Asian Salad Dressing - Dinner at the Zoo

This Asian salad dressing is a blend of soy sauce, rice vinegar, hoisin sauce, ginger and sesame oil that makes for the perfect mix of sweet and savory flavors. It takes just minutes to make and is perfect for an Asian inspired green salad or to drizzle over grilled veggies.

I like to make my own Asian style salad dressing to serve on dishes such as Chinese chicken salad, Asian slaw and ahi tuna salad. I always have a jar in the fridge to make dinner time even easier!

In my opinion, homemade salad dressings taste SO much better than the store bought versions. This Asian salad dressing can be on your table in under 10 minutes, and is packed full of flavor.

Salad Dressing Ingredients

This recipe contains vegetable oil, rice vinegar, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, fresh ginger and sesame oil.

How do you make Asian salad dressing?

Start by placing all of the dressing ingredients in a mixing bowl or wide mouth jar. If you’re using a bowl, whisk everything together until it’s well combined. If you’re using a jar, seal the jar and shake it to mix everything together. Use immediately, or refrigerate for later use.

Tips for the perfect dish

• Hoisin sauce is a sweet and savory Asian condiment that adds a lot of flavor to the dressing. It can be found in the international foods aisle of almost all grocery stores.
• You can use a box grater or microplane to finely grate your ginger, don’t forget to peel it first!
• It’s best to use toasted sesame oil rather than regular sesame oil, as the toasted version has a more pronounced flavor. Toasted sesame oil can also be found in the international foods aisle.
• If you are sensitive to salt, feel free to use low sodium soy sauce.

Recipe FAQs

Ways to use Asian salad dressing

There are so many different ways to enjoy this dressing!

• Salad: Add a pour of dressing onto mixed greens or a cabbage slaw. Don’t forget other ingredients such as carrots, wonton strips, chow mein noodles, avocado, red onion and sliced almonds.
• Grilled Vegetables: Drizzle the dressing over grilled vegetables such as asparagus or zucchini, then add a garnish of sesame seeds and green onions.
• Stir Fry: Cook up some meat and veggies, then add a few spoonfuls of dressing for added flavor.
• Marinade: Place boneless skinless chicken breasts, flank steak or shrimp in a bag with the dressing, then marinate. Grill or bake the meats as desired. You can add even more flavor by adding an extra tablespoon of dressing over the end product.

Flavor Variations

There are so many different ways to customize the flavors of this dressing to make it your own!

• Herbs: Feel free to add some fresh chopped herbs such as cilantro, green onions, or even a little mint!
• Mix-Ins: Amp up the flavor by adding sesame seeds, garlic powder or fresh minced garlic, or even a little peanut butter.
• Spicy: If you like a little heat in your food, add sriracha or crushed red pepper flakes to taste.

This Asian salad dressing turns an ordinary veggie offering into something extra special!

More Asian inspired recipes to try