Cucumber Onion Salad with Rice Vinegar

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Fresh Cucumber Onion Salad tossed in rice vinegar has just 4 ingredients! It's a simple, low-calorie, low-carb, and tasty recipe that's ready in minutes.

If you're looking for a healthy green side dish recipe to have with dinner or take to a barbecue, then look no further. This Asian-inspired recipe for cucumbers and red onions tossed with vinegar dressing is ALWAYS a hit.

Unlike so many recipes you'll find for this vegetable combination, we used seasoned rice wine vinegar. So, no additional sugar is needed. 

You can also marinate cucumbers in this type of vinegar too! Serve them on a plate topped with a few sesame seeds and they're delicious!

Do you need a spiralizer?

The short answer is NO!

But, this fun gadget turns vegetables, like cucumbers or zucchini, into long pasta-like strands. It's easy to do. It's fun.

And, it makes you want to eat things like cucumbers and onion in the form of a salad and all kinds of spiralized zucchini recipes.

There are many, many spiralizer brands on the market. But, you don't need to buy a fancy, expensive one to make this recipe. The one pictured below is inexpensive and does the trick.

In fact, you don't need one at all to make this Cucumber Onion Salad! Sliced cucumber is just as tasty!

How to Make Cucumber Onion Salad

This recipe is embarrassingly easy. Yet, I want it in our side dish recipes archive because it's such a flavorful and simple side to round out a meal.

To make the salad, slice or spiralize cucumber and onion, toss them with seasoned rice vinegar, and sprinkle sesame seeds on top. That's it!

The pairing is perfectly delicious (and of course, tastes exactly the same) whether it's sliced, diced, or cut into ribbons with a vegetable peeler. But, it's a lot of fun eating long cucumber noodles!

We used seasoned rice vinegar because of the slight sweetness. But, unseasoned can also be used with a pinch of sweetener if desired.

Seeds and Cucumber Types

Pictured below are the long strands created from a spiralized slicing cucumber, the type that you generally find at the grocery store.

Check out the clump of seeds in the upper part of the bowl. They (pretty much) neatly fell into a pile during the spiralizing process, an unexpected benefit of using this kitchen gadget.

Seeds can be bitter, so it's nice to exclude as many as possible from the final salad.

Use English or Persian cucumbers, which are prized for having minimal seeds, and you won't have this problem at all.

Tips and Variations

• Cucumbers are very watery. Once you have peeled and spiralized, sliced, or diced them, allow them to drain, 20 minutes is ideal.
• I sliced the red onion extremely thin to achieve a similar look and feel to the cucumber noodles. (I actually used my other favorite gadget, a mandolin.)
• Once everything is mixed together, drain off excess liquid before serving.
• Top with sesame seeds or chia seeds!
• How many add-ins can you think of for this side dish? Tomatoes, radishes, carrots...?

Pairing Ideas

Cucumber onion salad with a vinegar dressing is perfect for barbecues, and brunches and will round out just about any dinner. We especially recommend:

• Blackened Chicken Breast 
• Grilled Pork Chops
• Marinated Pork Tenderloin

More Simple Salad Recipes

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📋 Recipe

Cucumber Onion Salad Recipe

Fresh Cucumber Onion Salad tossed in rice vinegar has just 4 ingredients! It's a simple, low-calorie, recipe that's ready in minutes.

5 from 3 votes

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Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 servings

Author: Marjory Pilley

Equipment

• Handheld Spiralizer
• Tabletop Spiralizer

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 cups cucumber, peeled and spiralized can also slice or chop, about 2 medium-sized cucumbers
• ▢ ¼ cup red onion thinly sliced or diced
• ▢ 2 Tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
• ▢ 1 teaspoon sesame seeds optional

Instructions

• Allow cut cucumber to drain in a colander for about 15 minutes and blot dry with a towel.
• Discard loose and excess seeds.
• Toss cucumber and red onion with seasoned rice vinegar.
• If desired, toast sesame seeds by heating in non-stick pan for about 5 minutes or until sesame seeds begin to brown and are fragrant. Stir frequently.
• Drain off excess liquid before serving.
• Top with sesame seeds, if using.

Notes

1. Cucumbers can be sliced or diced instead of spiralized.
2. We used seasoned rice vinegar because it adds a touch of sweetness. However, unseasoned vinegar with no sugar is also an option. Add a pinch of your sweetener of choice if desired.
3. Cucumbers are very watery. Once you have peeled and spiralized, sliced, or diced them, allow them to drain, 20 minutes is ideal.
4. I sliced the red onion extremely thin using a mandolin to achieve a similar look and feel to the cucumber noodles. 
5. Once everything is mixed together, drain off excess liquid before serving.
6. Top with sesame seeds or chia seeds!
7. Many add-ins will work well in this recipe including tomatoes, radishes and carrots.

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Nutrition

Calories: 12kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Sodium: 1mg | Potassium: 90mg | Vitamin A: 50IU | Vitamin C: 2.1mg | Calcium: 14mg | Iron: 0.2mg

Nutritional and Food Safety Disclaimer

This recipe was originally published on 5/29/2014. It was updated to improve the reader experience.