Cucumber Carrot Salad with Peanut Sauce

A recipe that’s truly worth cutting out and keeping. Well, there’s no actual page to cut here — but you get the idea 😊 This is one of my favorite salads. I make this cucumber salad with peanut sauce for myself, but also when I have guests coming. It’s super impressive.

There’s something about the look that feels like a fancy Asian restaurant — and people always get excited when they see it on the table.

But let’s talk about the best part here — the peanut sauce. Creamy, rich, with chunks of peanuts, and a perfect balance of sweet and salty. It’s hard to explain how good it is. The quantities here will give you enough sauce for 3 salads, and I really don’t recommend making less. It keeps perfectly in the fridge and works with so many things — with chicken or tofu, as a dip for sliced vegetables, or even drizzled on top of rice or quinoa.

I also love spreading it on bread, with a little coarse salt and cucumbers or avocado.

Back to the salad — in most restaurants you’ll get this with cucumbers only. I prefer adding carrot as well, because it stays crunchy longer and adds a gentle sweetness. But if you want just cucumbers, that works perfectly too.

Cucumber Carrot Salad with Peanut Sauce

Print

Serves: 3-4 Prep Time: 20 mintues

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 5.0/5

( 1 voted )

Ingredients

Ingredients for 3–4 servings (sauce makes enough for about 3 salads)

For the Salad:

• 1 carrot, peeled
• 3 cucumbers
• 1/2 cup salted peanuts
• 1/4 bunch chives or cilantro leaves

For the Peanut Sauce:

• About 1-inch (2 cm) fresh ginger, peeled
• 1 garlic clove, peeled
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup or sweet chili sauce
• 3 tablespoons natural peanut butter (smooth or chunky)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup coconut cream or coconut milk

Instructions

- Cut the carrots and cucumbers into thin strips using a mandoline, a food processor with a shredding disk, or a knife and a bit of patience. Transfer to a bowl. If not serving right away, store in the fridge at this stage.
- Roughly chop the peanuts and thinly slice the chives. Set aside.
- Mix all the sauce ingredients together until thick but not too thick — like a good tahini. If it’s too thin, add more peanut butter; if too thick, add more coconut cream. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt.
- Assemble the salad just before serving: place the vegetables on a large plate, drizzle with as much sauce as you like, and scatter the peanuts and chives on top. Serve immediately.

Cucumber Carrot Salad with Peanut Sauce

Notes

- The sauce is enough for about 3 salads and is also great with chicken or tofu, or served with sliced vegetables.
- You can add kohlrabi cut into thin strips and/or very thinly sliced cabbage. Zucchini (raw, cut into strips) also works well.
- Like it spicy? Add 1/2 finely chopped chili or 1/2 teaspoon chili flakes to the sauce.
- Instead of fresh ginger, you can use 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger. Same for the garlic.
- Instead of coconut cream or milk, you can thin the sauce with water, olive oil, or soy milk.
- Make this gluten free by using gluten-free soy sauce.
- The salad is at its best in the hours right after it’s made. After that, the vegetables soften.