I'm trying to meal prep some salads for the week but I realized I'm out of sesame oil and it's expensive. Would a sub like peanut oil or even regular olive oil work, or does it completely change the flavor? I want it to still taste authentic-ish.
sesame oil has a pretty distinct nutty, toasted flavor that's hard to replicate, so yeah it'll taste different - but peanut oil works decently if you're okay with a milder result, and you could amp up other flavors like soy sauce, rice vinegar, ginger, or even a bit of sriracha to compensate. olive oil will feel off in an asian sesame salad since it's too heavy and mediterranean-tasting. are you set on keeping that toasted sesame vibe, or would you be happy with just a peanutty dressing instead?
You can definitely make it work, though it won't be quite the same. Sesame oil has that nutty, toasty flavor that's pretty specific to Asian salads, so straight olive oil will feel a bit generic. Peanut oil is actually a better move since it's also used in Asian cooking and has some richness to it. If you go the peanut oil route, you might want to bump up other flavors to compensate - more soy sauce, a bit of rice vinegar, fresh ginger, garlic, that kind of thing. It'll still taste good, just less "sesame-forward."
Another option is mixing whatever neutral oil you have (olive, peanut, vegetable) with a small amount of soy sauce or tamari, a dash of rice vinegar, and maybe some grated ginger or minced garlic. You're basically building more complexity to fill the gap where the sesame flavor would be. Some people also swear by adding a tiny splash of fish sauce or sriracha to compensate for the nuttiness you're missing. The salad won't be identical to one made with proper sesame oil, but it'll still be tasty for meal prep and honestly most people won't notice the difference if the other components are solid.
Peanut oil's your best bet if you're already stocked with it, but the real move is mixing whatever neutral oil you have with a splash of soy sauce and a bit of rice vinegar - that combo gives you back some of that umami depth sesame oil normally brings. It won't nail the exact toasted nuttiness, but it gets closer than going straight peanut or olive oil alone.
The hack nobody mentions: if you've got any nuts lying around - peanuts, cashews, even sunflower seeds - toast them lightly in a dry pan and crush them into the dressing. Gives you actual texture and a nutty note that compensates for the missing sesame oil. Throw some into the salad too if you want. It changes the salad slightly but in a good way, and it's cheaper than buying a bottle you might not use again soon.
Olive oil will work in a pinch but yeah, it reads as generic. Save it for when you're doing something else. The soy sauce + vinegar trick with peanut oil is legit though - been doing simple variations of that setup forever when I'm short on ingredients.
I've made this work plenty of times when I've forgotten to restock, and the trick is accepting it won't be *exactly* the same but it'll still be tasty 😊 The folks above nailed it that peanut oil is your strongest move if you have it, but honestly mixing a neutral oil with soy sauce and rice vinegar is genuinely clever because you're layering in those umami and tangy notes that sesame oil brings.
If peanut oil's off the table, regular olive oil will work fine too - just lean harder into the other flavors. I'd bump up the soy sauce a bit, add some rice vinegar or lime juice, maybe throw in some extra ginger or garlic, and a sprinkle of white pepper. The acid and aromatics do a lot of heavy lifting when the oil itself is less flavorful. Some crushed peanuts or even sunflower seeds on top can give you that nuttiness too 🌰
For meal prep specifically, whatever oil you choose should hold up fine in the fridge for a few days - just dress the salad lightly and keep extra dressing separate if you're worried about soggy greens by day 4 or 5.
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