Making your own salad dressings and vinaigrettes is a must when you’re trying to cut down on processed foods, when you’re trying to eat less sugar, and when you don’t/can’t eat gluten and dairy. I know, you may be thinking it will be too hard to make your own vinaigrette, but trust me, it’s WAY easier than you may think (and tastes better too!). Try this Asian Sesame Ginger Vinaigrette and see for yourself.

Sure, you can find some decent tasting bottled vinaigrettes and dressings that claim to be healthy, but chances are good that they contain added sugar, preservatives or other ingredients your body doesn’t need.

Making your own Asian Sesame Ginger Vinaigrette is not only easy, but WAY healthier than using bottled Asian dressing. It’s gluten free, dairy free, and has no added sugar. You can toss it with your favorite greens, coleslaw mix or broccoli slaw for a simple, healthy salad, or use it as a marinade or sauce for your favorite meat, chicken, or seafood.

When you’re not eating gluten or dairy, the label reading involved can be a frustrating struggle. Even packaged foods that should contain simple, easy to understand ingredients, like salad dressings and vinaigrettes, can stump even the most seasoned gluten-free, dairy-free eater.

If you’re brand new at eating this way, label reading can be tricky enough to make you quit before you reap any of the benefits from following this way of eating.

So, what’s the solution? Make your own salad dressings and vinaigrettes! In the time it would take you to look up all the ingredients in your favorite vinaigrette to see if they are gluten free and dairy free, you could learn how to make it instead.

Not only will you be able to make a more fresh, flavorful vinaigrette in your own kitchen, you’ll also avoid a lot of unnecessary mystery ingredients AND you’ll save money too. Bottled salad dressings and vinaigrettes can be really expensive.

For two other simple homemade dressings try this Citrus Vinaigrette Recipe or this Homemade Balsamic Vinaigrette.

How Can I Use this Asian Sesame Ginger Vinaigrette?

This Asian Sesame Ginger Vinaigrette recipe is based on Asian flavors but, unlike so many Asian salad dressings, this version doesn’t have any added sugar.

Instead, there is a smidge of orange juice added, which pairs well with the other flavors and adds a bit of natural sweetness.

You can use this Asian Sesame Ginger Vinaigrette in any way you would use bottled sesame ginger vinaigrette or dressing or in any recipe that calls for the bottled sesame ginger vinaigrette.

Here are some other ideas:

Toss it with fresh broccoli slaw and sliced green onions for a super quick Asian slaw
Toss it with shredded cooked chicken and serve it over cauliflower rice or cooked zucchini noodles for a quick meal
Use it as a marinade for chicken, shrimp, scallops, salmon, pork, beef, etc.
Drizzle it over cooked broccoli, green beans, carrots, snap peas, sweet potatoes or any other veggie you like for a pop of flavor!

What’s the Best Way to Grate Fresh Ginger?

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As the name suggests, this Asian Sesame Ginger Vinaigrette recipe uses fresh ginger. If you’ve never used fresh ginger, it can SEEM a little intimidating, but it is SO EASY to use.

The ginger root is covered with a thin, light brown peel that can be eaten. Or, you can use a small knife or spoon to scrape off the peel if you prefer.

The ginger root itself is pretty firm so you need to use a sharp knife (I prefer a chef’s knife) if you plan to chop it. Cut very thin slices of the ginger and then stack the slices and use a crisscross cutting pattern to finely chop the ginger.

You can eat fresh ginger raw or you can cook it. It’s very versatile!

Grating fresh ginger takes a little bit of elbow grease, however, if you use a very sharp, fine shredder like THIS ONE, the job will go much quicker.

Grating fresh ginger to use in this Asian Sesame Ginger Vinaigrette is simple to do when you use the right tool, like this Microplane shredder. It's super sharp and makes grating anything that's more firm much easier.

I also find fresh ginger easier to grate if it’s frozen. If I have a small knob of fresh ginger that I know I won’t use within a week or two, I will store it in an airtight container in the freezer.

Then, when I need grated fresh ginger, I will grate the frozen ginger just like I normally would. Just be careful because the frozen ginger can slide around on the shredder more easily, so you have to pay attention while you’re grating it!

What’s the Best Way to Mix Homemade Vinaigrette?

There are many ways to mix homemade vinaigrette, but the easiest way I’ve found is to combine all of the ingredients in a jar with a lid, screw on the lid, and shake until the vinaigrette is well combined.

The great thing about mixing vinaigrette this way is that the jar doubles as the mixing bowl and the storage container so you’ll use fewer bowls/containers. I’m all for using fewer dishes, aren’t you?

Mix this Asian Sesame Ginger Vinaigrette in a reusable glass jar with a screw-top lid. That way, you can store the vinaigrette right in the jar and create fewer dishes.

How do you Store Homemade Vinaigrette?

As I mentioned above, you can store the vinaigrette right in the jar you mixed it in. Just make sure the lid is on and store it in the refrigerator.

Because this Asian Sesame Ginger Vinaigrette contains fresh garlic, it will keep in the fridge for just 1 week. But I don’t think you’ll have a problem using it all in that time!

This easy, healthy Asian Sesame Ginger Vinaigrette recipe has no added sugar, is gluten free and dairy free. Use it any way you would use bottled Asian sesame ginger dressing for a pop of fresh flavor. Or, use it as a marinade for your favorite meat, fish or seafood. It’s a versatile recipe you will want to use again and again!

Homemade healthy salad dressings and vinaigrettes are simple to make and will save you from eating extra sugar and preservatives you don’t need. Plus, you’ll know exactly what’s going into your homemade vinaigrette, so you won’t have to worry about the potential for hidden gluten or dairy, which can be an issue with bottled dressings.

Try this easy, healthy Asian Sesame Ginger Vinaigrette recipe and be sure to let me know if you make it by leaving a comment below!

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5 from 1 vote

Asian Sesame Ginger Vinaigrette

Making your own Asian Sesame Ginger Vinaigrette is not only easy, but WAY healthier than using bottled Asian dressing. It’s gluten free, dairy free, and has no added sugar.

Author: Laura Marzen, RD

Ingredients

¼ cup toasted sesame oil
3 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
2 tablespoons coconut aminos
1 tablespoon orange juice
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1 small clove garlic, minced
¼ teaspoon ground dry mustard
1/8 to ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)
2 teaspoons white and/or black sesame seeds, lightly toasted*

Instructions

In a small screw-top jar combine all ingredients. Cover; shake until well combined. Use immediately or refrigerate up to 1 week. After chilling, shake well before serving.

Notes

* To toast sesame seeds, place seeds in a small skillet. Heat seeds over medium-low heat, stirring frequently. You’ll know white sesame seeds are lightly toasted once they are lightly browned. For black sesame seeds, toast them until they smell fragrant. Or, if you’re toasting the white and black seeds together, stop toasting all the seeds when the white seeds are lightly browned.

YIELD: 2/3 cup