This 5 minute Asian salad dressing is simple, tangy and so delicious! Made with sesame oil, rice vinegar, honey and soy sauce, it is great on any type of salad.
A good salad dressing is really what brings 'life' to a salad. Making your own dressing from scratch might sound like extra work, but it really only takes 5 minutes and has so much more flavor than store bought! I have seven basic vinaigrette recipes on the blog, and this Asian sesame dressing is one of our all time faves.
Tangy rice vinegar, sweet honey, savory soy sauce, and a hint of sesame oil all work together to give a distinctively Asian flavor to your salad.
This Asian sesame dressing is our go to for soba noodle salad, spinach salad, and slaw, but it is so versatile it would work well on almost any salad.
It's made from simple pantry staples, comes together in minutes, and stores well in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Why you’ll ♡ this Asian salad dressing
- it's ready in 5 minutes or less using simple pantry ingredients
- you can make it up to 2 weeks ahead
- you can adjust the vinegar to make it more or less tangy
Don't forget to pin this recipe to save it for later!
Ingredients you'll need
-
- olive oil- a healthy and neutral oil. I opt for extra-virgin olive oil for all of my vinaigrette recipes.
- rice vinegar- I used seasoned rice vinegar in this recipe, so if you use an unseasoned rice vinegar, make sure to taste the dressing and adjust salt/sweetener to your taste.
- sesame oil- this is what brings the flavah to this dressing. I don't have access to toasted sesame oil, which I hear is more assertive in flavor. If you are using toasted sesame oil, start with 1 teaspoon, taste, and add more if you'd like.
- honey (or maple syrup)- a little sweetness is needed to tame the tanginess. Honey and maple syrup are easily interchangeable in most vinaigrettes at the same ratio. Brown sugar also works in a pinch!
- soy sauce- brings a savory twist to this vinaigrette. I always use reduced sodium soy sauce
- garlic- optional, but also brings another flavor dimension to this dressing.
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The ratio
Traditional vinaigrette recipes use a 1:3 ratio of vinegar:oil. It comes down to taste preference, and I welcome you to play around with this ratio to get a tangier vinaigrette.
I prefer a 1:1 ratio for maximum flavor on my salad, and recommend starting with this ratio and adding more oil if you find this too tangy.
Storage
Homemade vinaigrettes are easy to prep ahead. You can shake this Asian salad dressing up ahead of time and store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
If you plan to add any fresh garlic or fresh herbs, you will want to use within 7 days.
Vinaigrette should be stored in the fridge, and will separate over time. Give it a quick shake up before serving and you are good to go!
The Salad
You can use Asian salad dressing on any salad. Here are my favorites:
- soba noodle salad- we have a variation of this vinaigrette used for this Asian Chicken Soba Noodle Salad recipe
- pasta salad- this meal prep sesame chicken pasta salad is a great prep ahead option
- slaw- this Asian slaw recipe with sesame vinaigrette is a great side salad option
- kale salad- massage kale for 5 minutes before tossing in this dressing and serving with sesame seeds and spring onions
Variations
Consider this to be a base recipe with endless possibilities. Here are some ways to level up your dressing:
- peanut butter- make a creamy and thicker version by adding peanut butter or another nut butter. Start with 1-2 tablespoons and add water as needed if it is too thick.
- ginger- add fresh or powdered ginger for added flavor. Start with ½ teaspoon powdered and 1 teaspoon freshly grated.
- lime- add a squeeze of fresh lime juice to give this a citrussy twist
- sriracha- up the spice level with ½ to 1 teaspoon of sriracha
- vegan- use maple syrup in place of honey
- paleo- swap the soy sauce for coconut aminos
Asian Slaw Recipe with Sesame Vinaigrette
Looking for more dressing or vinaigrette recipes?
- Check out this Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing
- This Easy Homemade Red Wine Vinaigrette
- This White Wine Vinaigrette (my FAVORITE all purpose vinaigrette)
- This 4 Ingredient Balsamic Vinaigrette
- This Fresh Rasbperry Basil Vinaigrette
- This Roasted Strawberry Black Pepper Vinaigrette
Did you make this? Tag me on social @sweetpeasandsaffron and be sure to leave a comment and rate the recipe!
5 Minute Asian Sesame Dressing
Ingredients
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup seasoned rice vinegar *see note
- 1 ½ tablespoons honey (or maple syrup)
- 3 tablespoons sesame oil **see note
- 1 ½ teaspoons soy sauce (I use reduced sodium)
- pinch salt
- 1 -2 cloves garlic minced (optional)
Instructions
- Shake together all ingredients.
- Keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
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Tips:
- 1:2- 3 tablespoons rice vinegar + 6 tablespoons of olive oil (less tangy)
- 1:3- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar + 6 tablespoons olive oil (way less tangy)
- peanut butter- make a creamy and thicker version by adding peanut butter or another nut butter. Start with 1-2 tablespoons and add water as needed if it is too thick.
- ginger- add fresh or powdered ginger for added flavor. Start with ½ teaspoon powdered and 1 teaspoon freshly grated.
- lime- add a squeeze of fresh lime juice to give this a citrussy twist
- sriracha- up the spice level with ½ to 1 teaspoon of sriracha
- vegan- use maple syrup in place of honey
- paleo- swap the soy sauce for coconut aminos
Nutrition Information
© Sweet Peas & Saffron - Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited.
Lori says
Great as written. Made it several times now adding the peanut butter, sriracha and ginger upping great to it OUTSTANDING! So so so good! The whole family loves it!
Denise Bustard says
Hi Lori, that's SO great to hear! I really appreciate you taking time out of your day to come back and leave a review, it's so helpful to others!
Vanessa says
Thanks for sharing! Does it keep long?
Denise Bustard says
Hi Vanessa! Yes, you can keep it for up to 2 weeks in the fridge. Hope you enjoy 🙂
Suzanne says
This looks so good! What a versatile dressing! It looks like a good dip too!
Denise Bustard says
Thanks, Suzanne! Hope you give it a try 🙂
Greta Richardson says
Perfect! Quick & delicious! I appreciate the modifications offered too, I didnt have any fresh ginger so I added a touch of powdered ginger, excellent! Thank you!!
Denise Bustard says
Hi Greta! I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed. I really appreciate you taking the time to come back and leave a review, it's so helpful!
Mari says
So yummy! I served it over a vegan Chinese Chik’n Salad for my daughter’s birthday (that’s her favorite food), and it was a huge hit! I did add some minced pickled ginger and PB powder; next time I will add actual peanut butter. Thank you for this recipe!
Denise Bustard says
Hi Mari! I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed the vinaigrette. That sounds like a delicious salad! Thanks so much for taking the time to come back and leave a review, I really appreciate it!
Emily says
I loved this dressing! I also really liked the additional ingredients you could add to it (im trying the peanut butter next time around). Easy and delicious! Thank you for the recipe!
Margaret Plut says
oops forgot to rate!
Margaret says
Delicious - tasted exactly like I imagined it would. We added natural peanut butter and a bit more garlic..1:1 works well with the added peanut butter. .Will try siracha in the next batch!
Denise Bustard says
So happy to hear you enjoyed, Margaret! Thanks for reporting back, your variations sound delicious 🙂
Rita says
Just made it for my lunch, was getting tired of my everyday dressing. Delish! I did 1:1 ratio. I always feel that the oil ratio is too high in dressing recipes. I added the garlic and ginger. Next time I’m adding the peanut butter too!
Denise Bustard says
Hi Rita! I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed, thank you so much for reporting back! Hope you enjoy the PB version as well.
Kyle Schmidt says
I think your stated ratios may be listed backwards?
At the first reference to 'The Ratio', you say 1:3 ratio of oil:vinegar is traditional, but that you like 1:1 to be more tangy. Assuming more tanginess comes from higher amount of vinegar, shouldn't that say a 1:3 ratio of VINEGAR:OIL is traditional? Similarly, under the actual recipe, you also discuss ratios and your examples of 1:2 and 1:3 ratios increase the amount of OIL, so the ratios are actually VINEGAR:OIL, not OIL:VINEGAR. Agree?
Rating is only because I haven't tried this yet, going to tonight! Thanks!
Denise Bustard says
Hi Kyle, you are right, I had written that one detail backwards. I will remove your rating since you are not reviewing the recipe, hope you understand! I hope you did enjoy the recipe. Take care!
Rita says
I’d like to try your recipe but was wondering if I could make it with swerve instead of honey? I’m following a low carb diet but love Asian style salad dressings.
Thank you.
Deb says
I’ve used stevia in my recipe instead of honey and it’s delicious.
Denise Bustard says
Thanks for reporting back, Deb! Glad to hear stevia worked well for you!
Gia says
Can the rice vinegar be substituted with any other vinegar?
Denise says
Hi Gia! I would try white wine vinegar.
Paula says
OMG this is SO DELICIOUS!!! I just made it for the first time and followed the basic recipe - LOVE IT!!! Will try some additions next time, but honestly it's perfect just the way it is - Thank You so much for this!!!
Denise says
Hi Paula! I'm so happy to hear you loved the dressing! Thank you so much for coming back to leave a review, I really appreciate it 🙂
MiMi Hunsaker says
Jim and I subscribe to Home Chef ~ a meal delivery service. One of our favorite recipes we recently had was 'Thai Turkey Lettuce Wraps.' This recipe calls for an Asian Sesame Dressing so I had to google the dressing and found you. I just made the dressing [had everything in the pantry] and wOw is it good. I might try it next time with peanut butter. I am happy I found you
Denise says
Hi Mimi! So happy to hear you enjoyed the dressing! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review, and I hope you enjoy the peanut butter version as well!
Tricia says
My husband can’t get enough of this dressing. He wants me to serve it with a straw 😃. I add the peanut butter.
Denise says
Hi Tricia! I'm so happy to hear this and you have me laughing with the straw comment! Thank you so much for taking the time to come back and leave a review 🙂
Tina says
I think that if people have never HAD a small salad at a Japanese place (like one that comes in a Bento Box with very light dressing and hardly any oil or something like that), they should NOT mess around with ratios.
Carie says
This is so simple and so good! Thank you so much for the recipe!
Sally says
This is now a staple in our house. So easy to make and adds just the right amount of flavor to our salads. THanks, Denise!
Denise says
So happy you enjoyed! Thanks so much for taking the time out of your day to leave a review 🙂
Erin says
I added peanut butter to this dressing! Then tossed it with brown rice, leafy greens, tinned tuna and capsicum for an easy weekend lunch.
Denise says
Yum! I want to try that!
carly renckly says
Did you REALLY mean 3 TABLESPOONS of sesame oil? Mine is not toasted but it still tasted extremely bitter using three TABLESPOONS
Denise says
Hi Carly! I do mean 3 tablespoons of sesame oil. I'm wondering if there are differences between brands of sesame oil because mine was not bitter. I will have to retest this recipe. Thanks for your feedback!
Patricia Case says
Sesame Oil has a short life and when it expires, it tastes bitter. Try with a fresh bottle and always refrigerate after opening.
Tina says
try keeping your sesame oil in the fridge. lasts WAY longer!
Colleen Kubricht says
True
Sandra Cantwell says
Can't wait to try this thank you
Denise says
Hope you enjoy, Sandra!