Korean cucumber salad is a popular side dish (banchan) served at Korean barbecue restaurants. The refreshing crunch combined with smoky and salty flavors make this a delightful side to enjoy with meats or as part of a Korean meal. And it only takes 15 minutes to make!
There’s nothing better than placing a few simple and humble ingredients together and experiencing spectacular results when those ingredients meet. This Korean cucumber salad is just that… the remarkable product of what happens when you mix cucumbers, gochugaru, garlic and vinegar.
We might just call it delicious alchemy at its best – because the outcome is an explosion of spicy, tart, savory, slightly sweet and crunchy.
Table of contents
What is Korean Cucumber Salad?
Korean cucumber salad, called oi muchim (오이무침) in Korea, is a simple dish made of sliced cucumber dressed in a smokey and tangy dressing. This salad is often served as a side dish, called banchan in Korean, to compliment a main, most likely a meat dish of some kind. There are many different ways to make oi muchim but the most common ingredients for the dressing are gochugaru (Korean pepper flakes), vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, and sesame oil.
Spicy Korean Cucumber Salad Ingredients
- Kirby Cucumbers: Kirbys are small pickling cucumbers. They have a fantastic crunch. If you can’t find Kirby cucumbers at the store, an English cucumber would work as well. More on this in a second.
- Green Onions: You only need one chopped green onion for this recipe. It imparts an oniony essence that is fresher and less intense than mature onions.
- White Distilled Vinegar: White vinegar has a sharp bite that delivers a real edge to the overall dish. If you like milder, sweeter flavors you could substitute rice vinegar instead.
- Soy Sauce: We’re not going for salty in this dish. Just a hint of savory and umami. So I’m only using about a teaspoon. Feel free to add more! Grab soy sauce on Amazon here.
- Garlic: A small clove of minced garlic adds an earthy taste and pungent aroma to this Korean salad.
- Salt and Sugar: Just a half teaspoon of each.
- Gochugaru: These are Korean red pepper flakes. And while there’s some inherent spice, gochugaru’s flavor is far more smoky and nuanced than regular chili powder or cayenne pepper.
- Sesame Seeds: A teaspoon of sesame seeds adds a subtle toasted nuttiness to this otherwise assertive cucumber salad. And they just happen to look nice as well!
How to Make Korean Cucumber Salad
Scroll all the way down to the recipe card to read the full recipe.
- First, slice two kirby cucumbers crosswise into pieces that are about ⅛ inch thick. Place those cucumber slices into a mixing bowl along with a chopped scallion.
- Then in a separate small bowl, mix 1½ teaspoons white distilled vinegar with a teaspoon of soy sauce and a minced clove of garlic. In the same bowl, stir in a half teaspoon each of salt and sugar – and keep stirring until both have dissolved in the liquid.
- Next, just pour the sauce over your scallions and cucumber slices.
- Finally sprinkle about two teaspoons gochugaru (Korean red chili pepper flakes) and a teaspoon of sesame seeds over the top and mix well. You can pick up gochugaru on Amazon.
Tips and Tricks
- To add heat to this salad, mix a little gochujang – about 1 teaspoon – to the dressing.
- To make the sauce sweeter, add an additional 1/2 teaspoon to the dressing and mix well until the sugar has dissolved.
- Time saving tip – Make the dressing ahead of time, pre-slice the cucumbers and refrigerate separately. And that’s left to do before dinnertime is to add the dressing to the sliced cucumbers.
Best Cucumber To Use For This Recipe
- Kirby cucumbers are the best cucumbers to use for this recipe. In fact, they are the best type for pickling because they are very sturdy and crunchy.
- If you cannot find kirby cucumbers, look for Japanese cucumbers which are thin and long.
- Cannot find Japanese cucumbers either? No worries, English cucumber also work well for this salad. To ensure that the salad doesn’t become to watery – the center part of an English cucumber holds a lot of water – scoop out the seeds and chop the cucumber into sticks of the same thickness as mentioned in the recipe.
Storage
Store the leftovers in an airtight food storage container and refrigerate for up to 5 days. The consistency of the cucumber will be softer but the salad will still taste good.
Frequently Asked Questions
The type of cucumber used makes a big difference is how watery the cucumber salad is. By using kirby cucumber you can rest assured that your salad will not be too watery. Also, it’s worth noting that the longer cucumber slices sit in salt or vinegar, the more watery they will become. This is why cucumber salads taste best when they are freshly made.
By simply swapping the soy sauce for a gluten-free substitute like tamari sauce or liquid aminos.
Yes you can. Napa cabbage or regular cabbage both work well with this recipe, as well as bean sprouts.
Premade Korean cucumber salad can only be found in Korean supermarkets, sometimes in Japanese supermarkets, in the warm food or premade food section.
What To Serve With Korean Cucumber Salad
As previously mentioned, oi muchin pairs well with grilled meats and other Korean sides, known as banchan. But it’s also delicious with fish and tofu dishes, and I also love to eat this cucumber salad together with a bowl of rice because the grains soak up the nutty and savory flavor of the dressing so well.
Other Korean Dishes This Cucumber Salad Pair Well With:
- Korean chive pancakes (buchujeon)
- Korean Sticky Chicken
- Egg fried rice
- Korean seaweed soup (tofu miyeok-guk)
- Skillet dolsot bibimbap
Did you like this Korean cucumber salad recipe? Are there changes you made that you would like to share? Share your tips and recommendations in the comments section below!
Print
Korean Cucumber Salad
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: makes about 1.5 cups 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: Mixed
- Cuisine: Korean
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This Korean cucumber salad is an explosion of spicy, tart, savory, slightly sweet and crunchy!
Ingredients
- 2 Kirby cucumbers, sliced into 1/8-inch thick pieces
- 1 green onion, chopped
- 1 1/2 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1 small garlic clove, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 2 teaspoons Korean chili pepper flakes (gochugaru)
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
Instructions
- Place the cucumber slices and chopped green onion in a medium or large mixing bowl and set aside.
- In a small bowl, mix vinegar, soy sauce and garlic. Stir in sugar and salt and keep stirring until the sugar has dissolved.
- Pour the dressing over the cucumber slices and green onions and toss.
- Sprinkle the Korean chili pepper flakes and sesame seeds and toss until the cucumber slices are evenly coated. Serve.
Notes
This spicy Korean cucumber salad will keep refrigerated for up to 5 days in an airtight storage container.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 32
- Sugar: 2.3g
- Sodium: 729.8mg
- Fat: 1.2g
- Saturated Fat: 0.2g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0.5g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 4.7g
- Fiber: 1.2g
- Protein: 1.2g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
I think I will love this recipe for a bridal shower I am hosting for my Korean daughter-in-law to be. Is this served cold?
Hi Sue! Yes, it is served cold 🙂
Simple and delicious even I can do it
Tripled recipe using home grown cukes. About 2 1/2 – 3 lbs. Added 2 tsp. sesame oil. OMG! This was sensational.
Thank you so much Anthony! 🙂
One of my all time favorite dishes! Love your recipe, thank you for sharing.
Hi Caroline,
Enjoy all your recipes very much. I have a question about the Korean Cucumber salad, and is that when looking at the picture, I noticed the red seasoning that looks very much as Gochujang and not as gochugaru. Am I mistaken? or it is also acceptable to use gochujang instead of the latter.
Thanks for all your great recipes!
Hi Joe! I’m using gochugaru for this recipe so the salad isn’t too crazy spicy. I don’t know if using gochujang would work since it’s a paste. You might be able to use a little, like a teaspoon, and dissolve it before adding tossing the sliced cucumber. If you do make it that way, let me know how it turns out!
Made this today and i love it! Nice light healthy snack! Will definitely be making this often!
May I recommend listing the 2 Kirby cucumbers by weight? That way the total calories at 32 would be accurate. Not all Kirby cucumbers are created equal. 🙂
That said, I used some Thai Red Curry Paste for the heat. Liked it a lot. I also like that I can play with the ingredients some without adding many calories.
The fact that the calories are so low is a blessing for me as I face the horrors of a 5:2 Fast Diet twice a week. 🙁
Thx.
P.S. I notice that there is not an email notification for replies. That would be a nice feature.
This looks like it’s a one-person serving at 1.5 cups and 31 calories, correct?
Thx.
Hi Paul, yes you are correct 🙂
I have made this twice now. I love it!!!
I really enjoy this recipe, a mixture of spicy with sweet and tangy. Is there a way to Can/Preserve this recipe? I want sure if I added more liquid and water bathed the jars, if there is enough vinegar for canning or if the soy sauce will cause any issues.
Hi Chole! I think the only way to can this recipe would be to use uncut kirbie cucumbers. Once the cucumber is cut it softens too much and gets all soggy after a while. If you do try to can it, please let me know how it turns out! I might do the same 🙂
This looks so nice! Im going to try it tonight 🙂
Can you substitute white vinegar with red wine or rice vinegar?
Hi Nancy, if you have plain rice vinegar (seasoned is too sweet) it will work for a substitute since the recipe doesn’t call for a lot of it 🙂
If I can’t find gochugaro locally, can I substitute normal red chili flakes?
Hi Amber, I would recommend using red pepper powder or chipotle powder instead. Red chili flakes would be too hot for this recipe, gochugaru is more smokey than spicy 🙂
I made this tonight. Easy recipe and my husband loved it. Thank you for sharing.
I just made the recipe!
Delicious
Thank you for sharing!