Sensational Sesame Miso Vinaigrette and Marinade

Name: Sensational Sesame Miso Vinaigrette and Marinade
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon sesame seeds; 2 tablespoons white miso; 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil, (or regular sesame oil, or 1 tablespoon of each); 1/3 cup rice vinegar; 6 tablespoons olive oil, (extra virgin); 1 tablespoon honey, (or rice syrup or maple syrup for vegan diet); ½ teaspoon sea salt

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

This Sesame Miso Vinaigrette and Marinade is a full-flavoured salad dressing made with sesame oil, rice vinegar, white miso and honey or maple syrup. It adds amazing flavour to salads. It's great on grilled meats and vegetables, too. A quick 5-minute creamy miso dressing!

Five minutes, a quick whisk and you'll have a sensational miso dressing ready for salads and more!

When I was creating my Asparagus Salad with Smoked Salmon recipe I knew the Sesame Miso Vinaigrette I made for it was going to become a favourite. In fact, I liked it so much I decided it deserved a post of its own.

It's a full-flavoured dressing that will enhance any salad. Mellow sesame, salty miso and sweet honey combine with rice vinegar to make a perfectly balanced vinaigrette.

Jump to:

❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
🛒Ingredients
🔪Step-by-Step Instructions
❓What is miso?
🔁 Possible variations
🍽 So many ways to use sesame miso dressing!
How to store miso dressing
🗒 More recipes for salads and dressings
📖 Recipe Card

❤️ Why you'll love this recipe

It raises simple coleslaw to new heights in this recipe for Cabbage Coleslaw with Sesame Miso Dressing!
Broccoli salad gets a major facelift in this Broccoli Quinoa Salad with Sesame Miso Dressing.
This sesame miso vinaigrette works as a marinade, too. It makes grilled mushrooms something to write home about.
Drizzle it on roasted sweet potatoes, smashed sweet potatoes, grilled asparagus, or zucchini noodles. Recently I used it to make Sesame Miso Air Fryer Asparagus!

Can you tell I'm obsessed?

🛒Ingredients

Here are a few notes about the ingredients you'll need to make this amazing sesame miso dressing. You'll find a complete list with quantities in the recipe card below.

sesame seeds: white
white miso: sometimes called sweet miso or mellow miso, it has a milder flavour than other types of miso. It is fermented for a shorter time and is lower in salt. It's ideal in this dressing.
toasted sesame oil: or regular sesame oil. Toasted sesame oil has a more complex flavour than regular sesame oil, making it the perfect choice for this dressing. However, if you don't have it, you can certainly use regular sesame oil. If you find it too strongly flavoured, feel free to use part toasted sesame oil and part regular sesame oil.
rice vinegar: has a subtle flavour and is less acidic than distilled vinegar.
honey: adds a mellow sweetness. Feel free to substitute maple syrup to make a vegan miso dresing.
olive oil: extra virgin
salt: I use sea salt in all my recipes, but you can use your favourite salt. Always start with a very small amount, as you can always add more if you need to. Miso is naturally salty, so you won't need to add much salt.

🔪Step-by-Step Instructions

This Sesame Miso Dressing and Marinade is a 5-minute wonder!

Toss some sesame seeds in a small skillet and toast just until they start to brown.
Whisk the miso, sesame oil, rice vinegar, olive oil, honey and sea salt.
Add the toasted seeds and make an everyday salad something to remember!

sesame seeds in a skillet — 1. Toast sesame seeds.

whisking sesame miso ingredients together — 1. Toast sesame seeds.

Do you like making your own vinaigrettes? For a complete guide to making your own healthy salad dressings and seven more delicious homemade salad dressing and vinaigrette recipes, check How to Make Homemade Salad Dressing.

❓What is miso?

What is miso? What's the difference between white miso and red miso?

Miso is a fermented paste made from soybeans. It has been used in Japanese cooking for hundreds of years. It gives food an earthy, salty flavour that is sometimes even described as funky.

If you're familiar with umami flavours, (those brothy, meaty savoury tastes) miso is one of those! It's difficult to describe, but it adds rich flavour to recipes, and especially to this miso dressing.

This recipe uses white miso. It is not usually white, but can range from white to beige or light brown. White miso is made by fermenting soybeans with rice. It's best used in recipes for condiments, dressings or dips. For example, I used it in the dip in this recipe for Blistered Shishito Peppers with Miso Aioli Dip.

Red miso has a much stronger flavour and colour because it has been fermented with barley or other grains. It's best used in soups or stews. You can learn more about the different types of miso in this article, What's the Diffference between White, Yellow and Red Miso?

close up view of a jar of miso dressing with sesame seeds

🔁 Possible variations

Like a thicker, creamier dressing or dip? Feel free to whisk in a few tablespoons of mayonnaise. Serve this miso dip with fresh veggies, raw asparagus spears or raw kohlrabi sticks. Try it with Air Fryer Shishito Peppers!

🍽 So many ways to use sesame miso dressing!

Besides tossing it with your favourite green salad, this creamy miso dressing is absolutely delicious on buddha bowls or with all of the following recipes.

Asparagus Salad with Smoked Salmon

Fresh Veggie and Grilled Shrimp Zoodle Bowl

Cabbage Coleslaw with Sesame Miso Dressing

Broccoli Quinoa Salad with Sesame Miso Vinaigrette

How to store miso dressing

Store leftover dressing in a jar or covered container in the fridge. It will last for several days. Just give it a shake or whisk it together when it separates.

When you make this miso dressing, please leave a comment and a rating below. I'd love to hear how you used it. Thanks in advance!

🗒 More recipes for salads and dressings

This recipe was originally published in 2016. It has been updated with new photos and extra information.

📖 Recipe Card