This Mango and Cucumber Salad is perfect for summer barbecues and picnics! The spicy cayenne dressing is delicious with the sweet mango and crisp cucumber. Vegan and gluten-free. Check out the video!
Recipe first posted on May 24, 2015. Last updated June 15, 2022.
If you haven’t made this crisp, refreshing cucumber salad yet, is it even summer? I am going to go ahead and say no.
This is not your average creamy cucumber salad with sour cream and fresh dill or the ones loaded with white vinegar and onion that are basically pickles in a bowl. No, no, no, this is a (for lack of a better word) juicy cucumber salad.
It’s got sweet mango, crunchy English cucumbers, fragrant basil, and a kick-in-the-pants cayenne dressing that pulls everything together. It is an easy cucumber salad recipe that is ready in 15 minutes! You ready?
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Cucumber Salad Ingredients
- Limes
- Olive oil
- Kosher salt
- Ground cayenne pepper
- Ripe mangoes
- English or Persian cucumbers
- Fresh basil or other fresh herbs like mint or even thinly sliced scallions.
How To Make It
This is truly such a quick and easy recipe, a bit of chopping and whisking and we’re done! It’s also great for meal prep. Keep in the fridge until you are ready to eat.
step one
Make the dressing. Whisk the 2 tablespoons of lime juice, olive oil, cayenne powder, and the 1 teaspoon of salt in a large bowl (one big enough to fit the mangoes and cucumbers).
step two
Toss to coat. Slice the cucumbers and mangoes into matchsticks. Add to the bowl with the dressing and toss to coat. Thinly slice the basil and and mix that in as well. Taste and add more salt or lime juice as needed.
Serving Tips For The Mango Cucumber Salad
What makes this a favorite recipe is it is so party and potluck friendly. You can toss the whole thing together up to an hour in advance and the flavor just gets better as it sits. Leave the basil off, however, until right before you serve it or it will wilt and become brown.
If you are taking this to a BBQ or other summertime gathering, toss the salad before you head out and thinly slice the basil but wrap it separately in a damp paper towel and put that in a sealed plastic bag. Once you get to the party, toss in the basil and serve!
More Side Dish Recipes You’ll Love!
- Best Ever Canned Black Beans Recipe
- Crock Pot Borracho Beans {Frijoles Borrachos}
- Cilantro-Lime Slaw
- Veracruz-Style Hominy
- Pickled Red Onions
- Garlic Mashed Potatoes with Spanish Chorizo and Charred Poblanos
- Ham and Broccoli Pasta Salad with Greek Yogurt Dressing
Discovered One Of Your New Favorite Salad Recipes?
Of course you did! A Mango Cucumber Salad this good with a spicy vinaigrette make us feel alive and healthy. Let me know when you make it by snapping a pic and tagging me on Instagram @holajalapeno and #holajalapeno so I can see or leave me a comment below (don’t forget to leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating) ! Also, sign up for my weekly newsletter, lots of good stuff there too!
Mango-Cucumber Salad with Cayenne Dressing and Lime Basil Recipe
This is a great picnic salad because you can make it up to 1 hour in advance and it won't wilt.
Ingredients
For the Dressing:
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne powder (you can add more or less depending on your tastes)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
For the salad:
- 2 ripe mangoes, peeled, pit removed and sliced into strips
- 1 English cucumber, seeded and cut into strips
- 1 small bunch basil, thinly sliced
Instructions
- Make dressing. Whisk together all the dressing ingredients in a large bowl.
- Toss. Add remaining ingredients to the bowl with the dressing and toss to combine. Taste and add more lime juice or salt if desired.
Notes
Make Ahead: Slice the basil, wrap it in a damp paper towel then stick that in a resealable plastic bag or wrapped in some plastic wrap. Then toss it into the salad right before serving.
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This looks simple & refreshing. As far as the tank, I guess the saying is true. One man’s junk is another’s treasure? Good riddance. Ha!
Oh my gosh, that is so true! Let me know if you make the salad!
yumm looks amazing and super tasty!!
https://aspoonfulofnature.wordpress.com/
Thanks so much Anna!
I love that story. you are so lucky!! And this salad is like the most beautiful thing I have seen in a while. Pinned for future consumption!
Thanks so much Heather! Its a good one to add to your summer rotation. 🙂
Simple…Good for my diet program.. tasty and healthy
thanks for sharing
i found this via pinterest
Thanks so much! 🙂
This recipe is perfect!! As mentioned I tweaked the lime and salt, nevertheless the salad is excellent. Heading to the park shortly for a picnic. Thank you, thank you!
Wonderful Akhberet! I’m so glad you liked it. I hope you had a lovely picnic!
Two of my favorite! This looks so fresh and delicious. I wanted to buy some mangoes today but they weren’t that good. Hopefully I can find some tomorrow.
Yes, next time you spot some ripe ones give this a try. I think you are going to love it!
I don’t know what I love the most, your story or your salad! Not to mention the pics!
Hahaha! Thanks Enri!
Súper rico y refrescante para este calorcito.
¡Sí! Gracias. Es la ensalada que queremos en el verano!
Kate! I love love love all of your recipes! So creative and flavorful! We should cook together one day.
We will my friend, we will. 🙂
This looks so healthy and so delicious. Thank you for sharing how to make Mango Cucumber Salad. I can’t wait to try it.
Thank you so much Wendy!!
Es superguay, y me ha encantado como lo cuentas, ganazas de probarlo
¡Gracias Daqui!! Espero que le gusta!
Kate me encantó esta ensalada, alegre, refréscate, ligera y deliciosa. Perfecta para estos días de calor
Gracias Patricia! Es perfecto para un picnic!
Hi Kate,
I don’t have and can’t get fresh herbs right now. So, needless to say….no fresh basil. What can I use in place of that when I don’t have any fresh herbs? I do have cilantro, but that’s about it! Do you think this salad would be good if I slice some white onion really thing anduse cilantro in place of the basil?
Thanks, Maria
P.S. I LOVE LOVE LOVE your recipes adn can’t wait to start using them! I am making your Rajas con crema tonight for dinner, and am going to make the cucumber mango salad as well. I guess I will serve that with regular mexican rice….my husband thinks I have gone crazy if he doesn’t have both rice and beans daily…they don’t have to be together, but he does have to have both of them every day! Thanks for the new recipes, I feel like I have hit a gold mine of new foods, and I was so bored!!! I starred your site to my faves adn will check it daily for ways to use the old foods in new recipes!
Hi Maria! Thank you so much!! You made my day. Yes, cilantro would be delicious on the mango salad. I have lots of rice recipes too if you want to switch it up. Just search rice and find a new one! 🙂
Hi Kate! That will be awesome, because rice gets boring too after 7 years of just making it either white or my style of Mexican, LOL! Thanks for the tip! Great…I will use cilantro on the salad tonight. You didn’t say anything about using thinly sliced onions though, so I am thinking I should probably leave that out then. I ended up not cooking dinner at all last night, so am making your Rajas con Crema tonight, and the salad and will serve rice with that as well. I will take a pic of both dishes and send it to you on instagram!
And will comment on whether the 2 guys in my home liked it all or not. Thanks again for all the work you do to get these recipes out, and I am sooo excited to start using them beginning with dinnner tonight, and continuing on with making your Horchata recipe hopefully tomorrow, because it sounds so freaking awesome!!!
Maria