Hi everyone. It’s time to go back to the basics on Ambitious Kitchen. Over the next month or so, I’m going to be introducing a few simple recipes you can use over and over again. First up: this deliciously creamy homemade sesame ginger dressing!
This easy ginger dressing is officially my new favorite chicken marinade, salad dressing and even a delicious stir fry sauce. I came up with it one night after marinating chicken thighs for grilling, and then the next day I made it again and threw it in an upcoming brussels salad recipe.
Am I addicted? Yup.
Ingredients in sesame ginger dressing
- Toasted sesame oil: this recipe calls for toasted sesame oil, which has much more distinctive flavor than regular sesame oil. I highly recommend using it in this recipe. MY FAVORITE.
- Olive oil: to neutralize the flavor, I also used olive oil in this dressing. Extra virgin olive oil is best!
- Soy sauce: you have the option of using reduced sodium soy sauce, tamari (gluten free soy sauce), or coconut aminos in this recipe.
- Rice vinegar: my favorite vinegar to use in this ginger dressing is always rice vinegar. It’s a little more traditional and mild in flavor.
- Pure maple syrup: every dressing needs a little bit of sweetness to help cut the acidity. If you don’t want to use pure maple syrup, you can use 1 tablespoon of honey, but I think the maple offers a better flavor profile in this recipe.
- Garlic: you know, because garlic makes the world go round.
- Ginger: this is the star of the recipe, and freshly grated ginger is best.
- Tahini: adding tahini to the recipe helps to create a creaminess. It’s completely optional, but I do recommend it!
How to make sesame ginger dressing
You can make this dressing a few different ways! The best part though? IT’S EASY.
- Option 1: simply add all ingredients to a medium bowl and whisk together until smooth and emulsified.
- Option 2: the second way is to add the ingredients to a mason jar or this AWESOME salad shaker and shake to combine.
- Option 3: the final way to make the dressing is to add everything to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
Ways to use sesame ginger dressing
- Use this dressing recipe as a chicken, tofu or salmon marinade. Place protein in a large bowl, then pour dressing over the top. Allow chicken to marinade for up to 8 hours, then pan fry, bake or grill. Yum!
- Use it as salad dressing. We have a fabulous recipe coming up that uses this dressing, but you can use it on just about anything — think quinoa salads, coleslaw, crunchy cabbage salads or even broccoli salad.
- A delicious stir fry sauce. Try it with this kung pao brussels stir fry or on any stir fry of choice. Use a tablespoon or cornstarch or arrowroot starch if you want to thicken it up while it heats.
We hope you love this delicious sesame ginger dressing as much as we do! Don’t forget to check out our other healthy salad dressings.
If you make this easy sesame ginger dressing recipe, please be sure to leave a comment below and rate the recipe so we know how you liked it. Thanks for your readership. xo!
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
Sesame Ginger Dressing
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce (or sub coconut aminos)
- 2-3 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 ½ tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1 tablespoon freshly minced ginger
- Optional if you want a creamy dressing: add 1 tablespoon tahini or cashew butter
Instructions
- Make the dressing by whisking together the following in a medium bowl or shaking in a mason jar: sesame oil, olive oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar, maple syrup, garlic and fresh ginger. If you want a creamier dressing, add in a tablespoon of tahini or cashew butter.
Nutrition
I have followed Ambitious Kitchen I believe since it began. You can always find a recipe that fits your tastes and diet !!! I love how the recipes are so colorful and full of nutrition. Also the instructions are not overwhelming.
Thank you!!!!
Aw, thank you for supporting all of these years, Marie! So happy to hear that you’ve been loving the recipes here 🙂
Absolutely delicious
Glad you enjoyed!
This is amazing! Nearly identical to my favourite sushi restaurant!
So happy to hear that!
Delicious and very easy to make!
Delicious. I added a touch more maple syrup and salt and pepper. I served at a potluck and my salad was gobbled up! Thank you!
Perfect! I’m glad it was a hit!
I had some homemade ginger/lemon jelly that I wanted to use, so I skipped the maple syrup and ginger, and and put in about 2 Tbsp of the jelly. Probably could have still added some of the fresh ginger. Didn’t have tahini, and I think that would have improved it. But it turned out great anyway
I would recommend using even less rice vinegar than Monique recommends if you’re not a big vinegar fan. Still great on the sesame chicken salad though!
SO good! Does this dressing need to be stored in refrigerator and how long does it last?
Yes, store it in an airtight container in the fridge! It should last about 5 or so days.
I have made this dressing so many times and absolutely love it. My question to you is how do I thin it? Mine always is very thick and get stuck in the jar.
So strange! Are you adding tahini to it? The oils, rice vinegar, and soy sauce should keep the dressing pretty thin and pour-able, but a little warm water will thin it as well.
Perfection!
Absolutely delicious! I was looking for a recipe to mimic my favorite asian restaurant and this recipe went above and beyond. I actually didn’t have any ginger so I used ginger powder and even with that is was phenomenal. 1000/10 recommend.
So good! Glad you enjoyed 🙂
Excellent recipe. Add the Tahini…makes it even better.
Agreed!!
I really enjoyed this dressing over a simple salad of iceberg lettuce, grated carrot, edamame beans, and cucumber. I tried it with tahini and look forward to trying it without next time for a change!
Delicious! Glad you enjoyed!
I am desperately wanting to switch to vegan diet but the recipes are all so overwhelming ingredients that are so unusual. I love the simplicity of ingredients & how perfectly instructed. Thank you !
So glad you’re finding recipes here that you love! Check out all of my vegan recipes here 🙂
This is a great recipe! I just smash the garlic instead of having diced garlic everywhere. I like that olive oil is used to neutralize the sesame oil which can be strong. I also skip the ginger because it can be overwhelming.
This one’s great for customizing! Glad you like it 🙂
This is a great recipe! I like that olive oil is used to neutralize the sesame oil, which can be too overwhelming alone. I just put smashed garlic in so there aren’t pieces of garlic everywhere and also skip the ginger. Guessing it could taste different based up the maple syrup used; mine is mild.
Love this recipe. I used some extra tahini and blended it all in a blender. Next time I’ll make a larger batch!
Perfect! Yes, this one’s great to have on hand!
Doubled this recipe (without tahini) as a marinade for tofu which I baked until almost crispy and will use in pad Thai. Absolutely, wonderfully delicious! So balanced! So easy! Thanks so much – this is a keeper that is use time and time again!!
Hi! What is the serving size?
Hi! It’s about 1.5-2 tablespoons.
The recipe is delicious and healthy, lots of prep work which is something I’m not used to. I would make this again, however I wrote the recipe on a recipe card because I absolutely hate that there are so many adds that continually pop up while I’m trying to read and the page constantly jumps around. Overall very frustrating.
So sorry to hear that the page was jumping! We’re constantly working to improve the user experience here and have passed along your feedback. For any recipes you can also click “Print Recipe” in the recipe card itself to print it for later!
Delicious dressing and easy to whip up!
YUM! So glad this turned out great for you!
I figured it out!!? One page. Thank you
I love the look of the recipe. But I would really like to be able to print a simplified version. I may be too “challenged”. It was going to be 4 or 6 pages
love the sesame ginger dressing. I wanted something light and spicy for kelp noodle salad rather than peanut. I was liberal with the ginger and dressed with chives as I have a “no garlic” friend. Delicious on green salad too. Thank you!
Ahh love this so much! Glad you found this recipe and it turned out great for you!
What salad is pictured in this post?
This dressing is AMAZING. I used only 1 Tbs low sodium tamari and omitted the garlic. Dont skip the tahini! and I added a tiny bit of hot yuzu for spice…
YUM! SO good, glad you’re loving this recipe ❤️
Amazing!
Just made this dressing and it’s AMAZING; the flavours are perfectly balanced. Used honey instead of maple syrup bc that’s what I had on hand. Definitely making this again!
This dressing is soooooo good. I made it two weeks ago and have been making it every week since. Thanks so much! Such a staple for salads!
This is absolutely amazing!!! I love Asian Ginger dressing, which I normally buy in the store. I won’t be doing that anymore. This is the best ginger dressing I have ever tasted. This is my staple dressing because nothing else can beat the taste of this dressing. Thank you so much for providing this recipe.
I have made this several times. I triple the recipe. But it only stays fresh about 4-5 days in refrigerator. I can’t ever go back to bottled dressing again. Thank you for recipe
Such a good simple recipe! Made the dressing for low calorie poke bowls and was such a hit and took about two minutes to make. Thanks for making such delicious recipes that are so easy for busy people!!
Love that! Things one’s perfect with so many recipes.
Loved this recipe!! And this site. Lots of goodies!! Im gluten free, dairy free, sugar free and always struggle to find new things to make. This recipe was yummm!
Thanks so much, Candice!! SO happy you loved it 🙂
excellent combination of sweet and savory
Thanks, Jane! So glad you loved it 🙂
Absolutely delicious! I used it in a quinoa salad with lots of toasted nuts and seeds, greens, celery, red onion and fresh coriander. i didnt have rice vinegar (but have now bought to try for the next time) so used apple cider vinegar. i’m going to marinate some tofu in it tonight to have with noodles and cant wait to try it 🙂 I will be recommending this recipe to all who will listen. Thank you!
That salad sounds incredible! I’m so happy you loved it. I bet it would be amazing with the tofu and noodles, too!!
Thank you for sharing this life-changing dressing with the world! It makes my salads so much better.
Aw thank you! I’m so happy you love it so much!
Wonderful recipe! I use it a marinade for chicken and mushroom rice bowls. I omit the garlic and use almond butter instead of tahini. Does anyone think that substituting honey for maple syrup would work? I am fresh out.
Love that! Honey should work but you’ll likely need a bit less because honey is sweeter.