Fresh and light, this mango cucumber salad is bursting with the taste of summer! Sweet fruit and herbs combine to make a delicious summer BBQ side dish or picnic salad that comes together in just 10 minutes.
Do have a peek at my mango corn salsa for another summer option!
Having some super simple side salads up your sleeve is always so good for an impromptu BBQ, picnic or just a tasty evening meal! Much like my kale apple slaw and my pear fennel and mint salad, this recipe is packed with flavor but so quick to come together.
Similarly to my celery cucumber salad, this mango cucumber salad focuses on fresh produce, and the delicious fragrant herbs of cilantro and mint. It's a perfect accompaniment to a light summer dinner or to serve with a spread of other plates for entertaining!
Love mango? Be sure to see my popular mango herb slaw as well!
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⭐ Why this recipe is so good
Fresh and light. Juicy mango, refreshing cucumber and fragrant mint are such a lovely combination for a tasty side salad.
Perfect for summer barbecues and picnics. The refreshing flavors pair so well with grilled skewers, meats, and other plant-based dishes.
Quick and easy. It takes just ten minutes (or less!) for this cucumber mango salad to come together, with all easy recipe steps.
🥭 Ingredients
All the ingredients and their quantities are set out in the recipe card below.
Some pointers on a few of them:
- Mango - be sure to pick a ripe fruit so that it has that delightful sweetness! You want the mango to have smooth, not wrinkled skin.
- Cucumber - I like to use either English cucumber or Persian cucumbers as they have a light flavor and don't have to be peeled if you prefer skin on.
- Onion - I suggest using either white onion or red onion as they are slightly milder and better for salads. You can also soak your onion if you like. This easy tutorial on taking the bite out of raw onion is helpful.
- Cilantro and mint - definitely use fresh herbs rather than dried!
📖 Swaps and variations
Leave out the onion. If you're not a fan, then simply leave this ingredient out of the salad.
Swap the herbs. I do think cilantro and mint work to give that slightly tropical 'on vacation' feeling to this salad, but if you're not a fan then parsley or basil are lovely too.
Swap apple cider vinegar for lemon juice or lime juice. If citrus works for you, then you may like to use it instead. This likely isn't suitable for my low histamine readers.
🔪 Step by step instructions
A quick and easy recipe, this mango cucumber salad comes together fast in just a few steps. All the instructions are in the recipe card below, but these step by step photos should help guide you.
Step 1
Make the mint dressing. Combine the ingredients in a small bowl and give them a good stir or whisk (image 1).
Step 2
Prepare the cucumber. Peel the cucumber, and use a small spoon to remove the seeds. Then dice, to similar size pieces as the mango.
Dice the mango. I like to use the 'hedgehog' technique of slicing either side of the seed, then slicing through the mango 'cheeks' almost to the skin lengthways and horizontally, then slicing cubes of mango off.
For a quick overview on how to prepare the mango, have a look at my mango coulis post.
Combine all the ingredients, then drizzle over the mint dressing and toss to coat the mango and cucumber. Serve and enjoy!
💭 Recipe tips and notes
1. De-seed the cucumber. It is down to personal preference, but I find the salad gets too 'wet' if you include the seeds.
2. Dice the cucumber and mango to roughly similar sizes. I also suggest to dice the onion fairly finely so it doesn't overpower the more delicate flavours of the salad.
3. Adjust the dressing to preference. Prefer more of a tang? Add a little more vinegar (or lemon juice if it works for you). Love herbs? Add a little more mint or cilantro!
📋 Frequently asked questions
It is down to preference, but for a light dish like this mango cucumber salad I would suggest to peel the cucumber, remove the seeds with a small spoon and then dice into small pieces.
Definitely! Soaking onion in iced water for ten minutes softens the flavors.
I suggest extra mint, or perhaps parsley or basil leaves instead.
🥭 How to serve cucumber mango salad
This light and fresh salad works so well as a side with:
- BBQ food such as my coconut chicken skewers and honey ginger grilled chicken.
- fish dishes, such as my baked panko cod or my cod and sweet potato fish cakes.
- dinner recipes such as my sweet potato fritters, honey chicken burger or my cream cheese stuffed sweet potato.
🥗 More healthy salad recipes
Find so many fun and tasty salad recipes, including my quinoa arugula salad and my roasted vegetable pasta salad to enjoy as sides for summer (or winter!) meals. Some recent recipes to try out:
I'm always in the kitchen, so come join me on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest to be the first to hear of new recipes! And I love hearing from you - so please do leave a star rating ⭐⭐⭐ or comment below if you've tried the recipe!
📖 Recipe
Mango Cucumber Salad
Ingredients
- 1 mango de-stoned, peeled, diced
- ½ English cucumber peeled, deseeded, diced
- ¼ cup white onion or red onion, finely diced
- ¼ cup cilantro finely diced
For the mint dressing
- 3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- ⅛ cup mint leaves finely diced
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar*
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup
- pinch salt
- pinch black pepper
Instructions
- Combine the ingredients for the mint dressing and give them a good stir or whisk. Taste test and adjust to preference.
- Peel, de-seed and dice the cucumber, and peel and dice the mango into roughly similar sized pieces.
- Combine the salad ingredients in your serving bowl and drizzle over the dressing. Lightly stir to combine.
Notes
- Dice the mango and cucumber to roughly similar size pieces.
- I do suggest de-seeding the cucumber as it can make the salad a bit too 'wet' with them.
- See above in the recipe post for a link to a tutorial to ice the onion if you prefer it to have less 'bite' in flavour.
- Please note that nutritional information is offered as a courtesy. It is auto-generated and should be understood to be an estimate.
- mango, which scores 1 and has a ? as a liberator. There is a note, 'to be debated. Is often well tolerated'.
- apple cider vinegar, which scores 1, and black pepper which scores 2.
Shauna says
The salad was very good- if I made it again I would use more mango.
There were no ingredient amount s included, but I just used a general oil and vinegar recipe. I kept the onion amount small to please the people at my table. The flavors all meld together very well!
Claire says
Hi Shauna, I'm glad you enjoyed the salad! All the ingredient amounts are set out in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.