Miso Dressing (Japanese-Style)

This simple miso dressing recipe is tangy, lightly sweet, and packed with umami. It’s the kind of everyday dressing that works just as well on salads as it does on rice bowls and chilled noodles. It’s an easy recipe that only requires 6 ingredients and can be served in as little as 5 minutes – no blender needed!

Miso is a staple in Japanese cooking and is commonly used in dishes like Japanese miso soup, miso ramen, and nasu dengaku, where its savory, fermented flavor really shines.

If you enjoy Japanese flavors, this is one of those back-pocket recipes you’ll come back to again and again. The dressing comes together in minutes, uses pantry staples, and delivers a deep, balanced flavor without being heavy.

Miso-based dressings are known for their umami depth and are part of a larger group of Japanese dressings explained in this Japanese salad dressings guide.

What is Miso Dressing?

Miso dressing is a Japanese-inspired dressing made with miso paste, a fermented soybean paste known for its rich umami flavor. Depending on the recipe, it’s typically blended with ingredients like rice vinegar, sesame oil, and a touch of sweetness to balance the saltiness of the miso.

This version is savory with just enough sweetness to round things out, making it versatile and easy to pair with many different dishes.

Miso Dressing Ingredients

• Olive Oil: While most wafu (Japanese style) dressings call for vegetable oil, I prefer using high quality extra virgin olive oil because it adds a fruity and spicy element.
• Rice Vinegar: Plain rice vinegar imparts a mild sweetness you won’t get from red wine or white wine vinegars. There’s also a nice hit of tartness that dances around the edges. Rice vinegar is one of those Japanese pantry staples you’ll use all the time.
• Miso Paste: White miso (shiro miso) works best here for its mild, slightly sweet flavor. There’s so much flavor imparted by the miso paste alone (savory, umami, nutty) there’s no need for added salt or soy sauce.
• Sugar: A little sugar brings out the tanginess from the rice vinegar. Or you can use honey or pure maple syrup as alternatives.
• Sesame Oil: The addition of toasted sesame oil not only intensifies the nuttiness of the dressing, it also elevates the umami of the miso paste.
• Black Pepper: Black pepper adds a little something floral and woody.

How to Make Miso Dressing

1. Gather all of your kitchen tools and ingredients.
2. Place all of your measured ingredients into a wide-mouth bowl.
3. Whisk until cloudy.
4. Serve immediately – or place in a jar the fridge until ready to use. Shake well if separation occurs.

How to Use Miso Dressing

This dressing is incredibly flexible. Here are some favorite ways to use it:

• As a dressing for a simple green salad, cabbage salad, or something heartier like a nicoise salad.
• As a sauce for donburi (rice bowl), tekkadon (tuna bowl) or quinoa bowl.
• It also makes an excellent marinade for fish, like my miso salmon, giving the fish and buttery and tender texture full of umami.
• As a sauce or dressing for chilled noodles or grilled/roasted vegetables.

Explore more flavor builders in our sauces and dressings collection. For other Japanese-style dressings, check out my recipes for Japanese carrot ginger dressing, soy garlic dressing, shiso dressing, wasabi dressing, and sesame dressing.

Have you tried this recipe? Are there changes you made that you would like to share? Share your tips and recommendations in the comments section below!

Print

Frequently Asked Questions