What is Ponzu Dressing?
Ponzu sauce (ポン酢 or ポン酢醤油) is a beautiful blend of citrus juices such as yuzu, lemon, or lime that is harmoniously combined with soy sauce. This mixture is then delicately seasoned with dashi stock, sugar, or mirin to create a unique balance of flavors.
With that in mind, ponzu dressing is an exceptional salad dressing that embodies a perfect fusion of acidity and sweetness. The distinct characteristics of ponzu sauce make it an ideal dressing component.
Ingredients & Substitution Ideas
- Ponzu Sauce: A staple for this dressing. You can pick up a bottle at the store or try making it yourself. Either way, it’s a game-changer in the kitchen. Note: Many ponzu sauces contain dashi elements that are not suitable for vegetarians, you can make your own plant-based ponzu using my homemade ponzu recipe.
- Olive Oil: Your regular olive oil works great here. I always keep a bottle handy for my general cooking needs.
- Sesame Oil: This is my secret to adding a subtle yet distinct flavor.
- Ground Sesame: If your sesame seeds aren’t already ground, give them a quick grind yourself. You can use a pestle and mortar, or for an extra fine result a pepper grinder or mini food processor works great.
- Mirin: For an authentic taste, I suggest looking for “hon mirin” (本みりん).
- Wasabi Paste: Essential for that unique zing in this dressing. I personally used store-bought wasabi paste for this recipe/
Visual Walkthrough & Tips
Here are my step-by-step instructions for how to make Ponzu Dressing at home. For ingredient quantities and simplified instructions, scroll down for the Printable Recipe Card below.
Even though the quantity of mirin in this recipe is small, I like to heat and remove the alcohol to ensure it doesn’t alter the taste of my dressing.
Here’s how I do it: I pour the mirin into a microwave-safe cup and heat it for 50 seconds at 500W. Make sure not to cover it since we want the alcohol to evaporate.
If you don’t have a microwave, boiling it in a saucepan for a short while does the trick too. This step helps eliminate the alcohol smell, making the seasoning just right.
Once the mirin cools down slightly, it’s time to mix it with the rest of the ingredients. I recommend adding the ponzu, sesame seeds and wasabi first, whisking them until the wasabi is evenly dispersed through the mixture – this will help you avoid random lumps of wasabi in the dressing.
Then, drizzle in the olive oil and sesame oil slowly while whisking vigorously. This will help the dressing emulsify.
I like to use a milk frother for dressings, but shaking it in a dressing shaker or even a regular mason jar is a great alternative.
Both methods will give you a smooth and well-blended mixture that you can enjoy on your favorite salads!
How to Store
The estimated shelf life of this homemade Ponzu Dressing will last up to two weeks in refrigerator storage.
Be sure to store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It is not suitable for storing at room temperature or freezing.
Storage summary
Room temperature – Not recommended.
Refrigerated – 2 weeks.
Frozen – Not recommended.
I hope you enjoy this Ponzu Dressing recipe! If you try it out, I’d really appreciate it if you could spare a moment to let me know what you thought by giving a review and star rating in the comments below. It’s also helpful to share any adjustments you made to the recipe with our other readers. Thank you!
More Japanese Dressing Recipes
Ponzu Salad Dressing (with Sesame and Wasabi)
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp mirin
- 4 tbsp ponzu sauce see note for plant-based options
- 1 tsp ground sesame seeds
- 1 tsp wasabi paste
- ½ tbsp olive oil
- ½ tbsp toasted sesame oil
My recommended brands of ingredients and seasonings can be found in my Japanese pantry guide.
Can’t find certain Japanese ingredients? See my substitution guide here.
Instructions
- Measure out 1 tbsp mirin in a heatproof bowl and microwave uncovered for 50 seconds at 500W. (If you increase the recipe, the time will need to be increased.)
- Add 4 tbsp ponzu sauce, 1 tsp ground sesame seeds and 1 tsp wasabi paste and whisk until evenly dispersed. Then slowly pour in ½ tbsp olive oil and ½ tbsp toasted sesame oil while whisking vigorously until emulsified.
- Serve immediately, or store in the fridge and whisk right before pouring. Enjoy!
Notes
- Store-bought ponzu often contains fish-based dashi ingredients not suitable for vegetarians. Check out my homemade ponzu recipe if you want to try making your own plant-based ponzu!
- If making a larger batch, you can boil the mirin in a saucepan for 30 seconds instead.
- I recommend using a milk frother for stable emulsifying.
- You can also make this recipe by shaking the ingredients together in a dressing shaker or sealed mason jar.
- Suitable for refrigeration for up to 2 weeks.
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