Here’s an easy, delicious Miso Dressing recipe you’ll want to use repeatedly throughout the week! Made with ginger, garlic, miso paste, and sesame oil, use it to drizzle on salads, buddha bowls, or veggies. Vegan.
Why you’ll love this Miso Dressing!
This miso dressing recipe originates from our vegetarian restaurant. It is deliciously balanced and pairs well with many things! Miso paste and toasted sesame oil provide the backbone of flavor, creating a deep umami base, while ginger, garlic, and rice vinegar add brightness and punchy, tangy flavor. Maple syrup (or honey) rounds out the flavors, adding a hint of sweetness- the perfect balance!
It’s featured on our Miso Mushroom Bowls, and our Crunchy Asian Slaw, but lately, we often make double batches of it to spoon over warm roasted eggplant, or grilled zucchini- so simple and tasty!
It’s a lovely dressing to make ahead, for busy workweeks because you’ll find a myriad of uses for it during the week, whether it be lunch or dinner.
Why make homemade Salad Dressing?
All too often, store-bought dressings are made with low-quality, seed oils (canola, soy oil, sunflower, corn, grapeseed, rice bran, or safflower) because these are much less expensive to produce than high-quality olive oil.
The process by which these oils are made (heated to very high temps, then treated with chemicals to remove bad smells and dark color) is what appears harmful to the body. Consuming too much of these seed oils can create inflammation in the body. Store-bought salad dressing- even seemingly “good” brands that tout “organic” and “non-GMO” are guilty of including these less expensive, low-quality seed oils. Always check the labels. For more info on seed oils – read this and scroll all the way to the bottom.
The thought of people taking the time to create a beautiful, nourishing salad, then dousing it with seed oils makes me shudder! So please friends, check the labels or make your own.
Miso Dressing Ingredients
- Extra Virgin Olive oil
- Sesame oil
- Rice wine vinegar- you can use seasoned or unseasoned- either work.
- Maple syrup or honey
- Miso paste – white miso paste, yellow miso, red iso paste or even gluten-free chickpea miso will work here.
- Soy sauce or gluten-free Braggs Liquid Aminos
- Fresh Garlic clove and fresh ginger- fresh is best!
- Salt, black pepper and cayenne
- Optional- sesame seeds
What exactly is Miso?
Miso is a Japanese condiment made from soybeans fermented with salt, grains (usually rice or barley), and koji, a type of fungus. It tastes savory, earthy, and umami-flavored, adding depth to soups, sauces, dressings, and marinades. Different types of miso vary in flavor. Miso is considered healthy because of its beneficial probiotics and immune-boosting properties—read more about it here!
How to make Miso Dressing
Simply place the Miso dressing ingredients in a mini blender and blend until silky smooth. How easy is that?
Variations
If you don’t have a blender, grate the garlic and ginger (or use a paste) and whisk everything in a small bowl. You can also use a food processor or immersion blender.
Make it creamier! To create a little extra creaminess or thicker dressing, add a few teaspoons of tahini paste, peanut butter or almond butter.
Storing Miso Salad Dressing
Store the Miso Dressing in an air-tight mason jar in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
How to use Miso Dressing
- Drizzle over Buddha Bowls or grain bowls.
- Toss with shredded cabbage or cucumbers.
- Toss with noodles or make a noodle salad
- Toss with greens or slaws.
- Drizzle over veggies: edamame, broccoli, carrots, eggplant, zucchini, or mushrooms
- Drizzle it over tofu, shrimp or chicken
More Favorite Dressings
- 25 Homemade Salad Dressing Recipes!
- Avocado Dressing
- Creamy Cashew Basil Dressing
- Mustard Seed Maple Dressing
- Spirulina Dressing
- Creamy Herby Hemp Dressing
- Lemony Leek Dressing
- Creamy Pesto Dressing
- French Dressing
The Best Miso Salad Dressing
- Prep Time: 10
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 1 cup
- Category: dressing
- Method: blended
- Cuisine: Asian
- Diet: Vegan
Description
What you’ll love about this miso salad dressing, is how perfectly balanced the flavors are! Easy to make, simple ingredeints, it keeps for a week!
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 3 tablespoons sesame oil
- 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons miso paste
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce or Braggs Liquid Aminos
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 small garlic clove
- 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, sliced
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- pinch cayenne
Instructions
Place all ingredients in the blender, and blend until silky smooth.
Store in a sealed jar in the fridge for 7 days.
Notes
If you are intent on lowering the maple syrup– I would suggest lowering the vinegar as well, perhaps in equal portions. You’ll have to adjust it to taste.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 tablespoon
- Calories: 80
- Sugar: 2.4 g
- Sodium: 158.4 mg
- Fat: 6.2 g
- Saturated Fat: 0.9 g
- Carbohydrates: 6 g
- Fiber: 0.3 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
This dressing is so good you could drink it! It’s become a staple in my house. Thank you so much for this!
Glad you are enjoying Pat!
oops, forgot to give the 5 star rating.
This is the best salad dressing, I could eat it right off the spoon!!
I wanted to use it making a salad, maybe spinach? I was wondering what you would put with it for a fresh lettuce, spinach or greens salad? Thanks for your help.
How about avocado, grated carrots (and red cabbage?), radish, cucumber, green onions and toasted sesame seeds. Spinach, lettuce or both!
This dressing is delicious. I have tried several of the recipes on this website. All of your flavors are perfectly balanced! So thankful I found your site.
Glad you are here Kathy! Really appreciate your review.
I can eat this Miso dressing by the spoonful! It’s just wonderful!
Have you tried this as a marinade on chicken or sea bass? I just might!
Makes a great marinade!
Not trying to be annoying, seriously asking: isn’t sesame oil a seed oil?
I am allergic to sesame. Is there an oil with a similar profile you can recommend? I have used walnut and hazelnut in other recipes, not sure how they would work here.
Thank you
Hi Katie! Yes, it is a seed oil. If you were not allergic I would say look for expeller pressed sesame oil (unrefined). The 2 main problems with seed oils is they are generally highly refined, and their generally much higher proportion to Omega 3 in our body. If you consume them less often, that ratio will go down. I still consume sesame oil on occasion, because nothing mimics the flavor and because I have cut out most other seed oils (omega 6 oils) from my diet. But for an allergy, yes, the nut oils, or just use olive oil! 🙂
Just made this today & it is fantastic! I keep licking the spatula. 😉 I used apple cider vinegar in place of rice vinegar, but everything else was per the recipe. Had to use my food processor since I don’t have a blender. Worked great!
So happy to hear this Mary!
This is my go to dressing for everything! Tastes so good I can sip it straight by the spoonful! 😋
Yay! Nice to hear Kali.
can you substitute apple cider vinegar in the recipes that you use other vinegars?
Can it be made with stevia instead of maple syrup or other sweeteners. Or will it just not work without maple syrup or agave etc?
You can try it with stevia though the maple does give flavor. It will probably work just have a little different taste.
can you substitute apple cider vinegar in the recipes that you use other vinegars?
Yes for sure Hyacinth, that is always an option!
I love your recipes but the “info” on seed oils and type 2 diabetes isn’t correct and I’m not sure why it was included.
Hi Sarah- this is not “my opinion”- I am just sharing what is in the article that I linked in the post. Here is the link again: https://drcate.com/the-hateful-eight-enemy-fats-that-destroy-your-health/. Scroll down to the graph called “PUFA-Driven Diabetes”. I shared it because I thought it was interesting. There is a lot of debate about seed oils. I am merely presenting ideas- of course people can decide what is best for themselves.
I made a double batch thinking I’d have it for a bit to use in various ways. I have a bad habit of looking at ingredient list and throwing it in the blender, then reading the whole recipe thru! I’m curious why you say it lasts only up to 7 days in fridge since I don’t see anything in there that would not hold. Enjoying it on a salad of Bok Choy and Hakurai turnip, freshly picked, carrots, red onion, chicken and toasted cashews. Perhaps why I couldn’t wait to read the directions, anticipating lunch!
Hi Judy- glad you are enjoying. I put the 7-day limit on it because of the raw garlic and raw ginger. Feel free to see if it keeps longer. 🙂
I love this dressing! I found it a smidge salty, so reduced the Braggs a bit on my second batch. Love the balance of flavors, grounded in the funky (in a good way) miso flavor.
Thanks Sarah- I’ve found that Braggs is slightly saltier than soy sauce so that may be it. 🙂
This dressing works with roasted vegetables, sautéed greens, chicken, rice bowls… The sweet and salty flavours compliment each other, and the ginger gives it a kick. (Sometimes I add extra ginger because it’s a flavour I really like)
Great to hear this Jamie!
I plan on making this Keto by substituting a zero carb maple syrup.
Great. Let us know how it turns out. 🙂
This dressing is so fabulous!! Sylvia – you are right…. I want to put it on everything! It was super easy to make – thank you!
So happy you liked this one!
can you use this as a spaghetti sauce?
Hi Ani, Not sure about serving it hot, but maybe! It is great on pasta with veggies and protein served room temperature or chilled.
make this dressing and double the ingredients so it last me for the 7 to 10 days. Great over fish and add to salad dressing
Awesome Irene!
Delicious on stir fry veggies!
Great to hear Julia!
This dressing is insanely good! Thanks very much, Sylvia.
thanks Alice! Glad you like it!
Love this dressing…. it is so flavourful, easy to make and is one of my most versatile dressings. It is always in my fridge! Thank you.
Thanks so much Betty-Ann, glad you like this one!