Sunomono Salad (Japanese Cucumber Salad)

Name: Sunomono Salad (Japanese Cucumber Salad)
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Ingredients: 2 Japanese cucumbers; 2 teaspoon salt; 2 tablespoon rice vinegar; 1 tablespoon sugar; 1 1/2 teaspoon soy sauce; 2 teaspoon sesame seeds

By: Megan•Posted: 14/04/2024 •Updated: 27/09/2025

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Prep 10

Total 10

Sunomono salad or Japanese cucumber salad is a refreshing appetizer or side dish featuring crisp, thinly sliced Japanese cucumbers marinated in a sweet, tangy vinegar-based dressing.

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Sunomono Salad (Japanese Cucumber Salad)

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Sunomono salad is a deliciously refreshing Japanese side dish that instantly brightens up any meal. This healthy Japanese cucumber salad is a quick and easy recipe that can be thrown together in under 10 minutes!

A pair of chopsticks holding up pieces of a Japanese cucumber salad.

What is sunomono?
Ingredients
How to Make Sunomono Salad
Expert Tips
Storage Instructions
Pairing Suggestions
FAQ
Sunomono Salad (Japanese Cucumber Salad) Recipe

What is sunomono?

Sunomono (酢の物) is a traditional Japanese side dish or appetizer made with Japanese cucumbers tossed in a sweet and tangy rice vinegar-based dressing. The name “sunomono” translates to vinegared things” in Japanese. A traditional sunomono salad is made with Japanese cucumbers that have a mild, bright, and semi-sweet flavor.

The cucumbers are thinly sliced, drained, and tossed in rice vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, and sesame seed dressing. This Japanese salad has a tangy and slightly sweet flavor, complemented by a crisp, refreshing bite. You can serve this cucumber salad as an appetizer, a snack, or a side dish.

Ingredients

You can find all of the ingredients for this sunomono recipe at your local Asian or Japanese grocery market. Full measurements and links to everything I used are listed in the recipe card below.

Japanese cucumbers: are ideal because they are seedless and hold less water than traditional American cucumbers.
Salt extracts the water from the cucumbers, making the Japanese cucumbers crunchier.
Rice vinegar: adds a mild, sweet flavor with a touch of acidity.
Sugar: sweetens the sunomono salad.
Soy sauce: adds a hint of salty umami flavor that balances out the acidity in the rice vinegar.
Sesame seeds: add another layer of crunchy and soft nutty flavor.

All the ingredients for sunomono salad dressing organized and labeled.

Substitutions and Additions

Substitutions

Persian cucumbers: a good alternative to Japanese cucumbers, which are used in my other cucumber salads, Din Tai Fung cucumber salad or Korean cucumber salad (oi muchim).
Vinegar: apple cider, white wine, champagne, or mirin.
Sweetener: honey, maple syrup, or brown sugar.

Additions

Dried wakame seaweed: add rehydrated dried seaweed pieces for more texture and umami flavor.
Seafood: add boiled octopus, real or imitation crab meat, or shirasu (baby anchovies).

How to Make Sunomono Salad

Here are the step-by-step instructions on how to make this quick and easy sunomono salad recipe.

Thinly slice the cucumber and sprinkle salt over it. Let the cucumbers sit for 5 minutes. Then rinse the cucumbers, squeeze out any excess moisture, and pat dry with a paper towel.

Squeezing water out of Japanese cucumbers

Mix the rice vinegar, sugar, salt, soy sauce, and sesame seeds.

Mixing sunomono salad dressing in a glass bowl.

Toss the cucumbers with the dressing and enjoy!

Mixing together sunomomo salad in a glass bowl.

Expert Tips

Use fresh cucumbers. Choose between Japanese cucumbers or Persian cucumbers for the freshest and crispiest flavor. Avoid American cucumbers that are thick, have a waxy bitter skin, and are more moist.
Use a mandolin or food processor to quickly slice the cucumbers. This will allow even slices and quicker prep time.
Squeeze out as much water from the cucumbers as you can. This will allow the cucumbers to absorb the dressing.
Adjust to taste. When you mix your dressing, taste and adjust based on your preferences! If you’d like it sweeter add more sugar. For saltier, add more soy sauce or salt.

Storage Instructions

You can store this sunomono in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Note that the longer the cucumbers sit in the dressing, the softer they may become over time.

Pairing Suggestions

You can serve this sunomono salad on its own as a snack or as a side dish paired with the following pairing suggestions.

Noodles: mentaiko pasta, uni pasta, Japanese curry udon, or zaru soba.
Rice: beef pepper rice, kani sushi (spicy crab roll), or oyakodon (Japanese chicken and egg rice bowl).
Protein: miso salmon, air fryer teriyaki salmon, or enoki beef rolls.
Dessert: matcha roll cake, taiyaki (Japanese fish dessert), or matcha crepe cake.

FAQ

How do I serve sunomono salad?

Sunomono salad is typically served cold as a refreshing appetizer or a side dish to a warm savory meal. The acidity from the rice vinegar, paired with the fresh, crisp cucumbers, will easily brighten up any heavier dish.

What is a Japanese cucumber?

Japanese cucumbers are smaller and slenderer than regular cucumbers. Its skin is tender and smooth and does not need to be peeled before eating. Japanese cucumbers also have very minimal to no seeds creating a crunchy texture. They have a mild, slightly sweet, bright flavor and are less watery than other cucumbers which make them ideal for a salad.

Do Japanese cucumbers need to be peeled?

No, Japanese cucumbers do not need to be peeled because they have thin skins with a mild sweet flavor. This makes them ideal for a cucumber salad because of the easy prep time.

Additional Salad Recipes to Try