Fresh Korean cucumber kimchi is a summer staple and the first thing we make as soon as cucumbers are in season. Cucumber kimchi is spicy, salty and crunchy and a perfect side to go with grilled meats or simple white rice.
Cucumber Kimchi
Cucumber kimchi is a refreshing and crunchy Korean cucumber side dish that is flavored with bold seasonings of sesame oil, fresh green onion and red Korean pepper called gochugaru.
Growing up in Hawaii, I ate my weight in cucumber kimchi! In Hawaii, you’ll often find cucumber kimchi being served with plate lunches or close to the poke in markets.
Why You’ll Love Cucumber Kimchi
- Cucumber kimchi is quick to make and can be eaten in as soon as 30 minutes!
- During the summer when cucumbers are in season is the best time to make cucumber kimchi.
- Cucumber kimchi stays crunchy and crisp, making it a delicious and refreshing bite with grilled meats.
- There is so much flavor, including savory, spicy, fresh and slightly sweet.
Ingredients
- Persian Cucumbers: Thin peel Persian cucumbers are or pickling cucumbers are great for cucumber kimchi since they don’t’ need to be peeled and have less seeds.
- Kosher Salt: A good amount of salt is sprinkled onto the cucumbers to help draw some of the moisture out.
- Gochugaru: Is a Korean red pepper that is a necessity when making kimchi. You can find gochugaru in Asian markets and online as well.
- Rice Flour: A friend who taught me to make cucumber kimchi insisted I add a slurry of rice flour mixed with very hot water. The rice flour slurry helps thicken the mixture slightly.
- Garlic: A few cloves of fresh garlic, grated or finely chopped.
- Ginger: A good amount of fresh ginger, about an inch that is peeled and finely chopped or grated.
- Green Onions: A few green onions, chopped and added to the kimchi mixture. If you don’t have green onions, chives will work or very thinly sliced white onion.
- Sesame Seeds
- Sesame Oil
- Fish Sauce: A few dashes of fish sauce gives the kimchi a great savory, umami flavor. If you want to make this vegan, leave the fish sauce out.
- Rice Vinegar: Just a little bit of rice vinegar offers a touch of acidity and sweetness to the kimchi.
How to Make Cucumber Kimchi
- Cut the cucumbers into 1/2 inch chunks and place in a large bowl. Sprinkle a few tablespoons of Kosher salt onto the cucumbers and let it sit for 30 minutes.
- Pour out excess water from the bowl and use paper towels to gently pat the cucumbers dry.
- Make a slurry by adding rice flour to very hot water and stir to combine well.
- In the same bowl as the cucumbers, add a few tablespoons of gochugaru, fresh garlic and ginger, chopped green onions, sesame seeds, sesame oil, few dashes of fish sauce and rice vinegar.
- Add a few tablespoons of the rice flour slurry and stir everything to combine well.
- Fill cucumber kimchi into clean glass jars, leaving some space at the top. Place a lid on the jar and leave the cucumber kimchi to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- After at least 30 minutes, place kimchi in the refrigerator and enjoy.
Recipe Making Tips
- Be generous with the flavorings, the cucumbers can handle it!
- After the cucumbers are salted, you don’t need to rinse the cucumbers afterwards. Some recipes say to rinse it, but I find the salt leftover flavors the kimchi nicely.
- There is no substitute for Korean red pepper, so I suggest seaking some out. You can find gochugaru online easily.
- Mix the cucumber kimchi with your hands and use gloves so the pepper doesn’t stain your hands.
- To make vegan cucumber kimchi, simply omit the fish sauce, it will still be delicious!
What To Serve with Cucumber Kimchi
You can serve cucumber kimchi with anything you would eat cabbage kimchi with.
Cucumber kimchi is great served with simple white rice. I like to pour some of the kimchi juice onto the rice even more flavor!
Serve cucumber kimchi on a Hawaiian style plate lunch or with slow cooked hoisin pork sliders.
Serve grilled kalbi ribs with rice and cucumber kimchi.
Save some of the kimchi juice and add it to Korean scallion pancakes called pajeon.
Korean Cucumber Kimchi
Fresh Korean cucumber kimchi is a summer staple and the first thing we make as soon as cucumbers are in season. Cucumber kimchi is spicy, salty and crunchy and a perfect side to go with grilled meats or simple white rice.
Equipment
Microplane
Ingredients
- 5 Persian cucumbers cut into 1/2 inch chunks
- 1 tablespoon Kosher salt
- 1/2 cup Hot water
- 2 tablespoons Rice flour
- 3 tablespoons Korean chile pepper
- 3 Garlic cloves chopped finely or grated
- 1 inch Fresh ginger peeled and grated
- 4 green onions chopped into 1/4 inch pieces
- 1/4 cup Toasted sesame seeds
- 1 teaspoon Fish Sauce
- 2 teaspoons Sesame Oil
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
Instructions
- Place chopped cucumbers into a large bowl and sprinkle with Kosher salt. Give the cucumbers a toss so the salt is evenly coated and let it sit for 30 minutes.
- Pour out excess water from the bowl and use paper towels to gently pat the cucumbers dry.
- Meanwhile, make a rice flour slurry by adding rice flour to very hot water and stir to combine well.
- In the same bowl as the cucumbers, add the rest of the kimchi ingredients, the gochugaru, fresh garlic and ginger, chopped green onions, sesame seeds, sesame oil, few dashes of fish sauce and rice vinegar.
- Add 2 tablespoons of the rice flour slurry and stir everything together to combine well.
- Once mixed well, fill cucumber kimchi into clean glass jars, leaving some space at the top. Place a lid on the jar and leave the cucumber kimchi to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- After at least 30 minutes, place kimchi in the refrigerator and enjoy.
Notes
Use Persian cucumbers or another thin peel cucumber, which have less seeds.
Mix the cucumber kimchi well with your hands, but use gloves so you don’t’ stain your hands with the pepper.
Cucumber kimchi can be eaten the same day adn can last in the fridge for up to a week.
Nutrition
Calories: 164kcalCarbohydrates: 17gProtein: 5gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gSodium: 2622mgPotassium: 428mgFiber: 5gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 2631IUVitamin C: 7mgCalcium: 185mgIron: 4mg
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This post was originally published in July, 2014 and updated August, 2022 with added nutritional information, retested recipe and added info.
This looks amazing! Just got finished canning pickles and now want to try this kimchi recipe with my next batch of cucumbers.
Do you need to let this ferment for a period of time before consuming?
Hi Angie! It’s a quick recipe…we enjoyed it the same day!
Do you rinse the salt off the cucumbers after you let them sit in the colander?
Hi Kristin! No you don’t need to rinse, just drain any excess water.
This looks great, for canning, can I just do a lot after bath like I would for pickles?
Hi Marie! I think this is an easy recipe to double if that’s what you mean.
This looks good for a kimchi beginner. I have never had it. Is it very spicy?
This is my favorite kimchi because its so fresh and crunchy! I personally like spice so I don’t think it’s too spicy but it does have some heart. The red pepper gives it the spice, so when you plan to make it, use a bit less! Have fun 🙂
How long can you store these (if making in large batches?)
Hi Kristen! I have kept this kimchi in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, though I prefer it on the crunchier side and enjoy it sooner.