Miso ginger dressing. Here mild white miso melds with ginger and Dijon mustard for a slight zinginess (is that even a word?!) and walnuts for a rich and unconscionably creamy consistency. Did we mention it’s healthy, too? Although it certainly doesn’t taste it.–Renee Schettler Rossi
How to use Miso Ginger Dressing
Given this miso ginger dressing’s thick, creamy texture, it goes well with hearty salad greens and vegetables as opposed to a delicate salad. Here are some of the ways we’ve loved it…
- On a chopped salad of romaine, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, radishes, red onion and mint
- On a radicchio, endive and arugula salad with roasted beets and toasted chopped walnuts
- Tossed with or drizzled over blanched vegetables, especially green beans, asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower and carrots
- As a dipping or drizzling sauce for fish, whether cod or salmon
- As dressing for a shredded chicken salad with blanched sugar snap peas, thinly sliced red pepper and celery and fresh herbs
- As dressing for a rice salad with diced celery, cucumber, toasted chopped almonds, raisins, sliced scallions and chopped parsley or mint
- Drizzled on grilled vegetables, especially eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash, asparagus, and onions
Miso Ginger Dressing
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup raw walnuts
- 1/3 cup white miso
- 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
- 1/4 cup lemon juice from 1 to 2 lemons
- 1/4 cup water
- 1-ounce piece fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
- 1/2 cup grapeseed or other neutral oil
Instructions
- In a blender, combine all ingredients except the oil. Blend until the walnuts are finely ground and the dressing is smooth, about 1 minute.
- With the blender still running, slowly add the oil in a steady stream and blend until emulsified, about 30 seconds. If the dressing seems a little too thick, gradually add a little water at a time until you attain the desired consistency. (You can cover the miso ginger dressing and keep it in the fridge for about a week before using. If the dressing becomes too thick after being refrigerated, gradually whisk in a little water to thin it until it’s pourable.)
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe Testers’ Reviews
I’m so glad I made this delicious and versatile miso ginger dressing! The lemon and ginger really brighten the flavor and it’s thick enough that it clings well on whatever you serve it with. The dressing was enjoyed with steamed fingerling potatoes and green beans and poached chicken breast. I made this dressing in my 2-cup Pyrex glass measuring cup using my immersion blender, which made clean-up super easy. It’s quite tangy, so if you have friends who are sensitive to acidity, start with 1/8 cup lemon juice. (I think you could use lime instead if that’s what you have on hand.) You can also cut the sharpness by adding a little more honey.
I knew I was going to make this miso ginger dressing the second i saw it. I had all the ingredients on hand and it came together in my Vitamix in no time at all. The final product is a zippy, exotic, creamy, and utterly delicious sauce. The miso is a real flavor booster. It adds only salt but a huge hit of savory umami that goes perfectly with the walnuts and makes this dressing extra special. It’s truly a balanced whole that is so much more than the sum of its parts and none of the flavors overpower the rest.I think we all get in a rut when it comes to dressing. We have one or two standards and we just never try something new spontaneously. I will be adding this recipe to the dressing rotation for sure.
Super tasty! The citrus and walnuts really come through and give the dressing a complex flavor. This will definitely be in my fridge to throw on everything during busy weeks!
Love this tangy dressing that works on so many things and really just takes a few minutes to whip up a batch. It is a nice, thick sauce, though you could easily thin it to make more of a pretty drizzle, maybe just add a tablespoon of almond milk or cashew cream if you wish. I was impatient, so before I even chilled it I had a dollop of it on cottage cheese for lunch. Then I got more adventurous and roasted slabs of cauliflower to go with the dressing. Beautiful! My favorite was spooned over some pan-braised broccolini, left in whole pieces, with diced oranges and heirloom golden tomatoes, and some sliced almonds to garnish. You could dip pieces of the broccolini in the dressing or mix it with the tomato and orange and it all made a perfect vegan dinner. Scratch that—it made a perfect dinner.
This miso ginger dressing is just delicious, no doubt about it. Miso can be the secret weapon in dressings—even those without a Japanese flavor. And so can nuts. Here, the miso adds umami and the nuts add creaminess. The ginger contributes a nice zing. I had this with a simple salad of local lettuce and tomatoes, and it made a great dressing. At it’s undiluted thickness, it also makes a killer dip for for raw or lightly steamed vegetables. You could play around with the flavors in this recipe – for example, omitting the ginger and adding a bit of gently sautéed garlic. You could experiment with different nuts. This dressing can easily be made vegan by using an alternative sweetener, such as agave. Lots of potential here!
Incredible and delicious dressing! Our guests loved it for the dinner party, I had set aside a small container of it and was enjoying it a few days ahead of time with cucumbers. A few adjustments made included toasting the walnuts and grating the fresh ginger. Also, added a bit of ginger spread that added a bit of sweetness as fresh ginger can be strong.
I forgot to get a photo of the salad which included romaine lettuce, red cabbage, green beans, tomatoes, carrots, peanuts, sesame seeds and sweet potato noodles. And your recipe for the pickled red onions ~ it was all a big hit!
Fantastic, Lily! Your adjustments sound wonderful. I love the freedom that comes with being a home cook. Once a recipe is in your kitchen, you can put your spin to it and make it your own. (Oh and yes! Aren’t those picked red onions fabulous?!)
I really love miso sauce and couldn’t wait to make this one. I have made other miso dressings so I added a few ingredients to suit my taste. I switched cashews for the walnuts, added a large clove of garlic, two scallions and used lime juice instead of lemon since that’s what I had on hand. I left out the honey and mustard and used about 1/3 cup of the oil and added a little more water. It came out quite delicious and I would add some herbs next time such as cilantro or flat leaf parsley.
Amada, sounds like a while new dressing, but I love your changes! What did you use it on?