Sunomono Salad Recipe (Japanese Cucumber Salad)

A super easy cucumber salad recipe to make in under 15 minutes! This side dish is light and crispy, with just the right amount of seasoning to keep you coming back for more.

Prep time: PT5M

Total time: PT15M

Rating

5 stars (50 reviews)

Keywords

Japanese cucumber salad

Ingredients

3 crunchy Japanese or Persian cucumbers
2 tsp salt (to draw out moisture)
2.25 tbsp rice vinegar
.75 tbsp sugar
.2 tsp salt
.2 tsp soy sauce
0.75 tsp sesame seeds

Cuisine

Japanese

Steps

Slice the 3 crunchy Japanese or Persian cucumbers very thinly (ideally with a mandolin slicer for uniformity) and transfer to a medium sized bowl.
Sprinkle with 2 tsp salt and toss with your hands to ensure even salt coverage to draw out moisture. Let it sit for 10 minutes.
Rinse the cucumbers thoroughly to remove the salt, then drain.
Squeeze all the cucumbers to remove excess moisture. The goal is to remove as much water as you can. Don't be afraid to squeeze hard, the cucumbers can take it!
Mix dressing ingredients: 2.25 tbsp rice vinegar, .75 tbsp sugar, .2 tsp salt, .2 tsp soy sauce until dissolved.
Then add to cucumbers to marinate for at least 1 hour. It keeps well overnight too. Keep refrigerated until serving.
Sprinkle with 0.75 tsp sesame seeds just before serving.

Nutitrion

Serving Size: 1 serving
Calories: 42 kcal
Carbohydrates: 8 g
Protein: 1 g
Fat: 1 g
Saturated Fat: 1 g
Sodium: 334 mg
Sugar: 7 g

Reviews

Benjamin Prusinski on 2025-07-02 (5 stars):
best sunomono recipe! I added serrano hot pepper to spice it up.
Christy on 2025-06-29 (5 stars):
I tried it once and it was just a little overpowering for this particular dish, but that’s just me. I adore it exactly as written, occasionally adding a little toasted sesame oil, or turning it into a meal with some shrimp.
Maureen on 2025-05-16 (5 stars):
Awesome recipe...my favorite way to eat cucumbers.
Ellie on 2024-12-20 (5 stars):
Your cucumbers are delicious and very easy to make. Planning on doing a big side dish for Christmas. Do you have a good recipe for Hot and Sour soup?
K on 2024-06-14 (5 stars):
Thank you, Huy. Your recipe for sunomono is one of the best I've seen online. It's detailed without overexplaining and much closer to my mom's than the others, allowing for regional variations and personal preferences. Excellent work, sir!
Rusty on 2024-02-10 (5 stars):
Great recipe! Have made this twice, the 1st time I followed it exactly. The next time I replaced the sesame seeds with furikake it was even more delicious. Thank you for posting this.
DT on 2023-12-10 (5 stars):
The measurements are very confusing. .2 tsp im not sure how to measure that.
Jacob Matthew Foster on 2023-09-04 (5 stars):
Agreed
Lea Kritzer on 2023-08-02 (5 stars):
Do you ever add ginger
Mary T on 2021-11-16 (5 stars):
Your recipe is my 'go to site' to make Sunomono Salad. Easy instructions, simple ingredients. I also use English cucumbers or mini cucumbers with great results. I always use my mandoline to get uniform slices. Toasting the sesame seeds is a nice touch and I remember my mother in law serving the salad this way.
Julie on 2021-07-27 (5 stars):
This is so good!!! I grew my own Japanese cucumbers and made this exactly as instructed. I will be making it several times a week until the cukes are all gone.