Copycat Applebee’s Oriental Salad Dressing: Creamy Perfection in Minutes
There’s nothing better than a great salad dressing, and this oriental dressing is near perfection! After numerous visits to Applebee’s, I became obsessed with recreating their creamy Oriental salad dressing, which boasts a wonderful sesame flavor. The journey wasn’t easy – I was stumped for a long time trying to capture that lovely, almost smoky flavor that makes their dressing so special.
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I started with a basic vinaigrette approach and then realized that mayonnaise and the right balance of oils were needed for the creaminess. The breakthrough came when I combined regular sesame oil with a touch of toasted sesame oil—and this copycat recipe was born. Now, you can enjoy this restaurant favorite at home anytime!
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Why This Recipe Works
- Versatile – great on salads, as a marinade, or even as a dipping sauce
- The perfect balance of sweetness and tanginess mimics Applebee’s signature dressing
- Two types of sesame oil create the authentic depth of flavor you can’t get from just one
- Quick preparation – ready in just 5 minutes with simple whisking
- Stores beautifully in the refrigerator for up to a week
Ingredients
Here’s what you need to make this dressing:
- Sugar – Provides sweetness that balances the tangy vinegar perfectly
- Rice vinegar – Creates the tangy base that gives the dressing its bright flavor
- Mayonnaise – Adds creaminess and helps emulsify the dressing
- Refined sesame oil – Contributes mild sesame flavor without overwhelming the dressing
- Toasted sesame oil – Delivers the distinctive smoky, nutty flavor that makes this dressing special
- Dijon mustard – Acts as an emulsifier and adds subtle complexity to the flavor profile
How to make oriental salad dressing
- In a medium bowl, combine sugar and rice vinegar and mix until sugar is completely dissolved.
- Add the mayonnaise, both sesame oils, and the mustard. Stir until well blended.
Recipe notes
- Refrigerate the salad dressing in a covered container for up to 1 week.
- Rice vinegar is carried in most grocery stores. Be careful not to purchase the seasoned rice wine vinegar, as it is sweetened and makes the dressing way too sweet.
- Refined sesame oil can be found in the regular section of the oils in a grocery store. For the toasted sesame oil, look in the Asian section of your grocery store.
Ready to start cooking? Let us know what you think about this recipe in the comments below.
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Copycat Applebee’s Oriental Salad Dressing
A perfectly creamy homemade version of Applebee's famous oriental dressing with the ideal balance of sweetness and sesame flavor. Ready in just 5 minutes!
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Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons refined sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Instructions
- Combine the sugar and rice vinegar in a medium bowl and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved.
- Add the mayonnaise, both sesame oils, and the mustard and stir until well blended.
Video
Notes
- Refrigerate the salad dressing in a covered container for up to 1 week.
- Rice vinegar is carried in most grocery stores, be careful not to purchase the seasoned rice wine vinegar, as it is sweetened and makes the dressing way too sweet.
- The refined sesame oil can be found in the regular section of the oils in a grocery store. For the toasted sesame oil, look in the Asian section of your grocery store.
Nutrition
Serving: 1tablespoon | Calories: 64kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 0.1g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 2mg | Sodium: 34mg | Potassium: 2mg | Fiber: 0.02g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 3IU | Vitamin C: 0.002mg | Calcium: 1mg | Iron: 0.02mg
Tried This Recipe?Leave a comment and rating to let people know how you liked it! Tag me on Instagram @copykatrecipes
Course: Salad
Cuisine: American
Recipe Tips & Notes
Storage Information
- Store the dressing in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
- Give it a good shake or stir before each use as separation may occur.
Ingredient Notes
- Rice vinegar: Be careful not to purchase seasoned rice wine vinegar, as it is already sweetened and will make the dressing far too sweet.
- Sesame oils: Refined sesame oil can be found in the regular cooking oil section of most grocery stores. Look for toasted sesame oil in the Asian foods section – it comes in a smaller bottle and has a darker color.
- Consistency: If you prefer a thinner dressing, add a small amount of water (1 teaspoon at a time) until you reach your desired consistency.
Ways to Use This Dressing
- Toss with a simple salad of romaine lettuce, sliced almonds, chow mein noodles, and mandarin oranges for an Applebee’s-style Oriental Chicken Salad
- Use as a marinade for chicken or shrimp
- Drizzle over rice bowls or stir-fries
- Serve as a dipping sauce for potstickers or spring rolls
- Dress a cold noodle salad with vegetables
Love homemade salad dressings? Try these recipes!
- Best Blue Cheese Dressing
- Fuji Apple Salad Dressing
- Ginger Salad Dressing
- Hibachi Salad Dressing
- Homemade French Dressing
- Hot Bacon Dressing
- Olive Garden Italian Dressing Recipe
- Pesto Salad Dressing
- Russian Dressing
- Santa Fe Salad Dressing
More Applebee’s Copycat Recipes
Find lots more salad dressing recipes and the best restaurant copycat recipes here on CopyKat!
I can’t find my previous review to edit. I thought I made mine wrong, but NO! Once I Put it on the salad, it was PERFECTION and I am PICKY. Thank you so much!!!
I can tell this is good but mine came out too tart. I am wondering if I messed up a measurement because I am not feeling good. But its so close! I will try again
I substituted Monk Fruit and Honey as the sweetener.
I also added a tablespoon of Halm’s Hawaiian Tri Sauce. If you can get your hands on a bottle, you’ll thank me later.
Aloha Scott! Do you mean Halms teriyaki sauce? I’ve been in Maui for decades and have never heard of tri sauce. If you can find it, try Olde Town Teriyaki sauce. Made in Maui. I buy it by the gallon. I add toasted sesame oil to it. Onolicious!!
I just made this dressing just as described and i love it, it’s perfect! I eat the oriental grilled chicken salad from Applebees like once a week so I’m excited to be able to make this at home!
the best recipe!!
Per the recipe it makes 8 servings, so serving size is 1/8 the total recipe. So far as the runny consistency, I had made for years with Kraft Fat free mayo and if anything it came out too thick, went to low carb recently and put real mayo in and found it was very runny… Going to use xanthan gum to try to thicken it up… Great ingredient to have around for low carb btw. replaces corn starch and other thickeners, and also is stable for salad dressings with acids unlike almost any other thickener.
The Applebee’s oriental salad dressing looked wonderful, but I really didn’t appreciate she did. Not say what the measurements were. Really? Why would she leave that very important information??
Selina if you scroll on down she DOEs give the measurements!
Love this dressing, made it three times this month.
How do you thicken it? It was Really good! Thanks
You could sprinkle in a little xantham gum maybe 1/4 teaspoon to 1/2 teaspoon.
Very good dressing! I also did not have refined sesame oil, so used peanut oil as substitute. Flavor super but dressing doesn’t seem to blend real well. Oil staying around the outer area. I did use light mayo. So maybe that’s my problem. Didn’t want to dirty a blender so will give it some shakes and see. Thanks for sharing!
This dressing is very good and I admit that I had to lick my plate! Since we are on lockdown in Michigan, I used canola oil for the refined sesame oil since I didn’t have any but did have the toasted and used just a tad more of that. It was delicious. It was thinner than the Applebees dressing so I think maybe just add a tablespoon of honey for one TBSP of the sugar? Excellent recipe just the same.
Can you buy this exact dressing in the stores??
I don’t think you can buy Applebee’s Oriental Salad dressing in the stores.
You cannot, and I’ve looked in a number of stores and online!
This recipe is spot on! So good! I didn’t have any toasted sesame oil on hand, so tried it without it. It’s amazing. Sorry Applebees.
Where do you find the refined sesame seed oil. I can not find it in the grocery stores I have been to?
I have purchased this oil at Walmart and Kroger, so it is fairly common.
I didn’t think this recipe was “spot on” until I used honey in place of the sugar. Then it was like BINGO! that was it!
Hi! I LOVE this dressing, its the best EVER.
I wanted to know how much you consider one serving so i can estimate calories. Please let me know what this is considered as I’m trying to keep track of how much I’m consuming, and that sauce makes this salad!
Thank you very much,
Laurie