5 Minute Asian Salad Dressing

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.

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.

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

4.98 from 171 votes

Prep Time: 5 minutes mins

Total Time: 5 minutes mins

• Pin

Print Rate

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.

8

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.

Would you like to save this?

We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!

Tips:

Ratios:

This recipe has a 1:1 ratio of oil: vinegar as written. Adjust for the following ratio:

• 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)

* I use seasoned rice vinegar; if you use unseasoned, you may need to adjust the salt and sweetener to taste

**If you use toasted sesame oil, start with 1 teaspoon and add more as needed

Variations:

• 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

Storage:

Vinaigrette may be stored in the fridge for up to 2 weeks; if you add the garlic, store for up to 1 week.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1/8 of batch, Calories: 132kcal, Carbohydrates: 6g, Fat: 12g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 63mg, Sugar: 6g, Iron: 0.1mg

Author: Denise Bustard

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Chinese

© 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.