Sesame Dressing Recipe – Japanese Cooking 101 (2024)

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Sesame Dressing Recipe – Japanese Cooking 101 (1)

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Sesame Dressing is a mayo based dressing with a burst of sesame flavor that is popular for salad in Japan. It has more calories than soy sauce based dressings, but it tastes so good. There are a lot of bottled sesame dressings at Japanese supermarkets, but it is very easy to make at home.

Sesame Dressing of course goes very well with green salad, but it’s also great on meat, like our picture here. We used the dressing for boiled thinly sliced pork and thinly sliced cucumber. To cook the meat, we dipped the pork in hot water for a few seconds until cooked through (do not over cook). Steamed vegetables are good too. And you may also like it on cold noodles.

You can use ground sesame seeds, but if you would like to have maximum sesame flavor, grind your own sesame seeds.

Sesame Dressing Recipe – Japanese Cooking 101 (2)

Sesame Dressing

Course: Condiment

Cuisine: Japanese

Keyword: dressing

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Print Recipe

Ingredients

  • 5 Tbsp Mayonnaise
  • 1 Tbsp rice vinegar
  • 2 tsp soy sauce
  • 1-2 tsp sugar
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 Tbsp ground sesame seeds
  • 2 tsp sesame oil

Instructions

  • Place all the ingredients In a bowl, and mix well.

Video


dressingSaladsesame sauce

November 5, 2013 By JapaneseCooking101

Sesame Dressing Recipe – Japanese Cooking 101 (4)

About JapaneseCooking101

Noriko and Yuko, the authors of this site, are both from Japan but now live in California. They love cooking and eating great food, and share a similar passion for home cooking using fresh ingredients.Noriko and Yuko plan and develop recipes together for Japanese Cooking 101. They cook and shoot photos/videos at their home kitchen(s.)

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  • Sesame Dressing Recipe – Japanese Cooking 101 (8)

    Lewis

    December 11, 2013 at 6:00 pm

    Thanks for the recipe! I feel like I can never find a sesame dressing recipe that reminds me of Japan, but this one is PERFECT! Oishi!

    • Sesame Dressing Recipe – Japanese Cooking 101 (9)

      Noriko

      December 16, 2013 at 9:08 am

      Lewis,
      thanks for your comment! Glad you liked the recipe!

  • Sesame Dressing Recipe – Japanese Cooking 101 (10)

    Hector Calderas

    February 5, 2014 at 1:19 pm

    thanks, for the recipe is ecxelent, my memory go back trouhg your home town i believe, i just to be in osaka for allittle while so congratulations.

    • Sesame Dressing Recipe – Japanese Cooking 101 (11)

      Noriko

      February 10, 2014 at 9:04 am

      Hector,
      glad you liked it!

  • Sesame Dressing Recipe – Japanese Cooking 101 (12)

    Ana

    February 15, 2014 at 2:46 am

    Hi Noriko, thanks for the recipe. How long can I keep it in the refrigerator for later use?

    • Sesame Dressing Recipe – Japanese Cooking 101 (13)

      Noriko

      February 23, 2014 at 6:06 pm

      Ana,
      I would finish using it in a week or so.

  • Sesame Dressing Recipe – Japanese Cooking 101 (14)

    Glenn

    February 28, 2014 at 2:32 pm

    Hi Noriko,

    Thank you for sharing this simple-to-make Sesame dressing. I will definitely try this one. 🙂

    And i have one question, just in case i cant find any rice vinegar, is there an alternative ingredient for that, or any kind of vinegar will do?

    Thanks and keep up the good work 🙂

    • Sesame Dressing Recipe – Japanese Cooking 101 (15)

      Noriko

      March 2, 2014 at 11:37 pm

      Glenn,
      use a less distinctive flavored vinegar like white vinegar.

      • Sesame Dressing Recipe – Japanese Cooking 101 (16)

        Glenn

        March 8, 2014 at 12:18 am

        Thanks Noriko. 🙂

  • Sesame Dressing Recipe – Japanese Cooking 101 (17)

    cesar ramirez

    March 6, 2014 at 8:03 pm

    my favorite dressing

  • Sesame Dressing Recipe – Japanese Cooking 101 (18)

    Elle

    March 31, 2014 at 10:07 pm

    I love this recipe! I got addicted to this dressing while living in Japan!~ Now I can make it myself! It tastes great!

    • Sesame Dressing Recipe – Japanese Cooking 101 (19)

      Noriko

      September 14, 2014 at 4:31 pm

      Elle,

      That’s awesome! We love it too!

  • Sesame Dressing Recipe – Japanese Cooking 101 (20)

    evelyn

    April 28, 2014 at 2:04 am

    Do you use regular mayonnaise or japanese mayonnaise? Would it make a difference if you use one from the other?

    • Sesame Dressing Recipe – Japanese Cooking 101 (21)

      Noriko

      April 28, 2014 at 9:55 pm

      evelyn,
      we use Japanese mayo. It tastes totally different. If you’re going to use American mayo, add lemon juice and salt to it.

      • Sesame Dressing Recipe – Japanese Cooking 101 (22)

        evelyn

        April 29, 2014 at 4:24 am

        I’ve made it and it takes good and yummy. It’s just like the commercial roasted sesame dressing that I buy. If the dressing is too thick, what can I add to make it a little bit thin or syrupy?

        • Sesame Dressing Recipe – Japanese Cooking 101 (23)

          Noriko

          May 3, 2014 at 5:16 pm

          evelyn,
          milk would be good to dilute, but adjust seasonings.

  • Sesame Dressing Recipe – Japanese Cooking 101 (24)

    evelyn

    May 3, 2014 at 2:22 pm

    Thanks for the recipe. I made it and my family loved it. It was quite thick so how can I make it thinner? What ingredient should I add? Thank you.

  • Sesame Dressing Recipe – Japanese Cooking 101 (25)

    Nobuchan

    June 10, 2014 at 6:08 pm

    I toasted the sesame seeds in a pan, then used the suribachi to grind them into a paste. I used regular mayo. Salad of spring mix baby greens, sliced tomato and sliced avocado. Delicious! Thank you!

    • Sesame Dressing Recipe – Japanese Cooking 101 (26)

      Noriko

      September 14, 2014 at 1:21 pm

      Nobuchan,
      thanks for trying our Sesame Dressing recipe! We have many salad recipes so come back soon!

  • Sesame Dressing Recipe – Japanese Cooking 101 (27)

    Jennifer Thompson

    July 12, 2014 at 7:31 pm

    Delicious! Made with subs: american veganaise, lime, brown sugar, and tahini. Amazing!

    • Sesame Dressing Recipe – Japanese Cooking 101 (28)

      Noriko

      September 13, 2014 at 5:27 pm

      Jennifer,
      glad you liked the Sesame Dressing recipe with your substitutions!

  • Sesame Dressing Recipe – Japanese Cooking 101 (29)

    Jo

    October 4, 2014 at 10:01 pm

    Thanks for this recipe – this dressing is delicious. I have pretty much just been eating this on steamed greens since finding it a week or so ago! Great site too – so many yummy dishes I want to try!

    • Sesame Dressing Recipe – Japanese Cooking 101 (30)

      Noriko

      October 11, 2014 at 4:46 pm

      Jo,
      glad you liked our Sesame Dressing. We’ll have a new recipe of Carrot Ginger Dressing very soon, and try that too!

  • Sesame Dressing Recipe – Japanese Cooking 101 (31)

    Sarah Carpio

    February 3, 2016 at 3:11 am

    Can I instead use coconut vinegar instead of rice vinegar?
    Thanks!

    • Sesame Dressing Recipe – Japanese Cooking 101 (32)

      Noriko

      February 5, 2016 at 1:15 pm

      Sarah,
      Never tried before… Let us know if you make it!

  • Sesame Dressing Recipe – Japanese Cooking 101 (33)

    Tam

    March 6, 2016 at 5:19 pm

    Thanks for including substitution for Japanese mayonnaise. Getting Japanese mayonnaise costs as much around here as just buying the dressing, though it probably rounds up to more.

  • Sesame Dressing Recipe – Japanese Cooking 101 (34)

    Cyn H.

    March 12, 2016 at 9:12 pm

    This turned out great with the ingredients shown but I felt like it was a tiny bit different from my local sushi restaurants. So I added some grated white onion and about 2 tsp of ketchup and I think I nalied the taste I was going for! Thanks so much for sharing this recipe. ✌

  • Sesame Dressing Recipe – Japanese Cooking 101 (35)

    Hannah

    April 7, 2016 at 11:02 am

    Just got back from Japan and was craving the sesame dressing I enjoyed while visiting. Whipped this up yesterday and was brought right back. Sooo tasty and right on point with what I was craving. Thanks so much for posting!

  • Sesame Dressing Recipe – Japanese Cooking 101 (36)

    Noor

    July 31, 2016 at 11:17 pm

    Hi there thank you for this recipe.i try it it’s really good. I love it…. I have try many of your recipe already…..,, amazing…

  • Sesame Dressing Recipe – Japanese Cooking 101 (37)

    Jenny Sophorn

    September 18, 2016 at 6:02 am

    Hi, thanks for posting this. It’s my favorite dressing ever, especially with cold noodle. I’m very curious of the detail about Mayonnaise, is it a specific one for Japanese cooking? Would you mind to show a video of how to do mayo (Japanese way)?

    Regards,

  • Sesame Dressing Recipe – Japanese Cooking 101 (38)

    Shena

    September 24, 2016 at 5:51 am

    Hi there – if using american mayo – how much lemon & salt would you add – thanks!

  • Sesame Dressing Recipe – Japanese Cooking 101 (39)

    Veronica

    October 4, 2016 at 1:16 pm

    Thanks for this recipe. I’ve been experimenting on this dressing because it’s so difficult to find it here in Scotland. I loved it when we were in Japan. Now I can make my own. Thanks. By the way I used sushi vinegar because I have it handy. Do you think it makes a difference? Or should I look for rice vinegar only?

  • Sesame Dressing Recipe – Japanese Cooking 101 (40)

    Marci

    December 11, 2016 at 7:01 pm

    This sauce was so tasty. Its exactly what i was looking for to eat on grilled ahi or as a salad dressing.

  • Sesame Dressing Recipe – Japanese Cooking 101 (2024)

    FAQs

    What is Japanese restaurant salad dressing made of? ›

    Combine minced onion, peanut oil, rice vinegar, water, ginger, celery, ketchup, soy sauce, sugar, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper in a blender. Blend until all ingredients are well-pureed, about 30 seconds.

    What are the ingredients in Kewpie roasted sesame dressing? ›

    Ingredients: Expeller Pressed Canola Oil, Water, Soy Sauce (Water, Soybeans, Wheat, Salt), Brown Sugar, Sesame Seeds, Distilled Vinegar, Salt, Yeast Extract, Natural Flavors, Egg Yolk, Xanthan Gum.

    What type of dressing is used at hibachi? ›

    This Hibachi Ginger Dressing is popular at most Japanese inspired restaurants. Make it at home with a few ingredients for a slightly sweet, tangy, and flavorful salad dressing.

    What is sesame ginger dressing made of? ›

    Make the dressing by whisking together the following in a medium bowl or shaking in a mason jar: sesame oil, olive oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar, maple syrup, garlic and fresh ginger. If you want a creamier dressing, add in a tablespoon of tahini or cashew butter.

    What is the unhealthiest salad dressing? ›

    Caesar dressing. Made up of mayonnaise, cheese, salt and oil (and all too often, anchovies), Caesar tends to be one of the least healthy options out there. Those ingredients cause it to be high in both saturated fats and sodium.

    What is the healthiest salad dressing in the world? ›

    8 Simple and Healthy Salad Dressings
    1. Sesame ginger. This simple salad dressing doubles as an easy marinade for meat, poultry, or roasted veggies. ...
    2. Balsamic vinaigrette. ...
    3. Avocado lime. ...
    4. Lemon vinaigrette. ...
    5. Honey mustard. ...
    6. Greek yogurt ranch. ...
    7. Apple cider vinaigrette. ...
    8. Ginger turmeric.
    Jul 27, 2023

    What are the ingredients in Kikkoman sesame dressing? ›

    Kikkoman Sesame Dressing
    • Water, Rapeseed oil, Sugar, Soy sauce (Water, Soybeans, Wheat, Salt), Spirit vinegar, Sesame (6.5%), Sesame oil (6.0%), Yeast extract, Salt, Caramelised sugar syrup, Spices (contains mustard), Thickener: Xanthan gum.
    • Energy. 1,658 kJ / 401 kcal. Fat. 36 g. of which saturates. 3.6 g. Carbohydrates. 13 g.

    Do you need to refrigerate Kewpie sesame dressing? ›

    Product Info: Kewpie Dressings

    Yes, we suggest refrigerating them after opening. When did Kewpie launch its award winning Deep Roasted Sesame Dressings & Marinade? In 2000, the flavorful, bold, and rich Deep Roasted Sesame Dressing & Marinade was launched and won an award in 2016.

    How do you thicken sesame dressing? ›

    By grinding the sesame seeds with a pestle and mortar (or with a clean coffee grinder), it releases the seed oil and the toasted sesame fragrance. Grinned sesame seeds also help thicken the salad dressing.

    What is the brown liquid at hibachi? ›

    Japanese Hibachi Brown Sauce, also known as “Yum Yum Sauce” or “Hibachi Sauce,” is a popular condiment used in Japanese cuisine, especially in Teppanyaki-style grilling. It is a savory and slightly sweet sauce with rich umami flavors that complements grilled meats, seafood, vegetables, and more.

    What is the brown sauce used in hibachi? ›

    Hibachi brown sauce typically contains soy sauce, sugar, mirin (a sweet rice wine), garlic, ginger, and sometimes a touch of sesame oil. These ingredients come together to create a savory, slightly sweet, and umami-rich sauce that complements hibachi-style dishes.

    How do you use Kewpie sesame dressing? ›

    I've used it to marinate chicken thighs overnight before grilling for rice bowls, and I've also just dunked a rotisserie chicken drumstick in it. It's excellent in any salad; with raw, grilled, or roasted veggies; or on a chilled noodle situation.

    What are the ingredients in Kewpie creamy deep roasted sesame dressing & marinade? ›

    Expeller Pressed Canola Oil, Water, Soy Sauce (Water, Soybeans, Wheat, Salt), Brown Sugar, Sesame Seeds, Distilled Vinegar, Salt, Yeast Extract, Natural Flavors, Egg Yolk, Xanthan Gum.

    What is Kewpie sesame dressing good for? ›

    The unique aroma of roasted sesame makes KEWPIE Salad Dressing Roasted Sesame perfect for salad or stir-fry dishes.

    What is the dressing in Japan? ›

    There are typically two types of clothing worn in Japan: traditional clothing known as Japanese clothing (和服, waf*cku), including the national dress of Japan, the kimono, and Western clothing (洋服, yōf*cku), which encompasses all else not recognised as either national dress or the dress of another country.

    What is miso salad dressing made of? ›

    Similarly, this homemade miso dressing is made of simple Asian pantry items such as miso, rice vinegar, sesame oil, soy sauce, and fresh ginger. A little bit of grated ginger lends a refreshing zing and a kick to this savory dressing. Miso (味噌), a salty-savory Japanese condiment, is fermented soybean paste.

    What is Japanese ginger dressing made of? ›

    I like to play around with the ratio of the ingredients to your diet and preference, but all you need is ginger, apple, carrots, onion, garlic, oil, rice vinegar, sugar, miso paste, and sesame oil. The apple and carrots give sweetness to the dressing, while the onion, garlic, and ginger provide the savory balance.

    Is kewpie dressing mayonnaise? ›

    Kewpie is Japan's most trusted and beloved mayonnaise and salad dressing brand.

    References

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