carrot ginger dressing
This carrot ginger dressing tastes just like the dressing you’re served at a Japanese restaurant. Bonus: it tastes less than 10 minutes to make!
Creating This Carrot Ginger Dressing Recipe
If you’ve ever gotten salad at a Japanese restaurant, especially hibachi restaurants, then you’ll know what I mean when I talk about the orange-colored Japanese ginger dressing that comes on the little pile of (often crappy) lettuce. A lot of people call it Benihana dressing, I’m guessing because Benihana is the restaurant that made it famous. Duh.
No matter the origin, as a salad dressing snob, I marvel at the fact that the Japanese ginger dressing is so lean but so flavorful. That it can turn iceberg lettuce into a worthwhile experience, a feat previously reserved for the culinary muscle of blue cheese and bacon. Or, if you hang with me, creamy curry dressing. But I digress.
I’ve always loved that orange-colored ginger dressing. And in my mind it has always been made with carrots. Like, never a question in my mind. I don’t know why I’ve assumed that. So after I made this carrot ginger dressing recipe and photographed it, I decided to google the real Benihana recipe to see how far I was off from the real McCoy. And I have to say that I have been wronger in my life. But not by much.
I’m not even close. All of the Japanese ginger dressing recipes I could find had onions, celery and tomato paste or some combination thereof. None of the sources I found had carrots. Not one. In my defense, I couldn’t find the actual certified Benihana dressing recipe. So maybe they are wrong and I am right? Who knows.
But I do know one thing, one solitary thing about which I am not wrong. This carrot ginger dressing is spectacular. Like, I wanted to drink it with a straw. Like, so good it would turn cardboard into a delightful meal.
Am I making my point?
So Benihana it is not. (Or maybe it is.) But I know you will never be more excited about my mistake.
How to Make Carrot Ginger Dressing
When making homemade salad dressing, I like to keep things as simple as possible. To make this Japanese carrot ginger dressing, I blended shredded carrots, peanut oil, white vinegar, maple syrup, miso paste, freshly grated ginger, salt and pepper on high until smooth (it’ll take about 30 seconds). If you don’t have miso paste, feel free to substitute 1 tablespoon of reduced sodium soy sauce or wheat-free tamari, and add a pinch of salt to taste.
To store this Japanese ginger dressing, keep it in the fridge in a tightly sealed container. It should keep for up to a week and tastes delicious mixed into a variety of salads. I’d recommend setting this dressing on your countertop 10-15 minutes before you plan on using it, as the oil and vinegar have a tendency to separate a bit in the fridge.
Questions:
Do you ever eat iceberg lettuce?
Have you been to a Benihana restaurant?
Do you think the real Benihana dressing has tomato paste and celery?
More Easy Salad Dressing Recipes:
Light and Creamy Italian Dressing
Don’t miss this Ultimate Guide to Carrots!
PrintCarrot Ginger Dressing
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 1 1/2 cup 1x
- Category: Sauce
- Method: Blended
- Cuisine: Japanese
Description
This carrot ginger dressing tastes just like the dressing you’re served at a Japanese restaurant. Bonus: it tastes less than 10 minutes to make!
Ingredients
- 1 cup shredded peeled carrot
- ½ cup peanut oil, preferably roasted
- 3 tablespoons white vinegar
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup, dark or amber or agave nectar
- 2 teaspoons miso paste *see ingredient note
- 1 ½ teaspoons grated fresh ginger root
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon white pepper
Instructions
- Puree all ingredients in a blender on high, until smooth, about 30 seconds.
Notes
*Ingredient note: miso paste is found in the refrigerated section of the supermarket with the tofu and other refrigerated Asian ingredients, such as egg roll wrappers. Often in an area of the produce section in large supermarkets. Choose a lighter colored variety for the mildest flavor. If you prefer, simply substitute 1 tablespoon of reduced sodium soy sauce or wheat free tamari and add a pinch of salt to taste.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 tablespoons
- Calories: 94
- Sugar: 3 g
- Fat: 9 g
- Saturated Fat: 2 g
- Carbohydrates: 3 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 0 g
Love, love, Love this recipe! I have a bottle of dressing in my fridge right now that I have to finish, but as soon as I do, I’m making this one. The sad thing is, I won’t be able to use the peanut oil due to a severe nut allergy in the family, and I know that will change it. Do you think a good olive oil will work okay?
Btw, this is my pick for Recipe of the Day today, and I’ll be sharing it on social media, including my YayYay’s Kitchen Facebook page. Terrific recipe. Thank you!
Hey Kathryn. Oh man, that’s too bad. I would not use olive oil because in this quantity it will be too bitter and strong flavored. I would try a neutral oil like organic canola oil or avocado oil instead. If you are able to use toasted sesame oil, you could add a drizzle of that to add a bit of toasty flavor back in.
Oh yes, avocado or sesame oil. Both work for us. Thank you so much.
Wonderful. Enjoy Kathryn!
I just made the dressing with carrots I grew in the garden. It is delicious! I plan to use it in a zucchini noodle bowl topped with cucumbers, tomatoes, and peanuts. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
That is music to my ears Tammy. We planted a whole row of carrots, and not one germinated. Such a bummer. Thank goodness there are so many great local farms that rock the carrots and root vegetables. I appreciate your coming back to report! Have a wonderful day.
My words when I sampled this were literally, “holy yum!” I used the vitamix and didn’t have to shred the carrot (I used two medium and one small carrot) or grate the ginger. Thank you! Well done. I could eat this by the spoonful!
That’s so great to hear. Thank you for coming back and letting me know. And for the record, I would totally understand if you wanted to eat it by the spoonful.Lol.
Hi,
the recipe sounds incredible. Can I make this dressing ahead? I have a huge Party coming up in a week and I like to make as much ahead of time as possible. I would store it in an airtight container…
Best,
Sophie
Yes you can. Store in a jar in the fridge obernight. Shake well to recombine before serving. Hope you enjoy the party Sophie.
The calorie count didn’t work out when I did it. It’s more like 70 a TBS due to the dense fat calories in the peanut oil, 120 per TBS as with with any oil. Then the 120 additional calories from the agave.
That info was my yield of 1 cup/16 TBS: even if it was 1.5 cups yield, dividing the calorie total by 24 TBS still tops out at 47 calories per TBS.
I think you’re right. I will ask my dietetics intern to reanalyze this one asap. Thank you for pointing that out.
Okay so the nutrition is updated. Per 2 tablespoon serving, it is 94 calories. Thank you so much for pointing out the error, and let me know in the future if you ever find something like that again. I really appreciate it. I hope you enjoy the salad dressing. Have a great day Jennifer.
I cannot have peanut oil…any thoughts about substituting roasted sesame oil?
I think the toasted (or roasted) sesame oil will be too strong of a flavor. You can use another nut oil or un-roasted sesame oil. Or simply sub in a neutral oil like organic canola oil or avocado oil.
This dressing is so delicious and easy! I love it more and more every time I make it! Can’t wait to make it again!
★★★★★
I can’t get enough of ginger these days! I love this salad so much.
★★★★★
This dressing tastes really good!! Can’t wait to make it again!
★★★★★
So tasty! Love how the flavors go so well together!
★★★★★
I love this dressing! Sweet and zingy and earthy all at the same time so good!
★★★★★