Sesame Lime Dressing with Ginger (5 minutes!)

Name: Sesame Lime Dressing with Ginger (5 minutes!)
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Ingredients: 6 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice; ¼ cup toasted sesame oil; 3 tablespoons soy sauce (or gluten free tamari); 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup (or cane sugar); 2 inch piece fresh ginger (peeled and grated); 1 large clove garlic (crushed or grated (omit for low FODMAP)); Sriracha hot sauce (optional, to taste)

By Desiree Nielsen RD

5 from 5 ratings

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Get ready to be wowed: this sesame dressing with ginger and lime is so juicy and fresh (with a little kick!) that it’s practically drinkable. It takes less than 5 minutes to shake up, plus it’s vegan, gluten free, with a low FODMAP option for sensitive tummies!

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If you’re still not on the DIY salad dressings wagon, have you noticed how expensive store-bought salad dressings are getting? I was gifted this cute sesame dressing recently that was just o-kay…and then I saw it at the grocery store and nearly had a heart attack when I saw that this tiny bottle was almost $11.

With groceries getting so pricey these days, this dietitian wants to help you save money while still eating nourishing, flavourful food you love. I thought, I write plant-based recipes for a living. I can do better..and way more budget friendly!

Salad dressings with toasted sesame oil are some of my faves, because I spent a ton of time as a vegetarian teenager in Japan meaning that most of the time, lunch was some inari (tofu wrapped rice) and a side salad with sesame dressing from the corner store. If I was lucky, that dressing came in a little plastic fish bottle because A) I’m a sucker for mini things and B) it made the little clamshell of lettuce and corn feel a lot more special.

This sesame ginger dressing with fresh lime juice is SO flavourful and takes a couple minutes to make. I created it for my cold soba noodle salad but I love it so much that I drizzle it over my easy kale and cilantro salad, pasta salads and even use it as a marinade for tofu! It would be so delicious with even a simple green salad, maybe served with the tofu okonomiyaki from Good For Your Gut Cookbook!

Just a couple of tips to help make this easy sesame dressing your own!

sesame dressing ingredients in bowls — So important: you want toasted sesame oil here…not pale, cooking-style sesame oil

This sesame dressing recipe makes a big batch, almost a cup! So it will make enough for a large noodle salad (because noodles suck up dressing) or a whole week of lunch salads for 1 or 2 people.

hand grating ginger on microplane — I’m obsessed with my microplane grater as it gives such a fine grate.

hand shaking sesame dressing — I’m obsessed with my microplane grater as it gives such a fine grate.

For the nutrition nerds: why ginger is so good for you

As a dietitian who has done anti-inflammatory nutrition for over a decade, ginger is one of my favourite medicinal plants. It has a long standing history of use in both traditional medicine systems and cuisines throughout the Asian continent from China to India and Indonesia.

Why? Well, fresh ginger contains over 200 active compounds including powerful anti-inflammatory phytochemicals including gingerols, which in the lab have been shown to increase anti-inflammatory cytokines.

Ginger is also pro-kinetic, meaning it helps to increase movement of the gut, making it a great food for gut health. Ginger helps speed up stomach emptying which is why it has been found to decrease nausea in pregnancy in human trials.

Meal prepping? Make these healthy salad dressings