I Tried TikTok's Viral Cucumber Pepper Salad, and I'm Bringing It to Every Summer Barbecue

Meet the best new way to eat your veggies.

The internet is obsessed with a brand new salad, and there’s zero lettuce involved. “Cucumber pepper salad” has gone viral, thanks to former The Bachelor winner Rachael Kirkconnell, who shared a video of her making it on TikTok in early March. Since Kirkconnell shared the dish, which she describes as her “absolute favorite snack or salad,” the video has been viewed more than three million times. The hashtag #cucumberpeppersalad has garnered millions of views on the app as other TikTokers have made their own versions and shared their rave reviews.

What Is in Cucumber Pepper Salad?

But what’s in this wildly popular salad? The ingredients are simple: sliced mini cucumbers, sliced mini sweet peppers, chili crunch, everything bagel seasoning, and ginger salad dressing. In her TikTok video, Kirkconnell says she could eat the cucumbers and peppers fresh off the cutting board, but her dressing “takes it up a notch.”

What’s in the Dressing for Cucumber Pepper Salad?

The measurements for the salad’s dressing aren’t exact. Kirkconnell recommends a good amount of ginger-flavored salad dressing, “a bunch” of everything bagel seasoning, and “a dollop” of chili crunch.

“It’s so salty from the seasoning,” she says, “sweet from the ginger dressing, and savory and spicy from the chili crunch … I will literally drink the juice from the bottom [of the bowl] when I’m done.”

Kirkconnell closes the video by proclaiming that while she’d “die for a Caesar salad,” her cucumber pepper salad is “up there with that.” I, too, love a good Caesar salad, so I decided to get in on the trend and make Kirkconnell’s viral salad at home.

I Tried TikTok's Viral Cucumber Pepper Salad, and Here’s the Verdict

When I visited my grocery store for some of the ingredients, I noticed mini cucumbers and sweet peppers were near each other on the produce aisle shelves. It seemed meant to be, so I loaded up my shopping basket with both, along with ginger salad dressing, and took everything home to get mixed with everything bagel seasoning and chili crunch.

Slicing the veggies was a breeze. I saw some TikToks where people used a mandoline slicer to keep everything even, but that seemed like a lot of clean-up for such a small amount of veggies, so I used a cutting board and a knife to thinly slice the cucumbers and peppers. After slicing my way through the veggies, I tossed them into a bowl and used my best judgment as to how much ginger dressing, seasoning, and chili crunch to add. It’s safe to follow your heart on the dressing, as there’s no such thing as too much of any of those delicious ingredients.

At first bite, I was transported to my favorite Japanese restaurant, where the simple salads that are served with meals have ginger dressing on top. The flavors are a similar vibe, right down to the heat provided by the chili crunch. The flavors felt Asian-inspired and the crunchiness of the cucumbers and peppers left me not missing lettuce at all.

Variations on Cucumber Pepper Salad

I’ve seen variations of the salad on TikTok as well. Some add chickpeas or feta cheese, both of which would be delicious. One TikToker even created a salmon bowl based on the salad.

The Bottom Line

This is a salad that will only get better as it marinates in the fridge, as the lack of lettuce leaves the vegetables prime for soaking up flavor while staying fresh and crispy. It will also be my new go-to salad for summer parties this season, as the cool cucumbers are perfect for warm weather and the unique dressing is sure to be a conversation starter.