This super fresh and flavorful cucumber carrot salad with crushed peanuts and mint is ready in 10 minutes or less! Thin ribbons of cucumber and carrots are tossed with lime juice, mint, crushed peanuts, and a pinch each of flaky sea salt and sugar. Pair this vegan and gluten free salad with your favorite protein for a light dinner or lunch.
Sometimes the best recipes come about out of necessity! One summer I had wayyyyy more cucumbers than I knew what to do with so I came up this super fresh and easy salad…then proceeded to eat it almost every day for a month. And if you’re wondering, yes, it’s THAT good! I love to pair it with some tofu for a light meal (these baked tofu nuggets are my top choice!) but it’s also great as part of a larger spread since it takes just minutes to make.
Notes on Ingredients and Subs
I prefer a 50/50 ratio of carrots to cucumbers here so I often try to use carrots and cucumbers that are roughly the same size. Honestly though, it doesn’t matter — use what you have! Since there’s not a lot to this salad, I highly recommend using the freshest cucumbers and carrots that you can find. I’ve made this salad with roasted cashews instead of peanuts and it is equally delicious. If you don’t have fresh mint on hand, fresh basil or even cilantro are great subs that work really well with the other flavors.
Ready in 10 Minutes or LESS!
The thing I love about this salad is the ease with which it comes together. Slice some veggies, bash some roasted peanuts, add a squeeze of tangy lime, then toss in some mint leaves. Super easy. Super fresh. And super delicious. Hopefully that’s enough “supers” for you to encourage you to try it! 10 minutes is a really generous amount that allows enough time for cutting the cucumber and carrot into thin ribbons. If you slice it normally, it will most likely take you half the time to throw together.
Make it a Meal
- For an easy summer lunch, pair this cucumber carrot salad with these sweet potato and tempeh pitas. While the sweet potatoes and tempeh roast, you can easily make the salad.
- If you’re feeling up for it, swap this salad in for the cucumber peanut salad in this gochujang tofu bowl. The cooling elements in this salad work really well with the spicy gochujang!
- This salad works great for taco night — pair it with these crispy black bean sweet potato tacos and this strawberry grapefruit mocktail.
Cucumber Carrot Salad with Crushed Peanuts and Mint
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 2–4 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This super fresh and flavorful cucumber carrot salad with crushed peanuts and mint is ready in 10 minutes or less! Thin ribbons of cucumber and carrots are tossed with lime juice, mint, crushed peanuts, and a pinch each of flaky sea salt and sugar. Pair this vegan and gluten free salad with your favorite protein for a light dinner or lunch.
Ingredients
- 1 large carrot, or 2 medium carrots
- 1 large slicing cucumber, or 2 smaller cucumbers
- 3 tablespoons roasted unsalted peanuts
- 1 heavy pinch flaky sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cane sugar
- 2–3 teaspoons fresh lime juice, from about 1/2 a lime
- 1 handful fresh mint leaves
Instructions
Using a mandoline, a vegetable peeler, or a very sharp knife and a steady hand, thinly slice the carrot and the cucumber and add them to a bowl. For the photos I sliced them lengthwise into ribbons with a vegetable peeler, but feel free to thinly slice them into rounds with a knife instead.
Crush together the peanuts, salt, and sugar with a mortar and pestle until the peanuts have been roughly ground. If you don’t have a mortar and pestle, put the peanuts, salt, and sugar into a bag, seal it, then bash it with a rolling pin or other heavy implement.
Add the crushed peanut mixture to the bowl with the carrots and cucumber. Add the lime juice and herbs then toss to combine. Add more lime or salt as needed.
Enjoy immediately!
This salad is best enjoyed as soon as it is made. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge and enjoyed within 1-2 days.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Category: salad, Side Dish
[…] you love carrots as much as I do and are looking for more ways to enjoy them, try this cucumber carrot salad with crushed peanuts and mint or this carrot ginger fried […]