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Bring umami flavor to your salad with this easy ginger salad dressing! It’s ready in just minutes and will perk up your daily greens.

A jar filled with yellow liquid, secured with a metal clip lid, placed on a gray surface. Blurred background includes small wooden bowls and a piece of ginger.

My kids often tease me about my frequent salads, because they just don’t understand why anyone would eat a giant bowl of vegetables willingly.

Maybe it’s odd, but I really do crave salads often! It doesn’t hurt that I always have lots of things on hand to dress them up, from leftover chicken to pickled red onions to homemade salad dressings.

I like to make dressings to fit my mood, whether that means herby green goddess dressing, creamy classic Caesar dressing, or this easy ginger salad dressing.

It’s similar to what you get at hibachi restaurants and adds so much flavor to any salad. I’m a huge fan of ginger anyway, so of course I’m obsessed with this dressing!

It comes together pretty quickly too, so you can have it ready for tonight’s meal!

Ingredients for ginger salad dressing

Full list of ingredients including quantities is located in the recipe card.

Ginger, garlic, olive oil, honey, rice vinegar, and soy sauce are arranged on a textured surface with a striped cloth.

You’ll need:

Olive oil
Rice vinegar – I recommend using unseasoned rice vinegar, especially if you are new to rice vinegar. Seasoned rice vinegar has added sugar and salt and will affect the taste of the dressing.
Fresh ginger
Garlic
Soy sauce
Honey or granulated sugar
Dijon mustard – This is optional. A small amount of mustard will not add a strong flavor to the dressing, but it will help keep the dressing emulsified so it doesn’t separate.
Salt and pepper

A bowl of mixed salad with lettuce, cucumber, and tomatoes. A cup of dressing is beside it on a gray surface with a striped cloth and chopsticks nearby.

How to make this recipe

You’ll need either a bowl and whisk, a small food processor, or a blender. Or, just use a jar with a tight fitting lid!

Grate the ginger using a microplane or the smallest size on a box grater. You want the ginger to be almost like a paste.

You can buy jars of fresh grated ginger from Asian supermarkets like H Mart. It will keep in the refrigerator for a while, so if you are a fan of ginger (and hate prep work) this is a great option!

Whisk everything together or puree in a processor/blender until smooth.

Taste and adjust the seasonings as needed.

A white bowl of olive oil dressing on a gray surface, next to small bowls of salt and pepper. A stainless steel whisk and striped cloth are nearby.

You can use the dressing immediately, or transfer to a airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

If the dressing separates in the refrigerator, give it a good shake or whisk before using.

Recipe suggestions

You must use fresh or jarred ginger root for this, not powdered ginger, crystallized ginger, or pickled ginger! Ginger root can be found in the produce aisle, often near the garlic or peppers. If you have extra, you can store it in the freezer (in a freezer bag or container) and then grate it directly from frozen.

If you like, you can add a small amount of toasted sesame oil to the dressing. Be careful, because the flavor is very strong — only use 1 teaspoon or less!

For a less strong sesame taste, you can add white or black sesame seeds to the dressing. Keep in mind that they will float to the top of the dressing as it sits, so you’ll need to mix it up again before using if it has been in the fridge.

If you don’t have rice vinegar, cider vinegar can be used as a substitute. The flavor won’t be quite the same and the dressing will be slightly tangier and sweeter.

A glass jar filled with yellow liquid and a metal whisk inside sits on a gray surface. Two small bowls and a striped cloth are blurred in the background.

Serve this ginger salad dressing over crisp iceberg lettuce or your favorite salad greens. You’ll love it!

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It means so much when you enjoy my recipes, so let me know how it goes and leave a comment if you have any questions.