The Best Copycat Hibachi Ginger Dipping Sauce Recipe

Are you ready to level up your homemade hibachi and make the best Japanese ginger dipping sauce recipe? Well, get ready! This kid-friendly dipping sauce will have your family asking for seconds. You are going to bring the hibachi restaurant home for fraction of the price.

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How Can I Use Ginger Dipping Sauce?

I love going out to a Japanese restaurant for a fun hibachi dinner for both the cooking demonstration and the delicious food. But, my favorite part is the two dipping sauces.

This super popular sauce is most commonly used for hibachi vegetables or hibachi shrimp. The creamy mustard sauce is perfect for hibachi chicken and steak. I love both of these sauces so much, I dip everything in either sauce including the fried rice.

Other delicious ways to use this hibachi ginger sauce include: grilled pork tenderloin, grilled or hibachi salmon, or as a base for carrot ginger dressing.

Simple Ginger Sauce Ingredients

• fresh ginger root
• yellow onion
• low sodium soy sauce or tamari
• fresh lemon juice 
• rice wine vinegar
• white sugar

This recipe took me a few tries to get just right (and multiple trips to my favorite Japanese steakhouse for flavor comparison). I finally figured out that the unexpected flavor enhancer is the lemon juice. It brightens up the rich soy sauce flavor and lines up perfectly with the ginger. The balance is spot on and perfect for protein hot off the hibachi cook top.

Helpful Equipment for Making Ginger Dipping Sauce

I love using my smoothie blender or mini food processor for this. If you have the ingredients on hand, you can mix this no-cook sauce up in minutes with the help of a mini food processor or blender.

• Mini food processor or smoothie blender
• Sharp Knife
• Cutting Board

How to Make This Dipping Sauce

The best part of this dipping sauce is that it all comes together in a blender and there's no cooking required. It's a great task for your kids if they want to help in the kitchen!

Once you get the ingredients measured, just combine everything in a small blender. I like using a smoothie blender because it's the perfect size to crush up all of these fresh ingredients. After that, just transfer to a serving dish or airtight container until you are ready to serve.

Storing Leftover Ginger Sauce or Making it Ahead

The easiest way to save this sauce is in a small mason jar. You can also use any airtight container like a glass snap ware or food storage container. 

Another good idea is if you want to make a big batch of sauce and freeze it in ice cube trays. Then the next time you want to make your Japanese hibachi meal at home, just pop out a couple cubes of the sauce you saved. 

Recipe Modifications and Substitutions 

The body of the sauce comes from the onion and ginger. They are pretty important to the feel and flavor of the ginger sauce. There is a little wiggle room with the other ingredients though...

Soy sauce- you can certainly substitute for coconut aminos if you avoid soy. The flavor will be a little milder, so either add extra or give it a pinch of salt to bring together the seasoning.

White sugar- you only need a little sweetness to pull this recipe off so you can swap for honey if you prefer that

Lemon- want to turn up the lemon? You can also add lemon zest for brightness. In fact, several versions of this sauce include the lemon zest as well. 

More Hibachi Recipes

Benihana Garlic Butter

Hibachi Steak Recipe

Copycat Benihana Mustard Sauce

Hibachi Chicken and Shrimp

Hibachi Ginger Dipping Sauce Recipe

Here is the printable recipe card. Use the scale to adjust the servings if you need a bigger batch.

Did you make this recipe? Tag me on Instagram @fancy_apron 🙂 or leave a comment below.

How to Make Japanese Ginger Sauce into Salad Dressing

One of my other favorite items from hibachi grills like Benihana restaurant is the Japanese ginger dressing that comes with the side salad. To make your own homemade ginger salad dressing you'll just need to add carrots and vegetable oil. Prepare the ginger dipping sauce above and add 1 large carrot cut into pieces and ½ of a cup of vegetable oil. I also like a couple shakes of sesame oil for a great combination of flavors.

Make the simple green salad by chopping iceberg lettuce, shredded carrots, tomatoes, thinly sliced red onion and cucumber. Add a few tablespoons of your homemade dressing and toss the salad so the greens are well coated.

Serve this salad with grilled chicken breasts the next day for an easy and healthy lunch.