Hibachi Style Japanese Ginger Salad Dressing Recipe

If you are craving the fresh and bold flavors of the ginger salad dressing recipe served at your favorite Japanese steakhouses and hibachi restaurants, you have come to the right place.

I love the great flavors from fresh ginger, sweet carrots, and umami soy sauce. It feels like there is something secret about this ginger salad dressing recipe, but I promise you can make it at home. And you will like it so much, you won't have to spend a fortune out at expensive Japanese restaurants anymore. 

What To Expect From This Recipe

After several recipe attempts and tweaks, I feel like I finally figured out what makes the best ginger dressing. I worked on the ingredients and found the right combination of fresh ginger flavor with a little bit of sweetness from the carrots and onion, tangy flavors from the vinegar and lemon juice, and most of all- texture! These are simple ingredients but the chopped vegetables create a dressing with a good hold for salad greens. Now, it's of my favorite things to make because if it's fresh and bright flavor. 

Japanese Ginger Dressing Ingredients

One reason I love Japanese ginger dressing is that the ingredients are so fresh and wholesome. It looks like a long list, but I promise, it's worth it! 

• yellow onion
• peanut oil
• rice vinegar (or rice wine vinegar)
• water
• fresh ginger root
• celery
• carrots
• soy sauce
• tomato paste
• white sugar
• lemon juice
• salt
• black pepper

Hibachi Salad Ingredients

To make the side salad that is usually served with this Japanese salad dressing at your favorite hibachi restaurant, the fresh veggies you will need are:

• iceberg lettuce
• shredded carrots
• shredded red cabbage
• cheery tomatoes or grape tomatoes
• cucumber is optional

Helpful Equipment For Making Dressing At Home

• knife and cutting board
• food processor or small smoothie blender
• measuring cup and measuring spoons
• glass jar or glassware container for storage

We really don't need anything fancy. Just prepare, measure, and blend.

How To Make The Dressing

The best part of this salad dressing recipe, it that the whole recipe can be made in a mini food processor or blender. After the ingredients have been measured, combine everything in the bowl of your blender or food processor. Blend for 1-2 minutes, or until the desired consistency is achieved.

Transfer your homemade dressing to a storage container like a mason jar with an airtight lid. Let it hang out in the refrigerator for about 2 hours before serving. This will allow the ginger and onion flavor to really work through the other dressing ingredients. When you are ready to serve, just give the mason jar a good shake because the oil will separate from the rest of the dressing. 

How to Assemble a Hibachi Salad

After your homemade ginger salad dressing has had a chance to chill out in the fridge, we can assemble our simple green salad. Start by chopping the iceberg lettuce into small bite size pieces. The best way to serve the salad is dressing the iceberg lettuce first, then topping it with the shredded carrots, thin strips of red cabbage, and any other veggies you want. I finish the salad with a small amount of dressing on top. That's the perfect way to make sure the lettuce is evenly coated with out delicious dressing.

Garnish your salad with sliced green onions and sesame seeds is desired. 

Recipe Modifications

Let's talk about the oil used for this salad dressing. I found the oil really makes a difference with the flavor and traditional hibachi restaurants use peanut oil. However, if you want to use another neutral oil such as olive oil, canola oil, or avocado oil, you certainly can.

If you are avoiding soy and soy sauce, you can swap it out for liquid aminos or coconut aminos. 

For more sesame flavor, you can add ½ teaspoon of toasted sesame oil to increase that Asian flavor profile.

Saving Leftover Salad Dressing

Any airtight container such as a mason jar or glass snap ware is great for storing leftover dressing. A mason jar is especially great because you can shake the dressing up before pouring it over your salad. 

This is a great go-to for a simple salad at lunch the next day topped with leftover hibachi chicken. 

Because we are using all fresh ingredients, for food safety, the shelf life for leftovers is 4 days in the refrigerator. If you want to save it longer than that, freeze it in an ice cube tray and transfer the cubes to a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Not sure why it would ever last that long though.

More Homemade Hibachi Recipes

For more Japanese recipes so you can have a family feast for hibachi night at home, I have all of the basics here for you.

• Hibachi Chicken and Shrimp
• Hibachi Garlic Butter
• Mustard Dipping Sauce
• Ginger Dipping Sauce
• Hibachi Steak
• Hibachi Vegetables