Miso Salad Dressing With Sesame & Ginger

All you need to make this miso salad dressing are 7 simple, pantry-friendly ingredients:

1. Olive Oil: I like to use either a high-quality extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil as the base of this recipe. Avocado oil has a more neutral flavour, but both pair well with the rest of the ingredients.
2. Toasted Sesame Oil: This oil is made from toasted sesame seeds and adds that perfect touch of sesame flavour to this recipe. Toasted sesame oil (versus regular sesame oil) has a more concentrated flavour and is better as a finishing/dressing oil versus a cooking oil.
3. Rice Vinegar: Rice vinegar is commonly used in East Asian cuisine. It’s made from fermented rice and has a mild and subtle acidic flavour. If you don’t have rice vinegar, you could try swapping it with white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar instead.
4. Miso Paste: Miso is a traditional Japanese seasoning made from fermented soybeans. It adds a fantastic salty, umami flavour to so many recipes. It’s one of my personal flavour enhancers to use in my cooking! I typically go for a lighter-coloured variety, like a white or yellow miso, as they’re a bit milder in taste. Miso will usually be stored in the refrigerated section of your grocery store.
5. Ground Ginger: While you may use freshly grated ginger, ground ginger is a bit quicker to use and easier to measure!
6. Garlic Powder: Likewise, garlic powder is quicker to use than fresh garlic cloves. It also blends more seamlessly into the dressing. That said, you can use fresh garlic cloves if needed. I’d start with 1-2 large ones, depending on how garlicky you like things. That said, garlic is not meant to be super overpowering in this salad dressing.
7. Hot Water: Added to thin out the dressing AND to help break down the miso paste when whisking, providing a smoother texture. You may use freshly boiled water from the kettle or hot water from the tap.

Looking for a thicker, creamier version of this recipe? You can swap the olive/avocado oil with tahini instead, just like I’ve done in this tofu salad with a miso tahini dressing! Simply use 1/2 a cup of tahini in place of the avocado or olive oil, but keep the toasted sesame oil for that sesame flavour.

Full ingredient measurements and detailed instructions are located in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post!

You can keep this salad dressing for up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator. Be sure to store it in an airtight container or jar with a lid.

Separation and hardening while in the fridge is normal. Simply take the dressing out of the fridge before you prep the rest of your salad. It’ll soften up – just give it a good shake before using!

I originally made this miso dressing with my fan-favourite warm mushroom salad recipe (pictured below) and I’ve also used it for my quinoa edamame salad!

That said, you can use this versatile dressing in SO many other ways. Think of salad ingredients that go well with Asian flavours, such as:

• leafy greens, like spinach or kale
• shredded carrots
• thinly sliced cucumbers
• broccoli florets (raw, roasted, or sautéed)
• edamame
• shredded cabbage
• avocado
• cooked mushrooms
• diced celery
• beets (raw or steamed)
• grains, like wild rice, farro, or quinoa
• cold soba noodles
• chopped green onions
• seeds, like pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds, sunflower seeds, and toasted sesame seeds
• cooked proteins, like shrimp, tofu, or chicken

Because miso paste is made by fermenting soybeans, it’s a natural source of beneficial gut microbes that appear to play a role in many aspects of human health.

Miso is also rich in vitamins and minerals, such as: 

• manganese
• vitamin K
• copper
• zinc

Please note that miso does contain a fair amount of sodium, so you likely will not need to add much extra salt to this recipe.

Not sure what else to do with miso paste? Don’t let that container go to waste! Check out my roundup of miso recipes for more inspiration.

• Maple Dijon Vinaigrette
• Go-To Balsamic Vinaigrette
• Vegan Cashew Caesar Dressing
• Vegan Avocado Green Goddess Dressing
• Strawberry Basil Balsamic Vinaigrette

Did you give this Miso Salad Dressing Recipe a try? Let me know by leaving a comment and recipe rating below!

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