This delicious Miso Cucumber Salad is filled with cucumbers, carrots, protein-packed edamame, and tossed with a mouth-watering homemade miso dressing. Perfect for lunch or a healthy side dish, this cucumber salad may be simple, but it’s definitely not boring!
Miso is one of my favorite ingredients to play around with when cooking. It has a unique flavor and wonderful versatility, allowing it to be used in everything from salad dressings and vinaigrettes, to soups, noodles, sauces, and marinades.
Today we’re making a light and refreshing cucumber salad and tossing it in a homemade miso dressing. It may just be one of the easiest (and tastiest!) salads you’ll ever make.
It’s also,
- crunchy
- nourishing
- creamy
- tangy
- salty
- sweet
- and totally vegan!
What is Miso?
Miso is a thick, fermented paste that is achieved by treating a mixture of soybeans with koji. Koji is a mold (don’t worry, cheese is as well) that’s been cultivated from rice, barley, or soybeans. For weeks, months, or sometimes even years, the enzymes in the koji (aka mold) team up with the microorganisms in the environment to break down the soybeans into fatty acids, simple sugars, and amino acids (aka stuff we need).
Right…what?
Basically, miso is fermented soybeans, and (trust me) it is delicious.
- Light miso (or white miso): sweeter and more “mellow” tasting; perfect if you’ve never tried miso before and have no idea what it tastes like. Light miso has a higher koji (remember the mold?) to soybean ratio and shorter fermentation time.
More Miso Recipes,
Shrimp and Avocado Salad with Miso Dressing
Thai Meatball Lettuce Wraps with Tangy Cabbage Slaw
3 Bean Miso Chili with Spinach
Cabbage and Cashew Salad with Miso Vinaigrette
If you try making this Miso Cucumber Salad Recipe, please leave me a comment and let me know! I always love to hear your thoughts.
RECIPE CARD
Miso Cucumber Salad Recipe
Ingredients
For the Salad:
- 3 large English cucumbers - seeded (optional) and chopped into half-moons
- 4 large carrots - peeled and julienned
- 1 cup shelled edamame
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds - optional
For the Miso Dressing:
- 4 tablespoon white miso paste
- 2 tablespoon warm water
- 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil - or olive oil
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoon sake - Japanese rice wine (optional)
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger - grated
Instructions
- Whisk together the miso paste with 1-2 tablespoons of warm water until smooth. Add the remaining dressing ingredients (grapeseed oil, sesame oil, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sake (if using), and fresh ginger) and mix well.
- Prepare and chop the cucumbers and carrots and add to a large bowl with the shelled edamame.
- Drizzle the prepared miso dressing over the cucumbers, carrots, and edamame and gently toss to combine.
- Garnish with sesame seeds, if desired. Best served immediately.
Jessica's Notes
Nutritional Information
(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and specific brands of ingredients used.)
I had to add about a tablespoon of fresh lime juice for additional brightness, but otherwise it was good, just not as bright as I like.