until the sugar and salt dissolve, stirring frequently. Pull the saucepan off the heat, add ⅓ cup water, and allow the brine to cool.
Slice the cucumbers in thin discs. Use a julienne peeler, standard peeler, or the large holes of a box grater to cut the carrots into thin strips. Thinly slice the onion.
Grab a quart-sized glass jar or a medium glass bowl and start to pack the vegetables in layers, sprinkling each layer with some of the sesame seeds.
Pour the brine over the vegetables, adding the optional chili oil if desired. Place a lid on the jar and invert it a couple of times to mix everything well. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes to chill the salad and allow the brine to flavor the cucumbers and carrots.
Alternatively, add the vegetables to a glass bowl and stir well to mix. Cover with a layer of plastic wrap over the bowl before refrigerating.
When ready to serve, transfer the salad into a serving dish. Garnish with additional sesame seeds, if desired. The salad will have extra liquid that the cucumbers release while chilling. Feel free to strain off some of it or serve the salad with a slotted spoon.
Variations
Take this easy recipe and make it your own by using any of the variations listed below!
- Add Extra Vegetables - Avocado slices, cilantro leaves, green onions, thinly julienned ginger, tomatoes, shaved zucchini, and more can be added to the salad.
- Include Some Protein - After the vegetables have marinated in the brine, serve the cucumber and carrot salad with shredded chicken, edamame, or cooked shrimp.
- Change up the Shapes - Make ribbons out of the cucumber by using a vegetable peeler or dice it into chunks for a different texture. You can also make ribbons out of the carrots or slice them into extra thin coins. The thinner your pieces of the cucumber or carrots, the softer and silkier the texture will be once they marinate in the brine.
- Make it Spicy - Adding the optional chili oil will give the cucumber and carrot salad a spicy kick, Consider adding chili onion crunch, hot sauce, or some thinly sliced jalapeño to the brine as an alternative to chili oil.
Equipment
I use a variety of tools to make the vegetable prep easy for this recipe, depending on how I want to serve it. My favorite tool is a kitchen mandoline, the model I have will cut 3 different thicknesses and has a julienne blade as well. I have a julienne peeler that works just like a standard peeler but slices the veggies into thin strips. A standard peeler or a box grater can help you make quick work of both the cucumbers and the carrots. A simple chef’s knife will do the trick, too!
Choose a jar size that will help all of the vegetables be submerged in the brine. The amounts in the recipe card fit perfectly in a quart size canning jar! If you halve the recipe, use a smaller jar. You can also do your quick pickle in a glass bowl, as long as the brine fully covers your vegetables.
Serving Suggestions
Serve this cucumber and carrot salad in a bowl at the table with extra sesame seeds for garnish. A slotted spoon or salad tongs are great tools for serving the salad. It is perfect as a sandwich topper for pulled pork or fried chicken. Serve it as a side to spicy stir fries, like this Basil Stir Fry with Pork, or rich currries along with a pile of steamed rice. This salad is so refreshing in summer that I often eat it on its own for a cool and crunchy lunch along with a simple protein.
Make This Recipe Kid Friendly
If your children like pickles, they are likely to love this variation with the sweet and sour flavors. We often omit the onions to make this a family favorite recipe.
Storage
Store any leftovers in the refrigerator in a sealed container. The salad tends to get softer as it sits, so it’s best if you eat it up the next day after preparation.
Skip the Stove!
Prepare the brine in the microwave by adding the vinegar, salt, and sugar to your glass quart jar and cooking for 1 minute at a time and stirring until the sugar and salt have dissolved. Add the water and allow the brine to cool before packing in the layers of cucumber, carrot, onion, and sesame.
Make Ahead Options
Chop the cucumbers and carrots into thicker shapes for a sturdier salad that will hold a great texture for more than a day. If you want to save some time and make the salad a day ahead, dice the cucumbers into ½-inch cubes. Slice the carrots into thin coins. These larger shapes will have improved texture the next day compared to thinly sliced cucumbers and julienne carrots.
For a quick dinner salad, slice the cucumbers in thin coins and julienne the carrots for maximum exposure so that the brine has a chance to flavor the vegetables. Use a mandoline for the most consistent results. If you want to prepare the salad ahead of time or overnight, dice the cucumbers in cubes and cut the carrots in thin coins or ribbons for a sturdier texture.
You can add edamame, green onions, halved cherry tomatoes, thinly sliced zucchini or shredded broccoli stems to the salad for additional texture. Prepare enough brine to cover the salad ingredients while they marinate!
I prefer to use small Persian cucumbers or English (hothouse) cucumbers in this recipe. If you use a standard garden cucumber, consider slicing it in half lengthwise and removing the seeds before cutting into thin half moons.
More Recipes with Cucumber
Cucumber can be so refreshing in a salad, as a component of a main dish, or even in a beverage. Here are some other recipes that feature cucumbers:
Pairing
This sweet and sour cucumber salad is a great side to serve with any of the recipes below, offering a textural contrast or bright acidity to richer main dishes:
Try It and Share
I hope you love this sweet and sour cucumber and carrot salad! Tag your photo with #planeatpostrepeat and mention me @planeatpostrepeat on Instagram or Facebook. I can give you a virtual high five and thank you for cooking one of my recipes! Comment below with any questions and please leave a review so others can find this recipe more easily.
Recipe
Cucumber and Carrot Salad
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- ⅔ cup rice wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 pound cucumber (sliced)
- ½ cup carrot (shredded or julienne cut)
- ¼ cup red onion (thinly sliced)
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds (plus extra for garnish)
- 1 teaspoon chili oil (optional)
Instructions
- Combine the sugar, vinegar, and salt in a small saucepan to create the brine. Heat the mixture over high heat, stirring frequently until the salt and sugar are dissolved. Add ⅓ cup of water and set aside to cool.
- Slice the cucumber, shred the carrot, and slice the onion. Pack the vegetables into a jar or other glass bowl, layering with the sesame seeds.
- Pour the brine over the vegetables, making sure all of the vegetables are covered. Top the jar with the optional chili oil. Place a lid on the jar.
- Invert the jar a couple of times to mix everything well or stir the ingredients in the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill the salad for about 30 minutes.
- Transfer to a serving dish, straining the liquid as desired, and serve chilled.
Nutrition facts are sometimes provided below and are calculated using an online calculator. With specific brands of ingredients and additions, omissions, or substitutions the nutrition facts may change. We encourage you to use your own nutrition facts caculator to obtain the most accurate nutrition facts for your meal.
Cassie Waltman says
The combo of crunchy, sweet, and sour is my favorite part of this recipe, what's yours?