Miso-Sesame Dressing

Person removing a spoon from a jar of sesame miso dressing.

4.60 from 5 votes

This Miso-Sesame Dressing is a tangy, sweet-and-savory dressing that’ll make you fall in love with salad. Relying on heavy-hitting East Asian pantry staples like white miso and toasted sesame oil, it comes together in 10 minutes with no fancy equipment and is perfect for meal prep. Easy to double!

Prep Time10

Total Time10

Course: Condiment

Cuisine: East Asian Inspired

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings: (170g/scant ¾ cup total)

Author: Nisha Vora

Ingredients

1 tablespoon (17g) white miso
2 ½ tablespoons (37g) unseasoned rice vinegar (see Note 1)
3 cloves garlic, grated or finely minced
1- inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated (or smashed into a paste)
1 ½ tablespoons (30g) pure maple syrup or agave nectar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons soy sauce (or tamari for GF)
2 ½ tablespoons (35g) sunflower oil (or neutral-flavored oil of choice)
1 ½ tablespoons (21g) toasted sesame oil (see Note 2)

Instructions

Add the miso and rice vinegar to a jar for which you have a lid (or a bowl). Whisk until mostly smooth and there are no large miso clumps.
If using a jar to combine: add the garlic, ginger, maple syrup or agave, mustard, soy sauce, and both types of oil. Seal the jar with its lid and shake vigorously until the mixture is smooth and slightly creamy.
If using a bowl to combine: add the garlic, ginger, maple syrup or agave, mustard, and soy sauce and whisk well to combine. Combine both types of oil in a measuring cup or glass, then stream into the other ingredients, whisking as you go to emulsify. See Note
Taste for seasonings, adding more soy sauce (or salt) for salty savoriness, more maple syrup for sweetness, more mustard for creamy tang, or more sesame oil for richness.
Store leftovers in the fridge in a sealed jar for up to 5 days.

Notes

AKA rice wine vinegar. If you have seasoned rice vinegar (which contains added sugar and salt), use less maple syrup and soy sauce to begin with, then add more to taste.
Not all toasted sesame oil brands are created equal! I love Otoki (Korean brand) and Kadoya (Japanese brand). Beware: some western supermarket brands do NOT taste nearly as good.
If you prefer a completely smooth dressing, add all the ingredients to a food processor and blend until emulsified. Or, add the ingredients to a wide-mouth jar or measuring cup and use an immersion blender on high speed to blend.

Nutrition