This simple Japanese Sesame Sauce (Goma Dare) is creamy, flavorful, and savory. Use it as a dipping sauce for shabu shabu (Japanese hot pot) or try it with steamed vegetables, cold or hot tofu, green salad, and somen or udon noodles. The possibilities are limitless!

Glass bowls containing two types of Goma Dare (Japanese Sesame Sauce).

Japanese Sesame Sauce, or Goma Dare (胡麻だれ), is one of the dipping sauces typically served with the Japanese hot pot, Shabu Shabu. However, there’s so much more to this flavorful and creamy condiment. It is as wonderful as a dressing for salads and noodle dishes, or as a sauce to pair with grilled or steamed veggies and tofu!

Let me show you how make Goma Dare from scratch, with just a few simple ingredients.

Table of Contents

Mason jars containing Goma Dare (Japanese Sesame Sauce).

What is Goma Dare?

Goma (胡麻, ごま) refers to sesame seeds, while Dare or Tare (たれ) translates to sauce in Japanese. Pronounced as [Goh-mah Dah-Leh], this delectable sauce is made from Japanese sesame paste, sugar, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and dashi (Japanese soup stock).

Its consistency is smooth and creamy, offering a harmonious blend of nutty, sweet, salty, and umami flavors. It enhances the taste of whatever you’re dipping or dressing without overshadowing the inherent flavors of the food.

Whenever I prepare Goma Dare for Shabu Shabu, I make extra to refrigerate for later use in various dishes.

Glass bowls containing two types of Goma Dare (Japanese Sesame Sauce).

Ingredients for Goma Dare

You can find the ingredients’ measurements in the recipe card below.

Jump to Recipe

  1. All you need to do is to mix everything. I recommend mixing the sesame paste and sugar first and making sure the sugar is completely dissolved before adding any liquid ingredients.
  2. Then, add the soy sauce and rice vinegar, followed by the dashi.
  3. Taste it and adjust it with salt.

What is Nerigoma (Japanese Sesame Paste)?

Nerigoma (ねりごま) is a Japanese sesame paste made by grinding whole toasted white sesame seeds into a paste. There are both white sesame and black sesame pastes, so make sure to choose the white sesame paste for this recipe.

Nerigoma White Sesame Paste
A food processor containing freshly ground Nerigoma (Japanese white sesame paste).

Where to Find Nerigoma

I assume everyone will be using a different type of sesame paste for this recipe, so please adjust the amount as needed.

How to Make Sesame Paste on Your Own

Another option is to make your sesame paste from scratch using roasted sesame seeds and a food processor. With just one ingredient (sesame seeds!), you can make a beautiful paste, and here’s the tutorial on how to make sesame paste.

Mason jars containing Goma Dare (Japanese Sesame Sauce).

Cooking Tips

Dip your cooked shabu shabu ingredients in sesame sauce and enjoy!

Delicious Ways to Use Goma Dare

Goma Dare is amazing for dipping the ingredients when you enjoy shabu shabu, but don’t stop there! You can certainly use it for many more dishes. Below are some of my favorite ways to enjoy the sauce. If the sauce is too thick for a dish, you can dilute it with dashi. Add more rice vinegar to make it a refreshing salad dressing!

Mason jars containing Goma Dare (Japanese Sesame Sauce).

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Mason jars containing Goma Dare (Japanese Sesame Sauce).

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes

Servings: (one batch yields ½ cup, or 120 ml)

Japanese Ingredient Substitution: If you want substitutes for Japanese condiments and ingredients, click here.

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Before You Start…

  • If you‘re here for the old version of my Sesame Sauce recipe, please see the Notes at the end of the recipe card. However, I highly recommend that you try this revised recipe!

  • Gather all the ingredients. Please note that one batch yields ½ cup (120 ml), roughly 2 servings as a dipping sauce for Shabu Shabu. If you also serve Ponzu dipping sauce alongside this sauce, then you may have enough for 4 servings.

    Goma Dare Sesame Sauce Ingredients

  • Mix your sesame paste really, really well before you measure it, as the oil tends to separate in the jar. Then, measure the sesame paste and add it to a small bowl. I used my Homemade Sesame Paste with a thick consistency, so I measured 3 Tbsp for one batch. Use 4 Tbsp if your paste is thinner. Tip: Use a silicone spatula to scrape it off the measuring spoon so you can measure it precisely.

    Goma Dare Sesame Sauce 1

To Make the Sauce

  • Add 3 Tbsp Japanese sesame paste (neri goma) and 4 tsp sugar to a small bowl and mix well until it is completely dissolved.

    Goma Dare Sesame Sauce 2

  • Then, add 1 Tbsp soy sauce and 4 tsp rice vinegar (unseasoned) and mix together. Did your sesame paste clump up? If your paste is different from mine, this may happen. Don‘t worry; we‘ll fix it in the next step. Tip: According to this article, sesame paste is full of carbohydrate molecules that are drawn to the liquid you add. This produces clumps and thickens the paste. The paste will continue to clump and thicken as you gradually stir in more liquid. Once you add enough liquid, though, the sauce eventually will thin out and become smooth.

    Goma Dare Sesame Sauce 3

  • Gradually add 2 Tbsp dashi (Japanese soup stock) to the mixture, drizzling in a little bit at a time. Blend in the dashi completely before adding more. Tip: Why gradually? It‘s extremely hard to blend the thin liquid into the thick paste. It‘s easier to combine when you introduce the liquid slowly.

    Goma Dare Sesame Sauce 4

  • Repeat, adding a bit of the dashi and stirring to combine before adding more. Once you‘ve blended in all the dashi, the consistency of the sauce should be smooth and liquid but still thick.

    Goma Dare Sesame Sauce 5

  • Taste the sauce. Add ⅛ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt to taste and stir to combine. You also could add more soy sauce if you wish (this will make the sauce darker). Your Sesame Sauce is now ready to use.

    Goma Dare Sesame Sauce 6

When Using Thin Sesame Paste or Tahini…

  • Here, I made the sesame sauce using Kadoya brand sesame paste to share how it differs from using homemade paste. You can see that the sauce is much lighter in color. This paste is also thinner, similar to tahini, so I used 4 Tbsp of sesame paste for one batch of this sesame sauce.

To Serve

To Store

  • You can keep the sauce in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

My old sesame sauce recipe (Serves 2):

Whisk together 2 Tbsp nerigoma (or tahini), 3 Tbsp sake, 1 Tbsp ponzu, 1 Tbsp miso, 1 tsp sugar, 1 tsp mirin, 1 tsp unseasoned rice vinegar, 1 clove garlic, 1/2 Tbsp neutral-flavored oil, and 1/2 Tbsp roasted sesame oil

Calories: 284 kcal · Carbohydrates: 19 g · Protein: 9 g · Fat: 21 g · Saturated Fat: 3 g · Polyunsaturated Fat: 10 g · Monounsaturated Fat: 8 g · Sodium: 556 mg · Potassium: 199 mg · Fiber: 5 g · Sugar: 8 g · Vitamin A: 4 IU · Calcium: 415 mg · Iron: 6 mg

Course: Condiments

Cuisine: Japanese

Keyword: sesame seed

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Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on December 2, 2011. It’s been updated with new images and content and the revised recipe in March 2023 and republished on February 21, 2024.