Korean Cucumber Salad Recipe

Andrea Riddle
7 Apr, 2024

Sweet and spicy Korean Cucumber Salad (Oi Muchim) is cool, crunchy and refreshing. Easy to make, with simple ingredeints, it’s healthy, delicious, and vegan. Video.

Tangy spicy Korean Cucumber Salad (Oi Muchim) is crunchy, cool, and refreshing. An easy-to-make Korean cucumber side dish that is healthy and delicious.

We are smitten with this Korean Cucumber Salad recipe! Cucumber and scallions are tossed in a slightly sweet and spicy dressing made with Gochugaru chili flakes (Korean chili flakes). Serve this as a refreshing side dish or a tasty addition to Korean Tacos or Korean Rice bowls.

Why You Will Love This!

  • Quick & Easy! Make it in 30 minutes!
  • Authentic Flavors! So refreshing and a perfect balance of salty, spicy, sweet.
  • Healthy and Light! Cucumbers are packed with water, magnesium, vitamin C, calcium, potassium, and quercetin. They are hydrating and anti-inflammatory, help reduce puffiness and redness, and may lower blood sugar levels.


Korean Cucumber Salad Recipe Ingredeints

  • Cucumber- English cucumbers, Japanese cucumbers, Armenian cucumbers, or Persian cucumbers- any thin-skinned variety with minimal seeds.
  • Rice Vinegar– best for flavor but in a pinch substituting with apple cider vinegar, or champagne vinegar is fine.
  • Green onions- or scallions add lovely flavor and color.
  • Sesame oil– toasty deep flavor.
  • Sesame seeds – for finishing the salad, and adding texture.
  • Sugar– honey or maple syrup will work too.
  • Gochugaru- dried Korean red pepper flakes, spicy but not super hot, start with less and add more to taste. This is a really unique flavor that is key is achieving the Korean taste. You could substitute with regular chili flakes or Aleppo chili flakes, or even cayenne pepper- but it will not give it that authentic Korean taste.
 

See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.     

How to make it!

Step 1: In a colander, toss cucumbers with 1 teaspoon of salt and set over a plate for 30 minutes. (See notes for skipping this step). 

Salted cucumbers in a colander for Korean Cucumber Salad.
Patting dry salted cucumbers for Korean Cucumber Salad.

Lightly rinse the cucumber slices. Use a towel to blot and dry removing excess moisture.

Dressing for Korean Cucumber Salad.
Assembling Korean Cucumber Salad.

Step 2: In a large mixing bowl whisk together the soy sauce, vinegar, honey, sesame oil, scallions, and Gochogaru chili flakes.

Step 3: Add the salted, rinsed, blotted, cucumbers to the dressing in the bowl and mix.

Korean Cucumber Salad (Oi Muchim) in a bowl.
 

Serving Suggestions and Storage

Serve the salad sprinkled with sesame seeds and fresh cilantro. Leftovers will keep 3-4 days in the refrigerator, but after day two the cucumbers will become less crisp.


What to Serve with it!

Korean cucumber salad is typically served as a summer banchan because of its cooling effects, along with Korean BBQ and rice.

Korean Cucumber Salad Recipe


 Tangy spicy Korean Cucumber Salad (Oi Muchim) is crunchy, cool, and refreshing. An easy-to-make Korean cucumber side dish that is healthy and delicious. 

Prep Time: 30 min |  Total Time: 30 min 

Servings: 3
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INGREDIENTS
 

  • 4 cups cucumber, sliced into thick rounds or 1/2 moons (English cucumber, Japanese, Armenian, or Persian- thin-skinned, seedless is preferred)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon soy sauce
  • 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon sugar (honey or maple)
  • 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
  • 2 scallions, sliced thin
  • 1– 2 teaspoons Gochugaru Korean chili pepper flakes (spicy but not super hot, start with less and add more to taste)
  • toasted sesame seeds
  • fresh cilantro for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS
 

  1. In a colander, toss cucumbers with the 1 teaspoon of salt and set over a plate for 30 minutes. (See notes for skipping this step).
  2. In a bowl whisk together the soy sauce, vinegar, honey, sesame oil, scallions and Gochogaru flakes.
  3. Lightly rinse the cucumber slices and use a kitchen towel to blot and dry. Add to the dressing in the bowl and mix.
  4. Serve sprinkled with sesame seeds and fresh cilantro.
Notes
  1. If short on time, you can skip the salting step- it is delicious either way, salting releases water from the cucumbers making the salad less watery and giving the the cucumbers a crisp texture.
  2. Optional additions: 1 garlic clove, finely minced, 1 teaspoon fish sauce (leave out soy), thinly sliced carrots and onions.

Tried this recipe?Let me know how it was!

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