Creamy Sesame Dressing

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• Why You'll Love This Sesame Dressing
• Ingredients
• Variations and Substitutions
• Step-by-Step Instructions
• Serving Suggestions
• Make-Ahead Options and Storing
• FAQs
• More Salad Dressings
• 📖 Recipe

Why You'll Love This Sesame Dressing

Amazing flavor - The ingredients in this dressing pack a lot of flavor and it will shine in any salad! It's salty, savory, umami, and a little spicy. It goes with fresh veggie salads, roasted vegetables, fish, chicken, meats, tofu, or you can drizzle it over rice bowls, quinoa, or anything else!

Easy and simple - The recipe has just 9 simple ingredients like mayo, tamari, sesame oil, garlic, and ginger. It comes together in just 5 minutes, and you can easily double or triple the recipe if you're meal prepping! It stores quite well and makes preparing quick salads so easy!

Ingredients

• Mayonnaise - The base of this dressing is mayonnaise, which makes it extra creamy. I like using olive or avocado oil mayonnaise, but vegan mayo works great too. Japanese kewpie mayo is a classic and a great option for dressings like this one, but I usually don't have it on hand, so I used regular mayo.
• Tamari - Tamari is very similar to soy sauce, but it's only made from soybeans, so it's gluten-free. It has a richer, more umami flavor than regular soy sauce, but they can be used interchangeably.
• Toasted sesame oil - This oil has a dark brown color and a very strong sesame flavor so you only need a little bit. It's much more potent than raw sesame oil which is very light in color and flavor. The two cannot be used interchangeably.
• Rice vinegar - Look for unseasoned rice vinegar. Seasoned vinegar has unnecessary salt and sugar, which are already added here with tamari and honey.
• Honey - I like honey the best here, you can't taste it too much, but it balances everything well. well. You can also use a different sweetener, like maple syrup or cane sugar.
• Ginger and garlic - You can use fresh minced garlic and fresh ginger, garlic and ginger from a tube, or my favorite, garlic juice. I like bottled garlic juice because it lasts in the fridge for a while, and it doesn't change the texture of the dressing.
• Hot sauce - I used gochujang sauce here, but chili garlic sauce or even sriracha are both great options too.

Variations and Substitutions

• Greek yogurt - If you don't want to use mayo, you can add full-fat Greek yogurt instead. Keep in mind this will change the flavor, and the dressing might be looser and less creamy. Alternatively, you can also go half and half for a slightly lighter version!
• Soy sauce - While I always recommend tamari, you can use soy sauce if that's what you have on hand.
• Make it vegan - You can use vegan mayo and maple syrup instead of honey to make this dressing vegan-friendly.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Add all the ingredients into a jar or a bowl.
2. Whisk the mixture until everything is well combined. The mayonnaise acts as an emulsifier, so there's no need to add everything in stages like you would do with a vinaigrette.

3. Add more toasted sesame oil or tamari to taste if needed.
4. Drizzle over your salad right away or store it in a jar in the fridge until ready to use.

Serving Suggestions

• Salads and bowls - This dressing is delicious on any salads, rice bowls, quinoa bowls, or any other grain. It's great on any cucumber or carrot salad. In the photos, I'm drizzling it over a bowl of mesclun, carrots, cabbage, tangerines, steamed edamame, and roasted broccoli. Try it in my Kale Sweet Potato Salad or in this Roasted Broccoli Salad (instead of the almond dressing)!
• Roasted vegetables - This dressing is absolutely delicious on roasted veggies like broccoli, bell peppers, zucchini, eggplant, asparagus, or red onion.
• Fish, meat, or tofu - Drizzle the dressing over roasted salmon, chicken, pork, beef, or crispy tofu for some umami flavor. Try it in my Salmon Kale Salad!
• Marinades - If you want to use this as a marinade for things like chicken or fish, I recommend using regular raw sesame oil instead of toasted sesame oil because it has a higher smoke point and it's meant for cooking. You can then drizzle the toasted sesame oil lightly over your meal instead.

Make-Ahead Options and Storing

While you can use the dressing right away, you can also let it cool in the fridge for 30 minutes or so before serving. The dressing becomes looser as you whisk it, so putting it in the fridge thickens it a little bit.

The dressing can be stored in a jar or an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days so it's great for meal prep and making ahead.

FAQs

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📖 Recipe