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
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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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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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Jhana says
Super easy, healthy, and tasty! Thanks
Josee says
This is really good dressing. I used to make it using the oriental/soja ramen noodles flavor packet. I cannot find these anymore, so looking for an easy recipe, I stumbled on that one. It's easy, and full of flavor as is, but also a breeze to personalize it to our own taste. Not going back to those packets! thanks a lot!
Lea says
This is so perfect! I made this as-is the first time and it was good, but the second time I wanted some more kick! I doubled the recipe, but did not double the olive oil. I added 2tbsp of peanut butter, juice from 1/2 a lime and a few zests of fresh ginger and PERFECT! I'll be making this regularly for sure thank you!