Miso Ginger Dressing

This simple but flavorful Miso Ginger Dressing elevates anything it’s drizzled over, including salads, veggies, fish and chicken.

In the spirit of honesty, this recipe is coming to you today for no reason other than I have a TON of miso in my fridge that I want to use up.

I bought it all for a recipe development job I had last fall (where one of the recipes was a dessert that included miso caramel!) and it’s been in my fridge ever since.

I make a batch of traditional miso dressing every few weeks, just to keep on hand. It gets drizzled over lunch salads, sockeye salmon, roasted vegetables and just about everything else.

This time around, I also had a knob of ginger hanging around the fridge (left over from making Asian-style chicken sloppy joes last week), so I decided to take my traditional dressing up a few notches with this miso ginger dressing.

What you’ll need to make ginger miso dressing:

• rice vinegar – this mild Asian white vinegar is my first choice, but white wine vinegar is a good sub. I also use rice vinegar for wonton nachos and the best orange chicken recipe.
• white miso – my go to brand is Miso Masters, and I use their Organic Mellow White Miso. Bon Appetit has a nice article where you can learn about the different types of miso, if you’re curious.
• freshly grated ginger – nothing beats the flavor punch of buying a ginger root and grating it yourself (also recommended for my lemon smoothie).
• honey – to add a bit of sweetness to this miso ginger dressing recipe, and my citrus salad dressing as well. Agave nectar is a good sub (and makes great agave lemonade).
• toasted sesame oil – adds nuttiness and big flavor to this dressing and my blistered shishitos.
• soy sauce – this seasons (salts) the dressing. Also the secret ingredient in my best gravy recipe, balsamic steak marinade and flat iron steak marinade!
• sesame seeds – these add texture and extra flavor. Either white or black sesame seeds will work.
• canola oil – I wanted to use a neutral oil for this dressing so that you can taste the miso and ginger more than the oil.

What does miso taste like?

In a nutshell, miso tastes like a flavor explosion (just like my orange chicken thighs).

If you’ve never tasted miso, it’s a little bit hard for me to fully describe the experience, because I truly want you to try it for yourself.

But if I had to put it into words, I would say that it’s salty, but in a very pleasant way. It’s a little funky, a little earthy, and a little nutty. It also has a subtle sweetness to it.

Each spoonful of miso has layers and layers of flavor, which is why it’s such a potent ingredient and goes such a long way towards making any meal more flavorful.

How to make miso ginger dressing:

This miso sesame ginger dressing is a simple three step process. First, you’ll be whisking together the vinegar, ginger, honey, miso, sesame oil and soy sauce until it’s all smooth.

Then, you’ll be gradually adding the canola oil to this mixture, while whisking, until all of the canola oil is fully incorporated.

The reason you add the canola oil to the miso-ginger dressing gradually, while whisking, is so that everything can emulsify together into one smooth mixture. If you add the oil all at once, the mixture might break and not come back together easily.

Stir in the sesame seeds, and you’re done!

Is this miso sesame ginger dressing recipe vegan?:

This particular ginger miso dressing recipe is NOT vegan because it contains honey.

However, if you sub agave nectar or maple syrup for honey, this miso dressing recipe would be completely vegan! Any extra maple syrup can be used for maple Brussels sprouts.

How long does miso ginger salad dressing last?:

Just like my lemon tahini dressing, this miso ginger salad dressing will last up to a week when kept in a sealed container in the fridge.

This miso-ginger dressing may separate when it’s chilled. It’s no big deal. Allow it to come to come to room temperature for 15 minutes before shaking or whisking and serving.

What to do with this miso ginger dressing recipe:

When I make this ginger miso dressing, I usually make a double or even triple batch, because I want to eat it all week long.

The salad in these photos was made using mixed greens, rainbow carrots, radishes, cucumbers and snap peas. This salad with miso sesame ginger dressing is an easy side salad for my best Chilean sea bass recipe, Korean meatballs or even my crab stuffed salmon recipe.

It’s the perfect pizza side salad, especially alongside a crab rangoon pizza. I also love this salad served with shrimp ceviche for a light, fresh meal.