Sesame Ginger Dressing
This flavorful sesame ginger dressing is sweet, tangy, umami, and slightly spicy. It is so versatile and can be used as salad dressing, marinade for fish, tofu, chicken or as a stir fry sauce for your favorite vegetables. Make this for when you need to dress up any protein you plan on cooking. I keep a jar of this in my fridge for those nights when my meals need an added boost of flavor!
What Makes This Sesame Ginger Dressing SO Good?
Well, where do I begin? Let’s get down to the basics.
In my opinion, all good dressings or marinades need a vinegar component, some brightness from minced garlic and of course some sweetness.
This Sesame Ginger dressing uses honey for the sweetener, but you could use agave or maple syrup to make it vegan.
I love how simple this dressing recipe is! You only need a few ingredients to make it, and I bet you already have most of them in your pantry.
Coconut Aminos is a great soy free alternative to soy sauce. It is still savory and salty, but a tad bit sweet as well.
Rice Vinegar is an important component to this dressing because it slightly acidic and great for savory and sweet dishes. It will help break down the honey and make everything nice and smooth.
Sesame Oil is a classic in Asian recipes. It is slightly nutty, sweet and adds depth of flavor to your dish.
Honey is the only sweetener in this recipe. You can always use agave or maple syrup if that is what you have on hand. But honey really is so perfect for this marinade!
Ginger is so flavorful and adds a great ZING to this dish. I love freshly grated ginger because of how bright and amazing it is. You can use pickled ginger if that is what you have on hand, but freshly grated ginger just hits different.
Garlic is a staple in all my Asian cooking dishes and marinades. It is so classic and helps with boosting flavor and aromatics in my dishes.
How To Make Sesame Ginger Dressing
Start by mincing the garlic and chop the green onions.
That’s it! Now they are ready to use!
Ways to Use This Versatile Dressing and Marinade
Salad Dressing: might be one of the most common ways is to dress a refreshing crunchy salad. Whether you choose to top it with your favorite protein or just enjoy it as it is, this sesame ginger dressing will give you that flavor explosion!
Marinade for just about any protein: The sweet, savory and complex flavor profile of this sesame ginger marinade is perfect for chicken, tofu, salmon, shrimp, you name it. Let the protein sit in the marinade to soak up all the flavor for at least 30 minutes before you cook them up.
Stir Fry Sauce: I often divide up the sauce and use half as the marinade, half as the stir fry sauce. When you add a little bit of cornstarch slurry to thicken it up, it becomes thick, sticky and coats your stir fry with depth of flavors. So delicious!
Noodle Sauce: Simply cook your favorite noodles according to the package directions and then mix it up with this dressing. Either add proteins like chicken, tofu, salmon or a fried egg, or just enjoy it as it is.
Dumpling dipping sauce: The base for this sauce is vinegar and coconut aminos. The perfect dumpling dipping sauce if you ask me! Try it with my parents’ authentic dumpling recipe.
How to Store Homemade Sesame Ginger Dressing
You can keep this Sesame Ginger dressing in the fridge in an air tight jar for up to a week.
When you are ready to use your dressing, simply add to a bag with your protein to marinade or you can drizzle it over a beautiful salad for a little something extra!
If you love crunchy salads with a sesame forward dressing, be sure to check out my Chinese Broccoli Salad.
It is fresh, colorful, bright and so crunchy! This dressing will be the best for those days when you need to boost the flavor of any savory dish for lunch or dinner.
Get the recipe:Sesame Ginger Dressing
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup coconut aminos
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 tbsp sesame oil
- 2 tbsp honey
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp ginger, freshly grated
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds
- 2 stalks green onion, chopped small
Instructions
- Peel the skin of ginger, grate it with cheese grate or lemon zester.
- Mince the garlic. and thinly slice the green onion.
- In a jar, mix all the ingredients togehter.
The Nutrition Facts above are specific to the ingredients I chose to use for this recipe, which may vary.
