Famous Japanese Restaurant-Style Salad Dressing

This recipe gets four stars only because it does seem to call for quite a bit of personal tweaking based on individual taste. However, the ingredients are just what you need to achieve that special Ginger dressing found in most sushi restaurants. So, instead of tweaking batch after batch to reach your intended flavor, just keep close and coarsley chop each of the ingredients so they're readily available to toss into your blender as needed. And besides, I'm sure many of you true asian cuisine cooks know how little we ever measure ingredients!! To further explain: Ginger-(Best fresh from root or even the pickled kind--NOT powdered, it can add a bitter taste and ruin that light salmon color) Peanut Oil-(NOT olive oil NOR sesame oil. Tried both to frightening results. The peanut oil is key! It's what makes the creamy taste and texture) Celery-(only fresh, and don't be afraid of adding more--it gives the dressing that fresh, crisp taste) Onion and Garlic-(NO powdered stuff either, this is where you can add a little bit at a time to your blender it can indeed over power your dressing) Salt/Soy sauce-Use either, but I prefer Fish sauce as it doesn't ruin the color and since it's saltier it only requires a small amount) The Ketchup-(I just recommend a bit of fresh tomato--using ketchup can also add a funnyl, stale taste) The lemon juice & rice wine vinegar-(use the real stuff--it's not that expensive and both are versatile in lots of dishes) The Pepper & Sugar-(Didn't feel the nee

This salad dressing is THE BOMB! We love it and my guests love it too! I have to give out the recipe. I substitute 1/4 C. of chicken broth for half the oil and replace half of the oil with sesame oil. It's awesome!

Very good. I used Rice Vinegar instead of Rice Wine Vinegar (same??) and I used jarred minced ginger, but it turned out very well. Thanks to the reviewer who said not to waste time chopping. I threw in chunks of onion and whole garlic cloves - no problem. Next time I'll use 1/2 sesame oil.

A fine tasting dressing. The flavors are much better once it has sat in the fridge for a few hours. I added some sesame oil as well, and found it to give the dressing a "deeper" flavor. I wish I had seen the review that told us to not bother chopping (mincing) the ingredients! Why bother when we are blending it all?! I made a chicken and salad dish, and not only used the dressing on the salad, but I drizzled it on the meat too. My husband loved it! I will make this again.

NICE EASY DRESSING...... USED POWDERED GINGER AND GARLIC SO EASY WILL DO AGAIN AND AGAIN

I did not like the dressing and it did not taste anything like the one that is served in Japanese Restaurants. Too much oniony.

great recipe !! we've had this several times, I usually just use olive or vegetable oil, and it always turns out great !! really good on an asian coleslaw type salad !!

After many attempts with this recipe, I believe I have created the dressing identical to the one found at japanese steakhouse restaurants. It might be wise to specify to use REAL white onions, celery, ginger, garlic and chop it yourself, not powdered or bottled minced spices. I used bottled minced onions on my first attempt, however the result was far too acidic. Fresh chopped white onions did the trick. As for the ketchup, I recommend using the homemade ketchup, not heinz. Do not subtitute any ingredients for the ones listed. I achieved the best result using the suggested recipe. Some suggested using olive/sesame oil and white wine vinegar as substitutes, but doing so will stray the taste from the real japanese restaurant salad dressing we all love. Many thanks to the one who posted this recipe! It's perfect!

Delicious!!! Used the suggested 1T ketchup, added 1/2 tsp sesame oil, and didn't have minced celery on me. Still delicious...just like the real thing. Will make over and over again!

I honestly don't understand why people feel the need to change a recipe and rate based on changes. Make it the way it is stated. I have with this recipe and it is perfect! I have made this dressing consistently and the only thing I ever changed is the oil, and that is only because of what I had on hand.. Trust me, you will love it!!

Exactly what I was looking for. Even though I didn't have all the right ingredients, it still tasted fabulous and I could tell it would have tasted just like the dressing at Japanese restaurants if I hadn't needed to make the adjustments. I ended up eating two bowls of salad it was so good.

A good dressing, an even better marinade!

I haven't a clue how I could have messed this up, but it tasted nothing like the dressing served at our two favorite Japanese Steakhouses. It was entirely too acidic. I used good quality peanut oil and rice wine vinegar, so it wasn't that. If you are looking for something cool and refreshing and a little creamy, this probably isn't the recipe for you.

An incredible mix of flavors. We really liked this. Though have never been to a Japanese restaurant I imagine this taste to be very similar to what would be on their menu. Thanks Holly.

This dressing is fantastic!! Just like the one in the restaurants. I didn't have peanut oil, so I used vegetable oil and threw in some peanuts.

The only "famous" Japanese restaurant we have in my area is Shogun and this is similar to theirs but not quite. It is still good though and the leftover made an excellent marinade for some boneless pork chops I fixed the next night for dinner.

This is a great recipe which has all the components to create the unique flavor of restaurant style dressing, however, I tweaked a few things. As a few other people have mentioned, the peanut oil is KEY. Instead of soy sauce, I used Ponzu, a citrus infused soy sauce. I almost always use this in lieu of soy sauce because, to me, it simply just tastes MUCH better. Additionally, I used tomato paste instead of ketchup, omitted the onions, and added about twice the amount of ginger, carrots, and celery. The added veggies give it a lot of texture which I personally enjoy. I'm always disappointed when I get this in a Japanese restaurant and the dressing is watery. I omitted the onions because I have a strong aversion to raw onions and when I made it with them previously, I found the flavor to be overpowering. The great thing about this recipe is it provides you the basic ingredients but you can always customize for personal taste. Have fun with it, let it sit overnight (if you can wait, this stuff is amazing), and enjoy! Thanks so much for posting!

My husband and I love this dressing! We've been searching for a nice tangy Oriental dressing recipe and this is it! Very close to the original Japanese steakhouse recipe too.

nothing like what they serve at any japanese steakhouse I've ever been to.

The recipie was great - only I think that thwere was too much ketchup. I would reduce the amount of ketchup. As well, I added a bit more oil and soy sauce. (I also added a few drops of sesemme seed oil) After I made teh dressing, my boyfrined then said - you could have just put the onion and celery into the blender - no need to mince it by hand... When I make the dressing again, I will certainly do that!

I make this ofter and find it especially good over a mix cucumbers, tomatoes, apples and figs!

I always prefer homemade dressings to store bought. This was great! I also used less ketchup (1 T) and found the taste to be just like my favorite Japanese restaurant's dressing. YUM!

This recipe was very easy to make -with some substitutions. I used regular salad oil, the prepared ginger from the grocery (the pink kind), left out the celery (because I didn't have any.) I also doubled the recipe. The kids had two servings of salad, and we had enough left over for the next night. We eat a lot of Japanese food - this tastes just like the kind at Benihana.

Very much like the restaurant style dressing! Be careful not to use too much ketchup though. I think I would start with a little less next time and add to taste.

This dressing is fantastic! I prefer it with extra ginger, garlic, and 1/4 cup shredded carrots for texture, but the recipe is also delicious as is.

Not at all the recipe I was looking for, very different from the restaurant dressing. This was very ginger-y and had too much soy sauce or something...I don't know. I made it twice trying to adjust, but it never did work out.

I made this as part of a full course Valentine's day dinner for my hubby. I substituted a little sesame oil for the peanut, and used less overall than called for. It was good, but was missing an element of something, not sure what, maybe salt. Will make again tho.

This tastes just like the dressing at my favorite Japanese restaraunt! Thanks

Very good dressing. Very similar to Japenese restuarant!!

First of all, this exact recipe is on topsecretrecipes.com and this is a replica of the Benihana Ginger Salad Dressing. The person who posted this simply didn't credit that site.. I tried this dressing over a year ago and it's perfect as is, tastes just like the one at Benihana's, so the people who are always saying it needs tweaking and this and that, just know that this is a recipe made to taste exactly like the one Benihana's restaurant and it does. Maybe the ones who constantly want to change it just don't know how the one's at BH's taste.

I followed the recipe exactly EXCEPT I added a few carrots because they bring a richer flavor and pulp-like consistency I was trying to mimic like the orange colored dressing I've had in Japanese restaurants. I really think the carrots are key. It's the missing ingredient in my opinion!!!!

Too onion-y and not quite the light dressing I get at a Japanese restaurant. Added more celery and sugar to take away some of the bite.

This recipe is just like advertised. I love the ginger dressing that you get at Japanese Restaurants and this is it. I substituted low-carb ketchup and then used two packets of splenda and it still came out perfect. Thanks to whomever posted this.

This dressing is great with thin slice of cold and rare roast beef...or slices of chicken...I add mandarin oranges and some peanuts....I use packaged lettuce....so good...

I thought this recipe was great. It turned out to not exactly be what I was hunting for, but it worked out great with my sashimi dinner. Like everyone else, I added some pure sesame oil for more flavor and backed off on the ketchup a bit. Bf loved it!!

Tastes exactly like the Japanese restaurants, OMG I am soooo happy!! One thng left out of the recipe that is a key factor, is that you need to chill the dressing for several hours before it is ready. I will definately make this over, and over,and over.

Maybe I did something wrong, but I did not care for this salad dressing. Usually I'm a fantastic cook and but this wasn't what I thought it would be at all. I won't be trying it again.

I needed a good sesame ginger dressing & found this one. Only change I made was added 2 tsp of sesame oil & I tsp of honey to dressing mix instead of sugar. Turned out wonderful with a shrimp noodle recipe I had. (Cook 8 oz spaghettini al dente. Add 2 cups broccoli coleslaw mix, half cup minced cilantro, 1 lb of shrimp which I sauteed with olive oil & some ginger garlic & dash of soya sauce. Mix all this together in a bowl with 2/3 cup of this salad dressing. Refrigerate until needed. ) Delicious!!

This is the only correct recipe. Others will call for miso or vegetable oil instead of peanut oil. Trust me the peanut oil is better for you and taste much better. Simply Delicious!!!

This is the best by far. I only put lemon on my salads because I dont care for dressing but I tried this and lemon is history let me tell you. The only thing I did chang, was I did not use as much peanut oil and the rest olive oil. Thanks so much....=)

Pretty tasty! I was quite skeptical, but it turned out good. I'm not a huge fan of rice wine vinegar, so I used a little less and added a little more lemon juice.

This recipe was delicious. I couldn't tell whether I was suppose to use regular white onions or the asian onions. As I read other people's reviews about how overpowering the onion flavor was, i realized they must have used the wrong type of onion. You have to use the asian onion and what I would recommend using is the "white" part. My dressing came out perfectly. My guests and I will definitely make this again. The only thing I changed from this is that I did not add ketchup, I used a couple of small fresh tomatoes and didn't use rice wine vinegar but regular rice vinegar. It came out perfectly and very similar to the japanese restaurant dressings I'm accustomed to and love.

I thought this is the best salad dressing I ever tasted!!! I brought it to a barbeque and now everybody want the recipe. Thanx

Very tasty recipe but way too much onion flavor for my taste. I think I would cut the onion by at least half next time, and there will definitely be a next time.

I've been looking for a real Japanese ginger dressing for a long time. This one is it. For sure. Thumbs up from all my family. Make sure you read the long review from anatonline. I took her advise and used fresh tomato, with only a squirt of ketchup for color. I also had to add a tad more sugar, and I added half teaspoon of brown sugar. Came out perfect. This ones it folks. For sure.

This was ok, It wasn't exactly like the restaurant one I love so much. I have a different one that tastes more like the authentic which is very similar to this. This one just seemed a little too sweet for my taste. I added more ginger and garlic which helped out. Think I will dig out my old one I found online somewhere for the next batch. Thanks though, it is close for those who don't have a keeper.

This salad dressing tastes just like the one that is served at Japanese steak houses. I was suprised at how well all the ingredients blended together to make a fresh and mildly spicy flavor. The preparation is a little extensive for family dinner most nights, but it would impress guests at a dinner party. You could make it up a few days ahead of time too. If you have a little extra time, this recipe is worth trying. Note: It is importent to use Rice Vinegar (which adds a sweet flavor) and not just regular vinegar.

What a fantastic and flavorful dressing! I substituted good quality olive oil for the peanut (allergy concerns), cut back on the soy by 1tsp, and half the ketchup for srirracha chili sauce. Will make many more times!

OMG!! So good!! I took some advice of others and omitted the salt and water and added more celery (i like mine chunky). After I let it "marinate" in the frig. for a few hours it was wonderful!! Give it a try!

Most Japanese restaurants I've tried out seem to have their own version of this dressing. Some are great while others are not so much. So, I thought I'd give this recipe a try. It was my first time making any dressing. I have to say that this particular recipe is pretty good with a couple changes. I put in half the amount of onions called for, added 1 1/2 carrots, and a little extra sugar. I also let it sit overnight in the fridge as it didn't taste so great warm. After chilling overnight, it has a wonderful flavor and I can't wait to serve it to guests in the future. Thanks for posting your recipe!

Very good.

Loved this recipe. I had a craving for ginger dressing but wanted an organic alternative. So instead of buying a dressing at the store, I made this one. I didn't have peanut oil but substituted with sesame oil instead. Tasted just like the Japanese restaurant version.

This was fantastic Marbalet!!!!!! Due to peanut allergies I used canola and added just a smidge of sesame oil in the mix. Thank you so much!

Great! Tastes just like the salad dressing served in my local restaurants (more or less). Don't blend too much or it will not have the authentic thickness of restaurant dressings. Will definitely make this repeatedly!

Good recipe, I followed it to the letter, I read where some say not to mince the onion and celery, but how do you measure? I used all fresh ingredients no powdered or Jared stuff and I was done in five minutes, so why cheat? Now as for taste, I like it but I'm used to a little more depth and I think that comes from sesame oil. So I might add a teaspoon to my next batch. I did let this sit a few before tasting and reviewing because most dressings taste better the next day.

Awesome! Love this dressing - taste like the Japanese Steakhouse! The ladies in our bible study LOVED it too! THANK YOU!

Not sure where I went wrong, but this just did not meet my expectations. It was lacking in flavor, even after I played a bit with the seasoning. I also gave it time to "blend" by leaving it overnight with high hopes...I ended up tossing the left overs since after sitting it became a bit watery. My husband said if was "good," but it just wasn't my taste...sorry.

This incredibly fresh tasting dressing hits all the right flavor notes that one would expect from their favorite Japanese steakhouse. The texture is spot-on as well; the dressing clung to the lettuce leaves instead of pooling at the bottom of the salad bowl. A tasty topping for a simple salad with leftover grilled chicken, oranges and almonds. Thanks MARBALET.

Delicious!

this tastes almost exactly like the dressing you get in a japanese restaurant. my suggestion is to do something that decreases the strong taste of onion just a bit.

This a very one-dimensional dressing as is and the consistency was a little too watery (and this is w/o adding the water). But once I added a few tbls. of sesame oil, tbl. of siracha (hot chili sauce) and a 1/4 cup of mayo, it was much, much better. Poured it over crisp iceberg lettuce, sliced tomatoes and mung beans. Next time I'll add some slice mushrooms to the salad mix. Great accompaniment to any sort of Japanese food, from tempura to grilled flank steak to homemade sushi.

For Weight Watchers...its 1 point per tablespoon. Pretty tasty.

Excellent! It was a bit messy in preparation, but it was worth it for the delivery. I'll definitely be making this again and again! Thank you!

Instead of sugar add 1/4 c. honey. You need the sweetness to counteract the salt and acid.

The best Japanese ginger salad dressing I've found out of the five I've tried!! Going to stick with this one.

Easy and Delicious!!!

We really enjoyed this recipe.

Nothing like any of the Japanese restaurants' ginger dressing I have ever tasted. I have eaten Japanese from coast to coast both in restuarants (whole-in-the wall mom&pops and national chain) and with Japanese friends at home.

Great! This does taste like the dressing in Japanese restaurants, my husband says it is better! I skipped the ketchup, peanut oil, celery and used jarred sushi ginger. Will make again. Thank you for sharing this recipe Holly!

Delicious! I added 2 celery sticks, minced, as suggested. Will definitely be a staple in my fridge all the time!

This is spot on! I added one extra Tablespoon of sugar and strained mine, and it was the same dressing we get at our local Japanese Steak House! Thanks!

I have made this several times upon request of my hubby. He loves this and I agree. It tastes just like the restaurant dressing. Super easy to make. Thanks for sharing.

Sharp and crisp dressing is perfect for salads without tomatoes, mushrooms, etc. Ease off the vinegar a bit, though. Save time and skip the fine chopping...it gets blended smooth anyway.

Not so good, didn't want to eat it after first salad serving

I did not care for this recipe...nothing like restaurant style. I wasted my time and money!

I did not put all the vinegar, since too much leaves a funny aftertaste, salt and pepper are not needed, used half a fresh tomato instead of ketchup, a little extra honey/brown sugar, decreased amt of oil, added some sesame oil, threw in some carrots and extra ginger- after the modifications, it taste EXACTLY like that found in restaurants, excellent recipe!

Not bad - I still prefer Benihana's recipe (it can be found all over the Internet).

I eat Japanese food like there won't be any tomorrow. my favorite thing is the ginger dressing you get in the restaurant, hence why i looked up this recipe and it was honestly better than some restaurant's dressing. I did make a good amount of changes, following others i use only 1/4 cup of onions and 1/4cup of distilled vinegar. I also use olive oil instead of peanut oil, pre-minced garlic, and low sodium soy sauce. I make this almost every week for lunch and dinner salads!

In a word AMAZING! Reminds me of Benihana, will make this over and over again, SO easy. Worked well for me, made it just like the recipe and everyone loved it. Tweek it all you want, it's still delicious. This recipe is a keeper. Laminate it. Thanks for sharing it with us!

I have to admit that this is not the best salad dressing I've ever tasted. I don't frequent Japanese restaurants very often so perhaps I'm not the best person to judge this recipe. I do know, however, that my family left the salad untouched at dinner the other night!

It was alright, but the next time that I make it, I think that I'll use less ketchup.:)

Definitely the closest recipe that I've tasted to the real steakhouse stuff, but I thought that the taste was slightly bitter. I used all fresh ingredients, and (after reading some reviews) I'm wondering if the ketchup had something to do with the slightly-off flavor. It's not so off that I wouldn't make it again, but I think I'd try with fresh tomatoes instead :)

It's good. It's close to the Japanese Restaurant-Style Salad Dressing I am use to. It needs some adjustment. There has got to be some secret ingredient(s) I am missing. It's sweeter, and less salty. I may try some "salad supreme" (which BTW is the secret ingredient to awesome pasta salad), and substitute tomato paste for the ketchup. Maybe use some miso paste, that would make more sense then ketchup. Ketchup just doesn't seem right. I've never been to a Japanese restaurant where you can get ketchup.

Great recipe -- tastes just like the restaurant version.

Loved this dressing. Reminded me of our local japanese restaurants dressing.

This was very close to the salad dressing we used to serve in a Japanese restaurant I used to work at. I didn't have peanut oil, but instead used sesame oil. With that exception, I followed the recipe to the T. Very delicious, easy to make and fresh ginger, I think, is the key. Next time I will follow someone else's suggestion of added chopped carrots! My husband absolutely loved it, so I will give it 4 stars!

I was so excited to make this recipe because my famliy loves the dressing at our local Japanese steak house. Unfortunately, this didn't taste a thing like it... I had read the reviews and had such high hopes. My daughter actually asked if it was a modified ceasar dressing. It was kind of a pain to make because it had so many ingredients and they required chopping. I guess I will keep looking "the real" Japanese dressing : (

Excellent! But try using honey instead of sugar and carrots instead of celery.

This recipe is wonderful! I've always wondered how I can make the same salad dressing that I eat when I go to a sushi restaurant.! What's even better, is that it is super easy to make! Just toss in the ingredients whole, and you don't spend time mincing or chopping. Love the texture to the dressing!

Very Yummy! I used Olive oil instead of peanut oil and did not have rice wine vinegar so i substituted regular vinegar instead. i also only did a 1/4 cup of vinegar. AWESOME!

Taste just like the dressing I get at Japanese restaurants. I use Vegetable oil instead of peanut oil and it still tastes great.

This is great and actually better than the Benihana's now. We think they switched to a pre-made dressing, it's awful. Last time we went nobody even ate their salad. Tonight EVERYONE ate their salad and my youngest son slurrppppeedd the bowl! I like this one and all of my salad dressings very fresh. Make it and use it right away and all of the flavors are still bright and not muddled.

After reading the reviews I tweak this recipe just a little . Used 3 cherry tomatoes and 1tbsp of ketchup. 1/4c of both peanut oil and sesame oil to create the 1/2c of oil. As suggested by others I used less onion. My family loved this recipe.

The taste and smell of raw onion was overpowering. I don't recall any Japanese restaurant using a salad dressing this strong. We ate is just once and didn't use the rest.

add 2tbs of tahini , it is fantastic!

This tasted nothing like what I get at a Restaurant.

I didn't find it tastes anything like any of the Japanese salad dressings I've had. Was disappointed - didn't care for it.

This was good and my husband enjoyed it. I didn't have rice wine vinegar so I used some from my green olives jar! I also used crushed roasted peanuts instead of the oil and substituted the oil with sesame oil. I also used dry celery because I didn't have any fresh on hand. Defintely needs the sweetener. I used honey. Thanks!

without any alterations the recipes is very good but the restuarant dressings ive had have much more ginger so i upped my ginger and found the dressing to be absolutely perfect. im addicted now