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This easy homemade Sesame Dressing Recipe is made with just 5 easy pantry ingredients. This dazzling, Asian-style vinaigrette will spruce up leafy greens, cabbage slaws, vegetables, and appetizers.
This sesame seed-speckled vinaigrette has a perfectly balanced sweet-and-salty taste thanks to an easy combination of soy sauce, brown sugar, vinegar, and extra virgin olive oil.
Drizzle the dressing over grilled tuna, thinly sliced beef, cold chunks of cucumbers, blanched asparagus, or a bowl of chilled noodles, chicken, and veggies. You can also use it as a dipping sauce for gyoza dumplings or dress shredded cabbage for a fantastic no-mayo Asian slaw.
Because this Asian vinaigrette is a basic recipe, you can dress it up by adding a little ginger, maybe some scallions, or sesame oil. But chances are you’ll love it as much as I do, just the way it is.
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Brown sugar: Or substitute honey or maple syrup.
- Red wine vinegar: Or substitute rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar.
- Sesame seeds: To toast the sesame seeds, in a medium pan over medium heat, heat them until golden brown and fragrant, stirring occasionally, about 3-5 minutes.
Step-by-step instructions
- In a small bowl with a whisk or a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine brown sugar, olive oil, vinegar, sesame seeds, and soy sauce.
- If you’re going to use the dressing right away, let it sit out on the counter to let the flavors meld. Otherwise, store it in the refrigerator and shake it up again before you use it.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This Sesame Dressing recipe makes about 1 ½ cups of dressing, enough for 12 servings, 2 tablespoons each.
- Storage: Store covered in the fridge for up to 4 days. Shake or whisk vigorously before using to recombine.
- Make ahead: I like to make a double batch of the recipe (for about 3 cups total) and keep it in a jar for the week ahead. But it’s easy to whip up even on the fly, especially if you have toasted sesame seeds ready.
- Grind the seeds: A fun way to make a creamy sesame vinaigrette without mayo is by grinding the toasted sesame seeds before adding them to the dressing. Pulverize using a mortar and pestle or spice grinder (I use a small coffee grinder reserved just for spices) until smooth. The ground seeds will thicken the dressing somewhat.
- Ginger: With ginger, this simple Japanese salad dressing gets even better. Mix in some grated fresh ginger to really make the dressing pop! Use a fine grater like a Microplane to do this.
- Black sesame seeds: If you have black sesame seeds, add some to provide some visual contrast with the white sesame seeds.
- Garlic: A little garlic goes a long way here, but try a clove of grated raw garlic if you like. Or, substitute 1 tsp garlic paste (from the tube) or add garlic powder to taste.
- Scallions: Use the whole green onion (or fresh chives) to boost the soy-sesame flavors. Finely chopped work best.
- Mayonnaise: Make a creamy sesame dressing by adding a teaspoon or two of mayonnaise.
- Spicy: Make a spicier dressing by adding sriracha or red chili flakes.
- Low sodium: Low-sodium soy sauce is an easy swap in this recipe if you’re monitoring your salt intake. Personally, it’s all I ever buy because it’s easy to get plenty of salt in other things.
Frequently Asked Questions
The only ingredient with gluten potential here is the soy sauce. Choose gluten-free tamari if you’re trying to avoid gluten (always read your labels).
You are more than welcome to blend this dressing in a food processor or blender. Just wait to add the sesame seeds until you’re done blending.
This creamy condiment is made with tahini for a thick texture and extra body. It also has a few tablespoons rice vinegar.
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Sesame Dressing Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup brown sugar (see note 1)
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar (see note 2)
- 1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds (see note 3)
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
Instructions
- In a small bowl with a whisk, or in a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine brown sugar, olive oil, vinegar, sesame seeds, and soy sauce.
- If you're going to use the dressing right away, let it sit out on the counter to let the flavors meld. Otherwise, store it in the refrigerator and shake it up again before you use it.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Brown sugar: Or substitute honey or maple syrup.
- Red wine vinegar: Or substitute rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar.
- Sesame seeds: To toast the sesame seeds, in a medium skillet over medium heat, heat them until golden brown and fragrant, stirring occasionally, about 3-5 minutes.
- Yield: This Sesame Dressing recipe makes about 1 ½ cups of dressing, enough for 12 servings, 2 tablespoons each.
- Storage: Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Shake or whisk vigorously before using to recombine.
Nutrition
Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.