This popular Benihana ginger salad dressing featured at Benihana and other Japanese steakhouses is super easy to make at home. It's a delightfully light, creamy, refreshing salad dressing with a robust fresh ginger taste.
If you love Benihana, you're sure to love my hibachi mustard sauce and ginger dipping sauce, too.
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Asian Ginger Salad Dressing Recipe
Being from the West Coast originally, my husband and I have always been fans of Benihana hibachi grill restaurants and their tantalizing flavors.
One of our favorite things to enjoy on a more regular basis than, say, surf n' turf every night is a salad served up with the tangy signature, house ginger salad dressing recipe that Benihana is known for (and that's available for purchase at their restaurant locations).
Honestly, I think my husband enjoys eating dinner at Benihana's just so he can have the salad dressing and dipping sauces. It's good that he noticed the days in the early 2000s when the Benihana website had their recipes shared.
If you have never had this dressing, do yourself a favor and make it as soon as possible. You're going to love having this dressing in your recipe repertoire.
You also need to find a great Japanese steakhouse just to watch their chefs put on a show of flying knives exploding volcano onion towers, and one of our recent treats was to have our daughter's fried eggs (for the hibachi fried rice) shaped as a rooster!!
🥘 Ingredients
- Peanut Oil - This flavor will match the familiar Benihana salad dressing best.
- Onion - Use white onion, or yellow onion for a slightly sweeter taste.
- Rice Wine Vinegar - Use a good Asian rice wine vinegar that is clear in appearance. Substituting white vinegar is not suggested. You'll need the new bottle of rice wine vinegar anyway, so you can make this at home all the time. 😋
- Water - For consistency, adjust as needed.
- Ginger - Fresh, peeled ginger is best. The ginger in tubes that can be found in your grocery store's produce department will work too but the flavor is not as strong. Taste and add more if needed.
- Celery - Fresh, chopped celery adds taste and texture.
- Soy Sauce - A little goes a long way, use reduced-sodium soy sauce if desired. Dark soy sauce can overpower the other ingredient flavors.
- Tomato - Use ketchup or tomato paste.
- Sugar - White granulated table sugar is what Benihana uses in their recipe. Brown sugar will not taste right (the molasses content will change the flavor profile). Sugar alternatives like Swerve can be used with great results.
- Lemon Juice - Just a bit to highlight all of the other ingredient flavors. Use fresh lemon juice for best results. Bottled lemon juice has a weaker flavor, you may need a splash extra.
- Salt & Pepper - Start with a pinch of salt and pepper, and adjust to taste. I prefer to adjust the seasoning after the dressing has chilled overnight and the flavors have had a chance to 'marry' or meld.
Be sure to see the free printable recipe card below for ingredients, exact amounts & instructions with tips!
🔪 How To Make Ginger Salad Dressing
Measure out ingredients. Add all ingredients ½ cup (118.29 milliliters) peanut oil, ½ cup (80 grams) onion, ¼ cup (59.15 milliliters) rice wine vinegar, ¼ cup (59.15 milliliters) water, 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, 2 tablespoons celery, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 tablespoon ketchup, 2 teaspoons sugar, 2 teaspoons lemon juice, and 1 pinch each of salt & pepper to a blender or food processor.
Process. Blend until smooth, about 45 seconds to 1 minute.
Chill. Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving to allow the flavors to meld.
Serve. Drizzle over your salad to serve.
Any way you make it, this salad dressing is addictive and delicious. Enjoy!
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💭 Angela's Pro Tips & Recipe Notes
- Ketchup or tomato sauce. Note that the original recipe calls for tomato paste. In such a small quantity, it is much easier to use ketchup, or a tube of tomato paste, rather than open a can of tomato paste. The difference is negligible if you opt for the sweeter ketchup, but this officially notes my modification to the original recipe from Benihana.
- Chill for the best flavor. The flavors combine better after refrigerating, and the dressing is best on the second and third days after being mixed.
- To store. Keep refrigerated and stored in an airtight container. The dressing stores well when refrigerated for up to one week.
⭐ Testimonials
I've made this recipe several times now, and everyone always loves it. When I want to thicken the dressing up (for my personal taste) I use potato flakes. The flavor stays the same, and the consistency is perfect. Love it!
Shannon K, Montana
If you love Benihana, Kyoto, or Kobe's Japanese steakhouse hibachi (teppanyaki) grilled foods, you'll love my hibachi steak and shrimp dinner, hibachi vegetables, hibachi noodles, hibachi fried rice, and yum yum sauce.
Check out my hibachi recipe index page for a complete list of these fabulous grilled foods that are wonderful recipes to make with your Blackstone grill, too!
Do you love a recipe you tried? Please leave a 5-star 🌟rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page.
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📖 Recipe Card
Benihana Ginger Salad Dressing Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup peanut oil
- ½ cup onion (chopped)
- ¼ cup rice wine vinegar
- ¼ cup water
- 2 tablespoon fresh ginger (peeled, chopped)
- 2 tablespoon celery (chopped)
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon ketchup (or tomato paste)
- 2 teaspoon sugar
- 2 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 pinch each, salt & pepper (to taste)
(Note: 2x or 3x only changes the ingredient list)
Instructions
- Add all ingredients ½ cup peanut oil, ½ cup onion, ¼ cup rice wine vinegar, ¼ cup water, 2 tablespoon fresh ginger, 2 tablespoon celery, 2 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon ketchup, 2 teaspoon sugar, 2 teaspoon lemon juice, and 1 pinch each, salt & pepper to a blender or food processor.
- Blend until smooth, about 45 seconds to 1 minute.
- Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving to allow the flavors to meld.
- Drizzle over your salad to serve.
Notes
- Ketchup or tomato sauce. Note that the original recipe calls for tomato paste. In such a small quantity, it is much easier to use ketchup, or a tube of tomato paste, rather than open a can of tomato paste. The difference is negligible if you opt for the sweeter ketchup, but this officially notes my modification to the original recipe from Benihana.
- Chill for the best flavor. The flavors combine better after refrigerating, and the dressing is best on the second and third days after being mixed.
- To store. Keep refrigerated and stored in an airtight container. The dressing stores well when refrigerated for up to one week.
Nutrition
(Original Note) Here, I share a very close approximation to the recipe that was available on the Benihana website at one point in time. I am making it from memory, and it very well may be the correct version as shared by Benihana webmasters themselves. If I can ever find the saved recipe in all of my old files, I can verify the version later.
Shawn Alton says
OMG! This recipe is so so good! Delish. I just made it, and it’s in the fridge chilling, and flavor-mingling. Brought back so many good memories of dining at Benihana. There was a Benihana in Seattle that we would go to every time we visited, and it’s since closed down (sad), so making this has inspired me to make their others sauces in preparation for hibachi cooking on my Blackstone griddle!
Thank you so much for this recipe. Followed it to the letter, but used tomato paste, since I had small amounts frozen (just for instances like this).
Alonna says
I’m really excited to try this! Can you tell me what kind of onion (white, yellow, etc.) you recommend using? Thanks!
Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says
I prefer yellow onion, but white onion works too. Enjoy!!
Kelley Martin says
This recipe was great! I used it with a seared ahi salad I made.
Anonymous says
This is excellent. We love the Benihana ginger dressing. So many recipes call for 1 or 2 tablespoons of tomato paste, so I open a can and put tablespoons of it in a zip-lock freezer bag and just leave space around each tablespoon. It's great because when they're frozen they help chill the dressing if I'm in a hurry.
Thanks for sharing this recipe! It's a staple in my home!!
Wemetmartin says
This recipe was delicious! I used it for a seared ahi salad.
Sharon says
Made it this weekend. It's delicious!! How much would you say is a serving? 2tbsp? I track my intake and trying to accurately account for this dressing.
Thank you
Gayle Rogers says
I have always had a problem finding the correct rice wine vinegar. Is rice wine vinegar the same as rice vinegar? Do we use seasoned or unseasonably? Thanks for clearing this up for me
Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says
Rice vinegar and rice wine vinegar are OK to use interchangeably (but DO NOT use rice wine which is sweeter with no hint of vinegar flavor). Do use the unseasoned types as well for best results. Enjoy!
Sarah says
I’m going to make this ASAP! In an effort to not waste a ton of celery since this calls for so little (we don’t eat it really) would it be a crime to leave it out? Some sort of substitute?
Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says
Hmmm. The celery is a big part of the texture of this dressing. If you were to add more onion (also part of the texture) I think that the onion would be overpowering and change the flavor too much. I would do this: the best way to freeze celery is to wash, trim, and cut your pieces, and spread them on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Freeze in a single layer, then transfer to a freezer storage bag squeezing out as much excess air as possible.
You're going to want that celery on hand after you try this 🙂 Hope that helps!
Leah says
I’m thinking of what to substitute for celery because I’m allergic (anaphylaxis ). I’m considering fennel, or possibly minced apple or jicama.
Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says
I would think that the fennel flavor would overpower this dressing, and I would opt for green apples if you have them. Let me know how it turns out!
Anonymous says
(Replying to Leah regarding what to replace for celery) You could replace celery for the stalk in broccoli cut up in “celery like” pieces.
Mmamer says
You can also use carrots!
Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says
You certainly can use quite a few substitutes! It's a wonderful dressing recipe!
Thomas Strickland says
I am not 100% sure but rice wine and rice vinegar are two different things. Rice wine vinegar is really hard to find. Can I use rice wine or rice vinegar as a substitute or does rice wine vinegar is rice vinegar? Thanks for the help.
Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says
Rice vinegar and rice wine vinegar refer to the same thing, and yes, rice wine itself is vastly different than rice vinegar! If you don't have rice vinegar, the best substitute is to use plain white vinegar. The next best option is to use apple cider vinegar. Hopefully that answered your question 🙂
Monique says
Perfection!! I will be making this all the time! Thank you!! Have you ever substituted honey for the sugar? I am going to give it a try next time.
Anonymous says
Spot on!
Justine says
Do you have any recommendations as to what someone may use in place of onion? Thanks in advance
Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says
Is it the flavor or texture that's throwing you off? You can use more celery (for the bulk and texture of the dressing) along with onion powder. You could also grab your lemon juicer/squeezer and literally squeeze the onion juice out of some fresh onions. I'm not sure if that helped yet?? Let me know!
Perla says
=awesome recipe super delicious. I dont have peanut oil at home , i did replaced it with olive oil..
Marc says
I want to thank you for putting this recipe up. By far the best recipe I have tried, pretty close to 100% and personally better in my opinion.
Andrew says
You are so peaking my interest now . I go to Benihana Soli for the salad! I went last night actually before I sent that post and was disappointed that I think they either had a bad batch or change their dressing recipe because it was not the same! If I can make your recipe work that would be amazing! One question I have if you know… I have asked them before because we have a killer with a peanut allergy and they swear that there is no peanut product in their dressing. All of the “copycat“ recipes that I have seen use peanut oil so that confuses me… Thoughts?
Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says
Peanut oil is part of the flavor in the recipe, however, great alternates that are frequently used in Chinese cooking are soybean oil, sunflower oil, or canola oil. All are great choices to work around a peanut allergy!
Nana says
Angela, I can’t find peanut oil.. what can I substitute?
Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says
Hi Nana, the best substitute for peanut oil is sesame seed oil. For this recipe, the flavor is the closest. If you don't have sesame seed oil, canola oil or sunflower oil can also be used as substitutes.
Tina says
Hi Angela, is sesame seed oil the same as sesame oil? Do you use a certain brand? Also how much tomato paste would this call for? When I open a can of tomato paste I always freeze in tablespoon size and wrap it individually in cling wrap and freeze them so I don’t waste and always have some on hand.
Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says
Hi Tina! Yes, both sesame seed oil and sesame oil are the same thing. I'm not usually particular about brands, especially when sesame seed oil has been one of the things that is frequently missing at my grocery store this past year or so. I do usually buy the Imperial Dragon brand when it's available.
The original Benihana recipe called for 1 1/2 teaspoons tomato paste. I would start with that and adjust as needed to your taste. Enjoy!
Pamela says
What about using tomato paste concentrate that comes in a tube.
Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says
Definitely a great option! I just never have one on hand (i use too much at any one time). It will work perfectly, enjoy!!
Carol says
It's been years since I ate at Benihana's here in Chicago, but as soon as I tasted this dressing, it all came back. I loved their salads. In fact, after making this for dinner last night I'm having a salad for breakfast right now! If it doesn't sound too melodramatic, thank you for bringing this back into my life ❤
Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says
Aw, Carol, I love reading this! And I absolutely love the salads at Benihana too, which of course led to this recipe being a long time staple in our home. I was also lucky enough to have caught all of the Benihana recipes when they had them posted on their website.
Thank you so much for sharing (no melodrama here, I get it!) and here's to many more tasty salads!
Anonymous says
In response to the query about the dressing being a watery consistency you mention to possibly add MORE carrot. The recipe you published seems like it doesn't contain any carrot at all. Is there carrot missing from your recipe?
Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says
No, it's not missing. The bulk in the dressing is celery and onion, which is what I meant. Thanks for catching that!
Jessica says
Mine came out watery. how do I fix this?
Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says
The dressing is a semi-thin salad dressing anyway, but sometimes it's hard to get an exact measurement on your 'bulk' ingredients. I would add a bit more of celery or onion, depending on your dressing flavor. Taste and adjust until you have your desired consistency. I always have to stir mine before using, as the liquid will settle to the bottom overnight when refrigerated. Hope that helps!
Landyn says
Delicious!!! But Mine is much darker than yours!!! I wonder why! This will be a staple in our house from now on!
Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says
Gad you like it! It's a staple here too!!
The only thing I can think of with yours being darker, is a different brand of soy sauce. Otherwise, it could just be from the lighting of the photo.
Steph H says
I had the same issue as well with the color being darker! But it still tastes wonderful!
Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says
It may be the type of blender used. I use my Nutribullet for most blending, rarely use my food processor (other than for pastry making), and use my actual blender even less than either of those. Glad you like it (no matter the color we all end up with)!!
Andrew says
Thank you Angela. I have tried to make this recipe I don’t know like 50 times lol . I believe I have used this exact recipe before And it simulates but does now we come out quite the same as the restarting dressing. That beating said I remember when they published this on their website And wasn’t there a a comment something like “ there may be ingredients missing from this recipe “or something like that from corporate so they weren’t releasing their redact recipe ? I can’t remember exactly but I always remembered being slightly disappointed that it wasn’t “ it” !
Interested to hear your thoughts... you seem passionate about this which is awesome !!
Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says
Actually, the ONLY differences in my opinion stem from these two things:
1) Benihana makes their salad dressing with commercially available ingredients.
and 2) I personally believe that the dressing at the restaurants is watered down in some way to make the dressing last longer, and stretch the dollar.
I do believe that even if this is not EXACT, that it is indeed so close that it is the very best base recipe to begin with to modify to your tastes. Thanks for asking and enjoy!!