Cucumber sunomono

Name: Cucumber sunomono
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 1 cucumber, very thinly sliced; ½ tsp salt; 30 g wakame, rehydrated weight (about 3 g dried); 3 tbsp rice vinegar; 1 tbsp sugar; 1 tsp soy sauce; 1 tsp sesame seeds (optional)

Vegetarian

きゅうりの酢の物 · kyūri no sunomono

Paper-thin cucumber slices salted, squeezed and dressed in a sweet-sour rice vinegar dressing with wakame and sesame.

Cucumber sunomono is a Japanese salad, ready in about 25 minutes and made with cucumber and rice vinegar. It serves 4 and is rated beginner to cook.

Start cooking

Small bowl of Japanese cucumber sunomono salad with crab stick — Photo: RuinDig/Yuki Uchida / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-4.0

Prep: 15 min
Cook: 0 min
Rest: 10 min
Total: 25 min
Serves: 4
Level: Beginner
Calories: 30

Ingredients

4 side servings

1 (300 g) Cucumber (opens in a new tab), very thinly slicedJapanese or mini cucumbers are ideal.
½ tsp (3 g) Salt (opens in a new tab)Mostly squeezed out with the cucumber juices.
30 g Wakame (opens in a new tab), rehydrated weight (about 3 g dried)Soak dried wakame for 5 minutes, then drain.
3 tbsp (44 g) Rice vinegar (opens in a new tab)
1 tbsp (13 g) Sugar (opens in a new tab)
1 tsp (5.5 g) Soy sauce (opens in a new tab)Swap: Tamari (Use tamari labelled gluten-free to avoid wheat.)Contains soy, wheat, gluten
1 tsp (3 g) Sesame seeds (opens in a new tab) (optional)Contains sesame

Equipment

Method

1
Step 1
Toss the cucumber (opens in a new tab) with the salt and leave for 10 minutes, then squeeze firmly to remove the liquid.
- 3 min
2
Step 2
Soak the wakame (opens in a new tab) in water until soft, drain and squeeze.
- 5 min
3
Step 3
Stir the rice vinegar (opens in a new tab), sugar (opens in a new tab) and soy sauce (opens in a new tab) until the sugar dissolves.
- 2 min
4
Step 4
Toss the cucumber (opens in a new tab) and wakame (opens in a new tab) with the dressing and serve in small mounds, sprinkled with sesame (opens in a new tab).
- 2 min

About this dish

Origin: Japan · Well documentedMore food from Japan
Dish: Lunch · Dinner · Salads · Side dishes
Cooking method: No-cook, Marinated / cured
Taste: sweet & sour, refreshing, fresh
Diet: Vegan · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Low-carb
All labels
Vegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-carb · Low-fat · DASH-style
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for: Make-ahead · Budget-friendly
Cook more with: Cucumber · Rice vinegar · Wakame · Sugar · Soy sauce
Techniques: Marinating · Curing

Allergens

Contains, can be adapted: Wheatfrom soy sauce
Contains, can be adapted: Glutenfrom soy sauce
Contains: Soyfrom soy sauce
Contains, can be adapted: Sesamefrom sesame seeds

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

30 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 99 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

Protein 10%
Carbohydrate 87%
Fat 3%

Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
Nutrient	Per serving	Per 100 g*
Energy	30 kcal	30 kcal
Protein	0.8 g	0.8 g
Carbohydrate	6.6 g	6.7 g
Net carbohydrate	6.2 g	6.3 g
Sugars	4.4 g	4.5 g
Added sugars	3.1 g	3.2 g
Fibre	0.4 g	0.4 g
Fat	0.1 g	0.1 g
Saturated fat	0 g	0 g
Trans fat	0 g	0 g
Cholesterol	0 mg	0 mg
Sodium	436 mg	441 mg
Salt equivalent	1.1 g	1.1 g

Vitamins & minerals per serving

Potassium: 121 mg
Calcium: 25 mg
Iron: 0.4 mg
Magnesium: 19 mg
Vitamin A (RAE): 5 µg
Vitamin C: 2 mg
Vitamin D: 0 µg
Vitamin B12: 0 µg
Folate (DFE): 20 µg

How these numbers were made

Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
*Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
Optional ingredients are not included: sesame seeds.
Rice vinegar: Distilled vinegar (FDC 172237) used as a stand-in for unseasoned rice vinegar.
“—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

A mandoline gives evenly thin slices that absorb the dressing best.

Common mistakes

Skipping the salting step, so the cucumber weeps into the dressing.
Dressing it hours ahead — it is best eaten within an hour.

Serve with

A palate-cleansing side for grilled fish or tempura.

Storage

Keeps for a day in the fridge, though the cucumber softens.

Variations

Tako su: Add thin slices of cooked octopus.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added 26 Oct 2026 · Updated 8 Nov 2026

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Compare with

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Cucumber, very thinly sliced1 piece · 300 g
Wakame, rehydrated weight (about 3 g dried)30 g

Used in steps 1, 2, 4

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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