Most peanut butter based dressings have Thai influences, but this Asian peanut salad dressing uses popular Japanese ingredients. It boasts mirin, rice vinegar, and sesame oil as lighter, well-rounded, and complementary flavors to the heartier influence of peanut butter. Overall, it’s a delicious savory and lightly sweet blend with delicious depth. You can serve it over greens or rice bowls, or keep it thick and enjoy as a dip with red bell peppers, broccoli, and other any day vegetables.
Special Diet Notes: Asian Peanut Salad Dressing
By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, optionally gluten-free, tree nut-free, vegan, and vegetarian.
- For peanut-free dressing, you can substitute sunflower seed butter for the peanut butter. Cashew or almond butter are also good substitutes if tree nuts are okay.
- For soy-free Asian peanut salad dressing, you can use coconut aminos in place of the soy sauce. No other changes need to be made.
- ¼ cup sweet rice wine (mirin)
- ¼ cup peanut butter, or to taste
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce or gluten-free tamari
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar or sucanat
- 2 teaspoons fresh minced ginger
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
- Lite canned coconut milk or unsweetened plain dairy-free milk beverage, as needed
- Add the rice wine, peanut butter, soy sauce or tamari, vinegar, sugar, ginger, sesame oil, salt, and cayenne (if using) to your blender. Blend until smooth.
- Blend in the coconut milk or milk beverage 1 tablespoon at a time, until it reaches your desired consistency.