Simple Ginger Miso Sauce with Tahini

Name: Simple Ginger Miso Sauce with Tahini
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Cuisine: Asian-inspired
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger; 1 tablespoon red miso; 2 tablespoons tahini; 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil; 1 tablespoon rice vinegar; 1 tablespoon maple syrup; Optional: 1-2 tablespoons water (to thin sauce, if desired)

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A white bowl with Ginger Miso Sauce sits on a wooden table. Next to it is a piece of fresh ginger, some sliced cucumbers, a plate with salad and a smaller bowl with some remnants of thinned out sauce and a spoon inside.

Ginger Miso Sauce is a tangy, salty-sweet, ginger forward sauce that is simple to prepare and can be used to add flavor to a variety of dishes!

Looking for a versatile, Asian-inspired sauce for your next meal? Look no further than my favorite Simple Ginger Miso Sauce with Tahini. Creamy, tangy, and packed with umami flavor, this easy-to-make condiment is perfect for everything from sandwiches and salads to roasted veggies, stir-fries, and proteins like tofu, chicken or fish.

The ingredients for Ginger Miso Sauce including miso paste, tahini, fresh ginger, maple syrup, rice vinegar and sesame oil.

What is Ginger Miso Sauce?

Ginger Miso Sauce is a tangy, salty-sweet, ginger forward sauce that is simple to prepare and can be used to add flavor to a variety of dishes. While there’s no one way to make it, my version brings together a handful of pantry staples to create a deeply savory, slightly creamy sauce you’ll want to drizzle on everything. Here’s what goes into it:

Grated Fresh Ginger: Adds a zesty, slightly spicy kick that brightens the sauce and gives it its signature flavor.

Red Miso: A fermented soybean paste that is a staple of Japanese cuisine. Red miso gets its signature color from its long fermentation process and it brings a touch of saltiness, and a hearty, almost meaty undertone.

Tahini: A creamy paste made from sesame seeds that adds fats and a nutty flavor to the sauce.

Toasted Sesame Oil: Intensely aromatic with deep, roasted sesame notes, it further enhances the sesame flavor of the tahini.

Rice Vinegar: Also known as rice wine vinegar, it offers acidity and a subtle sweetness, balancing the richness of the miso and tahini.

Maple Syrup: A touch of sweetness to mellow the saltiness of the miso and tangy flavor from the ginger and vinegar.

(Optional) Water: A few tablespoons of water can help thin the sauce to your desired consistency without diluting its bold flavor so you can use it in a variety of dishes.

A white bowl with the ingredients for ginger miso sauce unmixed.

A white bowl with the ingredients for Ginger Miso Sauce mixed together.

Recipe FAQs and Ingredient Substitutions

Is Ginger Miso Sauce a sauce, spread or a dressing?

It’s all of the above! If you leave out the optional water it’s definitely creates a thick paste or spread which is great as a dipping sauce for vegetables or on sandwiches like my California Veggie Sandwich. But if you thin it out with water it becomes an incredible miso ginger dressing for salads, grain or buddha bowls, vegetables, stir fries and proteins.

Can I use other kinds of miso paste besides red miso?

Yes you can. At the grocery store, you’ll probably find three different types of miso: white miso paste, yellow miso paste and red miso paste. Their differences mostly come down to ingredient ratios and fermentation time. The core ingredients of all miso are the same – soybeans, salt, and a fermentation starter called koji – but the type of grain used in the koji and how much of it changes the flavor, color, and texture of each miso. Red miso has the highest percentage of soy and the longest fermentation time, which also gives it the strongest flavor. If you prefer a less bold flavor, feel free to experiment with white or yellow miso paste in this Ginger Miso Sauce.

What can I use as a substitute for the tahini?

If you don’t have tahini on hand, I think peanut butter is a great substitute. The flavor of ginger and peanut is awesome together!

What can I use as a substitute for the rice vinegar?

If you don’t have rice vinegar on hand, apple cider vinegar or even fresh lime juice or lemon juice would be a good replacement.

A plate of salad topped with ginger miso sauce. A small bowl sits nearby with the remnants of the sauce and a small spoon inside.

How To Use Ginger Miso Sauce

Wondering how to use this Ginger Miso Sauce in your cooking? My favorite way is to use it as a spread on my California Veggie Sandwich, which I highly recommend you check out. But it’s also great when thinned out a little bit with water and used as a homemade dressing for a salad, on top of grain bowls, buddha bowls or soba noodles. I also love it as a sauce for stir fries, or on vegetables like sweet potato or stir-fried bok choy, or even on proteins like tofu, chicken breast or salmon.