Make my iconic Japanese carrot ginger dressing in less than 10 minutes! Inspired by Japanese-American steakhouses, the sweet and tangy flavors make the perfect pairing to ice cold iceberg lettuce!
If youโve been to a Japanese restaurant in the US or Canada, chances are excellent that youโve had a variation of this carrot ginger dressing. I‘ve been a fan of the sweet and tangy taste of this bright orange dressing ever since I was a college student, back in Montreal. My friends and I used to sneak out of campus and take the bus to our favorite Japanese restaurant, where we always ordered the lunch special consisting of maki rolls, a side of miso soup, and a simple green salad topped with a carrot ginger dressing.
Since then I have had different versions of this dressing – some were more on the savory side, others had a strange bitter taste, and my least favorites very watery and somewhat bland. I decided to make my own version after discovering how easy it was to make. I like assertive flavors so this dressing is anything but boring! It has plenty of sweetness, a little fruitiness, and some tanginess. The flavors offset each other beautifully, bringing the perfect balance to this Japanese-American classic.
Table of contents
Japanese Carrot Ginger Dressing Ingredients
- Carrots: I’m using 7 ounces of carrots which comes to about 200 grams. Since everything will be blended the carrot can be roughly chopped here.
- Onion: A yellow sweet onion is best for this recipe but you can also use a regular yellow or white onion. I’m using 4 ounces which is about 110 grams.
- Ginger: You can use more than 2 tablespoons of ginger if you like your dressing to have some heat. Two tablespoons, which is what I’m using, is just enough to infuse it with ginger flavor without feeling any tingling on the tongue.
- Sugar: Granulated sugar is preferred but you can use brown as well. One tablespoon is all you need.
- Soy Sauce: The soy sauce adds umami and earthiness to the dressing. Use a Japanese soy sauce such Kikkoman or Yamasa.
- Rice Vinegar: That’s the famous zing you taste in the dressing. Plain rice vinegar is recommended. If you have seasoned rice vinegar only, I suggest omitting the sugar for this recipe.
- Salt: I use kosher salt which has bigger granules. If you are using regular salt, start with 1/4 teaspoon, do a taste test, and work your way up if needed.
- Oil: Any neutral oil will do here. You can use organic canola oil, vegetable oil, grapeseed oil, corn oil.
Variations
- Make it fruity. Use apple cider vinegar instead of rice vinegar for a fruitier taste.
- Add some nuttiness. Add 1 or 2 tablespoons of toasted sesame oil to introduce a nutty element.
- Intensify the umami factor. Add a little white or awase miso paste to bump up the umami and savory notes.
Kitchen Equipment Needed
Blender: You will need a small or a regular size blender.
How To Make This Dressing
- Add all the ingredients, except for the oil, in the blender and press start. Blend until the texture is smooth.
- While keeping the blender on, slowly add the oil so that it emulsifies (blends) with the other ingredients. It’s important to do it slowly otherwise the oil can separate and ruin the dressing, so take your time for this step!
- Do a taste test and if you think it needs adjusting, add a little more sugar or salt.
Expert Tips
- Do not overblend. This dressing tastes best when it’s not completely watery. Leave a little graininess to the carrots so they can sit on lettuce leaves and make every bite taken, more intense.
- Use fresh ingredients. Make sure that the carrots, onion, and ginger you are using are in great condition. Fresh carrots and onions have a natural sweetness that older ones don’t have. And fresh ginger is juicier and milder in flavor.
Storage
Save the dressing in a jar or storage container with a tight fitting lid. It will keep in the fridge for up 2 weeks.
What to Serve With It
Serving this dressing over a bed of crispy iceberg lettuce is by far my favorite combination. However, you can use romaine lettuce or endives as well, or any other type of crunchy greens to enjoy this lovely dressing.
A side salad is usually served as part of a sushi meal here in the US but there are many other meal combinations where you can serve green leaves and carrot ginger dressing. Some of my favorites are:
- Japanese fried rice (yakimeshi)
- Japanese curry rice
- Honey sriracha tofu
- Singapore chow mei fun
- Korean sticky chicken
- Miso ramen
If you liked this Japanese carrot ginger dressing, you might be interested to try these other Asian dressings:
Frequently Asked Questions
You can use olive oil but keep in mind that if you are using a high quality olive oil with strong fruity and floral notes, the overall taste of the dressing might taste slightly different.
Unfortunately, I don’t recommend that you freeze this dressing as the texture of the fresh ingredients will deteriorate and get mushy and unpleasant.
No, this dressing is not gluten-free because it contains soy sauce. However, it’s very easy to make it gluten-free! Simply use a gluten-free soy sauce or use a substitute like tamari or liquid aminos.
Did you like this recipe? Are there changes you made that you would like to share? Share your tips and recommendations in the comments section below!
Print
Japanese Carrot Ginger Dressing
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: About 2 cups
- Category: Dressings
- Method: Blender
- Cuisine: Japanese
- Diet: Vegan
Description
The classic sweet and tangy carrot ginger dressing from your favorite Japanese restaurant! Make it at home in just 10 minutes.ย ย
Ingredients
- 7 ounces carrots, peeled and chopped
- 4 ounces onion, peeled and finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons ginger, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/2 cup rice vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup organic canola or vegetable oil
Instructions
- Blend. Put all the ingredients except for the oil in a blender and blend until smooth.
- Add the oil. Slowly add the oil and blend until the mixture has emulsified.
- Serve. Use this dressing with a crisp lettuce like iceberg or romaine.
Notes
Save the dressing in a jar or other storage container. Refrigerate for up to 2 week.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/4 cup
- Calories: 212
- Sugar: 3.7g
- Sodium: 372mg
- Fat: 20.5g
- Saturated Fat: 1.5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5.8g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 6.3g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 1g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
Very good recipe. I added honey, orange juice and turmeric, and reduced both the rice vinegar and oil by 25%. I used sesame oil and avocado oil for a healthier oil blend. It was better than Makoto dressing from the grocery store.
Love it! Will make again!
Delicious! I love this salad dressing, use it on everything and the fact that itโs made with carrots, is the extra bonus.
Tastes good but it did nit emulsify. I used nante carrot.
I don’t have a good blender so I chopped up the carrots, onion ,and ginger and ran it in the food processor until it was mush. Then transferred it to my immersion blender with the rest of the ingredients. The only adjustment I made was to add a few more carrots. It’s delicious and it made a LOT!
Love this recipe. Is it really only 212 calories per 1/4 cup tho?
Spot on, deliciousness !! Thank you! Only variations, 1 oz ginger which yielded 3 tbls when minced; avocado oil, tamari (I perfer the taste over traditional soy sauce) and 1/2 tsp table salt. No other adjustments. I am grateful to have this in my collection โค๏ธ
Thank you so much Crystal ๐
I added some sesame oil to the salad itself directly before serving and that was the absolute right addition. So delicious:)
Thank you Jasmine! ๐
Recipe was great and super easy to whip up. Delicious on grilled zucchini.
Love this recipe. The second time I made it, I steamed the carrots first to make it smoother. Turned out great
Would you recommend a low-sodium or full bodied soy sauce?
I use a regular Japanese soy sauce for this recipe ๐
Wow! Way better than I expected!
I love this recipe and it is always a hit. The first time I chunked the carrots and onions but wasnโt happy with the texture so since then I grate the carrots and ginger and then blend all together. I use avocado oil and honestly I crave this every week or so! The BEST!
This is my favorite salad dressing. I have made it twice this week. Every time I make it for guests someone asks for the recipe. It is delicious!!!
Thank you so much Sandra! ๐
Tried so many recipes to find this one. Exactly what I was after. Thank you.
Outstanding. Just like the kind they serve at Japanese restaurants. The flavor is sweet and bright and oh so wonderful. I cut the vegetable oil in half.
This dressing is delicious! I used to eat the Japanese style house salad all the time as a kid and I moved to a new country where it’s not served at Japanese restaurants, so I haven’t had it in years. Finally made it today and it totally hit the spot! Thank you
I donโt use oil. What else can I use in place of oil?
I always sub in aqua faba for oil in my salad dressings. No one can tell and it works like oil!
Absolutely delicious I have tried many recipes ISO the perfect Carrot ginger copycat dressing to restaurant offerings.
This nails it. Thank you
I just made this dressing for my son’s birthday dinner. It was wonderful. I will use a blender next time for a finer texture. Everyone loved the freshness and flavor. Thanks for the easy recipe.