This easy 5-minute Sesame Ginger Dressing is a flavorful balance of nutty sesame, spicy ginger, and sweet soy sauce! It makes a perfect salad dressing for crunchy cabbage salads, cucumber salad, or kale salad and can also be used as a a dipping sauce or marinade. Just a few simple ingredients is truly all you need to make a delicious dressing!
Toss Sesame Ginger Dressing into crunchy veggie salads like this Asian Crunch Salad or a cold noodle bowl in the warm spring and summer months, and enjoy it over a grain bowl or roasted vegetables in the colder time of the year.
This dressing was inspired by one of my side salads, Cucumber Pepper Salad, which calls for Sesame Ginger dressing. While store-bought dressings have their place in my pantry, if I have a few extra minutes to whip up creamy homemade salad dressings like this one or a Green Goddess Dressing (another favorite of mine!) I find it's always worth the time.
If you're a fan of easy recipes, you have to make this dressing!
Jump to:
- Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Key Dressing Ingredients and Substitutions
- How to Make Sesame Ginger Dressing
- Variations for Sesame Ginger Dressing
- Expert Tips
- Ideas for Serving Sesame Ginger Dressing
- Storage for Sesame Ginger Dressing
- Registered Dietitian tip
- FAQ
- More Recipes
- Perfect for Pairing
- Looking For Nutrition Education?
- 📖 Recipe
- 💬 Comments
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Easy - it's as easy as whisking together some ingredients.
- Quick- literally ready in 5 minutes.
- Nutrition - unlike store-bought dressings, making your own dressing with fresh ingredients is a great way to customize the flavor of a dressing to your taste without additives.
- Flavorful - this sesame dressing is so incredibly flavorful! If you're into nutty and creamy tangy dressings, this is right up your alley.
- Versatile - you can use it on Asian-inspired salads and so many other things as a dressing or marinade. Grain bowls, pasta salads, asian noodle salad, chicken wings, hot ramen noodles, asian slaw, or roasted veggies just to name a few.
- Meal Prep - healthy salad dressing is perfect for meal prep. Make a big batch and store it in an airtight container in the fridge to use on a variety of different dishes.
Key Dressing Ingredients and Substitutions
*This Sesame Ginger Dressing is made with simple ingredients. Below are some ingredient notes. Be sure to check the printable recipe card at the bottom for exact ingredient measurements and full recipe.
- Toasted Sesame Oil - using toasted sesame oil has a depth of flavor that adds a nuttiness to this dressing. I use Oi! brand or La Tourangelle brand. You can use regular sesame oil if it's what's accessible.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil - extra virgin olive oil balances out the stronger sesame oil. You can substitute with avocado oil if you prefer! Both avocado oil and olive oil contain heart-healthy fats that are also good for brain health and hormone health.
- Tahini - tahini is a paste made from ground sesame seeds that has an earthy flavor. You can usually find tahini with nut butter at the grocery store. When I make a tahini dressing, I find it's easier to use a squeezable tahini. Mighty Sesame Co. and Seed + Mill both come in a squeeze bottle. Trust me - it's so much easier to get out of the bottle! If you prefer a sweeter flavor, feel free to substitute tahini with peanut butter.
- Fresh Ginger - freshly grated ginger root is an easy way to add zest and a bit of spice. Ginger also helps support a healthy gut. Ginger contains antioxidants and has anti-inflammatory properties.
- Reduced Sodium Soy Sauce - if you are gluten-free, substitute with tamari sauce or coconut aminos.
- Rice Wine Vinegar - also known simply as rice vinegar. It's a bit sweeter than other vinegars but you can substitute with white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar if you want! I use Marukan brand for this recipe.
- Maple Syrup - adding a sweetener like maple syrup balances out the other salty and savory flavors in this dressing. Feel free to use honey, agave, or your sweetener of choice. I find maple syrup compliments the other flavors the best.
- Garlic - a clove of garlic adds an herbaceous component.
- Fresh Lime Juice - (optional) for a bit of extra tang and citrus. You can use lemon juice instead if preferred.
- Water - (optional) to thin it out to your desired consistency.
How to Make Sesame Ginger Dressing
*Below are the instructions for how to make Sesame Ginger Dressing with some process shots that I hope are helpful visuals! Don't forget to check out the recipe card at the bottom for the full recipe.
Step 1 - Finely grate fresh ginger root.
Step 2 - Combine all your ingredients in a small bowl and whisk them together until smooth.
Alternative Method #1 -
Shake it up - skip the bowl and whisk and make this Sesame Ginger Dressing in a mason jar by adding all of the ingredients, securing the lid, and shaking it until everything is well combined.
Alternative Method #2 -
Blend it Up - use a food processor or blender instead. Simply add the ingredients until blended (30-60 seconds or until smooth).
Hint: for the best results, finely mince your garlic and ginger so they mix evenly with the other ingredients. I finely grate my ginger root using a citrus zester.
Variations for Sesame Ginger Dressing
One of the great things about making your own salad dressing is you can customize it to your liking. Below are some suggestions for variations of Sesame Ginger Dressing, but feel free to get creative and put your own spin on it.
- Stronger - if you prefer a stronger sesame flavor, add a bit more tahini or a teaspoon of sesame seeds.
- Spice- do you like a little kick? If so, add heat with crushed red pepper flakes or a drizzle of sriracha sauce.
- Sweet Flavor - double up on the maple syrup to sweeten it up if you like your dressings on the sweeter side.
- Dijon - if you love dijon flavored salad dressings, add a Table of dijon-mustard and some salt-and-pepper.
- Creamier - add a couple teaspoons of yogurt or mayonnaise if you love creamy condiments.
Expert Tips
- For ease, use a squeezable tahini like this one from Mighty Sesame Co. or this one from Seed + Mill. It's so much easier to get out of the bottle.
- Finely mince your garlic using a garlic press. I don't suggest using a jar of pre-minced garlic for this recipe even though you can if it's the only option! I personally feel the fresh garlic makes a difference in the end product.
- Make ginger easier to grate by peeling it and freezing it first. Frozen ginger will grate easier.
- To make sure my ginger is finely grated, I like to use a microplane grater (citrus zester). You can also use the small side of a box grater.
- Adjust the Sesame Ginger Dressing to your taste by adding soy sauce for more saltiness, maple syrup for more sweetness, extra ginger for more spice, or extra tahini for a bolder sesame flavor.
Ideas for Serving Sesame Ginger Dressing
Now that you have a batch of this tangy homemade dressing, enjoy it on a variety of different dishes! Here are some ideas:
- On a Side Salad - one of my favorite ways to use this dressing is to make a Cucumber and Sweet Pepper Salad, a delicious side salad for summer that uses Sesame Ginger Dressing in the recipe.
- Your Favorite Salad - pour a Tablespoon or two over your favorite green salad. Sesame Ginger Dressing goes great on Asian salad with crispy noodles and crumbled cheese on top, crunchy chopped salads, a spinach salad with strawberry and almonds, or kale salads.
- Cold Noodle Salads or other Noodle Dishes- use Sesame Ginger in a pasta salad or cold noodles. Or add it to a stir fry with fresh herbs, your favorite vegetables, and noodles.
- Grain Bowl or Vegetarian Bowl - make a grain bowl with brown rice or quinoa, leafy greens, pickled red onion or shallot, napa cabbage, hummus, tomatoes and chicken salad, shrimp, or tofu tossed with sesame ginger vinaigrette and parmesan cheese or blue cheese on top.
- Over Roasted Vegetables - drizzle a couple Tablespoons on top of warm roasted veggies like these Roasted Cauliflower and Carrots. Brussels sprouts, potatoes, or other root vegetables go great with this dressing too. For even more flavor, add fresh herbs on top like parsley, dill, or cilantro.
- As a Dipping Sauce - use it as a dipping sauce for spring rolls or egg rolls.
Storage for Sesame Ginger Dressing
Refrigerator: Store dressing in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
Registered Dietitian tip
Making homemade salad dressing recipes can feel intimidating! But it's as easy as mixing a few ingredients together. Not only does making dressing at home taste amazingly fresh, it also gives you more control over the ingredients and the flavor. And while store bought dressings have preservatives, there's no need for that with a simple homemade dressing. You got this!
FAQ
While healthy means something different to everyone, this Sesame Ginger Dressing is a nutrient-dense and healthy option. It is high in heart-healthy fats that also support hormone health, brain health, and gut health. It also contains tahini, a staple in Mediterranean Cuisine. Tahini is a sesame paste that contains nutrients including fiber, zinc, phosphorus, and iron. Lastly, this dressing contains fresh garlic and ginger, both of which provide antioxidants that are important for overall health.
It's a fair question! While I do use store-bought dressings like the ones from Primal Kitchen, using a homemade dressing is a great way to get more fresh ingredients and less preservatives. Plus, in my opinion making dressing at home tastes so much better!
This recipe for Sesame Ginger Dressing is not gluten-free because it contains soy sauce. If you want to make it gluten-free, you can easily do so by substituting soy sauce with tamari soy sauce or coconut aminos.
This Sesame Ginger Dressing recipe is vegan.
You certainly can but I would't recommend it as this recipe won't be as fresh and flavorful! If you do use ground spices, use ⅓ of the amount.
More Recipes
Looking for other nourishing dietitian recipes like this one? Try these:
Perfect for Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with Sesame Ginger Dressing:
Looking For Nutrition Education?
Check out some of my educational posts:
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📖 Recipe
Healthy Sesame Ginger Dressing Recipe, Quick and Easy
Equipment
- 1 garlic press optional but suggested
- 1 microplane grater optional but suggested for grating fresh ginger
- 1 whisk
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (or avocado oil)
- 2 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1.5 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce (to make this recipe gluten-free, use coconut aminos or tamari)
- 2 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 2 tablespoon tahini
- 1 clove garlic, finely minced
- ½ tablespoon ginger root, finely grated (about 1 inch of ginger root or ⅙ teaspoon ground ginger)
Instructions
- Finely grate fresh ginger root.
- Combine all your ingredients in a small bowl and whisk them together until smooth.
- Optional: squeeze in half a fresh lime for added flavor.
- Alternative Method #1: Shake it up - skip the bowl and whisk and make this dressing in a mason jar by adding all of the ingredients, securing the lid, and shaking it until everything is well combined.
- Alternative Method #2: Blend it Up - use a food processor or blender instead. Simply add the ingredients and blend for 30-60 seconds or until smooth.
Notes
- For ease, use a squeezable tahini like this one from Mighty Sesame Co. or this one from Seed + Mill. It's so much easier to get out of the bottle.
- Finely mince your garlic using a garlic press. I don't suggest using a jar of pre-minced garlic for this recipe even though you can if it's the only option! I personally feel the fresh garlic makes a difference in the end product.
- Make ginger easier to grate by peeling it and freezing it first. Frozen ginger will grate easier.
- To make sure my ginger is finely grated, I like to use a microplane grater (citrus zester). You can also use the small side of a box grater.
- Adjust the Sesame Ginger Dressing to your taste by adding soy sauce for more saltiness, maple syrup for more sweetness, extra ginger for more spice, or extra tahini for a bolder sesame flavor.
Heather
Just made this dressing and it's SO delicious!! I hadn't ever used squeezable tahini but it helped becasue there was less mess. haha. Thank you for the tip!