This Sesame Ginger Dressing is tangy, savory, and nutty with fresh ginger, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, and a touch of Sriracha. It takes just minutes to shake together and instantly makes simple salads restaurant-worthy.
This flavorful dressing is great on an Asian noodle salad, a crisp arugula salad, or a fresh leafy greens salad.
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Holly’s Recipe Highlights: Sesame Ginger Dressing
- Flavor: Savory, tangy, and nutty with a bright hint of lime and a subtle kick of heat from Sriracha.
- Skill Level: No cooking required! This beginner-friendly recipe is mixed and chilled.
- Prep Note: This recipe uses fresh garlic, so be sure to store it in the refrigerator right after making and use it within 3 days.
- Serving Suggestions: Great on your favorite salads, drizzled over a salmon bowl, or as a dipping sauce with chicken lettuce wraps.
Total Time: 10 minutes Servings: 21 Tablespoons Cooking Method: Chilled
Ingredient Notes
- The Base: Vegetable oil acts as the perfect base for this dressing, as it doesn’t overpower the other flavors. Swap it for canola, avocado oil, or another neutral-flavored oil.
- Rice Wine Vinegar: Perfect to add a mild tang to this recipe. Use unseasoned rice wine vinegar so the sweetness can be controlled for the best flavor.
- Soy Sauce: Opt for low-sodium soy sauce to control the sodium. Tamari works well for this recipe, too!
- Honey: Sweetens and balances the rice wine vinegar. Can be replaced with maple syrup.
- Aromatics: Fresh minced garlic adds a savory bite while fresh ginger gives this dressing a fresh, gentle heat. Swap the fresh aromatics with ¼ teaspoon each of powdered garlic and ground ginger to extend the shelf life.
- Flavor Boosters: Toasted sesame oil delivers that signature nutty flavor (don’t skip it)! A splash of fresh lime juice (or bottled) adds a punch of citrus, and a teaspoon of Sriracha provides a subtle warmth.
Favorite Variations
- Add Texture: Stir in a teaspoon of sesame seeds for texture and a pretty finish.
- Make it Creamy: Stir in a spoonful of tahini or peanut butter to make this a creamy dressing perfect for sesame ginger noodle salad or Asian slaw.
- Swap the Citrus: Replace the lime juice with fresh-squeezed lemon juice or orange juice for a twist.
How to Make Sesame Ginger Dressing
- Squeeze a lime, mince a clove of garlic, and grate some ginger.
- Measure and add each ingredient (per recipe below) into a jar or cruet and shake to blend.
Storing the Dressing
Store sesame ginger dressing in a glass jar or salad dressing cruet in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Shake well before using, as it will separate as it sits.
Freezing is not recommended.
More Easy Salad Dressings
Did you enjoy this Sesame Ginger Dressing? Leave a comment and rating below!
Ingredients
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons less sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon Sriracha or to taste
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds optional
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a jar and shake well to combine.
- Enjoy over salads, as a marinade, in stir fries or as a dip.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Dressing
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Hi
Made this salad dressing and had it on a bed of greens with leftover grilled chicken, I loved the flavor and so did my husband. Is there any trick into making it a bit thicker?
You could leave out the water or reduce it to help thicken the dressing. Enjoy!
Another idea to make the dressing a little thicker and have the added benefits would be to add 1-2 teaspoons of chia seeds. The added fiber can improve heart health, promote intestinal health and reduce cholesterol levels. Just a thought.
I added a little peanut butter and it thickened right up, and added to the nuttiness of the flavor profile
Very Good!
It’s “rice vinegar” not “rice wine vinegar. Very amateur mistake.
They’re actually the same product and the terms can be used interchangeably although rice vinegar is now more commonly used. The fermentation process converts the rice first into alcohol and then into vinegar. I hope that helps.
Enjoy the dressing.
There are ways to suggest an error may have been made without being rude. You really should learn proper manners. Also, you might do some research before you criticize someone. Google is a wonderful tool. They are essentially the same.
Posting nutritional values is useless when no serving size is stated.
Hi Lacemaker, the nutritional values are always per serving which in this case is for 1 tablespoon (the recipe makes 21 tablespoons). I hope this helps!
Added a couple of tablespoons tahini.
This recipe is delicious. I used olive oil instead of vegetable oil, omitted the water and added in a generous teaspoon of chili paste (sambal olek) for some heat. Next time I will add less honey. It’s a bit too sweet. Should’ve read the comments first!
Quite delicious. Agree that it’s imperative to cut down the honey to 2TB, maybe even less than that. It’s crazy how our palettes have been altered by the inclusion of sugar into every food product on the market. Less sugar in this dressing allows the other flavors to come through instead of being only sweet.
We tried it and loved it. Just like the Japanese steak house!
an easy recipe to follow and make. I will keep this one. Great taste.
Read one comment about being too sweet, so just added 2 tablespoons honey. Is delicious and will be making it again!
I read one comment about too sweet, so I added just 2 tablespoons of honey. The flavor is wonderful. Will definitely make this again!
Delicious! Thank you so much! A bit sweet for my taste… I’ll start with 2Tbs. of honey next time, then add more if I need it.
Your recipes knock it out of the park every time for me.
Thank you for the kind words, I am so glad you are enjoying the recipes Joanna!
love this dressing! my husband is pretty picky when it comes to dressing but he basically drowned his quinoa in it!
I love this homemade dressing. Thank you. It’s a keeper!
Hello, sounds delicious! I’ve been trying to make all my dressings lately because of all the additives in store bought! Can’t wait to add this to my list of go-to’s! Just one question…. Can I use olive oil or avocado oil in place of the vegetable oil?
Thanks Again!
Depending on the type, olive oil will have a different flavor. I haven’t tried this with avocado oil, although it is fairly neutral in flavor. Let us know how it goes!
So full of flavor! I put it in my Sesame Chicken Pasta Salad and loved it!
looks great. I intend to make it tonight but I am puzzled by the fact that it says it can only be kept in the fridge for 3 days. Why. There is nothing that appears to make it so perishable. There is quite a bit of acid between the vinegar and lime juice that should extend shelf life. Please advise.
We only keep fresh garlic in oil recipes in the fridge for up to 3 days due to the risk of botulism.
I honestly do not know why supposed cooks would use cans of soup for ANY recipe. It’s gross, full of salt and chemicals. If you’re going to post a recipe, post a recipe with real food. Cream of this or cream of that canned soup is NOT a recipe; it’s a cop-out and does a disservice to your readers. Sorry, but this chaps me raw. It’s no different than throwing Cheetos on something and saying it’s a recipe.
BTW, I make a GREAT chicken and rice casserole with home-made, savory white sauce that literally takes 5 minutes more time than opening a can of cream of crap. I wanted to read your recipe in case you had spice ideas or techniques I hadn’t thought of.
Sorry, this comment was directed to your other recipe chicken and rice.
I DO like your idea on Asian dressing. That sounds tasty and I am going to try it, as well as your Asian Salad. Thanks for that.
Most of our casseroles are from scratch (including the sauces) but everyone cooks differently and has different needs so we include different kinds of options. If you’d prefer from scratch, we often use a homemade condensed cream of mushroom soup that can be used in place of canned.
If there is a recipe you’re looking for from scratch, please let us know and I can see if I have an option for you. Here are a few ‘from scratch’ chicken casseroles you may like:
Chicken Broccoli Casserole (see notes for the from scratch sauce)
Chicken Lasagna
Chicken Spaghetti
Oh my! I have several recipes in my 55 year collection that call for canned soups. As I explained in the forward to my children, “sometimes you just want easy”. There are plenty of people out there who have crap diets. They eat chips, sugar laden foods, etc. and a can of soup doesn’t bother them. No matter how you feel about it personally, it.just.doesn’t.bother.them. To each their own.
Hey! I read your note about Botulism. Can you freeze the dressing?!
Thanks!
We haven’t tried freezing this, so I can’t say for sure.
Absolutely delicious!!! Is nutrition info per 1 tablespoon??
Yes, it is per tablespoon.