Made with sesame oil, soy sauce, seasoned rice vinegar, honey, and the perfect blend of spices, this Asian salad dressing is a quick, easy, and healthy salad dressing recipe that really packs a flavor punch!
How many of us have the same old boring salad for lunch every day? I’m sure I’m not alone. Because of this, it’s been my mission to create the BEST salad dressing and vinaigrette recipes.
Why?
Because ain’t nobody got time for boring salads. I’ve made everything from a classic balsamic vinaigrette to a zesty chili lime salad dressing. All my salad dressings and vinaigrettes are quick, easy, made with simple ingredients, healthy, and PACKED with flavor.
This particular vinaigrette is so well-rounded in flavor. From the tangy vinegar, savory soy sauce, and sweet honey, to the delicious combination of spices, this dressing is blow-your-mind delicious!
Ingredients
This Asian salad dressing recipe is made up of super simple and accessible ingredients—most of which you probably have on-hand already! I use seasoned rice vinegar, soy sauce, and sesame oil in most of my Asian inspired recipes. They all last for quite some time in either the fridge or pantry, so I always make sure I’m fully stocked!
- Seasoned Rice Vinegar – the base for the dressing. Adds a delicious asian flair to the dressing. Seasoned rice vinegar isn’t as potent as other vinegars, so if you’re out, instead of subbing another vinegar, try lime juice!
- Soy Sauce – gives that “umami” sweet and salty taste. Use tamari or coconut aminos to make gluten-free!
- Honey – sweetens the dressing. Use agave, brown sugar, or maple syrup to make vegan!
- Sesame Oil – offsets the tang from the rice vinegar and the saltiness of the soy sauce with its rich, slightly nutty flavor. The depth this oil gives the dressing is unreal. Don’t have any? Use a neutral flavored oil instead and add in a bit of tahini!
- Garlic Powder – adds that classic nutty, garlicky flavor. Feel free to use fresh if desired.
- Ground Ginger – an essential flavor in this dressing adding a bit of spice. Use fresh if desired!
- Red Pepper Flakes – spices the dressing up with some serious heat. If you’re not a fan of heat, simply decrease the amount of red pepper flakes or omit entirely. Could also be replaced with a bit of sriracha.
I’m a big pan of fresh spices – garlic and ginger – but I love using dried spices for dressings, because I like using as many pantry staple ingredients as possible. Plus, measuring out dried spices is easier than peeling and mincing garlic and ginger.
If you’d like to use fresh, keep this ratio in the back of your mind: for every 1 teaspoon of dried herbs, you’ll need 1 tablespoon of fresh herbs.
How to make asian salad dressing
This dressing is incredibly quick to make, making it perfect for a last minute salad addition. That being said, this dressing just gets better as it sits, so if you have the time, make this in advance!
- Place all your ingredients in a mason jar, blender, or food processor.
- Blend or shake until well-combined.
How to use this dressing
As with all my salad dressings and vinaigrettes, this Asian salad dressing is so versatile:
- Salads: the most obvious choice is using this dressing on a salad!
- I love drizzling this over a blend of romaine, carrots, peppers, peanuts, and green onions.
- Marinades: I absolutely LOVE using dressings and vinaigrettes as marinades for chicken. This one is no exception!
- Place the combined dressing in a ziplock baggie with raw chicken breasts and let it marinate all day in the fridge.
- Bake, grill, or cook on the stovetop and you’ve got some seriously flavorful chicken.
- Pasta salad: Throw this dressing in a bowl with cooked noodles, your favorite veggies, and some crunchy chow mein noodles for an Asian twist on a classic dish.
How would YOU use this dressing? Let me know in the comments below!
How to store
This dressing can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week!
Take it out of the fridge 30 minutes prior to use and be sure to shake or stir well before using, because the oil may coagulate and separate.
– Jennifer
Asian Salad Dressing
Equipment for this recipe
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup seasoned rice vinegar
- 1/2 cup soy sauce use tamari or coconut aminos to make gluten free
- 1/4 cup honey use agave, brown sugar, or maple syrup to make vegan
- 1/4 cup sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Place vinegar, soy sauce, honey, sesame oil, garlic powder, ground ginger, and red pepper flakes into a mason jar, blender, or food processor.
- Seal and shake or blend until well combined.
- Taste and re-season if necessary.
- Use immediately.
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Nutrition Information
*Note: Nutrition information is estimated and varies based on products used.
This post was originally published October 23, 2019, and has been updated to provide more detailed content.
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