Sunomono (Vegan Japanese Cucumber Salad Recipe)

🥒 Ingredients for Japanese cucumber salad

Seedless Cucumbers

If you can get your hands on Japanese cucumbers, which have perfectly thin skin, obviously go for those! Otherwise, my preference is to make these with Persian cucumbers or English cucumbers. If you can't find those, Kirby cucumbers are a last resort (because they have a thicker skin, which I don't love).

Optional: Wakame

Available online and at Asian supermarkets, wakame is the type of seaweed used in (uh, kinda obviously) wakame salad. While you don't have to make sunomono with it, I really love the flavor and think it makes this dish a lot more nourishing. You can also make it with dried hijiki, which has a stronger sea veg flavor if that's your thing. It is my thing, so, yeah.

Rice Vinegar

Rice vinegar (or komezu in Japanese) is the acid that helps penetrate and tenderize the cucumbers.

This is my go-to vinegar for vegan dairy recipes, as it is less sharp and more well-rounded tasting than white vinegar. I use it in everything from vegan mascarpone and vegan parmesan to dairy-free sour cream. Apple cider vinegar or mirin (which is a sweet Japanese rice wine vinegar) can work in the recipe if you want a milder flavor.

Tamari

Tamari is a gluten-free soy sauce variant that is darker and is typically less salty than regular soy sauce. I use it for saltiness and as a nice backbone of umami flavor in the dressing. Of course, if you aren't gluten-free, you can totally make this with regular soy sauce or nama shoyu instead.

Lemon Zest

Not all Japanese cucumber salad recipes use citrus zest, but I think a little lemon zest adds a very welcome fresh, aromatic citrus flavor to the dressing without the sharp acidity of lemon juice. It's even more authentic if you use yuzu zest, but if you live in the US, that's gonna be hard to get your hands on.

Sesame Oil

While you can get away with using extra virgin olive oil instead, nothing beats the flavor of sesame oil for its aromatic nutty flavor in sunomono. I am sorta addicted to sesame oil and use it to make my Thai basil eggplant, sundubu jjigae, Korean BBQ Sauce, and so many other yummy things. This recipe works great with both toasted sesame oil and regular cold-pressed sesame oil.

Shichimi Togarashi

Shichimi togarashi is a Japanese spice blend containing red pepper flakes, orange peel, sesame seeds, and other spices. While you can use any vegan one you find at your local Asian grocery store, my shichimi togarashi recipe adds a slightly citrus-kissed subtle heat and complexity to the salad that sorta rocks. This is optional, so take it or leave it!

Furikake

Another optional topping, furikake is a Japanese seasoning mix typically made of sesame seeds, nori, salt, and a small amount of sugar. It's awesome sprinkled over sunomono, on a vegan banh mi sandwich or swirled into some vegan kewpie mayo to make an absurdly tasty dip for vegan fried chicken.

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📖 How to make this Sunomono recipe

Nail this easy Japanese cucumber salad on your first shot by following these step-by-step photos with helpful tips. Or scroll down to the bottom of this page for the easy-to-print recipe card.

Step One

Slice, Slice, Baby:

Thinly slice cucumbers into rounds, either with a sharp knife or using a mandoline slicer or vegetable peeler. 

Step Two

A Salt and Battery:

Sprinkle them with salt, toss them around to coat every slice, and let the salt draw moisture out of the cucumbers for 10 minutes.

This not only tenderizes the thin slices of cucumber but makes it easier for them to absorb the flavors of the dressing later on.

Step Three

Waka-me Up Before You Go Go:

While the cucumbers brine, you can mess with the optional sea vegetables (listen, you don't have to, it's just yummy if you like seaweed). If you're adding wakame seaweed to your salad, toss it into a heatproof bowl and pour ½ cup of boiling water (120 ml) over it.

Let the seaweed soak for about 5 minutes to rehydrate. Once softened, drain the wakame in a wire mesh strainer and squeeze out any excess water.

Step Four

Cucumber Shower Time:

After the sliced cucumbers have sat and sweated it out for 10 minutes, give them a good rinse under cold water to remove any excess salt.

Gently squeeze out any remaining moisture-no one likes a soggy cucumber.

Making sure the cucumbers are dry helps them absorb dressing the best and also improves their keeping quality. So, if you store the cucumber salad, it's not all gross and swampy after a day or two in your fridge.

Step Five

Naked? Get Dressed!

In a small bowl, whisk together the toasted sesame seeds, minced garlic, rice vinegar, tamari, citrus zest, sugar (or agave nectar), and sesame oil. If you want a little heat, sprinkle in some shichimi togarashi.

If you want a sweet flavor but hate using regular sugar, this recipe works great with coconut sugar or agave nectar as substitutes.

Step Six

Old Mix Donald:

In a large mixing bowl, toss the cucumber slices and the rehydrated wakame (if using) together. Drizzle the salad dressing over the top and gently mix until everything is evenly coated.

Step Seven

Garnish and Serve:

Transfer your sunomono to an attractive serving dish and garnish with sliced scallions or a sprinkle of furikake if you are into it. You can also garnish it with paper-thin slices of red onion if you like. This makes a lovely accompaniment to miso soup and other Japanese side dishes.