Easy East African Cucumber and Mango Salad (and 5 ways to serve it)

I love a cucumber salad. We know this. I’ve shared a guh-billion of them here over the last couple of years and just never seem to tire of them. This East African Cucumber and Mango Salad stands right alongside this Persian Shirazi Salad and my simple Southern Cucumber Salad as a true mealtime hero. Serve it with just about anything and watch it mesh and meld right into things like the congenial superstar that it is. A little sweet, a little spicy, and with loads of crunch – this is my favorite cucumber salad of all time and I just know you’re going to really love this one as well.

If you’re intrigued by this little salad number, you might want to check out my Peaches and Cream Salad or this Cucumber, Peach and Poppyseed salad. I also have a basic-but-not-really iceberg salad that is honestly perfect all of the time. Anyway, salads abound over here, so go ahead and give the a peek.

Why We Love This East African Cucumber and Mango Salad

Well for starters, we’ve never met a cucumber salad we didn’t love. From this Roasted Broccoli Caesar and this awesome peach and cucumber salad to this absolutely amazing Thai style salad that’s loaded with fresh cucumbers – we simply cannot get enough.

Similar to how I love to keep a good slaw or some tasty pickles around at all times, a cucumber salad is almost like a condiment to me. I spoon it down over, alongside, and on top of so many things and everything is always better for it. Personally, the touch of mango in this salad makes it for me – the pop of sweet being just the thing to set it off.

But I also love the fresh chile going on in this, and the way it plays so nicely with the mango. The cucumber is sort of the bridge there, offering a nice balance between the two flavor profiles. The crunch of the peanuts and the especially lovely notes from the warm cumin and sweet cinnamon is great. All you need to dress this is a big squeeze of a juicy lime and just a bit of oil (here, peanut). It’s so very balanced, beautiful, and it just goes with everything.

East African Cucumber and Mango Salad Ingredient Notes

Cucumber: I use an English cucumber for this (and all of my cucumber salads, really). These are also referred to as Hothouse cucumbers and they don’t need to be peeled or seeded. This is super helpful and an efficiency boost for sure. But these cucumbers do tend to cost a little more than standard cucumbers, so bear that in mind. You can absolutely use any variety you like here. Just know that regular cukes need to be peeled and their seeds should be scraped out (I use a spoon for this).

Mango: Again, in the name of efficiency, I often grab a container of pre-cut mangoes for this salad. Bt a regular, whole mango is great (probably better tasting as well). Just be sure to peel the skin away and remove the seedy/goopy interior, cutting away the firmer flesh that you’ll add to the salad.

Red Onion: It’s pretty. It’s punchy. It’s the perfect salad onion I do believe. This all said, you can use another kind if you like – sweet, gigantic softball-sized white … even scallions. This salad benefits from that allium-y, oniony bite so just get it where you can. But red onion is queen, in my humble onion opinion.

Peanuts: A classic and common ingredient in both Western and Eastern African cuisines, ground nuts in general can be found in many African recipes. I like a simple dry roasted and salted nut, and usually just grab a jar of the store-brand variety that’s available when I’m shopping. Need more ways to use up your jar of peanuts? Try this favorite Thai-style crispy chicken salad or this Peanut Noodle Salad.

Tomatoes: This is really flexible. Go ahead and use whatever kind you like, I just love the lack of seeds in grape or cherry tomatoes – and I love the way they look. The multi-colored ones are especially beautiful in this African Cucumber and Mango Salad.

Cilantro: Use as much or as little as you like, chopped as much or as little as you like.

Five Ways to Serve this East African Cucumber and Mango Salad

• Serve it with another African superstar. Spoon a big pile of this gorgeous East African Cucumber and Mango Salad onto a plate of West African Poule Maafe (chicken stew), this Ethiopian Doro Wat, or this African Peanut Soup. The cold, sweet, and crunchy flavors and textures of the salad really elevate richer, more hearty dishes, bringing a beautiful balance to things.
• Serve it alongside a simply prepared protein main course, like our Margarita Chicken or Butter Roasted Salmon.
• This salad is a fantastic bed for some grilled, seared, or roasted shrimp. Or, it’d be especially cute next to my Buttery Citrus Shrimp.
• Maybe go the soup and salad route and serve this with Firecracker Fried Chicken Noodle Soup or this Chicken, Sausage, and Wild Rice Soup.
• Actually, the best idea is probably to pair this African Cucumber and Mango Salad with something spicy, since it’s so inherently cold and refreshing. Try this reader favorite Firecracker Chicken or my Jezebel Chicken.

Cucumber and Mango Salad: Tips and Tricks

1. For this salad, we’re going to salt the cucumbers in advance, keeping them in a colander in the sink for a little while (while we prep the rest of the dish). The salt will pull excess moisture out of of the cucumbers, essentially keeping that from happening in the finished product. That excess water will go down the drain, rather than in the pretty final dish, which is just what we want here.
2. For a little extra “wow factor” I’ll use a couple of different types of cucumbers in this East African Cucumber and Mango Salad recipe, so long as they’re easy to come by at the store. I like to chop up both a big English cucumber (which do not need to be peeled or seeded), and also the cute mini cucumbers as well. Aesthetically speaking, the variation of cucumbers is pretty lovely – but certainly not necessary to the success of the dish, flavor-wise.
3. If you plan to serve the dish family style, opt for a large, shallow dish that will allow the salad to spread out and show off its gorgeous colors (as opposed to a big deep bowl). This is one of the prettiest salads I’ve ever made, and there’s just something to be said for the serving dish choice here. We eat with our eyes first, as they say. (I actually think we eat with our noses first, but that’s a discussion for another time).

How to Build the Most Beautiful East African Cucumber and Mango Salad

This salad is quite literally as easy as 1 … 2 … 3.

1. Toss together the cucumber, onion, garlic, ginger, and salt in a colander and set it in your sink to drain for about 15 minutes (the salt will pull excess moisture out of the veggies).
2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the mango, tomatoes, chile, cumin, cinnamon, ½ cup peanuts, cilantro to taste (I use about ⅓ cup chopped), the lime juice, and the oil. Toss gently to combine.
3. Add the drained cucumber/onion mixture and gently toss to combine once more. Taste and adjust anything to your liking (more salt, some fresh pepper, a little more cilantro, peanuts, etc.). I like to transfer the salad to a platter and top with extra peanuts, cilantro, and cut limes for squeezing over.  

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