This Spicy Cucumber Salad recipe is perfect to serve up to your friends and family at your next back yard summer BBQ. It is light and fresh and super healthy and the cucumber spirals even make this salad fun for the kids! This salad is Whole30, Gluten and Dairy Free and can even be made Paleo compatible if you remove the sugar snap peas. For this recipe we prefer the sweet crunch of the peas and will make an exception to the rule! Our Whole30 cucumber salad mixes fun spiralized cucumber with garden-fresh peppers, tomatoes, and sugar snap peas in a chilled light, sweet and spicy vinegar dressing.
Whole30 Cucumber Salad Key Ingredients
Cucumber is actually about 95% water but it is also high in fiber so it will fill you up, keep you hydrated and keep your bow movements regular. Cucumbers also contain vitamin K, which helps blood clot and keeps your bones healthy. Cucumber is a source of vitamin A which helps our vision, the immune system, and reproduction.
Peppers of all types are super healthy! They are low in calories and are loaded with good nutrition. All varieties are excellent sources of vitamins A and C, potassium, folic acid, and fiber.
Ingredients
2 cucumbers, spiralized, or sliced and quartered
2 jalapenos, de-seeded and diced (or Serrano peppers)
¼ cup fresh cilantro
1 cup sugar snap peas, cut into 1 inch sections
1 bell pepper, de-seeded and diced
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
3 tablespoons olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper to taste
Sliced almonds to garnish
How To Make our Spicy Whole30 Cucumber Salad
1. Combine dressing ingredients ( Olive oil, white vinegar, lemon juice, Dijon mustard) in a bowl and whisk to combine. Season with salt and pepper as required.
2. Wash and prepare the vegetables. Spiralize the cucumber using a spiralizer. Or if you do not have a spiralizer you can simply slice and quarter them. De-seed the jalapenos and bell pepper and slice, clean and slice the sugar snap pees.
3. Add the chopped cucumber, jalapenos, peppers and sugar snap peas to a large serving bowl and pour over the salad dressing. Mix thoroughly to evenly distribute the dressing throughout the salad.
4. Garnish with chopped cilantro and sliced almonds.
5. Chill in the refrigerator until ready to be served. (Not for too long if you have already added the dressing!)
Recipe Tips and Variations
Non-spicy variation – If you want to make this salad without the spicy peppers then simply remove them and you will still have a tasty refreshing summer salad to serve! Try adding a small diced red onion if you want to maintain a small amount of spiciness in the salad.
Seasonal vegetables variation – Other seasonal vegetables can be added to the salad as you like, we like adding a cup of halved cherry tomatoes to add some more sweetness and a chopped avocado to add some healthy fats. Be creative and see what you can come up with!
If you are not too keen on the lemon, vinegar and mustard dressing try adding our 5-minute Avocado Ranch Dressing as an alternative. Add 1/4 to 1/2 of a cup of water to the recipe so that is sufficiently liquid enough to spread through the salad.
This Spicy Cucumber Salad recipe is perfect to serve up to your friends and family at your next back yard summer BBQ. It is light and fresh and super healthy and the cucumber spirals even make salad fun for the kids! This salad is Whole-30, Gluten and Dairy Free and can even be made Paleo compatible if you remove the sugar snap peas. For this recipe we prefer the sweet crunch of the peas and will make an exception to the rule! Our cucumber salad mixes fun spiralized cucumber with garden-fresh peppers, tomatoes, and sugar snap peas in a chilled light, sweet and spicy vinegar dressing.
Ingredients
Scale
2 cucumbers, spiralized, or sliced and quartered
2 jalapenos, de-seeded and diced (or Serrano peppers)
¼ cup fresh cilantro
1 cup sugar snap peas, cut into 1 inch sections
1 bell pepper, de-seeded and diced
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
3 tablespoons olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper to taste
Sliced almonds to garnish
Instructions
1. Combine dressing ingredients ( Olive oil, white vinegar, lemon juice, Dijon mustard) in a bowl and whisk to combine. Season with salt and pepper as required.
2. Wash and prepare the vegetables. Spiralize the cucumber using a spiralizer. Or if you do not have a spiralizer you can simply slice and quarter them. De-seed the jalapenos and bell pepper and slice and clean and slice the sugar snap pees.
3. Add the chopped cucumber, jalapenos, peppers and sugar snap peas to a large serving bowl and pour over the salad dressing. Mix thoroughly to evenly distribute the dressing throughout the salad.
4. Garnish with chopped cilantro and sliced almonds.
5. Chill in the refrigerator until ready to be served.
Notes
Do not add dressing until ready to serve the salad, 5 minutes prior is ok, if you add it too early the acid in the dressing will start to “cook” the cucumber.
Try adding some halved cherry tomatoes, diced red onions or diced avocado for a tasty variation!
Remove jalapenos to a separate bowl and leave as an “option” if serving the salad to children or people who do not like spicy food.
I love such amazing salad options. This is surely crunchy, healthy and yum.
★★★★★
So yum! Such a vibrant and appetizing bowl of salad. Trying it tomorrow itself.
★★★★★