Miso Mustard Dressing, the Best Dressing for Everything

This Miso Mustard Dressing is the subtly spicy, BIG umami dressing with just 6 ingredients that I've been putting on kale salad, chicken salad, grain bowls, and roasted tofu and vegetables for years. Shall we?

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What is Miso Mustard Dressing?
Is Miso Mustard Dressing Healthy?
Ingredients You Need for Miso Mustard Dressing
What Kind of Miso Should I Use for Dressings?
Tools and Equipment
Miso Mustard Dressing

What is Miso Mustard Dressing?

If you've ever been to one of those salad restaurants and had a vaguely Asian salad or some other custom creation to which you added a miso-based dressing, then you will LOVE this recipe. It is essentially a dupe for Mendocino Farms dressing on their Chinese Chicken Salad or a stand-in for Sweetgreen, except that this version is less sesame, more heat from mustard.

The miso in the dressing is what gives it the massive umami bomb, and makes it rich and creamy without any mayo or dairy. There is a gentle kick from mustard and fresh garlic.

Miso Mustard Dressing drizzled over salad

Is Miso Mustard Dressing Healthy?

As presented, this Miso Mustard Dressing is:

100% plant-based, suitable for vegans
vegetarian
dairy-free
gluten-free
refined sugar-free

It looks creamy, but there's neither dairy nor mayonnaise. The thick, creamy texture comes from the emulsification of miso with the other liquids in the recipe. And if you use tamari or coconut aminos instead of regular soy sauce, the dressing is also gluten-free.

miso mustard dressing in bowl with whisk — Miso Mustard Dressing Ingredients: miso, Dijon mustard, minced garlic, maple syrup, apple cider vinegar (ACV), olive oil

Ingredients You Need for Miso Mustard Dressing

Miso, 4 tablespoons obviously
Dijon mustard, 2 tablespoons
Garlic, 1 clove about 1 teaspoon finely minced
Maple syrup, 1 tablespoon
Apple cider vinegar, ¼ cup
Olive oil, ¼ cup

Option: ground black pepper or crushed red pepper flakes or other chile flakes for additional heat!

types of miso: sweet hawaiian style, white, red miso

What Kind of Miso Should I Use for Dressings?

tl;dr: Use any light-colored white or yellow miso that is labeled "organic" or "non-gmo." Light-colored miso, which I used throughout all the photos in this post.

My favorite brands are all organic—this brand, this brand (pictured above), and this brand—and I have been able to find them in Whole Foods Markets in southern California. If you are able to get to an Asian market or specialty store, check out the miso section. It's huge! And you'll probably find these brands there too.

There are a few different types of miso that range in flavor, color, saltiness, and most importantly (to me) intensity of funk. No surprise here, but the funkier, the better. Miso can be labeled and categorized in a number of different ways, e.g. by ingredients, fermenting agent, city of origin, "style," but the easiest way for most people is to simply refer to the color.

Generally, the lighter in color the miso—those labeled "white" and "yellow," sometimes "shiro"—the milder the flavor and saltiness. Sometimes, the lighter colored misos are described as sweet, though they are not actually sweetened with any kind of sugar. They are just less salty.

Darker miso—labeled "red" or "aka miso"—is stronger in flavor and is usually saltier. I love darker red miso for soups and making dips for vegetables. Red miso works for this recipe; you may need to increase the sweetness and vinegar to balance the saltiness.

What Can You Make with Miso

Ginger Miso Dressing

Additional Ingredients Notes and Resources

Dijon Mustard. This Dijon mustard brand has never failed me. Because the amount is fairly small, use whatever mustard you have. The mustard adds some degree of flavor, but more importantly, emulsifies the rest of the ingredients into one homogenous mixture. You can omit the mustard if you don't have it. I have made this Apple Cider Vinaigrette both with and without the mustard.

Garlic. If you are sensitive to garlic, substitute 1 tablespoon finely minced shallot. I would not use garlic powder. You can also completely omit garlic.

Maple Syrup. I use an organic maple syrup that is dark in color and more robust in flavor than lighter colored maple syrups. You can substitute with honey (though the dressing will no longer be vegan), or other sweetener of choice.

Apple Cider Vinegar. Any brand of apple cider vinegar "ACV" works as long as it has the "mother" which looks like a mysterious dark floating figure in the bottle. The mother is what causes the fermentation! This generic store brand of organic Apple Cider Vinegar is generally the most affordable where I shop. This is the well-known apple cider vinegar brand that's available everywhere. You can substitute up to half the apple cider vinegar with fresh lemon juice for additional layer of flavor and sweetness.

Olive Oil. Use the highest quality extra virgin olive oil you can afford, preferably with a recent Harvest Date on the bottle, not just the Expiration Date. I used a limited production boutique brand of organic California olive oil for this recipe. This is a more widely available high quality olive oil that I use for every day cooking.

Ingredients Substitutions

Grainy mustard is a great 1:1 substitute for Dijon mustard since the mustard is a primary flavor rather than for emulsification.

Garlic powder for fresh. If you don't have fresh garlic, use about ¼ teaspoon garlic powder for the finely minced fresh garlic.

Rice Vinegar is a natural substitute for apple cider vinegar in this recipe! Make sure to use rice vinegar, and not rice wine which is an alcohol you might know as sake, or mirin, which is a seasoned rice vinegar with salt and sweeteners. I use this organic rice vinegar.

Avocado Oil. Avocado oil is a lighter-in-flavor, more neutral substitute for olive oil. Because this dressing has such strong flavors from the miso and mustard, the oil flavor does not come through much. I use this organic avocado oil.

Tools and Equipment

You don't need any special equipment to make Miso Mustard Dressing. You can simply use a knife and cutting board to mince the garlic, and a bowl to mix the ingredients. However, that doesn't mean there are a couple of gadgets and tools that might make it even easier than it already is.

BlendJet cordless personal blender - I don't know how I survived without this
2-ounce (4 tablespoons) liquid measuring cup
Garlic press
Mini whisk
Wide-mouth mason jars and air-tight screw-on lids
Cutting board

ginger miso dressing for chinese chicken salad

Best Salads with Miso Mustard Dressing

super crunchy crispy Cabbage Apple Salad
umami rich Mushroom Lentil Salad
Mandarin Chicken Salad as pictured above
Sub for the sesame-based dressing in LA-Style Chinese Chicken Salad
Drizzle for Tofu Salad
Transform tart vinegary Kale Slaw into a gingery salad

Miso Mustard as a Sauce or Dip

Perfect sauce tossed with julienned vegetables and buckwheat soba noodles
Tossed with any Roasted Vegetables, my favorite the Japanese Sweet Potatoes
Stir into Hot Rice or Quinoa for a Grain Bowl
Dip for crunchy vegetable crudités
Dip for Fresh Summer Rolls

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5 from 29 votes