This Daikon Salad is a quick and easy recipe with a creamy sesame dressing. If you're looking for a simple and delicious way to enjoy daikon, this recipe is perfect!

This daikon radish recipe is a perfect side dish!
This delicious and simple salad features an excellent match of crunchy and juicy raw daikon with a creamy sesame dressing. The dressing's light sweetness complements the plain daikon radish while allowing its natural flavor to shine through.
- This recipe is for you if:
- You love Japanese daikon.
- You want to make a dikon radish salad.
- You want to make Japanese sesame dressing.
Let me walk you through the ingredients and the instructions. If you want to check the recipe, jump to the recipe. Let's get started!
Jump to:
About This Recipe
- Japanese easy daikon salad recipe
- Homemade sesame dressing
- Easy salad recipe
What is Japanese Daikon Radish?

Daikon is a root vegetable commonly used in Japanese cooking. It is also known as white radish, winter radish, and Japanese radish. The word "daikon" translates to "big root" in Japanese, reflecting the long, thick, and heavy size of this vegetable, which can weigh between 1 to 2 kg (2 to 4 lbs).
In Japan, various types of daikon are available, but the Aokubi daikon, distinguished by its green color on the top, is the most common variety.

It has many versatile uses that can be eaten raw (including the outer skin), stir-fried, or added to a soup. You can also eat the leaves (actually, leaves contain more nutrients than white roots!).
Daikon is available all year round at a grocery store, but the season is summer and winter. The Summer daikon tends to be more peppery in taste, whereas winter daikon tends to have a sweeter flavor and juicier texture.
The recipe below will provide you with detailed instructions on how to prepare 11 delicious daikon recipes, how to choose a good daikon and more.

What does it taste like?

Although daikon generally has a milder flavor, its taste and texture can vary depending on which part of the daikon is used. It has a sweet spot near its leaves and a gradually turning peppery and strong flavor towards the bottom of the root.
- Top (near the leaves): Sweet, juicy, and crunchy
- Middle: Sweet, slightly peppery, and soft
- Bottom: Peppery and less juicy
The top of the daikon is perfect for raw consumption, while the bottom is ideal for use in spices or sauces.
📋 Ingredients
Here are the ingredients (amounts are in the recipe card below).

- Daikon - I recommend using the top part of the daikon.
- Sprouts - I pick sprouts as it's easy to mix with shredded daikon, but you can substitute them with other green vegetables such as lettuce, baby leaf, mizuna, and shiso.
- Shredded nori (topping) - Nori seaweed adds a nice flavor, but you can omit it.
- Sesame dressing - Ground sesame seeds, mayonnaise, sugar, rice vinegar, soy sauce, and sesame oil. You can substitute ground sesame seeds with tahini. If you don't like mayonnaise, you can use yogurt instead. You can also use honey instead of sugar. You can use other types of vinegar, such as white vinegar.
🔪Instructions
Let's make the salad! Click here to watch the recipe video.

- Cut ingredients - Shred daikon (or julienne cut) and remove the root of the sprouts.
- Mix - Mix daikon and sprouts in a large bowl.
- Make Sesame dressing - Mix all the dressing ingredients until sugar dissolves in a small glass jar.
- Serve - Serve on a plate, top with shredded nori, and pour the sesame dressing over.

This looks fresh and delicious! However, if you pour the dressing on the salad and let it sit for a while, the daikon will release its water, so it's best to add the dressing just before serving.
Storage
You can store the salad in an airtight container and keep it in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days, but be aware that the fridge may cause the salad to dry out over time.
For the best taste and texture, enjoying the salad as soon as possible after preparing it is better.
Variations
There are countless variations of daikon radish salad, and you can customize them to your liking by adding other vegetables or changing the dressing. Here are some ideas to get you started:
Vegetables
- Cucumber
- Carrot
- Cabbage
- Lettuce
- Corn
- Shiso leaves
Dressings
- Soy Sauce Dressing - Soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, salt, sesame oil
- Miso Dressing - Miso paste, honey, olive oil, vinegar
- Ume Dressing - Umeboshi (pickled plum), ponzu, sesame oil
- Spicy Mayo Dressing - Sweet chili sauce, black pepper, mayonnaise, salt
- Creamy Dressing - Mayonnaise, lime juice, sugar, kosher salt
What to Serve With
11 Japanese Daikon Radish Recipes

You can cook Daikon radishes in many ways. Check out this collection of easy Japanese daikon dishes!

How To Video
Watch these videos and learn how to cook daikon.
Thanks For Stopping By!
Thank you for taking the time to read my blog♡. If you've tried this recipe (or any other recipe on the blog), please give it a star rating below!
Also, feel free to leave comments if you have any questions. I love hearing from you!
Chef JA Cooks is a Japanese food blog that shares simple and healthy Japanese home cooking recipes, including vegan and vegetarian. From traditional Japanese recipes to modern recipes with step-by-step instructions.
More Daikon Recipes You Might Like
- Daikon Salad
- Pickled Daikon
- Daikon Miso Soup
- Daikon Nimono Recipe (Simmered Daikon)
- Kiriboshi Daikon Salad
📖 Recipe

Japanese Daikon Salad with Sesame Dressing
Print Pin SaveIngredients
- ⅓ Daikon, 400g
- 1 pack of Sprouts, 50g
- Shredded Nori for topping
Sesame Dressing
- 2 tablespoon Ground Sesame Seeds
- 2 tablespoon Mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon Sugar
- 1 tablespoon Rice vinegar
- 2 teaspoon Soy Sauce
- 1 teaspoon Sesame Oil
Instructions
- Cut ingredients: Peel daikon and shred it, and remove the root of sprouts. Mix daikon and sprouts in a large bowl.
- Sesame dressing: Put all the ingredients in a small bottle, close it and mix by shaking.
- Serve: Serve daikon and sprout on a plate, top with shredded nori, and pour the sesame dressing over.
Video
Notes
- Equipment: The size of the bottle for dressing is 80 ml.
- Storage: Store in a food container and keep it in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.
- Substitute (Salad): You can also use green vegetables such as lettuce, baby leaf, mizuna, and shiso instead of sprouts.
- Substitute (Dressing): You can substitute ground sesame seeds with tahini. If you don't like mayonnaise, you can use yogurt instead. You can also use honey instead of sugar. You can use other types of vinegar, such as white vinegar
- Please pour the dressing right before eating.
- It's handy to use a bottle when making the dressing. Close the lid and keep the bottle in the fridge.
- Daikon skin is hard, so it is better to peel it when making a salad. Please don't throw them away; you can make a tasty stir-fry dish with daikon skin.
- Watch how To Video
Anita
Excellent recipe. I used a mandolin and it turned out perfect. Loved the dressing. Definitely making this again
JURI
Thank you, Anita! I'm happy to hear you liked the recipe!
Sheree
Love this recipe, great you recommended a few other veg. Unforts no sesame seeds or oil ☹️ had to use 2 tea spoons of chunky peanut butter and a bit of olive oil in place. Still tasted delicious!
JURI
Oh that's a great idea! Thanks for trying the recipe, Sheree!
bob
my family said "best salad dressing I ever made" Very insulting.....
JURI
Haha, I'm glad your family like the recipe! Thank you for your comment, Bob!