Sweet and golden kabocha squash shines brightly in this Kabocha Salad (Japanese pumpkin) recipe with crispy bacon and crunchy cucumber. This beautiful salad could become a new classic on your holiday table.
One of my favorite fall ingredients is kabocha (sometimes called kabocha squash or Japanese pumpkin). I have many kabocha recipes that I want to share with you, but let’s start with this delicious and easy Kabocha Salad.
Kabocha Salad – The Japanese’s Fall Time Favorite
Have you tried kabocha before? Kabocha has a dull-finished, deep green skin with intense yellow-orange flesh. It has a sweet taste, even sweeter than butternut squash, while the texture and flavor are a cross between a pumpkin and a sweet potato.
Japanese love eating kabocha for its many health benefits. It’s high in beta carotene, vitamin C, vitamins B1 and B2, and more. Beta-carotene can be converted to vitamin A in the body and vitamin A is important for healthy white blood cells, good immunity, and vibrant eyes, skin, and hair. It’s really good stuff! Whenever kabocha is in season, I will rush to the farmers market to pick up one or two to make some of my favorite fall recipes.
A typical kabocha salad includes kabocha, sliced cucumbers, and raisins and that’s how my mom used to make it. Sometimes kabocha salad also includes diced onion. Since my husband is not a huge fan of raisins, I replaced raisins with bacon instead. I love the salty flavor of the bacon in the naturally sweet kabocha. The crispy bits of bacon definitely add another dimension to the typical kabocha salad. You can definitely leave it out for the vegetarian version.
To prepare this salad, the squash is boiled until soft; it is then mashed (some chunks are good) before combined with cucumber slices, bacon (if added), and seasoned with Japanese mayo, salt, and freshly ground pepper. Very simple, yet utterly flavorful.
The slightly creamy and sweet flavor of this Kabocha Salad makes it equally fitting to serve as a side dish for your holiday dinner.
Just a word of caution: Kabocha has really hard skin. It requires a razor-sharp knife and a strong force to cut it open. So just be extra careful when you cut the squash.
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Kabocha Salad
Video
Ingredients
- 1 lb kabocha squash
- 2 slices bacon
- 1 Japanese or Persian cucumber (or ½ English cucumber)
- ¼ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 3 Tbsp Japanese Kewpie mayonnaise
- freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients.
- Use a spoon to scoop out the seeds from 1 lb kabocha squash and discard them. Cut the kabocha into slices 1 inch (2.5 cm) wide.
- Peel the kabocha skin. Then, cut the kabocha into 1-inch (2.5-cm) cubes.
- Put the kabocha in a saucepan and cover with water. Boil the kabocha until soft.
- Drain the water and mash half of the kabocha. It’s better to leave some big chunks unmashed for texture.
- In a frying pan, cook 2 slices bacon over medium-high heat until crispy. Drain the excess oil on a paper towel and then cut the bacon into small pieces.
- Peel 1 Japanese or Persian cucumber lengthwise, alternating with unpeeled skin to make a striped pattern. Then, thinly slice the cucumber.
- Put the cucumber slices in a bowl and sprinkle with ¼ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt. Rub the salt into the cucumber and let it stand for 5 minutes. Then, squeeze out the liquid.
- Combine the kabocha, bacon, and cucumber together in a bowl. Add 3 Tbsp Japanese Kewpie mayonnaise and freshly ground black pepper. Mix it all together. Serve it cool or at room temperature.
To Store
- You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator for 1–2 days or in the freezer for 2–3 weeks.
Rather than boil I quarter, then steam the squash. Then scoop the cooked flesh from the skin. Less likely to overcook, or become water logged. I salt sliced carrot in addition to cucumber for added flavor, and color (no bacon). Also finely chopped green onion enhances the taste. My adaptation from what I had in Japan.
Hi Kemi! Thank you for reading Nami’s post and sharing your tips!
Happy Cooking!😊
A delightful salad for the colder months when winter squash is in season. The bacon is the real kicker here! I also use whatever crunchy veg I have on hand (cuke, bell pepper, carrot, etc.)
Hi John! What a great idea! 💡
Thank you for your kind feedback and for sharing your tips with us.
I’m going to try this! I had this kabocha dessert when I lived in Japan, would you know what it’s called and how it’s made? It was creamy and sweet. Thank you
Hi Gina! Thank you for reading Nami’s post and trying her recipe!
There are many Kabocha dessert in Japan, and we are not sure which one you had. Is it something like flan??
https://www.justonecookbook.com/instant-pot-kabocha-flan/
Also, could you cook the kabocha in the instant pot?
Hi Chris,
Yes. You may cook the kabocha in the instant pot!
We hope you enjoy this recipe.☺️
I saw a recipe for this that included eggs. Is that usual?
Hi Chris!
Yes. If you like, you can add a boiled egg to this recipe. It like a potato salad; https://www.justonecookbook.com/pressure-cooker-potato-salad/
Made this and it was delicious! I also made a version with yogurt mixed with miso nstead of mayo and it was wonderful too.
Hi Maxene! I’m glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe and I love your version! Thanks for sharing it with us!
Really tasty! I boiled the kabocha in a mix of chicken Better Than Bouillon and dashi for a little extra umami flavor. Great texture with the bacon and cucumber.
Hi Adri! Ohh that sounds delicious! Thank you for trying my recipe!
This recipe was amazing! Thank you for so many great recipes and ideas! Even though I’m just a beginner, I find that your directions set me up for success. Looking forward to trying many of your other recipes.
Hi Ando! Thanks so much for trying this recipe and I’m really happy to hear that you enjoyed it. Hope you have fun cooking Japanese food at home! Thank you for your kind feedback. 🙂
In the Universe grocery store in Aomori, Japan, I get a salad plate that often has a small scoop of kabocha mashed with a bit of the skin. It has a great flavor and I think it might be similar to this recipe for kabocha salad. It doesn’t seem to have added ingredients, maybe a spice and last time I noticed it has something white in it which might be mayonnaise?
Hi Lynette! Next time, feel free to send me a picture and I can take a look too. 🙂 Either kabocha salad or simmered kabocha. I’m curious about the “something white”. 🙂
Whatever you do, don’t leave out the bacon! Not used to this palette but a tasty dish nonetheless 🙂
Hi Jean! Thank you for your feedback! 🙂
Hi Nami, I live in Germany and kabocha is not easy to find here, so I replaced with red kuri squash which has a similar texture. I made nimono for lunch but since I only had that, it was a bit boring so I used the leftovers for this salad… it was really yummy, I will definitely make it again as it’s a nice change from potato salad! Thank you for the recipe 🙂
Hi Maria! Ohhh that sounds really yummy! I’ve never tasted (or seen?) red kuri squash (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_kuri_squash – for those who don’t know) but I’m super curious to taste it. Thanks for sharing your tip for those who can’t get kabocha. It sounds like it’s a great sub! Thank you for your kind feedback!
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It seems like I overcooked mine and it’s kind of watery,.is there any way to fix it?
Hi Min! I would let it drain/evaporate as much as I could. If you have a steamer or a steamer rack, that’s another option next time. 🙂
I went to Japan last year and my friend’s mom made this for breakfast. I fell in love with it. But I forgot to ask how she made the salad. So glad I came across this recipe. Very easy to make and easy ingredients!!! Thanks a lot for sharing!!!
Hi Luna! I’m so happy to hear you got to try Kabocha Salad and recreated your favorite! Thank you for trying my recipe and for your kind feedback. xo