This 5 Minute Sesame Ginger Dressing Recipe is so creamy and delicious, you'll want to drink it straight out of the blender! But don't drink it ALL because it's incredible on all kinds of salad and slaws, veggie wraps, grilled veggies, and so much more.
When I saw this Asian inspired dressing on TikTok (Andy Hay) a few years ago, I knew right away I'd be a big fan! Talk about an explosion of flavors - it made my taste buds do a happy dance. I put my own fingerprints on the dressing making it a bit tangier and spicier, and it quickly became a family favorite too.
This creamy sesame dressing is ready in just 5 minutes. Made with everyday ingredients like tahini and sesame oil, fresh ginger and garlic, soy sauce, hot pepper flakes plus lime and rice vinegar for the pucker power. Trust me, it's everything you expect in a killer salad dressing and more! 10/10 homemade dressing recipe!!
Looking for more dressings with big flavor and luxurious texture? Try my white balsamic dressing or miso sesame dressing next!
Ingredients Needed
This dressing is simple to make from scratch with only a handful of ingredients! No additives, no preservatives, and no dairy - just tons of bold flavor:
- Fresh ginger: A key ingredient that adds a nice spicy kick of flavor and freshness.
- Fresh garlic: Adds a pungent bite to the dressing.
- Toasted sesame oil & olive oil: Add both richness and nutty flavor.
- Tahini: Tahini is made from ground sesame seeds (either toasted or raw). Tahini adds creaminess and richness to the dressing. Find it in the International aisle or sometimes near the peanut butter. Give it a good stir before using.
- Maple syrup: The sweetness balances the saltiness and acidity in the dressing. Can sub with agave or other sweetener of choice.
- Acid: A combination of fresh lime juice and rice vinegar add tanginess and tartness.
- Soy sauce (regular or low sodium): Gives the dressing a savory, salty flavor with umami notes. For a gluten free dressing, use gluten free soy sauce or tamari.
- Make it spicy: If you like a kiss of heat, add some hot red pepper flakes, sriracha sauce or a pinch of cayenne pepper (Optional add in, but not at my house!).
- Toasted sesame seeds: Use as a garnish to enhance the sesame flavor.
How to Make Asian Sesame-Ginger Dressing
I love the zesty, spicy-sweet, umami flavors and creamy texture of this vegan salad dressing! It's a quick, easy, and versatile recipe that anyone can make in 5 minutes!
- Blender method: Place all the dressing ingredients into a blender and blitz until it's a creamy, emulsified, and luxurious dressing.
- Immersion blender method: Place all ingredient into a tall jar or a deli container then using the stick blender, blend until smooth and creamy. Cooks tip: Keep the stick at the bottom of the jar then slowly lift up to blend everything together without spraying yourself!
- Taste it: Taste the dressing and adjust the ingredients to suit your personal taste.
- Chill it: Store in the fridge with a lid for up to a week. Thin with a tablespoon of water (at a time) for a pourable consistency as needed before serving.
- Serve it on everything: Not just for green salads, this dressing is delicious on everything from coleslaw and to pasta salad, grain bowls, noodle bowls, grilled veggies plus so much more. It makes you actually WANT to eat your veggies!
*BLENDING OPTIONS: Use an immersion (handheld) blender, a stand blender like a Vitamix or whisk the dressing in a bowl or jar by hand. I prefer the Vitamix method or the immersion blender method with a Weck jar or deli container. The dressing is luxuriously creamy, there's no chopping or grating required, and clean up is a breeze. If you use the whisk by hand method, be sure to finely grate the ginger and garlic before incorporating.
Helpful Tips & Options
This Asian sesame soy salad dressing is totally addictive as written. However, there's lots of room to customize to suit your personal taste. Here's a few tips:
- Too tangy?: If the dressing is too acidic, add another teaspoon or two of oil OR ½ teaspoon maple syrup to balance out the flavors.
- Is your dressing missing something?: If the salad dressing tastes flat, the answer is usually salt which makes flavors pop. For this dressing, the salt comes from soy sauce; so you can add another teaspoonful of that. Or add a pinch of two salt to taste.
- Too salty?: If you're watching your salt intake or don't like too much salt, try sodium reduced soy sauce. Chef's Tip: If you don't have access to that, you can water down your soy sauce and then measure it into the dressing.
- Too strong?: This is a super flavorful dressing! To cut back on the dressing intensity, use the smaller measures of ginger, sesame oil and/or rice vinegar to suit your taste. You could also add a tablespoonful or two of water to dilute the flavors.
- Oil options: Sub in any oil for the olive oil like grapeseed oil, vegetable or canola oil.
- Sweetness: Add more maple syrup or agave as needed - but don't over do it! The goal is to balance the flavors so everything works together to excite your palate.
- Does it keep?: Yes! Once prepared, this homemade salad dressing can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week.
- Million Dollar Tip: One hint about making the dressing ahead of time - the garlic and ginger flavors intensify over time SO if you are making the dressing to use the same day, taste it and that's the flavor it will be. However, if you are making the dressing to use all week, you can cut back slightly on the garlic and ginger (if you like) as they will become more powerful over time. Play around with the ingredient amounts and chill time until the flavor suits your family's preferences.
How to Serve
Of course, this creamy sesame dressing makes an exceptional salad dressing, but there are a few other ways you can enjoy it as well:
- As a drizzle: Drizzle it over roasted or grilled veggies like Brussels sprouts, parsnips, cauliflower or baked potatoes.
- Transform leftovers!: A generous drizzle gives leftovers a superior flavor glow up!
- As a sauce or salad dressing: Perfect on ALL the salads from green salads, pasta salads, dinner salads, and coleslaws. Delicious spooned over tacos and grain bowls.
- Dipping sauce: Because this sesame ginger sauce has tahini, it will thicken up in the fridge so it makes an incredible dipping sauce for fresh veggies. I recommend making it 2 days in advance for a dipping sauce and don't add any water.
More Delicious Vegan Dressing Recipes
I confess, I'm a saucy vegan so I have tons of sauce, dressing, and dip recipes on the blog. If you love a killer sauce too, here's a few to try next (100% vegan, dairy free, some oil free, most are gluten free):
- Sweet and Spicy Tahini Sauce
- Miso Sesame Ginger Dressing
- Creamy Chipotle Sauce
- Easy Lemon Vinaigrette
- White Balsamic Dressing
- Best Vegan Ranch Dressing
- Lemon Balsamic Vinaigrette
- Really Good Vegan Caesar Dressing
If you enjoyed this creamy ginger sesame dressing, please leave a star rating and comment at the bottom of the page. Also, tag me with any photos on Instagram.
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Creamy Asian Ginger-Sesame Dressing (dairy free, gf)
Rate this recipe!
Equipment
INGREDIENTS
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 - 1 ½ tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce (low sodium, gf, tamari)
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 ½ tablespoons lime juice
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup (more or less to taste)
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and grated
- 2 cloves garlic, grated or pressed
- 2 tablespoons tahini
- 1-2 teaspoons hot pepper flakes or sriracha (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Blender method: Place all dressing ingredients into a blender and blitz until it's a creamy, emulsified, and luxurious dressing.
- Immersion blender method: Place all ingredient into a tall jar or a deli container then using the stick blender, blend until smooth and creamy. Cooks tip: Keep the stick at the bottom of the jar then slowly lift up (but keeping it submerged) to blend everything together without splashing yourself!
- Customize it: Taste the dressing and adjust the ingredients to suit your personal taste.
- Chill it: Store in the fridge with a lid for up to a week. Thin with a tablespoon of water (at a time) for a pourable consistency as needed before serving.
- Serve it on everything: Delicious on green salads, coleslaw, pasta salad, grain bowls, noodle bowls, grilled veggies plus so much more. Plus a delicious sauce is my secret weapon for transforming leftovers!
NOTES
- Too tangy?: If the dressing is too acidic, add another teaspoon or two of olive oil OR ½ teaspoon maple syrup to balance out the flavors.
- Is your dressing missing something?: If the salad dressing tastes flat or like it's missing something, it's likely salt. For this dressing, the salt comes from soy sauce; so add another teaspoonful or add a pinch of two salt to taste.
- Too salty?: If you're watching your salt intake or don't like too much salt, try sodium reduced soy sauce. Tip: If you don't have access to that, you can water down your soy sauce and then measure it into the dressing.
- Too strong?: To reduce the flavor intensity, start with smaller measures of ginger, sesame oil and/or rice vinegar and add more to suit your taste. You could also add a tablespoonful or two of water to dilute the flavors.
- Oil options: Sub the olive oil with vegetable or canola oil or your oil of choice.
- Sweetness: Add more maple syrup or agave as needed - but don't over do it! The goal is to balance the flavors so everything works together to excite your palate.
- Storage: Store in the refrigerator in a covered container for up to a week.
Doris
This sesame dressing is rich, creamy, and the flavor ... YUM! It honestly makes me want to eat salad and veggies every day! I'll be slathering this dressing on everything this summer.
Tracy Halasz
Thank you so much! I'm so happy you are loving the flavor of the sesame ginger dressing. Have a great summer.