Cucumber powder
Cucumber powder is an ingredient that dries and finely powders cucumber to spread a refreshing, green aroma evenly through chilled soups, sauces, dressings, and bath products. It powders cucumber—which is hard to handle due to its high water content—while retaining the aroma, finished to a size that disperses easily in both liquids and powders. At Agriture,Dried cucumber, we powder it by adding a fine-powdering step.
Whereas raw-form cucumber suits “salad and soup ingredients where you want to keep the texture and a sense of the ingredient,” cucumber powder suits uses where you “want to spread aroma and color evenly and blend into a liquid.” It's an ingredient that's seeing more inquiries for summer chilled products, bath-product design, and as an ingredient for seasonal foods.
TOC
3 commitments behind Agriture's cucumber powder
Cucumber is a difficult raw material, over 95% water. At Agriture, we manage everything—pretreatment, drying, milling, packaging—at our own processing facility, aiming for a finish with little lot-to-lot variation.
1. Low-temperature drying that keeps the green aroma
Cucumber's characteristic refreshing green aroma (of the nonadienal family) is heat-sensitive, and a high drying temperature makes it fly off in one go. By taking time to remove water at a low temperature, we aim for a finish where a cucumber-like aroma rises the moment you open the bag, even in powder form.
2. Drying with the skin on to keep the pale-green color
Because the skin contains chlorophyll, drying with the skin on lets us keep the pale-green color in the powder. So that a natural cucumber color can be expressed in chilled soups and dressings, the blend ratio of skin to flesh can also be adjusted.
Product catalog showing the items we handle
Flexible support from small lots to large lots
- Sold in small lots from 100g
- Handling heirloom vegetables from across Japan
- Dried fruits and herbs also supported
Features of commercial cucumber powder
A refreshing green aroma
Concentrates the green-leaf aroma of the nonadienal family. Works as an accent in chilled soups, gazpacho, and spa-style beverages.
A low-calorie, water-based ingredient
Concentrates cucumber, which is nearly all water and low in calories to begin with. Suits image appeal for diet foods, health drinks, and spa menus.
Dispersibility in liquids and powders
Dissolved into chilled soups or sauces, the graininess is barely noticeable and it disperses evenly in a powder mix. Usable as-is with no rehydration needed.
Rollout into cosmetics and bath products
Beyond food, we also take inquiries on bath-product development—as a bath-salt, bath-additive, or scrub ingredient. As a food-grade material, it can be used with confidence.
Use together with the ingredient-shape version
Using it together with dried cucumber lets you design recipes that achieve both aroma (powder) and texture (raw form).
Product specifications (commercial)
Basic specifications at the prototype stage are as follows. Purchase lot, lead time, and packaging format are worked out through individual consultation.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Product name | Cucumber powder |
| Raw material | Cucumber (domestic) |
| Shape | Fine powder (milled dried cucumber) |
| Appearance | A pale yellow-green to cream-colored fine powder |
| Aroma | Cucumber's characteristic green-leaf aroma, a refreshing green aroma |
| Net content | Individual quote according to use and lot |
| Best-before date | About 6 months from the shipping date |
| Storage method | Avoid high temperature, high humidity, and direct sunlight; after opening, seal and store in a cool, dark place |
| Processing plant | Our own processing plant within Kyoto Prefecture |
| Minimum prototype lot | From 1 kg of raw material |
Customization support
| Item | What we support |
|---|---|
| Proportion adjustment | 3 types: more skin for color emphasis / more flesh for mild flavor / with seeds for texture |
| Blend design | Composite recipes with herbs (mint, dill) and other vegetables (celery, mizuna) |
| Packaging form | Commercial bulk, sticks and small bags, large bags for bath products, bottle canisters |
| OEM productization | Rollout into chilled soups, dressings, bath products, cosmetics ingredients, and more |
| Raw material supply | Besides our own raw material, we also handle contract drying and milling of designated-origin and non-standard produce |
For uses where you want to keep texture and a sense of ingredient presence, the raw-material form is recommended
For salads, cold dishes, soup ingredients, and other useswhere you want to draw on cucumber's texture and sense of the ingredient, dried cucumber (raw form) suits. Its strength is that you can rehydrate it and use it as an ingredient as-is.
Commitments to variety, grower, and growing region
Cucumber is a representative vegetable of the gourd family, grown throughout Japan. As a powder raw material, you can select the variety by use—summer-cucumber lines with thin skin and smooth water evaporation, or white-cucumber and Kaga-futo-cucumber lines with thicker skin and stronger aroma.
Main growing region
| Growing region | Features |
|---|---|
| Miyazaki Prefecture | Top cucumber producer nationwide. Stable sourcing from winter-spring greenhouse cultivation |
| Gunma Prefecture | A main growing region for summer-autumn cucumber. Strong aroma from open-field cultivation |
| Fukushima Prefecture | A growing region for summer-autumn cucumber. Thin-skinned, powder-friendly raw material |
| Ishikawa Prefecture | A growing region for heirloom vegetables like Kaga-futo cucumber. Distinctive branded raw material |
Using varieties and lineages differently
The common white-spine cucumber (the mainstream in market distribution) has a mild aroma and suits versatile powder design. Heirloom lines like Kaga-futo and suyo cucumber have a strong aroma and thick skin, so they suit aroma-focused design and raw materials for regional-brand products. We also handle the use of non-standard produce.
Powdering technology and quality control
Cucumber is high in water and takes time to dry. At Agriture, we manage everything from prep to packaging in one place, keeping lot-to-lot variation down.
Low-temperature, long-duration drying
Because the green-leaf aroma is heat-sensitive, we keep the temperature band down and take time to remove the water. Raising the temperature to save time yields an aroma-less powder, so we deliberately finish it slowly—the key to quality.
Managing the blend of skin and flesh
The skin and flesh differ in aroma, color, and dietary-fiber composition. Depending on the use, we adjust whether to blend in more skin or make it flesh-based, finishing a powder to fit the purpose.
Moisture-resistant packaging
Cucumber powder is highly hygroscopic and clumps if left out. We move the finished powder promptly into moisture-proof packaging; commercial bulk uses moisture-proof bags, and small bags use an oxygen absorber in combination to keep quality.
TIPS: A blend that highlights cucumber's aroma in chilled soup
For a gazpacho-style chilled soup, adding 1–2% powder against the base makes a natural green aroma rise without using fresh cucumber. For a yogurt-based sauce (tzatziki style), 0.5–1%; for dressings, 0.3–0.5% is the guide. Combining it with mint, dill, or lemon powder makes a refreshing, summery spa menu.
Use cases and adoption examples
Cucumber powder's strengths are its refreshing aroma and low-calorie image. We organize the most-inquired uses into 5 categories.
1. Chilled soups and sauces
- Gazpacho- and vichyssoise-style chilled soups
- Yogurt-based sauces such as tzatziki and raita
- Sour-cream dip
- Chilled pasta sauce
2. Dressings and seasonings
- A Western-style cucumber-and-dill dressing
- A simple Japanese-style cucumber-and-salt dressing
- An aroma accent for hiyashi-chuka sauce
- Blending into marinade and pickle liquid
3. Beverages and spa drinks
- A cucumber-water-style drink mix
- A spa-style drink containing dietary fiber
- Summer smoothies and vegetable juices
- Low-calorie flavored water
4. Bath products and scrubs (food grade)
- Blending into bath salts
- Body scrubs and foot baths
- Powder for aroma baths
- Amenities for spa menus
5. Confectionery and bakery
- Summer-limited crackers and grissini
- Cucumber-flavored flavored bread
- Flavoring butter for sandwiches
- Blending into sorbet and ice cream
For planning summer menus and spa-style products, we can also propose combinations withMizuna powder・Celery powder. In the medicinal-food realm, it also pairs well withYasai Yakuzenrecipes.
How to use the powder and design blends
In raw form a rehydration step is needed, but the advantage of powder is that it disperses directly into liquid. We organize the operation points unique to powder.
Basics of use
- Chilled soup: dissolve 2–4 g per 200 ml of base
- Dressing: add 0.3–0.8 g per 100 g of oil + vinegar
- Yogurt sauce: mix 1–2 g per 100 g of yogurt
- Drink: dissolve 0.5–1 g per 200 ml
- Bath product: mix 30–50 g per use with salt and baking soda
Example blend formulas
- Gazpacho-style soup mix: cucumber 30% + tomato powder 40% + onion 15% + salt/spices 15%
- Spa-style bath salt: salt 70% + cucumber powder 15% + mint 10% + baking soda 5%
- Summer dressing: cucumber 5% + oil 40% + vinegar 30% + salt/sugar/herbs 25%
- Drink containing dietary fiber: cucumber 30% + lemon powder 20% + mint 10% + dextrin 40%
How to store
- Before opening: store in a cool, dark place at room temperature, away from heat, humidity, and direct sunlight
- After opening: because it readily absorbs moisture, transfer it to a resealable bag or airtight container; refrigerated storage is also fine
- The best-before date is roughly 6 months from the shipping date. After opening, use it up within 1–2 months as a guide
- If lumps form, sift through a tea strainer before use to disperse it evenly
Related articles and other vegetable raw materials
These are the vegetable powders and related raw materials Agriture handles. Please use them when designing summer menus and spa-style products.
- Dried cucumber: raw form for salad and soup ingredients
- Celery powder: for Western-style soup bases and processed meats
- Mizuna powder: the vivid green of a Kyoto vegetable
- Onion powder: a staple for soups and seasonings
- Winter melon powder: mild flavor, for soups and nursing-care food
Product catalog showing the items we handle
Flexible support from small lots to large lots
- Sold in small lots from 100g
- Handling heirloom vegetables from across Japan
- Dried fruits and herbs also supported
Frequently asked questions
How do you use dried cucumber (raw form) and cucumber powder differently?
The raw form suits uses where you want to keep texture and a sense of the ingredient—salads, cold dishes, soup ingredients, tsukudani bases. The powder suits uses where you want to spread aroma and color evenly—chilled soups, dressings, sauces, bath products. There are also cases of using both in the same recipe to achieve both depth of aroma and texture.
How much cucumber aroma comes through from the powder?
Through low-temperature drying and heat suppression during milling, we aim for a finish where a cucumber-like refreshing green aroma rises the moment you open the bag. Blended into chilled soups, dressings, and yogurt sauces, a natural flavor can be reproduced without using fresh cucumber.
Can it be used in bath products and scrubs?
As a food-grade material, you can consult us for use as a raw material for bath salts, bath additives, foot baths, and body scrubs. There are rollout cases into spa menus and amenities under the concept of bath products made from edible ingredients. If you need quality-certification documents for use as a cosmetics ingredient, please consult us individually. Because cucumber is high in water and the powder yield from 1 kg of raw material is small, letting us know the lot and schedule in advance lets us propose the best approach. You can consult us end to end, through to the final product.
Please tell me the best-before date and how to store it.
The best-before date is about 6 months from the shipping date. When unopened, store away from high temperature, humidity, and direct sunlight, in a cool, dark place at room temperature. Cucumber powder in particular absorbs moisture easily, so after opening, transfer it to a zip bag or airtight container and use it up within 1–2 months as a guide. Using an oxygen absorber in combination is also effective.
Can you contract-dry non-standard cucumbers?
Yes. We take on contract processing to dry, mill, and powder non-standard produce—bent, uneven in size, and so on. It's a growing area of inquiry as an effort to turn raw material that would become disposal loss at the growing region into OEM products. After hearing the origin, quantity, and schedule, we propose an individual approach.
