This Carrot Ginger Dressing is a healthy and delicious way to top cooked meats, salads or rice bowls. It’s full of great Asian-inspired flavors and tastes pretty amazing.
My friend Jessika and her friends stayed with us for almost a week this summer. We had a blast hanging out, watching movies, playing at the beach, cooking together, and, of course, eating. As you know Jess has been responsible for bringing some very amazing things into my life, including these amazing chocolate chip cookies, these roasted vegetables, and these cranberry orange scones. Today’s ginger dressing recipe is no different.
Now, I will admit, Jessika has always had more exotic tastes than I do. She was adding spinach to smoothies long before it was the hip thing to do. And I did raise my eyebrow when she made a version of Carrot Ginger Dressing to go on our rice bowls one night.
Admittedly, Carrot Ginger Dressing doesn’t appear super photogenic. No slick fake food photography tricks here! It doesn’t get completely smooth, but it might if you have a Vitamix. I don’t.
Anywho, I have made this ginger dressing about half a dozen times since Jess and the kids were here, and I’ve been tweaking it along the way, omitting sugar, adding in lime juice, reducing the soy, swapping red onion for shallot, and so on. I’ve landed on a concoction that I am absolutely smitten with.
Can you be in love with Carrot Ginger Dressing?
Yes, yes, I think you can.
How to make this carrot ginger dressing
In the bowl of your food processor fitted with a metal blade you want to combine the carrots, onion, garlic, and ginger. And then blend until smooth by scraping down the sides.
Then add the vinegar, lime juice, and soy sauce and continue blending until the mixture is very smooth. Alternatively, you can process this mixture in a high speed blender.
Lastly, add the sesame oil and the avocado oil (or other neutral vegetable oil) in a thin stream while the motor is running to form an emulsion. You can serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to do so.
What do I use carrot ginger dressing on?
Asian Bowls are currently a regular on my weekly meal plan. The younger teen boys grill up some chicken for me, and we slice, julienne, and chop a bunch of veggies, soften some maifun rice noodles, and mix up this carrot ginger dressing.
So, so SOOOOO good! I tell ya. This is so yummy.
This carrot ginger dressing is delicious on grilled salmon, as a dip for veggies or bread, and of course to top a gree salad or rice bowls. My husband’s still afraid to try it, but I’m hoping to win him over. It’s pretty darn amazing with a drizzle of sriracha to add a little kick. I shared it with my friend Rachel today and she said it was just like what you get at sushi restaurants. I’ve never been to a sushi restaurant, so I’ll take her word for it. I just know I love it.
This ginger dressing recipe makes a little more than 2 cups and keeps for about a week in the fridge. I’ve included Whole 30 adaptations below in case you want to make it completely soy- and seed-free.
Whatever you do, just make it!
How to make this good and cheap:
Here are some of the strategies you can use to make this recipe more economical:
- Stock up on ingredients when they are on sale. When I find regular kitchen staples on sale, I buy a lot. I’m currently using a price book to track prices and that’s saving me money. For this recipe, keeping an eye on the prices of cheese and butter can help keep the price down. When I see a good deal on those produce items, I buy a lot and throw them in my freezer.
How I make this recipe easy:
This recipe really couldn’t be easier than it is, but having the right kitchen tools can really make your time in the kitchen more enjoyable. Over time, I’ve honed my collection so that they are perfect for my needs.
Here are the tools that I use for this recipe.
Carrot Ginger Dressing
Ingredients
- 8 oz carrots (shredded)
- ¼ red onion , coarsely chopped for ½ cup
- 3 clove garlic
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger (grated)
- ¼ cup rice vinegar
- ¼ cup lime juice
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce
- ½ cup neutral oil
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
Instructions
- In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade, combine the carrots, onion, garlic, and ginger. Blend until very smooth, scraping down the sides. Add the vinegar, lime juice, and soy sauce and continue blending until the mixture is very smooth. Alternatively, you can process this mixture in a high speed blender.
- Add the oils in a thin stream while the motor is running to form an emulsion. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to do so.
Nutrition
Sarah
This is really great on salads, bowls, baked potatoes!
Roberta
Yum–gotta try this. Quick question: Is the sesame oil toasted or non-toasted (or does it even matter)? If toasted, I actually have all the ingredients on hand.
Oh, and something else: Coconut aminos are always suggested as a substitute for soy sauce, so that’s what I’ve been using. However, they seem to taste a bit sweet to me compared to the saltiness of soy sauce. Is it just me? Admittedly, I don’t have a super-sensitive palate.
My family never complains (I just have soy sauce on the side for them), but I’m wondering if maybe I should add a bit of extra salt to recipes that I alter.
Jessica Fisher
Sorry for the delay in answering this. Sesame oil is the Asian kind, so I’m guessing it’s toasted. I think coconut aminos are “an acquired taste”. I did see a homemade recipe for a soy sauce substitute here: https://meljoulwan.com/2014/03/01/substitute-soy-sauce-coconut-aminos/ You might like that better? I have no qualms about adding more salt if you want it, though. Go for it!
Shelly
Try an extra bit of salt. My son is allergic to soy so we found coconut aminos to be a great substitute but my husband requires the extra salt.