This Ginger Miso Dressing is the ginger-y, umami-y dressing I've been putting on chicken salad, cabbage kale slaws, grain bowls, and roasted tofu and vegetables for years. Shall we?
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What is Ginger Miso Dressing?
If you've ever been to Sweetgreen and had a salad or some other custom creation to which you added the Miso Sesame Ginger Dressing, then you will LOVE this recipe. It is essentially a dupe for Sweetgreen, except that this version does not include crushed red pepper for spice.
This Ginger Miso dressing is creamy, umami-rich, tart, and has a gentle kick from fresh ginger.
Is Ginger Miso Dressing Healthy?
As presented, this Ginger Miso Dressing is:
- 100% plant-based, suitable for vegans
- vegetarian
- dairy-free
- gluten-free
- refined sugar-free
It looks creamy, but there's neither dairy nor mayonnaise, so the dressing is actually vegan! The thick, creamy texture comes from the emulsification of miso with sesame and avocado oils. And if you use tamari or coconut aminos instead of regular soy sauce, the dressing is also gluten-free.
Ingredients You Need for Ginger Miso Dressing
- Ginger
- Miso
- Tamari (glunte-free) or soy sauce (contains gluten)
- Rice vinegar
- Toasted sesame oil
- Avocado oil
Option: crushed red pepper flakes or other chile flakes, if you want a near exact dupe for the Sweetgreen dressing!
How to Make Ginger Miso Dressing Video
Ingredients Notes, Resources, and Substitutions
- Ginger. The easiest way to peel fresh ginger is to use a spoon or the back of a small paring knife to scrape the peel off. If you are using a high-power blender like a Vitamix or Blendtec, you don't have to grate the ginger, just slice the ginger cross-wise as thinly as possible to add to the blender.
- Miso. There are several different types of miso, which vary in color, depth of flavor, saltiness, and "funk." I use white miso, which is lighter in color, and less salty. This brand, and this brand are the two organic brands I buy most often.
- Tamari. Tamari is a soy-based sauce, but fermented without wheat, so it is gluten-free. If you can tolerate gluten, you can use regular soy sauce. This is the organic brand I use, available at Whole Foods and online.
- Rice Vinegar. Make sure to use rice vinegar, and not rice wine which is an alcohol you might know as sake, or mirin, which is a seasoned rice vinegar with salt and sweeteners. I use this organic rice vinegar. If you can't find rice vinegar, apple cider vinegar is a good substitute.
- Toasted Sesame Oil. Toasted sesame oil is added for the toasty, umami flavor, not as the usual oil component of a salad dressing or vinaigrette. This is the brand of sesame oil I use.
- Avocado Oil. Avocado oil has a light, neutral flavor, which sort of blends into the background of this dressing. I use this organic avocado oil. Olive oil works in almost every other salad dressing, but might be too intense in flavor for this Ginger Miso dressing. If you want to use olive oil, find a "light," everyday olive oil that won't overpower the dressing with its own flavor.
How to Use Ginger Miso Dressing
- Dressing for Mandarin Chicken Salad as pictured above
- Sub for the sesame-based dressing in LA-Style Chinese Chicken Salad
- Drizzle for Tofu Salad
- Transform tart vinegary Kale Slaw into a gingery salad
- Perfect sauce tossed with julienned vegetables and buckwheat soba noodles
- Tossed with any Roasted Vegetables, my favorite the Japanese Sweet Potatoes
- Stir into Hot Rice or Quinoa for a Grain Bowl
- Dip for crunchy vegetable crudités
- Dip for Fresh Summer Rolls
Ginger Miso Dressing
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
- 1 garlic clove, grated or very finely minced
- 2 tablespoons white miso
- 1 tablespoon tamari or soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- ¼ cup avocado oil, grapeseed oil, or other neutral flavored oil
- 2 tablespoons filtered water plus more added 1 tablespoon at a time for pourable consistency/texture
Instructions
- Combine all of the ingredients plus 2 tablespoons water in a food processor or blender. Add more water 1 tablespoon at a time until the dressing is a pourable consistency.
- Transfer dressing to glass jar with tight-fitting lid.
- Dressing will keep in refrigerator for five days. It may separate while in fridge, just give it a good shake before serving.
Simone says
You say NOT to us rice wine vinegar in your notes but in the recipe rice WINE vinegar is listed. So which are we supposed to use?!
Sarah J. Gim says
Hi Simone! Thanks for the question! The ingredients DID list "rice WINE vinegar," and I edited it to "rice vinegar," thanks to your great catch. Though those two actually could be the same thing.
~ Rice Vinegar, the one you want to use for the recipe, is an actual vinegar made from rice.
~ Rice Wine is an alcohol made by fermenting rice (like fermenting grapes) into a wine, which we might know as sake or soju.
~ Rice Wine Vinegar is the same Rice Vinegar, but "wine" is thrown in there, I am not sure why, maybe just to confuse us all haha.
And in case there wasn't enough confusion, there is also SEASONED Rice Vinegar, which has added salt, sugars, and sometimes other ingredients. But we're not using that in this recipe.
Hope that helps! And thanks again for the catch!
Vicki says
You wrote "The greatest Ginger Miso Dressing of all-time. Not to brag or anything." Go ahead and brag. It really is that good. Everyone in my family liked it.