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 youโll โก 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
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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-ย 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-ย 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)-ย 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 ยฝ 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 ยฝ 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 thisย Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing
- Thisย Easy Homemade Red Wine Vinaigrette
- Thisย White Wine Vinaigretteย (my FAVORITE all purpose vinaigrette)
- This 4 Ingredient Balsamic Vinaigrette
- Thisย Fresh Rasbperry Basil Vinaigrette
- Thisย 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
- ยผ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ยผ cup seasoned rice vinegar *see note
- 1 ยฝ tablespoons honey (or maple syrup)
- 3 tablespoons sesame oil **see note
- 1 ยฝ 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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We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Tips:
- 1:2-ย 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 ยฝ 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 ยฝ to 1 teaspoon of sriracha
- vegan- use maple syrup in place of honey
- paleo- swap the soy sauce for coconut aminos
Nutrition Information
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Netta says
Love it.
Jill Fearman says
Can I make this without the sugar?
Annie says
Hi Jill, you can use a sugar free sweetener if you prefer, but you do need something sweet to provide balance.
William Hudson says
Freaking good
Faye says
Delicious Asian dressing! Very easy to make & has become a family favorite!
Christopher Bakes says
Excellent taste, and the adjustment regarding using unseasoned rice vinegar was perfect. My only thought would be to add an ingredient that may make it creamier, such as mayonnaise, or other type of creamy substance. I came up on this recipe, looking for a substitute for sesame dressing. It has the taste of sesame dressing, but not the consistency. Perhaps peanut butter would work.
Nay says
Simple and delicious!
Alyssa says
SOOO GOOD! I was literally sipping this out with a spoon after dinner. I whipped it all up in my magic bullet, it was velvety smooth. Added an extra dash of vinegar because I like it tangy. Thank you for an easy and incredible dressing!
Rob says
This was excellent. I topped the salad with pan seared ahi. Worked out well.
Lynda says
Excelent dressing
I added grated garlic and ginger
Also added Gochujang hot pepper paste
So delicious
Nors says
I love this dressing! I was invited to a friend's book club and wanted to bring something. I made the dressing, tossed it with cut cucumbers and added some chopped nuts. Everyone there wanted the recipe! Safe to say, it's a crowd pleasure :}
Ahmed Baddour says
Amazing ! Loved it. I added fresh squeezed clementine as the citrus and the sriracha you mentioned.. It was a hit! Thanks a mil!
Iris Isa says
So good! Added lemon and made it tangy
MrSammysDad says
Excellent! I ran short of sesame oi (used about 2 tsp regular and 1 tsp hot) and grated 1 square in. Ginger. I'm going to try your suggestion of peanut butter!
HeyFlowerFace says
This elevated my shredded chicken & air fried brussels sprouts so much! Thanks for sharing this yummy flavor pop!
mmandich says
well balanced recipe; lighter than store bought, more flavorful.
Kylie says
Simply amazing!
Antionette says
I made this for dinner with salmon and it was delicious. I added ginger and garlic and a 1tbs of peanut butter and lime to my taste. When serving I put some crushed wasabi peanuts. It was delicious
Kk says
I really like how the recipe is written. The addition notes and ratio explanations were helpful. Saved a lot of the trial and error to customize a vinaigrette to your liking. Served with a chicken brocolli cabbage slaw concoction. Turned out great.
Btw... air fried chickpeas brought me here. They were great and I'll try some of the other recipes as well. Thanks for sharing.
Elizabeth Swallow says
I agree!!
Laxmi says
Thank you for sharing this plus all the variations. In my dressing I just did ginger powder and Sriracha. It was really good!
Vicky says
I made this salad dressing has written, but when I tasted it, it was way too much oil for me. I guess my version of tangy is different from everybodyโs else. Lol so I use way less olive oil and increase the sesame oil and added the lime, garlic and ginger minced. It was phenomenal! For dinner, I served it over just plain spinach to go along with my tuna steak. The following day I took more spinach in a bowl and poured some of the dressing over and ate it for lunch with leftover tuna steak. That night I use the last of it on a big bowl of spinach.
So tonight I started looking for the recipe I used and found your recipe again! I will book mark it! Tonight I will have a salad of spinach and sliced cucumbers.