Indian Kachumber Salad Recipe made with cucumber, onion, tomato, fresh herbs and spices. Easy GF, Vegan, healthy No Oil Traditional Indian Salad. Serve as appetizer or side with Indian Main Course.
Indian Kachumber Salad Recipe - One of the simplest salads you will ever make under 15 mins or less (depending on your chopping skills).
This Vegan and Gluten Free Indian chopped salad is quite versatile. It pairs well with Indian mains like Dal-Rice or Roti-Sabzi and can be served with nachos, baked tortilla chips or papad / poppadum as a quick appetizer.
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What is Kachumber
Kachumber is a traditional Indian chopped salad recipe without lettuce. Made with cucumber, onion and tomato, the salad is totally versatile and customizable based on availability of ingredients.
Popular in Indian restaurants, this classic salad is made regularly in most Indian homes. The salad is a combination of crunchy raw vegetables, lime juice, fresh herbs and spices.
A variation of this salad is called Dahi Kachumber or Kachumber Salad with Yogurt or Vegetable Raita.
This salad resembles Pico de gallo or Mexican Salsa and Persian Shirazi Salad. The ingredients are quite similar with few exceptions, depending on cuisine.
Ingredients & Substitutions
The ingredients below serves 2 generous portions of salad as lunch.
Tomato - Choose tomatoes that are ripe yet firm.
You can substitute regular tomatoes with cherry tomato. Just halve or quarter the cherry tomatoes and add to the salad.
If you can source heirloom tomatoes with different colors, use them.
Cucumber - I have used Indian cucumber. You can use Persian cucumber or English cucumber. Use a variety that has less seeds.
Onion - Use red or white onion. IMO, red onions are perfect for salads.
Herbs - I have used coriander - Classic Indian herb. Use a mix of leaves + tender stems as it adds flavor.
You can use cilantro and mint. Be generous with herbs.
Lime Juice / Lemon - for adding freshness and zing to the salad.
Adding green chili is optional. You can use Jalapeno or serrano peppers (de-seed or remove the seeds).
Spices - I have used roasted cumin powder or bhuna jeera / zeera. It adds earthiness.
Other options you can include are red chili powder and black pepper powder.
I prefer using spices based on what I am planning to serve with the salad. If it's Indian curries, I keep it simple.
Seasoning the salad with rock salt or kala namak is a game changer.
How to make Kachumber Salad recipe
There are 2 simple steps involved -
(1) Chop the ingredients - Cucumber, Tomato and Onions into small pieces, uniformly.
(2) Add herbs, spices. Toss / Mix and Serve
Variations
The recipe is totally customizable. Some of the variations we love at home are -
Pomegranate Pearls or arils
Crunchy Bell Peppers
Carrots - grated or finely chopped
Cabbage - Regular or purple both works well.
finely chopped Raw Mangoes (skip the lemon)
Red radish
Add some protein - mung bean sprouts, cooked chickpeas, cow peas or kidney beans.
Paneer Cubes
If you are not allergic to nuts, add toasted walnuts, almonds, pine nuts or pecans OR pumpkin seeds, toasted sesame etc.
Serving Suggestions
This is an easy salad recipe for Indian dinner party menu, potlucks or picnics.
Serve with Indian Main Course like Basmati Rice and Red Lentil Dal, Brown Lentils or Dal Makhani.
You can serve the salad with fresh Roti or paratha and a side of vegetables. Aloo Gobi, Bhindi Masala and Chana Saag are some of the options.
This refreshing summer salad can be served as side, entrée or appetizer with Nachos, Pita chips, tortilla chips or spooned over tacos, gyros.
Recipe FAQ's
Kachumber salad needs to be made and consumed immediately. As the vegetables sit longer, they tend to lose their crunch. If you are planning to make this for guests, prep the vegetables, refrigerate and add the spices, salt and lime juice only when ready to serve.
The salad recipe is light, contains No Oil and is made with fresh ingredients. It is absolutely healthy and can be included as part of your everyday meals.
Yes. Jain Version of this recipe can be made without Onions. You can add extra tomatoes or cucumbers, instead of onions.
More Salad Recipes
No Oil Vegan Chickpea Salad
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Kachumber Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 Cucumber about 3/4 cup chopped
- 1 Tomato medium size, chopped
- Onion peeled and chopped
- A bunch of coriander about 1/4 cup, finely chopped
- 1 Green chili finely chopped
- ½ tsp Roasted Cumin Powder
- Juice of 1 lime
- Rock Salt or Kala Namak as per taste
Instructions
- Into a salad bowl, add chopped onion, tomato and cucumber.
- Add finely chopped coriander, green chili, roasted cumin powder and rock salt to taste.
- Squeeze fresh lime juice, mix well and serve.
Notes
- Herbs - I have used coriander - Classic Indian herb. I add a mix of finely chopped leaves + tender stem because it adds so much flavor. Substitute with fresh cilantro and /or mint leaves.
- Lime Juice / Lemon - I have used one Indian lime which is basically the size of a small tennis ball. No zest.
- Green chili can be substituted with Jalapeno or serrano peppers (de-seed or remove the seeds, if you don't prefer the heat).
- Minimal spices are used. I prefer adding spices according to what I am serving the salad with. When serving salads with Indian curries loaded with spices, salad can be kept simple. Some other alternatives are red chili powder (paprika) and black pepper powder.
- For seasoning, I recommend rock salt or kala namak. Can be substituted with himalayan pink salt or kosher salt.
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Vidya Narayan
What a pretty and refreshing salad. I love the addition of lime juice too.
I absolutely love the use of zingy lime to substitute oil in the dressing! This was a super fresh salad to enjoy with our grilled fish, but I can see it being extremely versatile!
Looks healthy and delicious. This salad looks similar to the Arabic salad I made at home except we use parsley instead of coriander.
Such a light and refreshing salad. So much that you can do with it too.
I've heard about kachumber salad from my friends. Really excited to make it myself!