Name: Asian Salad Dressing
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Ingredients: 1 tbsp soy sauce (I used Bragg liquid aminos); 2 tbsp maple syrup or honey; 2 tbsp rice vinegar (or lemon/lime juice); 2 tbsp olive oil; 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil; 2 tbsp sesame seeds; 1 garlic clove (grated); 1 tsp ginger (grated)

Whip up this mouthwatering Asian Salad Dressing in under 5 minutes and keep it stored for up to 2 weeks! It’s a sweet and tangy dressing perfect for using in salads, as a marinade, or dipping sauce.

Other healthy salad dressings we love is this balsamic vinaigrette and Japanese carrot ginger dressing!

Asian salad dressing in mason jar with sesame seeds.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe
The Ingredients and Substitutions
How to Make Asian Salad Dressing
Variations
How to Use This Dressing?
Storage Instructions
More Healthy Salad Dressings

This Asian salad dressing is light, flavorful and so much healthier than any store bought dressing!

It combines fresh flavors of ginger, sesame, and rice vinegar with a touch of maple syrup. It skips high sugars, sodium, and preservatives.

Sometimes when we do our best to eat healthy by eating more healthy salads, we forget that pouring an unhealthy dressing overtop defeats the purpose.

Well, this salad dressing recipe is the answer to that because it is healthy plus so tasty.

This means you can load up your plate with more fresh and crunchy Asian chopped salad and not worry about how much dressing you’re using.

It’s a budget-friendly way to elevate your salads, use on vegetables like cauliflower stir fry, and even use for grilled chicken breast marinade!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Light and fresh: Not bogged down with heavy oils, fats, or sugars.
Meal prep friendly: This lasts for up 2 weeks, which makes it a great make-ahead dressing.
Flavorful: This salad dressing combines sweet, salty, and zesty ingredients.
Simple pantry staples: Makes whipping this dressing up super convenient.

The Ingredients and Substitutions

Liquid aminos, maple syrup, rice vinegar, toasted sesame oil, ginger, garlic, olive oil and sesame seeds.

This recipe is so simple to make and uses ingredients you probably already have on hand!

Soy sauce: I use liquid aminos because they are non-GMO plus naturally gluten free. Their sodium content is on par with regular soy sauce. So if you use light soy sauce, you will have to double the amount or use it to taste.
Maple syrup: This is my preference because it dissolves quickly in vinaigrette. It is also vegan friendly! You can also use honey, agave, brown rice syrup, or any liquid sweetener of your choice.
Vinegar: Unseasoned rice vinegar also known as rice wine vinegar is traditional in Asian cooking. If you do not have it on hand, use any light color vinegar like apple cider vinegar, white wine, or white vinegar. You can even use fresh lemon juice or lime juice in a pinch.
Sesame oil: Toasted sesame oil gives this Asian salad dressing recipe its Asian-inspired notes. It’s OK to not use toasted sesame oil. Just use extra olive oil instead and toast the sesame seeds in a skillet, unless you buy them toasted.
Olive oil: I use extra virgin olive oil as it is a healthy. It is recommended to buy oil that comes in a dark glass bottle and store it away from direct sunlight.
Fresh ginger and garlic: These are traditionally used in Asian cooking. But you can use either or omit both. You can also use 1 tsp each dried, taste and adjust.
Sesame seeds: If you do not have any, it is fine. If you have some, toasted sesame seeds add extra flavor.

How to Make Asian Salad Dressing

Making healthy salad dressings at home shouldn’t be complicated and this is a good example of a simple recipe that adds major flavor!

Soy sauce, maple syrup, vinegar, olive oil, sesame oil, sesame seeds, garlic and ginger in bowl.

Add all ingredients to a bowl: This includes the soy sauce, maple syrup, vinegar, olive oil, sesame oil, sesame seeds, garlic and ginger.

Whisk. You can also use a jar with a lid and shake. Make sure the lid screws on tightly and doesn’t leak. Also, storage glass containers with snap-on plastic lids work well.

Jar with salad dressing and golden spoon.

Taste and adjust: Give the dressing a small taste and adjust the saltiness, tanginess, or sweetness to preference.

Use immediately or store in the refrigerator to allow flavors to meld together!

Variations

Ramp up the flavor of this simple Asian vinaigrette or dial it down a bit. It’s up to you and your taste buds.

Add a tablespoon of peanut butter to make it creamy.
Make it spicy with red pepper flakes, Dijon mustard, or a bit of sriracha.
Adjust the tangy zest by exploring the ratio of oil to vinegar. Use less vinegar for less of a tang, and more for a sharper flavor.
Use coconut aminos in place of liquid aminos or soy sauce for paleo friendly.
Green onions added to the dressing give it a nice fresh taste.

How to Use This Dressing?

Noodles: Whole wheat or soba noodles with peanuts, cilantro, green onion, and shredded carrots. Try zoodle pad Thai with zucchini noodles!
Marinade: Marinate any meat in it for as little as 1 hour.
Cucumbers: Thinly slice a lot of cucumbers, pour Asian dressing on top and there is your Asian cucumber salad.
Dip: Use it as a dip for a raw veggie platter or pan fried tofu.
Salads: Use in Asian chopped salad, in slaw, or over any leafy green including spinach, kale, or romaine lettuce. I love to swap the dressing for this in Thai chicken salad and Thai cucumber salad.

Slaw in a bowl with asian salad dressing and sesame seeds.

Storage Instructions

Make ahead: Homemade vinaigrettes are great for meal prep and keep well in the refrigerator for 2 weeks. Anything longer than that, the dressing does not taste as fresh. Shake or stir before each use.

If Asian dressing solidified in the fridge it is because of oils. Place the jar in a bowl with warm water for a few minutes or leave it on a counter for 30 minutes.

More Healthy Salad Dressings

Browse through all my favorite healthy salad dressings!