Benihana Ginger Dipping Sauce

If you have ever sat around a hibachi grill and asked for a second bowl of ginger sauce during your hibachi dinner, you are not alone. This Benihana ginger dipping sauce is a thin, savory blend of fresh ginger, onion, soy sauce, and rice vinegar with a bright squeeze of lemon. It has no added sugar, so the ginger stays front and center instead of getting lost behind sweetness. Blend it for about ten minutes, chill for two hours, and serve with steak, chicken, shrimp, or grilled vegetables.

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Benihana ginger sauce is the thin, tangy dipping sauce served alongside grilled meat and seafood at Japanese steakhouses. This copycat version uses a short list of ingredients that come together in a blender, with no cooking and no added sugar.

Because the sauce is built on fresh ginger and soy sauce, it works as a dipping sauce, a marinade, and a base for a quick salad dressing. Once you have a jar in the refrigerator, it makes weeknight grilled chicken or steak taste a lot more like a night out.

What makes Benihana Ginger sauce so good? 

How often have you asked for more of Benihana’s famous ginger-soy dipping sauce? Probably a lot. After all, it is one of the chain’s most popular condiments.

The combination of citrus, soy, and fresh ginger brings out the flavor of grilled food, but it’s also much more versatile. Check out the section below for more ideas on how to use this Japanese steakhouse ginger sauce. 

Japanese Steakhouse Ginger Sauce Ingredients

To make Benihana Ginger Dipping Sauce, you’ll need:

• White onion – Fresh onions add a mild sharpness and body to the sauce.
• Fresh ginger root – Provides the bright, zesty heat that defines the sauce.
• Ground ginger – Adds a warm, steady ginger flavor in the background.
• Lemon juice – Brings fresh citrus acidity that lifts the soy sauce.
• Soy sauce – Provides salt and savory depth as the sauce base.
• Rice vinegar – Adds gentle tang that balances the saltiness.

Ingredient Notes

• Use fresh lemon juice if you can. Bottled juice tastes flat and can leave a sharp aftertaste.
• Rice vinegar and rice wine vinegar are the same product, so either label works.
• Add a little lemon zest for an extra citrus note.

How to Pick Out the Freshest Ginger

Ginger is the heart of this dish, so use the best, freshest ginger root you can find. If you don’t often cook with ginger, choosing what to buy in the store can feel daunting. Here are three tips that can help make it much more straightforward:

1. Avoid ginger with thick, dry, or wrinkly skin. Choose ginger that has thin, smooth skin instead.
2. Look for ginger that is solid to the touch. Press the ginger lightly with your fingers; it shouldn’t leave any marks.  
3. The piece of ginger should feel heavy for its size.

How to Make Ginger Sauce

To prepare the Benihana ginger sauce recipe:

1. Peel and rough chop the white onions.
2. Use a spoon to scrape off the skin of the ginger root. Rough chop the ginger.
3. Combine all sauce ingredients in a blender or food processor and pulse several times. 

4. Puree the sauce until smooth. 
5. Transfer the finished sauce to an airtight container and store for at least 2 hours to let the flavors meld. 

What to Serve It With: Hibachi Ginger Sauce

Wondering what else you can use the ginger sauce with? Here are some ways to use it and serving suggestions:

This sauce works as a dipping sauce and a marinade. It gives almost anything off the grill a touch of Asian flair. Try it with beef, chicken, pork, and shrimp. It’s also great with egg rolls and wontons. Drizzle it over grilled vegetables for a light side dish or vegetarian sandwich filling. 

Use Benihana ginger dipping sauce as the base for a salad dressing by blending one part sauce with three parts olive oil and serving it over simple salad greens. You can also brush the salad dressing over a piece of salmon before roasting it in the oven. 

How to Store Ginger Sauce

Store hibachi ginger sauce in an airtight container in the fridge, but for best flavor, bring it to room temperature before serving. 

How Long Does Japanese Steakhouse Ginger Sauce Last?

This sauce will stay fresh in the fridge for three or four days. Shake the sauce well or give it another blitz in the blender before serving, because it will separate. 

More Benihana Copycat Recipes

• Hibachi Fried Rice
• Hibachi Ginger Dressing
• Hibachi Mustard Sauce
• Hibachi Steak Recipe

More homemade sauce recipes

• Chick-fil-A Sauce
• Coconut Shrimp Sauce
• Creamy Jalapeno Sauce
• Garlic Sauce for Pizza
• Jan Sauce
• Raising Cane’s Sauce
• Sweet and Sour Sauce
• Thai Peanut Sauce
• Yum Yum Sauce

Check out more of my easy Asian recipes and the best copycat restaurant recipes on CopyKat!