This sesame dressing is light and slightly creamy, with an irresistible nutty sesame flavor. Beyond salads, it’s great for coleslaw, rice and noodle bowls, sashimi, and even as a marinade for meat.
Perhaps no other salad dressing is as versatile as sesame dressing. The simple blend of sesame seeds, rice vinegar, toasted sesame oil and brown sugar has the ideal balance of nutty, salty, tart and slightly sweet. It transforms plain veggies into a glossy salad and coats chopped veggies to create something truly memorable.
But don’t stop at the salad. You can use sesame dressing as a marinade for any type of meat, or on top of sashimi, pasta salads, and rice bowls. Serve as a dip for dumplings or sliced cucumbers and peppers of all colors. It’s the kind of dressing that will keep you jarring glass full.
Toast the sesame seeds for more flavor
For a particularly aromatic dressing, toast the sesame seeds in a pan. This can be done up to a day or two in advance—keep the roasted seeds in an airtight container. I like to grind them up with a spice grinder or mortar and pestle for a creamier dressing with some body. Leave them whole for a thinner dressing with an occasional crunch.
Delicious substitutions that work
This dressing is easy to adapt to your diet, your tastes, and what you have in the pantry:
- Soy sauce: Low sodium is preferred, but regular soy sauce will also work. Start with a little less, 2 1/2 tablespoons. You can also swap out the soy sauce for liquid amino acids.
- Olive oil: For oil with a more neutral flavor, use canola or vegetable oil.
- Brown sugar: Replace it with the same amount of honey and add more if you like.
- rice vinegar: White vinegar, apple cider vinegar, and red wine vinegar are all good substitutes.
Ways to play with the recipe
A million ways to use sesame dressing
Sesame dressing is delicious simply tossed with mixed veggies. Try this sesame dressing in these recipes:
- Sesame Noodle Salad
- Chinese Chicken Salad
- Sesame cucumber salad
- asian coleslaw
Or use it to dress up these bowls and veggies:
- Steak Noodle Bowls
- Baby bok choy with yellow peppers
- Salmon Avocado Poke Bowl
- Steamed Broccoli
Try it as a marinade or sauce for meat:
- Grilled marinated flank steak
- Grilled Ginger Sesame Pork Loin
- Juicy grilled chicken breast
Simple sesame dressing
You can buy toasted sesame seeds. They’re not quite as flavorful, but they work. You don’t have to toast them again. Using untoasted sesame seeds makes a milder dressing.
ingredients
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3 tablespoons raw sesame seeds
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1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger (optional)
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1/4 cup rice vinegar
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1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
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3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
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1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
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1 tablespoon light brown sugar, tightly packed
method
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Roast sesame:
In a medium skillet, add the sesame seeds and spread to an even layer. Set it on medium-low heat. Toast, stirring occasionally, until seeds are light golden brown and fragrant, 10 to 12 minutes.
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Grind the sesame seeds:
Place the toasted seeds in a clean spice grinder, small food processor, or mortar and pestle. Grind until a fine powder forms. Alternatively, you can leave the seeds whole for a thinner dressing with a bit of crunch.
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Assemble association:
In a jar with a lid, combine the ground sesame seeds, ginger, vinegar, olive oil, soy sauce, sesame oil, and brown sugar.
Screw on the lid and shake until the sugar has dissolved and the dressing is well combined, about 30 seconds. The dressing should be a little creamy, especially if you ground the seeds.
Alternatively, combine the ingredients in a small mixing bowl and beat until the sugar has completely dissolved.
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Taste and serve:
Taste the dressing, adding more sugar, vinegar, or a pinch or two of salt if needed to suit your taste. Use immediately or refrigerate for up to a week, shaking before use.
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