Delicious homemade sesame vinaigrette salad dressing is ready in 5 minutes for your vegetable and pasta salads. Plus, it makes a great marinade for grilling and roasting!
The standard salad dressings in our house are no-brainer vinaigrettes (and it's variations), honey mustard, and our favorite ranch. But every now and then it's nice to mix it up and bring something new to the table, right?
One time I used my stash of dried tomatoes for a fun vinaigrette that is so good on a pasta salad. Another time I took a favorite 'French' dressing from my college days and made it a bit healthier.
So when my daughter tried a sesame salad dressing, decided she loved it, and then begged me to come up with a homemade version, of course I went for it! It seemed like a great dressing to have on hand for Asian noodle salads as well as regular salads.
What we found out was, yes, it was good on those things - but it was also amazing as a marinade for chicken and fish. Wow. I marinated it in the dressing for about an hour before grilling and then brushed more on in the last minutes of cooking. SO good.
Sesame Vinaigrette Salad Dressing & Marinade
To try and recreate the dressing my daughter loved, I started by looking at the ingredient lists of a couple store-bought versions we had tried and liked (Annie's and Newman's, I think). Then I did a bit of experimenting, eventually coming up with a recipe I thought was really good.
Note: the one thing you'll notice in store-bought dressings is two things: sugars and thickeners/fillers. I always err on the side of less sweetener and with thickeners, it's like we Americans are scared of runny dressings or something. So.many.thickeners. I personally don't like the thickness of most dressings - they glop onto the salad and then refuse to mix nicely, leaving some vegetables bare and some overloaded. I never try to replicate that in homemade salad dressings, and if I do want it thicker I add just a small amount of corn or potato starch or arrowroot powder. If you'd like them thicker, feel free to add more.
Okay, I thought it was good, but would it pass our daughter's taste test? I was actually a little nervous when I first watched her try it, ha! The verdict?
She loved it and blessed me with a hugh and a kiss. Whew, score one for mom!
Ingredients notes:
- Many soy sauces you find in the stores contain preservatives and sometimes sugar and caramel colors. I steer clear of these, preferring Trader Joe's Soy Sauce, or naturally brewed soy sauces like this one. If you're avoiding soy, you can substitute liquid aminos. If you're gluten-free, check out Tamari soy sauce which is traditionally made with little to no wheat (check labels).
- If using rice vinegar, avoid "seasoned" type, which just means added sugar. I do recommend pure rice vinegar since it is such a mild vinegar, but a good apple cider vinegar will work, too.
- My favorite thickener is potato starch - it's good for you and no worries about GMO.
Sesame Vinaigrette Salad Dressing & Marinade
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup rice or cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 clove garlic or about 1/2 tsp. minced
- 1 1/2 teaspoon sesame seeds
- 1 teaspoon honey or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon arrowroot powder, cornstarch, or potato starch (optional for thickening)
- 1/3 cup olive oil
Instructions
- Combine the first eight ingredients in a small bowl or glass measuring cup, whisking until well blended and the thickener is dissolved.
- Whisk in the olive oil, mix well and pour into a glass container to serve and store.
- Ideas for Serving: Use as a salad dressing for vegetable and pasta salads, slaws, and as a marinade for chicken and seafood (marinate in part of the vinaigrette for 2-3 hours before roasting or grilling, brush with more in the last few minutes of cooking).
Notes
Nutrition
Other homemade dressings you may like:
Note: this recipe was originally published in February of 2013 and has been updated with larger photos, pinnable image, clearer formatting, and printable recipe. Enjoy!
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Kristen Kemp says
I've used this dressing on salads, on hot steamed vegetables, and as a marinade for chicken thighs. It has worked out deliciously with every use! Thank you for a great recipe!
Jami says
I'm so glad you like this, Kristen - thank you SO much for leaving a review!
Barbara says
What happened to the 3 things posts? Last one on June 29. Really enjoyed those posts. Also looks like last several posts are repeats from the archives so I assume you may be on vacation.
Jami says
Yes - thank you for noticing Barbara. 🙂 I'm taking some time to do a bit of behind-the-scenes work since summer is typically slower. Do you get the newsletter? I write that each week and it is a lot like the Three Things posts.
FYI, the repeats I'm pulling from the archives are actually updates - the photos on some of my 2009-2011 articles are so bad that I really can't share them on Pinterest or social media. But they are some of my favorite recipes, so I'm working on getting them all updated so they can be found more easily. 🙂
LindaO says
Have just made this for our salad for tea tonight. Delicious!
Love your recipes! Thanks heaps!
Grisel @ Living Life 2 Its Fullest says
This sounds really good, I'm gonna have to try it!
Crystal says
Never tried sesame dressing, but I will definately try your recipe! Thanks 🙂
Tami says
I have never tried a sesame dressing before but can't wait to try your recipe!
I was looking at the winter meals ebook and I was wondering when you saute corn and peppers how exactly you go about that and what do you add (oil, salt?)? My corn was blanched and frozen.....is that what you use? I have never sauted corn before only cooked it in a bit of water so I am not sure.......thanks!
Jami says
Oh, Tami, I think you will enjoy your preserved corn this way! I always start with a bit of olive oil and a bit of butter - 1 TB each? - and chopped 1/4 to 1/2 of an onion and cook it for about 5 minutes before adding the partially frozen corn and chopped peppers (can be frozen, too, from the garden!) - but you don't have to use peppers, it can just be corn with the bit of onion. Season with salt and pepper (sometimes I add a minced clove of garlic with the onion, depending on what I'm serving them with or even taco seasonings/chili powder). You can also cook them this way and add some chopped tomato, etc. The corn only needs 5- 10 minutes of sauteing and it's really tasty!
Luisa says
This sounds great I'll have to try it with my spinach salad.
Mindy says
Yummy! Pinning this one.