TMTM

I Tried The Viral TikTok Salad with Cucumbers, Chili Crisp, and Mini Peppers, and OH BABY

Rachel Schneider is a staff writer at Cheapism covering recipes, internet culture, and how families (especially bigger families) can live sustainably and frugally. She lives on a farm in Michigan with her husband, four kids, and many, many animals.

tiktok cucumber and mini pepper salad

Rachel Schneider / Cheapism

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I am a vegetable fanatic, and right now, there are two crispy, quaint veggies that have me in a chokehold: mini cucumbers and mini sweet peppers. The crunch. The flavor. The itty-bitty size. I can't help myself. So, when I saw a video pop up on TikTok with more than a million views detailing how to make the best salad ever using both of my beloved pint-sized veggies, I was sold. 

@rachael_kirkconnell

mouth is watering watching this back

♬ original sound - rachael

How to Make Cucumber and Mini Pepper Salad

The veggies weren't the only ingredients I gravitated toward with this viral recipe, shared by TikToker (and former contestant on "The Bachelor") @rachael_kirkconnell. Other ingredients include ginger dressing, chili crisp, and Everything But the Bagel seasoning. All stuff I'm ga-ga for. And making this salad is ultra-easy. 

  • Just slice up some mini cukes and mini peps and put them in a bowl.
  • Add a dollop of chili crisp depending on how much spice you like, and sprinkle in Everything But the Bagel seasoning to your heart's content.
  • Pour in some ginger dressing (Rachael recommended Makoto and that's the brand I bought, too) until the salad is juicy enough for your liking. 
  • Mix it all together and activate your tastebuds. The flavors here are immaculate, folks.


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One of three things happens when I decide to try a viral TikTok food trend:

  1. I see something that makes me think, "Nah, I could do that better by tweaking a few things — like that wretched Fruit Roll-Up ice cream trend. 
  2. I stumble upon a recipe that's so unusual I'm simultaneously off-put and intrigued and can't resist trying it out.
  3. A recipe looks so good I have to wipe the drool off my chin and place a grocery pickup order immediately.
The latter happened with this salad and even after trying it, writing about my experience is putting me right back in that drool-wiping, uncontrollable craving position. It is truly that tasty.

If you're looking for summer side dishes that don't require cooking and heating up your kitchen but also don't require pasta, this should be added to your rotation immediately. It's the perfect refreshing side for burgers, chicken breasts, brats — you name it.

cucumber mini pepper saladPhoto credit: Rachel Schneider / Cheapism

Does cucumber and mini pepper salad taste good?

The flavors in this salad are working overtime. The ginger dressing has a robust, poignant flavor that I expected to overshadow the cucumbers and peppers, but instead, it sat right alongside the veggies and gave them a delightful boost. The chili crisp added some heat, but the coolness of the cukes kept it reigned in nicely. I didn't taste the Everything But the Bagel seasoning, but that didn't hurt the flavor one bit as far as I'm concerned. This salad was a burst of flavor, juicy, crunchy, and all-around refreshing. 10/10 recommend. 


I was even able to use the leftover peps to make my famous stuffed mini peppers and stretch my money to the limit, which made me one happy cheapskate.

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