A small glass pitcher filled with creamy, light brown salad dressing sits on a rustic wooden table, with a plate of shredded vegetables blurred in the background.

Japanese Sesame Dressing at a Glance

Japanese sesame dressing (goma dressing, 胡麻ドレッシング) is a savory dressing served over salads in Japanese homes and yoshoku restaurants. I toast and grind the seeds fresh rather than starting from paste. It’s creamy, but you can still feel the sesame in there, and it’s got a toasty, nutty flavor store-bought dressings just don’t have.

Why You’ll Love It

  • Ground fresh, not from paste – Toasting and grinding whole seeds leaves a rough, fragrant texture that bottled dressings and tahini shortcuts both flatten out. 
  • Stop at two or three pops – That is when the sesame is toasted through; seconds longer and the seeds scorch, turning the batch bitter.
  • Kewpie mayonnaise is the base – It does the job mustard does in a vinaigrette, holding oil and vinegar together so the dressing will not separate.
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What readers say
“I made it for dinner last night and have been craving it so bad I had a salad for breakfast just so I could have it again. I really can’t stress enough what a big difference the kewpie mayo makes.”

Sinéad

My Recipe Story

I eat salad year-round, which means I go through a lot of dressing, and this is the one I always keep a jar of in the refrigerator. It’s my go-to dressing for shredded cabbage salad.

Mr. JOC likes it tangier than I do, so when I make a batch for him, I add a little extra rice vinegar. That’s what I like about making your own dressings—it’s easy to customize and versatile!

If you love Japanese dressings, try my Wafu Dressing, Carrot Ginger Dressing, and Japanese Onion Dressing next!

A glass jar filled with creamy sesame dressing sits on a wooden table, with its lid nearby and a plate of shredded cabbage salad blurred in the background.

Key Ingredients

You only need six ingredients, and they’re all pantry staples: toasted white sesame seeds, Kewpie mayonnaise, rice vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, and toasted sesame oil. Nothing needs cooking.

  • Toasted white sesame seeds – Buy them pre-toasted, then warm them briefly in a dry pan to bring the aroma back. Grinding them yourself is the whole point of this recipe; tahini stands in if you have no grinder.
  • Kewpie mayonnaise – Made with egg yolks only, which is why it tastes richer and tangier than American mayonnaise. Regular mayonnaise works, but add a little extra rice vinegar to get the same tang. Available on Amazon, or make my homemade Kewpie Mayo recipe.
  • Rice vinegar – Japanese rice vinegar is milder and less acidic (4–5%) than white or white wine vinegar, so if you substitute either one, use a little less. Buy unseasoned; seasoned rice vinegar already contains sugar and salt. Available on Amazon.
  • Soy sauce – Nobody should taste soy sauce in the finished dressing, but leave it out and the dressing tastes thin. Japanese cooks call this a kakushiaji, a hidden flavor—something you never identify but would notice if it were gone.
  • Toasted sesame oil – A tiny amount carries most of the fragrance, so measure it rather than pouring free-hand.

Find the printable recipe with measurements below.

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How to Make Japanese Sesame Dressing

  1. Toast the sesame seeds. Warm the toasted white sesame seeds in a dry frying pan over medium-low heat, shaking constantly. Take the pan off the heat the moment two or three seeds pop, about 3 minutes.
  2. Grind the seeds. Work them in a Japanese mortar and pestle until the mixture turns coarse and fragrant. Leave some seeds whole for the texture, if you like.
  3. Mix it together. Add the Kewpie mayonnaise, rice vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, and toasted sesame oil to the ground sesame and mix until smooth.
  4. Taste and adjust. More rice vinegar for tang, more sugar for sweetness. Serve, or chill until you need it.
A stainless steel pan filled with sesame seeds sits on a stovetop as the seeds are being toasted.
A person uses a wooden pestle to crush toasted sesame seeds in a ceramic bowl on a wooden surface.
A person stirs a thick, tan batter in a ceramic bowl with a fork on a wooden surface.
A plate with two breaded, sauce-topped patties, shredded cabbage salad with dressing, and three cherry tomatoes. Chopsticks, sauce, and seasonings are nearby on a wooden tray.
Namiko Hirasawa Chen

Nami’s Recipe Tips

Before you start, here are a few things I’ve learned along the way.

  • Re-toast even pre-toasted seeds – Two to three minutes in a dry pan over medium-low heat brings back the aroma that fades while they sit in the cupboard. Pull them when the seeds look glossy and two or three pop.
  • Stop at two or three pops – Sesame goes from toasted to scorched in seconds, and scorched seeds make the whole batch bitter. Pull the pan; do not wait.
  • Leave the grind rough – Stop while some seeds are still whole. Ground to a smooth paste, the dressing loses its texture. A Japanese mortar and pestle gives the most control; a food processor works but grinds unevenly.
A stainless steel pan filled with sesame seeds sits on a stovetop as the seeds are being toasted.
A person uses a wooden pestle to crush toasted sesame seeds in a ceramic bowl on a wooden surface.
  • Adjust the thickness with mayonnaise, not less vinegar – If it pours thinner than you want, whisk in more Kewpie a spoonful at a time. Cutting the vinegar thickens it too, but costs you the tang.
  • Taste it after it chills again – Cold makes sweetness harder to taste while the vinegar stays just as sharp, so a dressing that seemed balanced on the counter can taste sour out of the refrigerator. Add a pinch of sugar if it does.
Two hands hold small bowls with soy sauce and oil above a mixing bowl containing breadcrumbs, melted butter, and sugar, on a wooden surface.
A thick, beige mixture is being poured from a bowl into a glass jar on a wooden surface.

Make Ahead Tips

  • Toast and grind the sesame ahead – Ground sesame keeps in an airtight jar for a few days, which turns the dressing itself into a two-minute job.
  • Make the whole batch a day early – The sesame softens into the mayonnaise overnight and the flavors settle together.

Storage Tips

To store: Keep the dressing in an airtight jar in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. It thickens as it chills, so loosen it with a teaspoon of water and whisk or shake before serving.

Two hands are closing the lid of a glass jar filled with a light brown, creamy mixture on a wooden surface.

Variations

A few easy swaps to suit your taste or pantry.

  • Tahini in place of ground seeds. Smoother and slightly more bitter, but it works when there is no grinder in the house.
  • A different sweetener. Turbinado, raw cane sugar, or honey.
  • A different acid. Apple cider vinegar, or lemon juice diluted with a tablespoon or two of water.
  • Gluten-free. Tamari or gluten-free soy sauce in place of regular soy sauce.
  • Grated ginger. A small amount adds warmth and cuts through the richness.
  • Creamier. More Kewpie mayonnaise and slightly less vinegar.
A small glass jar filled with creamy brown dressing sits on a wooden table, with its lid set nearby. In the background, there is a plate of shredded cabbage and tomatoes.
A plate with two breaded patties topped with sauce, shredded cabbage salad with dressing, and cherry tomatoes, served with a bowl of rice and a drink on a wooden table.

What to Serve with Japanese Sesame Dressing

I use sesame dressing not only for salad, but these recipes.

  • Shabu Shabu Salad – Sesame sauce with cold pork shabu is a classic pairing, and this is the creamy version of it.
  • Hiyayakko – Spoon it over cold tofu in place of soy sauce. The mayonnaise clings where a thin sauce slides off.
  • Steamed Vegetables – Broccoli, green beans, asparagus. Warm vegetables take a creamy dressing better than raw ones do, and it’s a shortcut goma-ae.
  • Soba Noodle Salad – Toss it through cold soba. It coats the noodles instead of pooling at the bottom of the bowl the way a thin vinaigrette does.
A white dish containing Shabu Shabu Salad.
A block of Hiyayakko (Japanese Cold Tofu) topped with corn, crab sticks, shredded herbs, and served with cherry tomato halves on a glass plate, with black chopsticks to the side.
Steamed vegetables on donabe steamer along with dipping sauce.
Chopsticks pulling noodles from a white bowl containing Soba Noodle Salad topped with sesame seeds and chopped cilantro and green onions.

FAQ

Can I use tahini or sesame paste instead of sesame seeds?

Yes. Tahini or Japanese neri goma both work in place of the ground sesame seeds. Start with the same amount and adjust—paste is more concentrated, so you may want less. The dressing comes out smoother and slightly more bitter, and you lose the rough texture.

Am I grinding the seeds to a powder or a paste?

Neither, really—stop while the mixture is still coarse and some seeds are whole. That rough texture is the whole point. A spice grinder or small food processor works, but pulse it and check often; they go from coarse to paste quickly.

Can I make it without mayonnaise?

The mayonnaise is what holds this dressing together, so leaving it out changes the dressing rather than adjusting it. Vegan mayonnaise works and keeps the texture. For a mayo-free style altogether, my Sesame Sauce (Goma Dare) is built on neri goma (tahini) and dashi stock instead—so it’s thinner, but the same sesame base.

I’d love to hear how yours turned out! 💛 Please leave a star rating and comment below to share your experience. Your feedback not only supports Just One Cookbook but also helps other home cooks discover recipes they can trust.

Japanese Sesame Dressing

4.40 from 328 votes
by Namiko Hirasawa Chen
A glass jar filled with creamy sesame dressing sits on a wooden table, with its lid nearby and a plate of shredded cabbage salad blurred in the background.
Japanese Sesame Dressing tastes nothing like the bottled kind, and grinding the seeds fresh is my whole trick. Six pantry ingredients and 10 minutes.
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Equipment

Prep: 7 minutes
Cook: 3 minutes
Chilling Time (Optional): 20 minutes
Total: 10 minutes

Ingredients  

Servings: 3 (1 batch is about ½ cup, 120 ml)

Instructions

  • Gather all the ingredients.
    Six clear containers hold sesame seeds, sugar, oil, soy sauce, mayonnaise, and vinegar, all arranged on a wooden surface.

To Toast and Grind the Sesame Seeds

  • Add 4 Tbsp toasted white sesame seeds to a dry frying pan. Toast over medium heat, holding the pan slightly above the burner and shaking it continuously so they heat evenly, about 3 minutes. When 2–3 seeds start popping, immediately remove the pan from the heat.
    Nami's Tip: Sesame goes from toasted to scorched in seconds, and scorched seeds turn the whole batch bitter.
    Side-by-side images show grains being toasted: on the left, grains in a metal pan on a stove; on the right, grains in a clay pot on a burner, with a gloved hand holding the pot.
  • Grind the toasted sesame seeds in a Japanese mortar and pestle until coarse and fragrant. Stop while some seeds are still whole.
    Nami's Tip: Ground to a smooth paste, the dressing loses the texture that makes it worth grinding. A food processor works but grinds unevenly, so pulse and check often.
    Two hands using a wooden pestle to grind toasted sesame seeds in a ceramic bowl on a wooden surface, shown from two different angles.

To Make the Dressing

  • Add 4 Tbsp Japanese Kewpie mayonnaise, 2 Tbsp rice vinegar (unseasoned), 1 Tbsp sugar, 2 tsp soy sauce, and ¼ tsp toasted sesame oil to the mortar. Mix until combined.
    Three-panel image showing hands adding sugar, soy sauce, and oil to a bowl with mayo and crushed nuts, then mixing the ingredients together with a spoon to make a creamy sauce.

To Chill (Optional)

  • Transfer the dressing to an airtight jar and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes so the flavors settle as it cools.
    On the left, thick batter is poured into a glass jar. On the right, hands close the jar with an orange-rimmed glass lid. Both scenes are on a wooden surface.

To Serve

  • Drizzle over a simple salad of iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, boiled eggs, wakame seaweed, and corn, or over shredded cabbage salad.
    A split image: left shows a salad with lettuce, tomato, corn, spinach, sesame seeds, half a boiled egg, and a drizzle of Japanese sesame dressing; right shows breaded cutlets, shredded cabbage, cherry tomatoes, and sauce on a wooden board.

To Store

  • Store the dressing in the refrigerator for up to a week.
    Nami's Tip: It thickens as it chills. Loosen it with a teaspoon of water and shake before serving.

Notes

Kewpie mayonnaise – Made with egg yolks only, which is why it is richer and tangier than American mayonnaise. Regular mayonnaise works with a little extra rice vinegar.
Rice vinegar – Use unseasoned; seasoned rice vinegar already contains sugar and salt. White or white wine vinegar substitutes, but use a little less.
No grinder – Tahini or Japanese neri goma stands in for the ground seeds. The dressing comes out smoother and slightly more bitter.
Gluten-free – Use tamari or gluten-free soy sauce, and check the mayonnaise. Kewpie made in the US is certified gluten-free, but the Japanese-made bottle contains malt vinegar and is not.

Nutrition

Calories: 212kcal, Carbohydrates: 7g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 20g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 11g, Monounsaturated Fat: 5g, Trans Fat: 0.03g, Cholesterol: 8mg, Sodium: 333mg, Potassium: 54mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 13IU, Calcium: 106mg, Iron: 2mg

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Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on September 23, 2011, and updated with more detailed tips on June 6, 2016. It was updated on September 6, 2026, with an improved recipe, new photos, and updated ingredient and technique notes, as I wanted to simplify the ingredient list without losing any flavor—if anything, I was aiming for even better results.