The Dressing You Know as Hibachi Dressing

If you’ve ever eaten at an American Japanese steakhouse, you’ve probably tasted Japanese ginger carrot dressing. It’s often called ginger dressing, carrot ginger dressing, or hibachi dressing. While many people associate it with Japanese cuisine, this bright orange dressing is surprisingly uncommon in Japan.

Many believe Benihana helped popularize this style of Japanese ginger dressing in the United States. As a result, it became a staple at countless Japanese restaurants across America. Today, many people consider it the classic Japanese ginger dressing recipe served with a side salad before the main meal.

What Japanese People Usually Eat

In Japan, when we think of salad dressing, we usually think of sesame dressing or a light soy sauce vinaigrette. A creamy orange carrot dressing is not something most Japanese people regularly see.

Ironically, the place where many Japanese people are most likely to encounter something similar is at Indian restaurants. The small side salad often served with a set meal frequently comes with an orange dressing. While it looks similar to this Asian carrot ginger salad dressing, the flavor is usually spicier and quite different.

My Favorite Carrot Ginger Dressing Recipe

Whether or not you can find it in Japan, this Japanese carrot ginger dressing recipe has become my personal favorite. It’s sweet, tangy, fresh, and loaded with ginger flavor. This carrot ginger sauce makes vegetables incredibly easy to enjoy and is perfect for anyone looking for a restaurant style hibachi dressing at home.

Give this homemade carrot dressing recipe a try and see why it’s become one of my favorite salad dressings.

Ingredients

Carrot: 3/4 cup

Onion: 1/4 cup

Ginger: 1 Tbsp

Apple: 1/4 cup

Olive oil: 1/4 cup

Sugar: 2 tsp

Rice vinegar: 1.5 Tbsp

Soy sauce: 3 Tbsp

Salt: 1/2 Tbsp

Black pepper: 1/4 tsp

Instructions

Peel the carrot, onion, ginger, and apple. Cut them into smaller pieces if needed to help your blender work more easily.

Add the carrot, onion, ginger, apple, olive oil, sugar, rice vinegar, soy sauce, salt, and black pepper to a blender. Blend until completely smooth and creamy.

Drizzle over salad and enjoy.