Creamy and Nutty Japanese Sesame Salad Dressing
This creamy and nutty Japanese sesame dressing takes just a few minutes to make and goes great with green salad. It will brighten your salad and add a pleasant aroma.
This Asian sesame salad dressing is a favorite in our family, especially in summer. My mom and I used to go to a local Japanese restaurant every other week and always ordered their green salad with toasted sesame dressing. This recipe is my homemade version of it.
The dressing is creamy since it is mayo-based, but it doesn’t feel heavy because the tanginess from rice vinegar brightens it up. It will make your bowl of green salad refreshing with a rich and nutty flavor and aroma from sesame seeds.
Ingredients
To make this tasty Japanese dressing, you will need the following ingredients:
- toasted sesame seeds: I use unhulled sesame seeds and toast them myself. They provide much more flavor and texture than hulled white sesame seeds.
- mayonnaise: I have made this dressing with both Western mayonnaise and Japanese mayonnaise (like Kewpie brand), and I personally prefer Western mayonnaise for this recipe.
- toasted sesame oil: the oil plays an important role in this recipe since it gives the dressing a distinctive nutty aroma. You can find it at Asian grocery stores or on Amazon (I use Kadoya brand).
- rice vinegar
- soy sauce: I use Kikkoman.
- honey
I once made a sesame dipping sauce with tahini for my lobster fresh spring rolls recipe, and it tasted great. So I think you can experiment and use tahini in place of sesame seeds.
Preparation
If you start with raw seeds like me, dry roast them in a skillet over medium heat for several minutes. Then use a pestle and mortar to crush and grind them. It’s okay if there are some intact seeds here and there.
The next step is just putting all ingredients in a mixing bowl and giving them a stir to combine. Very easy!
How to Serve Sesame Dressing on Salad
The green salad I often serve with this sesame mayo dressing consists of lettuce, cherry tomato, cucumber and boiled eggs. It’s fine if you don’t want to bother with boiling eggs. The salad will still taste great.
You can prepare the dressing ahead and keep it refrigerated for a couple of days. Since it’s quick to make, I usually make a small batch and use it right away or the next day.
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Sesame Salad Dressing
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1-2 teaspoons rice vinegar
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
Instructions
- Use a pestle and mortar to crush and grind the toasted sesame seeds. It is fine to have some intact seeds here and there.
- Add sesame seeds, mayonnaise, rice vinegar, soy sauce and honey to a mixing bowl. Stir to combine. Drizzle in sesame oil and stir to combine.
- Taste the dressing and adjust to your liking. Once you are happy with how it tastes, check the consistency. If it is too thick, you can add in just a bit of water (1/2 – 1 teaspoon) to adjust the consistency.
Great tasting
This is my first time making this, and it is so good. I will make it again this Sunday for my family, and friends. Thank you so much.
Hi Huong,
That is so great to hear! Thanks for letting me know. I hope your family and friends will also like it :).