Vegan Cucumber Salad
This creamy vegan cucumber salad with carrot ribbons is light, tangy, and ultra refreshing but still packs a surprising amount of protein thanks to chickpeas and our dreamy lemon-miso silken tofu dressing. With a few smart shortcuts, this salad comes together right in a mason jar for the easiest prep (and clean-up!) you’ll ever meet.
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Why You’ll Love This Creamy Vegan Cucumber Salad Recipe
Most cucumber salads out there rely on yogurt, mayo, or cashew-based dressings, but this one skips all of that for a creamy blend of silken tofu, white miso, lemon juice, and Dijon mustard.
It’s nut-free, meal-prep-friendly, and filled with a bright umami flavor!
This easy cucumber salad is just as good straight out of the fridge for lunch as it is served in a pretty bowl at your next BBQ.
Plus, everything comes together right in the jar. Just slice, blend, pour, and shake!
We also give you plenty of flexibility: Sub in white beans for chickpeas, add extra veggies or herbs, or swap in sweet carrots or spicy radishes depending on what you’ve got in the crisper.
This is your full-fledged permission to make it yours!
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Ingredients in Shaken Cucumber Salad
For the creamy vegan lemon dressing, you’ll need:
- Mori-Nu silken tofu (extra firm) – This is the shelf-stable tofu! Refrigerated versions work too, but the consistency will be looser.
- Lemon juice – Fresh is best!
- Nutritional yeast
- White miso paste – We love the Mellow White Miso from Miso Master!
- Dijon mustard – Stone ground mustard or German mustard will also work!
- Garlic cloves
- Spice Cabinet: sea salt, white pepper (or black pepper if that’s what you have!)
For the rest of the salad, you’ll need:
- Chickpeas – I used canned, but well-cooked dry chickpeas can work also.
- English cucumber – Just about any cucumber will work!
- Carrot – spiralized or shredded
Tools To Make This Mason Jar Cucumber Salad Easy
For the easiest prep possible, we recommend two tools that we swear by:
These fit right on top of a 32-oz wide-mouth mason jar and let you slice the cucumber and spiralize the carrot right into the jar without ever pulling out a cutting board.
We use these tools for tons of recipes like refrigerator pickles, buffalo ranch pickles, maple bourbon pickles, zoodle ramen, and even our vegan breakfast potato bake.
They’re high-quality, super sharp, and surprisingly affordable!
How to Make Vegan Cucumber Salad
Start by blending all of the dressing ingredients together until it’s smooth and creamy. (You can use a blender or a small food processor. Whatever you have on hand!) It will look like the photo below.
Grab a wide-mouth mason jar and remove the lid.
Use your Microplane tools (or a knife) to prep your cucumber and carrot, adding them directly to the jar. Next, pour in the chickpeas and use a spoon or a clean hand to gently press everything down and create some more room.
Finally, pour the dressing over the top, screw on the lid, and give it a really good shake to totally combine the ingredients.
That’s it! It’s ready to eat immediately, or you can stash it in the fridge for later.
Pro tip: If storing for later, use the salad jar layering method with the dressing at the bottom and cucumber/carrot on top to keep things crisp until you’re ready to shake and eat!
How to Serve Carrot and Cucumber Salad
Serve this carrot and cucumber salad straight out of the jar with a large fork for the easiest ever lunch, or pour it into a bowl and top with fresh basil for a BBQ-ready side dish.
It’s delicious paired with grilled tofu, our Greek tofu cutlets, or stuffed into a falafel bowl. Light, fresh, and packed with flavor, it’s the ultimate fridge-friendly salad.
How to Store Cucumber and Chickpea Salad
Store this mason jar salad in the jar or another airtight container in the fridge.
How Long Does Cucumber Salad Last in the Fridge?
Cucumber salad lasts up to 3 days in the fridge. The flavor just gets better as it sits, but we recommend shaking or stirring well before eating to re-emulsify the dressing.
Tips, Tricks & Variations
- Tofu tip: Use shelf-stable Mori-Nu silken tofu (extra firm) for the best creamy texture. Refrigerated versions work too, but the consistency will be slightly looser.
- No chickpeas? Swap in white beans or pan-fried soy curls.
- Add-ins: Throw in fresh herbs (basil, dill, parsley), thinly sliced red onion, or chopped spinach for extra color and flavor.
- Spiralized carrots add great texture, but shredded or sliced carrots work too.
- No white pepper? Use black pepper instead.
More Vegan Cucumber Recipes
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Cucumber and Chickpea Salad
Ingredients
For the dressing:
- 6 oz Mori-Nu silken tofu extra firm
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 Tbsp white miso paste
- 1/2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1-2 large garlic cloves
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
For the salad:
- 1 (15.5-oz) can chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 1 large English cucumber thinly sliced
- 1 large carrot spiralized or shredded
Instructions
- First, blend all the ingredients for the dressing until smooth and creamy. Set aside.
- Get out a clean wide-mouth mason jar and remove the lid.
- Add the sliced cucumber and spiralized or shredded carrot to the jar. Or, use the Microplane Jar Top Slicer and Spiralizer to cut the veggies directly into the jar (this makes it so much easier!).
- Next, add the chickpeas to the jar and gently push everything down to create some extra room if needed.
- Pour in the creamy dressing, cover the jar again, and shake until totally combined!
- Enjoy straight out of the jar or pour it into a big salad bowl and sprinkle with fresh minced basil.”
I made the dressing in my mini food processor. It was easy. I think trying to shake it all in a jar wouldve been more work, honesty. Then I mixed it into a generoys-sized bowl with the chickpeas, cuke and a few small rainbow carrots. Nice! Thanks!
So glad to hear you enjoyed it!! Amazing idea with the rainbow carrots. That must have been beautiful!