This China Coast salad dressing is a replica of the delicious dressing that comes on the side salad of your favorite teriyaki plate. In this recipe, you’ll learn everything you need to know about how to clone it at home.
Ever been to a teriyaki restaurant and found yourself wondering what was in the delicious dressing on the side salad? This Asian salad dressing is probably one of the most elusive, “top secret” recipes on the planet. If you’re anything like me, you ask for extra and even try to smuggle it home.
Well, let’s end your wandering once and for all. It’s called China Coast salad dressing and it couldn’t be any easier to recreate at home. You’ll be even more surprised to find out that it only requires 6 simple ingredients that you likely already have lying around in your fridge and pantry.
If you’ve never tried China Coast dressing before, get ready to fall in love. It’s creamy, tangy, and earthy, but most importantly it’s addicting. Let’s get to it!
If you want to make a full-blown teriyaki spread, here’s a great recipe for teriyaki chicken. Just don’t forget the steaming bowl of white rice on the side!
How to Make China Coast Dressing
Making China Coast dressing only requires 6 ingredients and two simple steps. Below, find a quick hitter overview of the recipe before you dive in.
- Blend the Ingredients: Toss all the ingredients into a blender and pulse until smooth. You read right, that’s it!
- Refrigerate & Serve: Transfer the dressing into an airtight container or Mason Jar. Refrigerate and marinate until cold. Toss it into any Asian-style salad and enjoy!
Tips for Making the Best China Coast Dressing
Below, find some tips and tricks to help you make the best China Coast dressing on the planet.
- Blend the dressing versus whisking it. Blending the dressing makes it so much more creamy than whisking it.
- Allow the dressing to marinate & chill. Give the dressing time to chill and develop in the refrigerator before you chow down. If you can, let it sit overnight.
- Store leftover dressing in an airtight container. To ensure your dressing doesn’t soak up the smells in your refrigerator, store it in an airtight container or sealable jar.
Serving China Coast Dressing
This Asian sesame dressing goes well on almost any Asian-style dressing. Toss it into this sesame chicken salad or this simple cabbage salad. You can also dunk raw veggies into it for a healthy snack (think: cucumbers, carrots, and broccoli) or drizzle it over grilled chicken for a tangy pop of flavor.
Storing China Coast Dressing
Store leftover China Coast dressing in an airtight container or sealable canning jar to prevent it from soaking up the smells of your refrigerator. Since the dressing gets more and more flavorful as it marinates in itself in the refrigerator, it’s great to double up the batch and enjoy it over a week or so.
FAQ
What is teriyaki salad dressing made of?
Teriyaki salad dressing, aka China Coast dressing, is made up of mayonnaise, rice vinegar, granulated white sugar, sesame oil, soy sauce, and garlic powder.
How much dressing is in a single serving?
A single serving of this China Coast dressing is about 3 tablespoons.
How far in advance can I make the dressing?
You can make China Coast dressing up to a week in advance. Just make sure to give it a good shake or stir before serving, as there will be natural separation as it sits.
Why did my dressing turn out runny?
China Coast dressing is supposed to be a bit runny versus ultra creamy like ranch or caesar dressing. If you like a thicker dressing, add in some extra mayonnaise.
More Asian Dishes
- Yakisoba Noodles – Japanese style stir-fry
- Japchae (Korean Stir-Fried Glass Noodles) – Korean-style sweet potato noodles
- Easy Korean Spicy Noodles – Spicy beef noodles
- Veggie Lo Mein – Chinese-style veggie noodles
Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 10 tbsp rice vinegar
- 4 tbsp white granulated sugar
- 4 tbsp sesame oil
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
Oh my goodness this was so yummy! I once had a recipe for this dressing but I couldn't remember the measurements & exact ingredients. This one is now an all time favorite! Tasted so good. I used it for an oriental salad of course with; frozen panko crusted chicken, shaves of carrot & chow mein crunchy noodles. Thank you!!
Hi Cara, that sounds absolutely delicious! Thank you for sharing your process and feedback with me. Enjoy it dear!!
I’ve made this delicious salad dressing for many years. I use 4tbsp of pure maple syrup instead of sugar. It comes out perfect every time. It’s sweet, savory, and tangy.
Hi there, wow! That is so interesting, thank you so much for sharing! I will have to give it a try . Enjoy!
To clarify.. did you use seasoned rice vinegar? And was it toasted sesame oil? Thanks 🙂
Seasoned rice vinegar has sugar added to it, so I would recommend using plain rice vinegar since there are 4TB of added sugar to this recipe...or just use the seasoned rice vinegar and omit the extra sugar 🙂
Megan, thank you for sharing your tips. I love it!
Hi Kristy- I don't think it was seasoned rice vinegar, just regular (the Marukan brand) but I think they can most likely be used interchangeably. As for the sesame oil- either toasted or not works fine. Hope this helps!
hello this is Lyuba why I blended this dressing and not white but little light brown. Please explain why
Hello Lyuba- It should be a cream color, that would be from the soy sauce. But mine has never come out light brown..I'm not sure what that happened for you! How is the taste of it?
Mine turned out the same way. A bit strong on the sesame and soy...might need to double check my measurements and try again.
Hi JCR- sorry to hear that! Thank you for providing feedback.
Toasted sesame oil is much stronger than regular sesame oil, 4tbsp of toasted would be overkill. I did 1 tsp of toasted sesame oil and the rest avocado oil. If I had regular sesame, I probably would’ve followed the recipe as is. Turned out great!
Hi Seth, thank you for sharing your insight with me. I am so glad that the recipe was a success with your adjustments. Enjoy!
Seattle native for 61 years....this dressing tastes EXACTLY like the best teriyaki restaurant dressing 🙂
It sure does. Just made tossed it with prepackaged slaw. Delish. Thanks
Hi Alan- you're welcome! Glad you enjoyed it!
Thank you for the kind feedback, Debbie! Enjoy!
I used to live in Tacoma for about 15 years. I live in Chicago now and let me tell you. Chicago has the best food I think in any city EXCEPT!!!!! … Teriyaki spots. It’s horrible here and only offered in expensive restaurants. So I make my own and it’s not like back in the PNW. Ok .. so know thing I most the most was this dressing and let me tell you now that my taste buds agrees that this is right on. I LOVE IT. THANK YOU for sharing this recipe.
Manny
Hey Manny - Oh man, my family misses the Asian food in the PNW so much. Every time we go home to Seattle, we have to get ramen, pho, sushi, and teriyaki. It's a MUST. So glad you enjoyed the dressing. Have you tried our chicken teriyaki yet? It's pretty bomb: https://momsdish.com/recipe/1…. Let me know that you think and thanks for reaching out!
Definitely wish I read all the comments before making this recipe. It’s a lot more tangy than they have in the restaurants, so after making the sauce according to the recipe, I had to double the recipe again, excluding the rice vinegar. So start by adding only 5 tbsp of the rice vinegar and then keep adding more to your liking!
Thanks for the feedback, Inessa. We definitely like ours on the tangy side. Good call on adding the vinegar gradually to suit your taste buds. Hope you enjoyed having the extra dressing/were able to make good use of it!
Have you tried substituting any of the mayo with yogurt? What's your opinion if you have?
Hey Rish, no we haven't tried it. I honestly don't think it would taste as good.
Can I use sweet Rice wine instead of rice vinegar?
Hey Teri, I haven't tried using Sweet Rice wine, my concern is that the dressing would be too sweet. If you do try it, please let us know! Thank you
This salad dressing recipe is really so delicious and flavorful! Glad I got to get all my needed authentic Asian ingredients in Karman Foods, fast and hassle-free. My salad dressing version was extra flavorful than I expected it to be, So love it!
I'm so glad you enjoyed the salad dressing, thank you for your feedback!
THANK YOU THANK YOU. been looking for this dressing EVERYWHERE. I just made it and it's great!!
So glad you enjoyed it!!
This dressing is such a light and very delicious dressing! I couldn’t wait to try this, so delicious on the salad I made for dinner last night! Excited to make this again and keep this on hand!
I'm glad you enjoyed the dressing, Beth!
This is way better than any restaurant! So full of flavor!
I am so happy to hear that, thank you for your feedback!
Delicious dressing! Loved it on chicken. Perfect on salad! Wonderfully tangy and really great flavor!
Glad you loved the recipe!
Please remember the quality of the ingredients also matters! Something people may not realize is that in the PNW we have access to many of the Asian brands as well.
When trying this recipe I used:
Expensive Japanese black garlic soy,
The Kewpie brand Mayo,
Fresh squeeze paste garlic from local market.
Then went with the wildly available:
C and H sugar,
Kadoya pure sesame oil,
Nakano rice vinegar in the “natural” formulation (mild and mellow).
This turned out amazingly! So I urge you to make sure you choose ingredients that you would use in other dishes. If you don’t like an ingredient play with it, find a different formula/brand that you do like! Remember recipes are a guide, you make the art!
I saw comments about adding miso and such as well. Since this is first try with the recipe I wanted to keep it as true as I could using what I have on hand (yeah I am honestly out of garlic powder however that happened). I look forward to adding miso paste to the next batch to try that out!
April, thank you for your feedback and tips, I'm glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Soooo excited to find this dressing! I had been looking for a recipe that replicated the coleslaw at teriyaki take-out restaurants. This is it! Only one I could find. Been using it for a year. To the earlier reviews-- just tweak the ratios to your taste as needed.
Angela, I am so glad to hear that, thank you for your feedback!
I love this dressing. Great job. I added some ginger and it was great. Thank you.
Thank you, Michael!
So easy and delicious. I didn't need a blender; I just stirred it. Works with Wholesome Zero Sugar in place of White sugar.
Donna, I'm so glad you enjoyed the recipe, thank you for the feedback!
Can you please tell me how many tablespoons in a serving? I am unable to do the math! Thanks
Hey Linda, about 3 tbsp. Enjoy
Just made it, looking forward to it. Thank you.
I hope you love them! Let me know what you think when you try them 🙂
I’ve been searching for a recipe for the salad dressings they have at teriyaki restaurants. So many recipes I’ve tried were just not quite right. This one is spot on!!! Thank you so much!!!
I'm so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Kelsey! Thank you for taking the time to comment.
made the dressing , a couple little tweaks on the amounts, came out good.
Now for the glaze or topping foe the meats. do you have that. noting in the stores is even close,
TIA.
Seattle local.
Are you asking about teriyaki sauce?
yes
I do not have a homemade teriyaki sauce recipe, but in this is the teriyaki sauce I use, you will see a photo of it in the recipe. I hope this helps! Recipe: https://momsdish.com/recipe/1…
Mines super liquidy. I’m assuming from volume of vinegar. Anything I can do to thicken it up? I’ve already added extra mayo and am now out :). Was thinking maybe a cornstarch slurry?
Hey Caitlin, it's supposed to be runny not a thick dressing.
I had to tweak this recipe a little but has the right ingredients. I added miso paste for more umami taste.
Thank you for sharing your tips, I hope you loved the outcome!
Delicious!! I added 6 tablespoons of vinegar and it was perfect! Thank you for the delicious recipe!
Thank you for the tip! I'm glad you enjoyed it!
I live in Seattle and love the old-school teriyaki restaurants, particularly the dressing. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
One modification one might consider is adding a pinch of poppy seeds.
The poppy seeds are a great addition! I'm so glad you loved this dressing.
I found what I was looking for after reading more of the comments.
Great 🙂
It's too tangy for my taste. I added a little more sugar still too tangy. How can I even out the flavor? Add more sugar? I'm a beginner still learning tricks of the trade.
Hey Amy, I would add a little less vinegar, if you don't like the tangy flavor.
Thanks for the recipe! I will definetly try it out. Can I make it ahead of time, a day or two prior to eating it?
Hey Mina, yes for sure, it can be made a week in advance. But shake it up before serving.
My (adult) children and my son’s fiancée all loved this. They don’t normally like salad, but I noticed them taking second helpings. It’s definitely more tangy than the restaurant version, but we all preferred it.
Julie, this makes me so happy. Glad you loved the recipe.
I was grilling salmon teriyaki, with grilled asparagus and tossed salad. I wanted a salad dressing that went with the meal -- not the usual grocery store options in my fridge! I found this and mixed it up real quick, using apple cider vinegar because I'm out of rice vinegar. It was very good, and helped pull the meal flavors together nicely!
Hey Cheri, I love your combo! Sounds like your dinner was so delicious! Thanks for the idea!