Make this 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!

I‘ve been a fan of the sweet and tangy taste of Japanese carrot ginger dressing ever since I was a college student. My friends and I used to sneak out of campus and take the bus to our favorite Japanese restaurant in downtown Montreal. I always ordered the sushi lunch special: spicy tuna roll, miso soup, and iceberg lettuce topped with carrot ginger dressing. Ginger dressing is one of the most common styles served at Japanese restaurants, alongside sesame and miso-based options covered in this Japanese salad dressings guide. I fell in love instantly with the bright and tangy taste of the dressing.

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.

If you love bold Japanese flavors, you might also like my miso dressing recipe, which has a deeper umami profile.

Why You’ll Love This Dressing

This dressing delivers:

  • Quick. Bold restaurant-style flavor in under 10 minutes.
  • Balanced. Just the right balance of sweet, tangy, and umami.
  • More than just salads. A versatile sauce for salads, bowls, proteins, and more.
  • Adjustable for certain dietary needs. Can easily be made vegan and gluten-free.

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: Rice vinegar infuses this dressing with plenty of tanginess, similar to the bite you get in ponzu sauce.
  • 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.

How To Make This Dressing

Kitchen Equipment Needed

Blender: You will need a small or a regular size blender.

  1. Add all the ingredients, except for the oil, in the blender and press start. Blend until the texture is smooth.
  2. 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!
  3. Do a taste test and if you think it needs adjusting, add a little more sugar or salt.

Recipe Tips for Best Results

  • 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.

Carrot ginger dressing is usually served with a small salad as part of a Japanese lunch meal here in the US – with onigiri, California roll, Japanese fried rice, pork or chicken katsu, or oyakodon. These are all great dishes to pair this dressing with along with other delicious Japanese classics such as miso ramen, curry rice, agedashi tofu, and kitsune udon.

If you enjoy Japanese salad dressings you might also like:

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!

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Japanese Carrot Ginger Dressing

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5 from 113 reviews

The classic sweet and tangy carrot ginger dressing from your favorite Japanese restaurant! Make it at home in just 10 minutes.  

  • Author: Caroline Phelps
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 0 minutes
  • Total Time: 10 minutes
  • Yield: About 2 cups 1x
  • Category: Dressings
  • Method: Blender
  • Cuisine: Japanese
  • Diet: Vegan

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 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

  1. Blend. Put all the ingredients except for the oil in a blender and blend until smooth.
  2. Add the oil. Slowly add the oil and blend until the mixture has emulsified.
  3. 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

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use olive oil to make this dressing?

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.

Can I freeze carrot ginger dressing?

Unfortunately, I don’t recommend that you freeze this dressing as the texture of the fresh ingredients will deteriorate and get mushy and unpleasant.

Is it gluten-free?

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.

What’s the difference between this and sesame ginger dressing?

Sesame ginger dressing is usually made with sesame oil or sesame seeds and tastes nuttier. carrot ginger dressing on the other hand is bright, sweet, and vinegar-forward.

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Questions and Reviews

  1. Hi there! I am interested in checking out this recipe but it seems to make a fairly large batch. Do you know how long this will keep in the fridge for? Or, is not recommended for storage?

    Reply

  2. When I select the “here” for the recipe for the French dressing it takes me to the Japanese Ginger dressing recipe.?

    Reply

    1. Hi Patti, what post are you clicking from? I’m on the Japanese dressing recipe but cannot find the “here” link.

      Reply

  3. This looks outstanding and am going to make it tonight. All the other recipes I have come across add ketchup or tomato paste. Has anyone tried adding those? Also, was thinking peanut oil might be a good add.

    Reply

    1. Hi Paul, I think peanut oil would indeed taste really nice with this dressing. If you try it, please leave another comment to let us know how it turned out 🙂

      Reply

  4. I made this dressing and it’s spot on. Then I looked up Midnight Diner on Netflix. Thank you for both. Currently learning wok skills. Maybe some Tan-men in the near future

    Reply

  5. Delicious! Omg, I made it and it was delicious! I really wanted it to taste like the dressing at one of my favorite sushi restaurants and I can honestly say that I think this taste better than the restaurant’s dressing (maybe because it’s fresh). Thank you, thank you, thank you so much for posting this recipe.

    Reply

  6. This sounds good… Do you have a version with orange juice in it? I’m trying to find a recipe similar to the restaurant in my town. It is fresh ginger, carrot and orange, but I can not get it right!!!

    Reply

    1. Hi Carey, I unfortunately am not familiar with the orange juice version. Have you tried making my recipe and then add orange juice little by little? That may help you figure out the right ratio 😉

      Reply

    2. I don”f know the recipe but I could guess where it’s not working. Don’t use orange juice. You should use orange zest. It will give you a truer orange flavor, not bitter or watery. Orange juice is a timebomb that can be clocked in minutes. The zest has a stronger more consistent flavor.

      Reply

  7. When you say the nutrition is for the entire recipe, can you break it down to a serving size. Is it 2 tablespoons to a serving or 1/4 or 1/2 cup serving???? I’m accustomed to salad serving size as 2 tablespoons. Please correct me if I’m wrong. Thank you.

    Reply

    1. Hi Mary, the serving size is for 6-7 tablespoons (for a big salad). 2 tablespoons would be come to about 72-75 calories 🙂

      Reply

  10. This is fantastic. I love it so much I bring it in to work to jazz up the boring salads they serve. Hubby and kids even love it. Awesome !!

    Reply

  12. I found this much more vinegary than I’m used to. Maybe the Japanese restaurants in eastern North Carolina aren’t on the same page as some others! Good consistency though. I will make it again and use a little less rice vinegar.

    Reply

    1. Hi Tasha, the American style version is definitely sweeter than what’s being offered in Japan. Using less vinegar should bring you pretty close to the flavor you like 🙂

      Reply

  14. I made this last night and it was awesome! I used romaine instead of iceberg lettuce, and it worked but I recommend not adding the dressing until the last second or it will wilt your lettuce.

    Reply

    1. Hi Amy, 7 ounces is about the equivalent of 3 medium carrots. I would suggest you add the carrots little by little and keep an eye on the consistency until you are happy with it.

      Reply

      1. I was going to ask the same question. Safe to say a little less than 1 cup of chopped carrots and half a cup of chopped onion?

        Reply

  16. Hi very mouthwatering recipe..i like fresh Ginger very much..i will save the recipe ,,try it ,,and will post it to my social media accounts..

    Reply

    1. Hi Tracey! A neutral oil would be preferable but if the olive oil you are using isn’t too strong, it should be fine too 🙂

      Reply

  19. I have always loved the dressing served in Japanese restaurants. Thank you for sharing. Now I can have it any time I want.

    Reply

  20. That sounds amazeballs. Huge fan of these dressings usually make our own but have never attempted this. For this, we thank you.

    Reply