5 Ingredients or Fewer

1-2-3 Miso Dressing

May 18, 2020
4.3
7 Ratings
Photo by Yossy Arefi
  • Prep time 3 minutes
  • Makes however much you want
Author Notes

Read this recipe once and you’ll have it memorized. If you’re like me, you always have these three ingredients—white miso, apple cider vinegar, and honey. Besides their big flavors, it doesn’t hurt that they resist going bad at all costs. And no, the missing oil isn’t a mistake here; we just don’t need it, thanks to miso’s creaminess. Make sure you use a white miso that you really love (for me, that’s Miso Master’s Mellow White Miso). I call for equal parts of everything, by volume, because that’s the ratio that I like best. But this, like any recipe, should be futzed with, depending on your mood. If you’re serving the dressing with something super salty, bump up the honey. With something super rich, bump up the vinegar. And yes, you can add salt to taste, if you want, but I’ve never found it necessary. This starting point also allows you to adjust the quantity to however much you need (a tablespoon of each is a good starting point for a single serving). This dressing would be happy to spruce up any vegetable, whether it’s crunchy romaine, massaged kale, sautéed spinach, or quick-blanched peas. You could also spoon it on top of a grain bowl. Or make a cold noodle salad. Or drizzle it onto pan-seared chicken, fish, beef, or tofu. All of which to say, it’s hard to go wrong. —Emma Laperruque

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Ingredients
  • 1 part white miso (shiro miso)
  • 1 part honey
  • 1 part apple cider vinegar
Directions
  1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl, stir with a fork or whisk until smooth, and adjust to taste. This will keep in the fridge for quite awhile—check the expiration date on the miso as a guideline.

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Emma was the food editor at Food52. She created the award-winning column, Big Little Recipes, and turned it into a cookbook in 2021. These days, she's a senior editor at Bon Appétit, leading digital cooking coverage. Say hello on Instagram at @emmalaperruque.

5 Reviews

Karen B. January 13, 2024
Couldn't be easier. Couldn't be tastier.
emilynswanson July 11, 2020
This is so good-why haven’t I thought of this myself? 1:1:1 tbsp is perfect for a 2 quick side salads or 1 entree salad. I don’t buy pre-made dressings and am so happy to have a super quick option that isn’t balsamic!
Suzanne M. May 22, 2020
I made this for grilled chicken and a simple salad. I liked it, but next time I'll halve the apple cider vinegar. Either that, or I'll substitute lemon juice or rice wine vinegar. It was just a bit too strong for me. The vinegar overpowered the miso. I do like how adaptable the recipe is and it was a nice compliment to the smokiness of the charcoal grilled chicken.
AntoniaJames May 20, 2020
I tried this last night on grilled vegetables; it is wonderful - made even better, nuta-style, with a little dab of Dijon mustard. ;o)
Emma L. May 20, 2020
Thanks, AntoniaJames!