There’s nothing better than a great salad dressing, and this oriental dressing is near perfection! After countless visits to Applebee’s, I became obsessed with recreating their creamy oriental salad dressing with its wonderful sesame flavor. The journey wasn’t easy – I was stumped for a long time trying to capture that perfectly sweet, almost smoky flavor that makes their dressing so special.
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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Table of Contents
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.
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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Servings: 12
Calories: 64kcal
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
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 just came across this awesome recipe “copy-cat” site! I left off the sugar because I am keto, but it was still awesome! Thank you!
Good to know that you can leave off the sugar. I am working on trying to designate keto and low carb recipes on the website.
Anyone have a recipe for Long John Silvers Coleslaw! Much better than KFC’s.
I a am trying to find s Copy Cat recipe for Apple Bee’s Ranch Dressing
Have searched and searched with no luck.
Thank you for your post. I am sorry but I do not have this recipe at this time.
In a crunch, I have used a bottle of Ken’s Light Vidalia Onion dressing and whipped in 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon of toasted sesame oil. Makes a super speedy recreation!
Just in case anyone wants a truly simple dressing that will surprise at just how much it tastes like Applebees (discovered by accident) check this out. Publix had a sale on coleslaw and Marie’s Original Coleslaw dressing. I’d never tried this Marie’s dressing before and I wanted coleslaw!. Upon looking at it the consistency it looked like Applebees. Upon tasting it i thought wow, it’s really close! I then bought some sesame oil and Dijon. Added it to taste and I couldn’t believe how good it is! I initially used a little of the original coleslaw for tomorrows lunch but then just made the whole bottle oriental dressing. Totally awesome!
I didn’t buy rice vinegar oil because I couldn’t find one that had wine on the label. Reading everybody comments let me there the same. Thanks
So the reason it probably had you stumped is because (and I got this from someone who worked at applebees and read the ingredients) it gets its goodness from chicken fat. Mystery ingredient solved!
Chicken fat makes many things tasty.
This recipe is great but if you substitute sugar with brown sugar it is perfect. Try it.gg
Thank you for your suggestion.
Thank you I love this salad dressing…
I just picked up these ingredients and i looked and looked for rice wine vinegar but only found rice vinegar and then the rice wine vinegar that is seasoned. I didn’t get the rice vinegar cuz it didn’t say wine. Then i noticed in ur picture of said ingredients the labelled says rice vinegar is there a difference. Also i couldn’t find the toasted seed oil looked everywhere in store will it matter if i don’t use it.
I used to be a manager at Applebee’s and occasionally we would run out of oriental dressing so we would make a home made version of it by using cole slaw dressing and teriyaki sauce, never had any complaints about it
Interesting.
I don’t like Dijon mustard can I leave it out will the dressing taste as good?
It should have it in there, yellow mustard wouldn’t have the same flavor.
….or just use cole slaw dressing…it has all the ingredients above in it 🙂 i just tried it and it taste identical to Applebees Oriental Chicken salad…for a thinner consistancy i just added alittle water 🙂
tried this suggestion today, and it was NOT the same. Made my salad very very sad. Edible, but not nearly as good as the Applebee’s version.
Hi! I used to be interested in the Applebee’s Oriental Salad and frequently ordered it, until a local Applebee’s manager divulged a little known secret. The ingredient hidden in the dressing which makes the dressing so flavorful is bacon fat. They use the bacon fat left over from the breakfast bacon frying to inexpensively make up their dressing for the day.
that manager was being nice; it’s not bacon fat it’s chicken fat. i used to work there too
Also, Applebee’s doesn’t make this dressing, they buy it.
Thats true because a few years ago they let me buy a gallon when their shipment came in.cindyp
Applebees doesn’t serve breakfast….
They make their bacon in the morning and use it all day. I know, i used to have to cook it
I make the Applebee’s dressing all the time at home, but mine uses honey instead of sugar. The honey gives you the color/consistency that you want, plus it doesn’t leave a grainy texture.
I had a different Applebee’s Asian/Oriental salad dressing from around 1999, but have lost It. It was darker than this recipe and a little thicker. I don’t remember it having the rice wine vinegar, though can’t remember what else besides mayo, dijon, sesame oil and it was soooo incredibly good. I liked this one ok, but I would love to have the other! Thank you.
I had a different Applebee’s Asian/Oriental salad dressing from around 1999, but have lost It. It was darker than this recipe and a little thicker. I don’t remember it having the rice wine vinegar, though can’t remember what else besides mayo, dijon, sesame oil and it was soooo incredibly good. I liked this one ok, but I would love to have the other! Thank you.
So, where did the recipe go? It was here before and now all I see is a video.
So, where did the recipe go? It was here before and now all I see is a video.
So, where did the recipe go? It was here before and now all I see is a video.
Hi, I was wondering what the measurements were for the ingredients? I couldn’t tell if they were cups or 1/2 cups. Thank you.