Korean Cucumber Salad (5 Min, Authentic or With Swaps)
Korean cucumber salad (Oi Muchim) is a bold, lightly spicy side dish featuring crisp cucumbers, sesame, rice vinegar, sugar, and gochugaru (Korean red pepper flakes). It’s simple, crunchy, and ready in 5 minutes.
I’m not Korean, but I did my homework – three stores to find gochugaru and a lot of recipe research. Gochugaru has a unique flavor – mild heat, slightly smoky and fruity – but we have some good swaps if you can’t find it. The dish pairs beautifully with Korean mains, grilled meats, rice bowls, and more.
What to expect
Gochugaru (Korean red pepper flakes) is the key ingredient – it gives the salad its distinctive mild heat, subtle sweetness, and vibrant red color. Alternatives, if you need, are listed under Substitutions below – the salad won’t taste quite the same, but it will still be delicious.
This recipe varies widely from family to family – some like it more acidic, others sweeter or garlicky. Some slice the cucumbers, others smash them to absorb more dressing, and some pre-salt them for extra crunch. Play around with variations to make it your own.
The method is straightforward: mix the dressing in a large bowl, add the cucumbers, toss, and garnish. Done in 5 minutes.
Ingredients – tailored to your taste
- Cucumber: Use a thin-skinned, seedless (if possible) cucumber – English cucumber, mini Persian cucumbers or pickling cucumbers all work well.
- Gochugaru (Korean chili flakes): is the key ingredient that gives this dish its distinctive flavor. See swaps under Substitutions below. You can also use the powder form (use half the amount)
- Other dressing ingredients: Rice vinegar, sugar, sesame oil, toasted sesame seeds. Optional – garlic, salt, and soy sauce
- Garnish: green onion.
Substitutions
- Gochugaru:
- Closest substitute for taste and texture is Aleppo pepper flakes, found in Turkish, Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisine. Very good swap.
- Best pantry substitute is 3 parts sweet paprika to 1 part cayenne pepper.
- Most convenient substitute (use in a pinch) is red pepper flakes (use half the amount).
- Sugar: Use honey or maple syrup instead
- Rice vinegar: Use apple cider vinegar or white vinegar instead.
Variations
- Cucumber presentation: smash the cucumbers instead of slicing them (see instructions in the recipe notes)
- Non-spicy version (Oi Namul): Eliminates the red pepper flakes entirely for a mild, tangier salad. You can omit the sugar, too, if you like.
- Gluten-free version: Don’t include the optional soy sauce.
- More umami: replace the soy sauce (if using) with fish sauce
- Extra color and crunch: add matchstick carrots
- Festive garnish: add pomegranate seeds
- Fusion twist: replace the gochugaru with chili crisp (start with less and skip the sesame oil). This will be similar to the dressing for our Asian coleslaw.
Step-by-step instructions
Tips
- Crunchy texture: Mix the cucumbers with the dressing no more 15 minutes before serving to maintain maximum crunchiness.
- Leftovers will still taste great, but will be more watery and less crunchy. Drain off excess water. Pre-salting the cucumbers will help a bit (I don’t bother).
- Finding the right flavor combo for you: Start with the dressing recipe as a guideline, mix it with the cucumbers, then taste and adjust with more heat, vinegar, sugar, salt, etc.
Shortcuts
- The recipe only takes 5 minutes, but a mandolin can speed up slicing a bit especially if making a much larger batch. If you make the slices very thin, add the dressing just before serving so the cucumbers don’t become too watery or soft.
- The dressing can be made in a small, sealed container a few days in advance. When ready to serve, shake it up and toss with the cucumbers. I do this if I’m going to a cottage for the weekend.
What to serve with Korean cucumber salad
It makes a great side for our sous vide short ribs (Korean, boneless beef) and our sous vide Korean-style chicken wings.
It also pairs well with:
- Crispy chicken burgers with ground chicken (I use the cucumbers as a topping or side)
- Crispy baked fish (20 min)
- Sous vide tri tip steak or any steak
- Homemade shake and bake pork chops
- Spicy ramen noodles with chili crisp (18 min, one pot)
Recipe FAQs
No. These are very different seasonings. Gochujang (Korean chili paste) is a thick, flavorful fermented paste – slightly sweet and deeply umami. Gochugaru (Korean red pepper flakes) has a mild heat, slightly smoky and fruity taste (no salt). They are not interchangeable, but some people add a very small amount of gochujang to the Korean cucumber salad for extra depth and thickness.
You can use this leftover seasoning for kimchi, spicy soups, stews, and dry spice rubs
You can usually find gochugaru in Asian supermarkets, Walmart, Amazon and some larger grocery chains.
Pre-salting cucumbers draws out the moisture and allows them to stay crunchy for longer. This is a good idea if you’re making a large batch or planning to eat it several days later. For a same-day side, there is no need to pre-salt. In fact, even the next day the cucumbers still have a little crunch if you don’t slice them too thinly.
For maximum crunchiness, it’s best to add the dressing 15 minutes before serving (even 30 minutes is fine). The longer the sliced cucumbers sit in the dressing, the more watery and soggier they will become (but they will still taste great!).
More quick-prep salad recipes
- Asian coleslaw – easy, spicy, crunchy – 5 min
- Thai mango salad -10 min
- Winter salad – festive with goat cheese and pomegranates, 15 min
- Orange and beet salad – pretty, 12 min
And check out our full collection of salad recipes if you need more ideas.
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Korean Cucumber Salad (5 Min)
Ingredients
- 1 English cucumber, Note 1 (or 5-6 mini Persian cucumbers)
- 1 green onion (or 2 if small and thin)
Dressing
- 2 teaspoons gochugaru, Note 2 (or more to taste)
- 2 teaspoons sugar (or honey or maple syrup)
- 2 teaspoons sesame seeds (+ more for garnish if you like)
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil (or more to taste)
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar (or use apple cider vinegar or white vinegar)
Optional
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic (1 clove)
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce (Omit for gluten-free. Replace with fish sauce for more umami.)
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt (I add this)
Instructions
- MAKE DRESSING: Mix all dressing ingredients in a large bowl with a spoon – adding any of the optional ingredients you like – I usually add salt and garlic. (Once combined with the cucumbers, you will adjust the flavors to your taste).2 teaspoons gochugaru, Note 2, 2 teaspoons sugar, 2 teaspoons sesame seeds, 2 teaspoons sesame oil, 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- SLICE CUCUMBER AND CHOP GREEN ONION: Use a small knife to slice the cucumber, about ¼ inch (6 mm) thick. You can cut them thinner but they will soften (with less crunch) more quickly. Finely chop the green onion.
- COMBINE & SERVE: Add the cucumber and onion to the dressing. Toss, taste and add more seasoning to your taste (heat, vinegar, salt, sesame oil, etc). I like it cold so I refrigerate it for 10-15 minutes but it's not essential. Sprinkle a few extra sesame seeds on top before serving if you like.
Recipe Notes
- Cucumbers: Buy thin skinned cucumbers (no peeling needed) and without seeds. English, Persian and pickling cucumbers work well. If the cucumbers have watery seeds in the middle, cut cucumber in half and scoop out seeds.
- Gochugaru swaps:
- Closest substitute for taste and texture is Aleppo pepper flakes (a common Turkish, Middle Eastern and Mediterranean spice). 1:1 swap.
- Best pantry substitute is 3 parts sweet paprika to 1 part cayenne pepper. For 2 tsp of gochugaru, you need 1.5 teaspoons of sweet paprika and 0.5 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
- Most convenient substitute (use in a pinch) is red pepper flakes (use half the amount or 1 tsp).
- Powder form of gochugaru: Use about half the amount of the flakes (1 tsp) or more to taste.
- Recipe variations
- Cucumber presentation: smash the cucumbers instead of slicing them. Slice off ends and use a rolling pin or the flat side of a heavy knife to smash it (you can place ti in a plastic bag to prevent splattering). Then then rip cucumber into smaller pieces if needed. This allows more absorption of the dressing. Here’s a video on how to smash cucumbers.
- Extra color and crunch: add matchstick carrots
- Festive garnish: add pomegranate seeds
- Fusion twist: replace the guchogaru with chili crisp (skip the sesame oil), which is similar to the dressing for our Asian coleslaw.
- Non-spicy version (Oi Namul): Eliminates the red pepper flakes entirely for a mild, tangier salad. You can omit the sugar, too, if you like.
- How to pre-salt the cucumbers: Slice cucumber, sprinkle with 1/2 tsp kosher salt, place in colander and let sit for 20-30 minutes. Quickly rinse then dry well with paper towels. Note: If making the same day, there isn really no need to pre-salt the cucumbers. I don’t.
- Make ahead: For maximum crunchiness, it’s best to add the dressing 15 minutes before serving (even 30 minutes is fine). The longer the sliced cucumbers sit in the dressing, the more watery and soggier they will become (but they will still taste great).
