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If you’ve ever wondered how to make carrot ginger dressing like the kind you’d get at a Japanese restaurant, this recipe is for you. It comes together quickly in a blender and tastes better than you can imagine!
In fact, every time I have a batch of this in the fridge, I find myself making salads more often than usual, just so I can use it again.
The key to its flavor is using fresh carrots and ginger, so make sure you have both before you start. I’ve kept the oil to a minimum, so it feels like a light, refreshing option, but the ginger also adds warmth, so it’s a nice “transition dressing” between seasons.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Featured Review
“I love this dressing even more than the dressings at the restaurant!”
– Kayla
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Ingredients for Carrot Ginger Dressing
- Carrots. I use 2 medium-sized carrots, but if you have slightly more or less, it is easy to adjust as you go. Baby carrots don’t taste as delicious as full-size ones, so I don’t recommend using those.
- Fresh Ginger. This is key; don’t use powdered. If you have a powerful blender that can easily pulverize veggies, you don’t even have to peel it.
- Oil. I use olive oil as the base of the dressing, plus a touch of toasted sesame seed oil for flavor. Sesame oil has a potent flavor, so a little goes a long way.
- Vinegar. I use apple cider vinegar, but rice vinegar is probably more authentic. Either one will work for this!
- Honey. This balances the dressing’s acidity and the spicy ginger flavor, making it craveable. If you need a vegan recipe, you can use maple syrup instead. (You might need a little more in that case.)
- Shallot. I love using shallot in salad dressing for a mild onion flavor. A small one is perfect here, but you can also use 1/4 of a small white onion.
- Salt. This is key for boosting the overall flavor. If your dressing tastes bland, you might not have added enough salt.
How to Make Carrot Ginger Dressing (Step by Step)
- Peel 2 medium carrots and cut them into chunks. Then peel a small shallot and 2 inches of fresh ginger. You don’t need to chop these finely, since they will be going into a blender next.
- Add the carrot, shallot, and ginger to a personal-sized blender along with 1/3 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar, 2 tablespoons of honey, 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 1/4 cup water.
- Secure the lid on the blender and blend until very smooth, for at least 60 seconds. Stop and scrape down the blender, then mix again if you see any pieces were missed.
- Serve the dressing over your favorite greens. It will have a slightly fibrous texture, so it sticks to your veggies better than an oily dressing does.
The Best Carrot Ginger Dressing I’ve Tasted
Ingredients
- 2 medium carrots , peeled and cut into chunks
- 2 inches fresh ginger
- 1 small shallot , cut into chunks
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup water
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a high-speed blender, combine the carrots, ginger, shallot, vinegar, honey, toasted sesame oil, olive oil, water, and salt. Secure the lid and blend until smooth.
- Once the dressing is smooth, adjust the flavoring to taste. Add more honey for a sweeter dressing, or an extra splash of vinegar for a tangier flavor. It's ready to serve right away over your favorite salad greens.
Notes
Nutrition
More Healthy Salad Dressings
- Lemon Tahini Dressing (oil-free)
- Apple Cider Vinaigrette
- Italian Dressing
- Tahini Dill Dressing
- Easy Greek Salad Dressing
- Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing
- Balsamic Dressing
If you try this Carrot Ginger dressing recipe, please leave a comment and star rating below to let me know what you think.
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I love this dressing even more than the dressings at the restaurant!
This is my husband’s favorite dressing!! He loves it when I make this one!
I made this but it did not taste good. Maybe I did the ginger wrong. I am not sure what 2” of ginger means.
Holy yum! This is the best salad dressing I have made to date and want to put it on everything! Went great with a spinach salad and drizzled it over a veggie bowl for lunch. So delicious!
Do you think I can make this w30 compliant by using a date instead of maple syrup or honey?
Yes, I usually use 2 pitted dates to replace 1 tablespoon of maple syrup or honey. Hope you enjoy it!
Just made this for some fresh lettuce from the farmers market… I could just drink this right out of the blender! Great recipe, thank you!
I need your help!! I’ve recently been diagnosed with silent reflux (throat reflux) and am on a really low-acid diet – no lemons or limes or vinegars (or really anything with a ph under 5 – so almost all fruits) + no onions and garlic. I love salads and have been searching for any that don’t contain an acid but it seems impossible. Do you think this carrot dressing would taste ok without the vinegar and onion? I LOVE your detox book (looked through it yesterday) but alas, no salad dressing recipes without an acid. Any help would be greatly appreciated! I’ve been doing salads with just olive oil and salt lately and they just don’t hit the mark…Thank you!!!
Sorry, that sounds like a challenge! Acid is one of the primary additions into any good salad dressing, so I can’t imagine that you’ll love the taste of this recipe without the acid, but I do think your taste buds will adjust as you get used to not having the acid flavor. Hope the diet is just temporary for you!
Hello! How are you chopping/measuring the chopped ginger? Thank you!
This is a great dressing! Modified it a little bit and raw apple cider vinegar and added a couple of cloves of garlic. Great for making “mayo-less” cole slaw!
This dressing is just amazing! I made it with apple cider vinegar, same amount as for the coconut yoke and it worked out wonderfully well.