I’m not sure there is anything more summery than this Cucumber Mango Salad (a classic Creamy Cucumber Salad is a strong contender). It perfectly marries sweet, sour, and spicy flavors with that whoosh of cucumber freshness, for a light and refreshing summer side dish. The salad holds up moderately well in the refrigerator, the flavors blending even further as the cucumber and mango marinate in the dressing. It’ll hold up for about three days in the refrigerator, if it’s not all eaten by then!
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What Kind of Cucumber Should I Use?
I’ve been partial to English cucumbers lately because they have little to no seeds and seem to have a more consistent freshness in my local grocery stores, although conventional cucumbers also work just fine and are often half the cost. If using conventional cucumbers, you may want to scoop out the seeds before slicing into half-rounds, unless the seeds aren’t an issue for you. :)
How Spicy is This Cucumber Mango Salad?
This Cucumber Mango Salad is not very spicy, IMHO, but taste buds do differ. You can control the spiciness of the salad by increasing or decreasing the amount of crushed red pepper used. If you are particularly sensitive to heat, you can leave the crushed red pepper out of the dressing and simply sprinkle some over each serving for those who want it (although it is more pronounced when allowed to marinate in the dressing).
Do I Have to Use Rice Vinegar?
I wouldn’t suggest substituting another vinegar variety. Rice vinegar has a distinctly mild and light flavor and the dressing is balanced to match this type of vinegar in particular. Rice vinegar is fairly easy to find in most major grocery stores in the U.S. and can either be found in the vinegar aisle or with the international ingredients.
What Should I Serve with Cucumber Mango Salad?
This salad goes great with: Sticky Ginger Soy Glazed Chicken, Sesame Tempeh Bowls, Easy Sesame Chicken, or One Pot Teriyaki Chicken and Rice.
P.S. if you like this cucumber mango salad, you might also like my Spicy Pineapple Cucumber Salad!
Cucumber Mango Salad
Servings 4 About 1 cup eachIngredients
- 1 mango ($0.59)
- 1 cucumber ($1.29)
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar ($0.48)
- 2 Tbsp white sugar ($0.04)
- 1/8 tsp salt ($0.01)
- 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes ($0.02)
Instructions
- Wash the cucumber well to remove wax or other residues. For a decorative look, peel alternating strips of the peel (see step by step photos below). Slice the cucumber into half-rounds.
- Cut the mango into slices by first cutting off both rounded “cheeks.” Score flesh of the mango into strips using a sharp paring knife. Use a spoon to scoop the flesh from the skin (see photos below). Cut the mango slices in half so that they are more similar in size to the cucumber slices.
- Next, prepare the dressing by combining the rice vinegar, sugar, salt and red pepper flakes in a small bowl. Stir until the sugar is completely dissolved.
- Add the sliced cucumber and mango to a large bowl, then pour the dressing over top. Stir to combine the ingredients and coat the cucumber and mango in dressing. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to eat. Stir well before serving each time to redistribute the dressing.
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Equipment
- White Cutting Boards
- Chef’s Knife
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!Scroll down for the step by step photos!
How to Make Cucumber Mango Salad – Step By Step Photos
To give my cucumbers a decorative look, I peel alternating strips before slicing. Slice one cucumber into half rounds. If you prefer to scoop out the seeds, first slice the cucumber lengthwise, scoop out the seeds, then cut crosswise into half-rounds.
To slice the mango, first cut off the two side “cheeks” (the fleshy round sides). The pit in the middle is like a flattened oval.
This is what the mango looks like after I’ve cut off both cheeks.
Next, use a sharp paring knife to score the flesh into strips, taking care not to pierce the skin on the back. Then use a spoon to scoop the flesh out of the skin. I also cut each slice in half to make them more similar in size to the cucumber pieces.
There is usually a bit more mango flesh attached to the narrow sides of the pit, so I slice those off, remove the skin, and cut the pieces to match the size of the other mango pieces.
Place the sliced cucumber and mango in a large bowl.
To make the dressing, simply combine 1/4 cup rice vinegar, 2 Tbsp white sugar, 1/8 tsp salt, and 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes. Stir until the sugar is dissolved and the dressing appears clear.
Pour the dressing over the cucumber and mango in the bowl.
Stir the salad to combine the cucumber and mango, and coat everything in dressing.
Serve the salad immediately or refrigerate for up to 3 days. Be sure to give the salad a quick stir each time before serving to redistribute the dressing.
Could you use frozen mango when fresh aren’t in season?
Yep, that would work as well. :)
I was a bit nervous about making this, because I’m not the biggest fan of cucumbers, but it turned out great! Especially after I let it sit in the fridge a couple hours.
Now, I’d only I could become less terrible at getting the meat off the mangos…
Great summer recipe! My wife isn’t a fan of anything spicy, so I used a little cracked black pepper instead of red pepper flakes. The first time I made it, she still thought it was a bit too tangy from the vinegar, although I thought it was fine. So the next time I made it, I used less vinegar but whisked a little olive oil into the dressing. That way I could use less vinegar, but the oil helped the dressing coat the mango and cucumber instead of pooling on the bottom. That turned out great and my wife liked it better.
I’m a hobbyfoodblogger so for the recipes I want to try I often have a lot of ingredients to buy.
It’s nice to have some cheaper recipes I can come to on this blog.
Hi there! I enjoyed cruising around your website/blog. Your recipe for Cucumber Mango Salad caught my eye. I trotted right over to our friendly grocery store, right down the block and picked up the ingredients. They had everything on hand. I had fun making this and it was a great hit. Everyone loved it. Thanks for sharing!
This looks amazing but I’m allergic to Mango – do you think pineapple or papaya might work?
Yes, I bet both would be great in this. Cantaloupe is also great with these flavors!
Do you think a combo or mango/pineapple/cantaloupe would work, or would it be better to stick with only one fruit?
I think a fruit combo would still be delicious. :)
Delicious! Modified by adding tajin, feta, and chicken, ate it as an entree rather than a side. Dressing got a little intense towards the end but I will definitely be making this again! Thank you for the recipe :)
Do you think this would hold up if refrigerated overnight?
I love this salad, so easy and refreshing.
I can’t believe I haven’t tried this before! It’s a great pick-me-up for the middle of winter. Made it with the sticky ginger soy chicken. I used frozen mango chunks that I thawed out and cut up (they were big chunks), and I used a lot more than 1/8 tsp of pepper flakes. I think I’ll use less dressing next time since 1/4 cup seemed like a lot. I think I’ll also try using a little sriracha instead of pepper flakes next time, because the pepper flakes kept getting stuck in my teeth, haha. I think the sriracha will be a bit more zingy, too – I’ll definitely add just a little at a time.
Mangos and cukes got absolutely soaked in the dressing, making it inedible to me.
Cilantro is not a bad addition.
Gives the salad an earthy depth.
You mention that we should consider making this in small batches due to the dressing wilting the contents. About how long will this keep in the refrigerator? I often use your site for week long meal-prep recipes and it would be nice if I could incorporate a few fresh veggie/fruit dishes from time to time.
Thanks!
I find that this one gets a little too wilty for my tastes after about three days. You could always just keep the dressing separate, I suppose, and pour a little on the sliced vegetables every day. It will be nicely marinated by lunch. :)
This is SO simple and SO delicious! The flavors of the dressing play well with the cucumber and mango! YUM! Just made it and loving it.
Absolutely loved this recipe! Some simple and delicious…
This dish is magnificent! I’m no chef but it was very easy. Amazing flavours