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 you’ve been to a Japanese restaurant in the US or Canada, chances are excellent that you’ve 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 1x
- 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.
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
Perfect, authentic, Japanese steakhouse salad dressing. I doubled the ingredients to make a vat of it. I have no doubts it’ll be gone in no time.
Delicious!
One word…..Delicious!! Only used 1/2 C grape seed oil. Wonderful flavors.
Thank you Cher! 🙂
Sooooooo gooooooood ^^
I’ve not actually experienced American Japanese restaurants, being in England, so don’t really know what that version tastes like, but it doesn’t matter cos it has the same effect of transporting me back to Japan! It’s literally the spicy zingy taste I adore and miss sorely. I also love the fact your mum is living in Fukuoka; between that and the memories of okosan lunches in kotobukiya, your time in Hong Kong, and your memories of Thai resort buffet breakfasts with your mum, your blog could not feel any more tailor made for me It must be why all your recipes turn out so delicious to me and my tastebuds!
Thank you so much for the beautiful and kind comment Jo, I’m smiling as I’m typing this 🙂
Was just like my favorite sushi restaurants super easy and most of the stuff I had at home already. I loved it
Thank you Isabella! 🙂
Delicious! So happy I found this recipe. Maybe even better than restaurant dressing!
Thank you so much Tally! 🙂
Loved this dressing! Used a 1/3 cup of vinegar and a half cup of oil, to reduce liquid. Was amazing. Thank you!
Wonderful Kara, thank you for sharing! 🙂
This recipe sounded good, but its actually delicious and so easy to make.
i have made this recipe taste for loving it . me my family thank you for sharing this recipe
Thank you so much 🙂
Spent 3 1/2 years in Misawa Japan , really missed this never thought I could replicate it. Thank you so much! Do have a recipe for my favorite thing I miss chicken & cheese gyoza ?
Hi Stu! I’ve never heard of chicken and cheese gyoza, it sounds so good though! It must be a specialty from Misawa, that’s one thing I love about Japan, how every city has something different to offer ❤️
Thank you for posting this recipe! I will definitely try to make that tonight:)
Do you happen to know the amount of ingredients needed not in ounces? I don’t have a food scale
It was about 2 1/2 carrots and 3/4 of a medium yellow onion.
Amazing, tastes just as good as the real thing, if not more so. I definitely recommend adding a drop of sesame oil (if you’re not allergic) for added depth. Thank you so much for this recipe!
I totally loved this recipe, I just did something different. added two tablespoons of sesame oil just because I love sesame oil flavor.
I made it as written and felt it was lacking something. It isn’t sweet enough so I added another Tablespoon of Sugar and that made it better
I made this recipe today and it is delish! Taste like my favorite Asian resteraunt …even better! Thanks for sharing this recipe!!
Wow. This tastes exactly like the real deal. Used olive oil because it’s all I had, and seasoned rice vinegar because it’s all I could find! It seriously is fantastic! So happy I found this recipe
I’m happy you found it too 😉 Thank you Ally!
I was able to pull this together from my pantry & frig and it’s excellent! Can’t wait to surprise my boyfriend at dinner tonight with this amazing salad! Thank you!
Could left over dressing possibly be frozen?
Hi Christin! Yes you can freeze this dressing in an airtight container for up to 6 weeks 🙂
Loved it!!! My husband not only loved it too but spread it all over his Korean beef main dish as a condiment!
I thought this was fabulous. I kept mine a little chuncky as I enjoy that flavor.