Often served with sushi or sashimi, pickled ginger, known as “Gari” in Japanese, is perfect for cleansing the palate and enhancing the flavors of your meal. This recipe teaches you how to make sushi ginger at home.
If you enjoy my sushi recipes like Hand Roll sushi, California Roll, Dragon Roll, and Spicy Tuna Roll, there’s one crucial complementary dish you need to enjoy with your amazing sushi. And that’s Pickled Ginger, or Sushi Ginger. In Japan, we call it Gari (ガリ) or Shin-shoga no Amazu-zuke (新生姜の甘酢漬け).
How to Make “Gari” – Pickled Sushi Ginger
The reason why it took me a while to share this recipe is that I had a hard time finding the young ginger with a pink tip (shown in the picture below). Most of the young gingers in Asian grocery stores didn’t have the pinkish tip (cut off). And this pink pigment makes the pickled ginger naturally pink. So it’s very important!
Why use Young Ginger for Pickled Sushi Ginger?
Young ginger has a mild ginger flavor and a fine fleshy texture that is tender, unlike matured ginger usually used for cooking. The young ginger’s skin is very thin and easy to peel with fingers or a spoon.
To make sushi ginger, only young ginger is used. It’s thinly sliced and then marinated in sugar and rice vinegar mixture. The sliced ginger will naturally become light pink color from the pink parts of the young ginger.
Many commercially produced and sold pickled ginger are artificially dyed pink, but you should be able to find some brands that avoid artificial coloring.
Young ginger is harvested and sold in early summer. During my visit to Japan this summer, there were many fresh young gingers in the supermarket and I knew I had to make this recipe!
Why We Serve Sushi with “Gari”
Gari or Sushi Ginger is often served and eaten while you eat sushi and it’s an essential part of a sushi meal.
The ginger’s spiciness and sweet vinegar flavor cleanse the palate between eating different pieces of sushi, allowing you to enjoy different kinds of fish and rolls.
At a sushi restaurant, you can ask more if you want extra. 🙂
When you find young ginger in the grocery store, you know what to do now! I hope you enjoy this homemade pickled ginger recipe!
Japanese Ingredient Substitution: If you want to look for substitutes for Japanese condiments and ingredients, click here.
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Often served with sushi or sashimi, Pickled Ginger (known as Gari in Japanese) is perfect for cleansing the palate and enhancing the flavors of your meal. This recipe teaches you how to make sushi ginger at home.
- 3.5-5 oz young ginger (100-150 g)
- ½ tsp kosher/sea salt (I use Diamond Crystal; Use half for table salt)
- 100 ml rice vinegar (½ cup minus 1 Tbsp)
- 4 Tbsp sugar (45 g)
- ½ tsp kosher/sea salt (I use Diamond Crystal; Use half for table salt)
-
Gather all the ingredients.
- Using a spoon, scrape off brown spots. Then thinly slice with a peeler.
- Sprinkle ½ tsp. Kosher salt and set aside for 5 minutes. Then add the ginger into a boiling water and cook for 1-3 minutes. If you want to keep it spicy, take it out around 1 minute. Otherwise, 2-3 minutes is good.
- Drain the ginger slices over a sieve and then spread them out in a single layer. With your clean hands, squeeze the water out and put them in a sterilized jar or Mason jar.
- In a small pot, add 100 ml (½ cup minus 1 Tbsp) rice vinegar, 4 Tbsp sugar, and ½ tsp Kosher salt. Bring it to a boil till strong vinegar smell has evaporated, roughly 1 minute. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly. Pour the vinegar mixture into the jar with sliced ginger. Close the lid, let cool and refrigerate.
- Several hours later (minimum 3-4 hours), the ginger will turn slightly pink. The following day it will be even more pink. The pickled ginger can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 year.
Equipment you will need:
- A sterilized jar with a lid
Recipe by Namiko Chen of Just One Cookbook. All images and content on this site are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without my permission. If you’d like to share this recipe on your site, please re-write the recipe in your own words and link to this post as the original source. Thank you.
Thanks Nami for sharing this pickled ginger recipe as I have been patiently waiting for it.
Hi Joannie! Aww thank you for waiting this recipe. I had hard time finding young ginger with pink tip, and finally found them when I was back in Japan this summer. I just had to make a blog post with this recipe! Thank you!!
Can I substitute stevia or some other sweetener for the sugar?
Hi Genus! Sure! I hope you enjoy this recipe! 😉
Stevia will not taste the same. If you like it, fine. It may depend on the brand you use. I don’t like any of the commercial ones because of additives listed as “natural flavor(s).”
You could use either erythritol or splenda (look for the pure sucralose without any maltodextrin)
Thanks for this recipe! I normally don’t like regular ginger as much, but I love pickled ginger. I really appreciated your explanation of the pink color—what a great piece of knowedge to impress people with. 🙂
Hi Kimmi! Aww the natural pink color is subtle, not strong pink like food coloring pink. 🙂 The sweet and sour flavor of this pickling liquid is quite addicting. 🙂
I just love your recipes! They are informative and easy to understand. I appreciate the do measurements as well.
Appreciate your time & efforts
Hi Marva! Thank you so much! I have readers from different parts of the world, and hope my measurement works for everyone. 🙂 Thanks for your kind words!
I’m trying to make pickled ginger using your recipe, but I tossed in some dried tamarind and dry Chile peppers, too.
The tamarind might make it sour and hopefully gives it a pinkish-brown color.
The dry Chile peppers give it some extra zing.
Hi Kevin! I see, I hope it will turn out well for you! 🙂
Thanks so much for this! I plan to try it soon since shoga is not available in my neighborhood.
When I get shoga from the sushiya that is white does that mean it is made from old ginger?
Can you tell us where to buy amazu or a brand to look for? Or how to make it?
And while I am asking questions–can you tell me if there is a difference between Mirin and Marukan or if they are just different brands? I’ve tended to use one or the other interchangably but wonder if I should know more about them in deciding which to use.
Hi Ruth! When you see dark brown ginger skin, they are not longer young. Young gingers are always pale yellow, really light color (you can describe it as “white” too). They are young ones.
I make amazu myself and the recipe is above, in the recipe box 🙂 The ingredients are listed under “Amazu”.
Mirin is a condiment (like soy sauce, ketchup). You can read more about Mirin here:
https://www.justonecookbook.com/pantry_items/mirin/
Kikkoman, Marukan or Mizkan are the biggest Japanese brands that sell condiments. They are about the same, so I usually buy when one of them are on sale. In Japan there are so many brands and types within the same brand to choose from, but if you live outside of Japan, you just get one kind. 😀
I hope this helps! 🙂
Thanks for posting this recipe, Nami! I’ve always loved nibbling on pickled ginger, not only with sushi but whenever I”m looking for something with a clean, tart taste. I also used to eat pickled ginger when I was pregnant and suffering from morning sickness. It seemed to help the nausea and lack of appetite. I’ll still have a little ginger when my stomach is upset. Not too much, just a pinch to settle the rumbling and discomfort. 🙂
Hi Hisaye! I had bad morning sickness for both kids, so I did ate ginger candy! I forgot about that. 🙂 Thanks for reminding me the great benefit of ginger!
aaaaand I’ve liked Tuttle over on FB.
Make sure to enter in the giveaway post. 🙂
https://www.justonecookbook.com/my-japanese-table-cookbook-worldwide-giveaway/
Good luck!
We love pickled ginger, and I wasn’t aware that the color comes from the tips of the young ginger! Thank you for sharing the recipe.
Hi Donna! I actually didn’t think that many people didn’t know about how it’s colored and I’m glad I included the explanation. 🙂
I love this! Yet another pickled recipe that I will be doing.
Thank you Jenni! Hope you enjoy! 🙂
Hi Nami! I’m glad to see the recipe for gari. (I never knew it was pink because of the tops of the ginger, nor that it was the young ginger not the ginger I’m used to seeing in the store!) Is there a recipe for the julienned ginger that’s used in soba and beef bowl? The bright red stuff. Or is that a “buy it, it’s a lot easier” thing? ^_^
Hi Cynthia! Yes, if it’s light pink, then it’s natural color (especially homemade). I’m not sure if store bought try to make it light pink though. 😀 I’ll add the recipe to my list. You have to have Umezu (梅酢) – plum vinegar to make it, which could be hard to find oversea…
Hi Nami,
I’m making the pickled ginger and I have a question: is there any use for the cooking water that is drained from the ginger? Thanks!
Hi Renata! Do you mean after step 2? Hmm I usually throw away… I guess you can use ginger-infused water for cooking or even drinking. 🙂
Have been looking for this reciepe for along time after trying it with tuna. Delicious!
Hi Karen! I hope you enjoy this recipe! 🙂
Thank you so much for posting this recipe.
My husband and I miss Japan food. We lived in Japan for near 20 years.
My pickled ginger that I made didn’t turn pink and it is very spicey. Too spicey for me.
Hi Julie! First question is… did you use young ginger? They are not as spicy as regular ginger and it tastes more mild. I think it is a bit too spicy to make this recipe with regular ginger. The young ginger has pink area (shown above). Did you include it? Also, if you’re not a fan of spicy taste, you can increase the boiling time (Step 2). Hope this helps!
Yummy! Can’t wait to try this =D Miss that delicious pickley-Ginger bite! Yes….I just ate it straight *One piece for sushi, one piece for me* ;P hehe
Nami, would this work out ok without adding the sugar? So pickling in just the vinegar and salt?
Thank you 🙂
Hi Alejandro! If you like the sushi ginger (gari), I recommend adding the sugar. There is a balance between vinegar and sugar, and if you don’t include sugar, I think it’s way too spicy and sour. I personally don’t think I’d enjoy it. 🙂
Hi Nami,
Thanks for sharing such a great recipe.
May I know if we can replace rice vinegar with another vinegar like apple vinegar?
Hi Yuliana! I recommend rice vinegar as it’s mild and that’s the vinegar we use in Japanese cooking. If you can’t get it somehow, maybe apple cider vinegar is okay, but I hope that’s not overwhelming the ginger taste. 🙂
thank you have not found a recipe for pickled ginger… but I have a question… don’t have an Asian market locally here in Arizona. Would I be able to use what is in the regular markets?
Hi Delena! Fresh ginger is less spicy and it’s more mild, so when you make this pickled ginger, it’s not as strong as fresh ginger. I’m a bit afraid that regular ginger is too spicy for you. Fresh ginger is also very seasonal, so even here where we have Japanese and Asian grocery stores, we can’t always find it. 🙁 If you spot “pinkish” ginger, with soft skin, make sure to grab some for this recipe! 🙂
Hi Namiko
Can you just add rice vinegar, sugar and salt to the hot water 1st used to cook the ginger then continue boiling till the vinegar smell disappear?
Hi Odelia! That’s a pickle solution so you will need to add it into the jar. 🙂
Delicious and easy to follow recipe!!
Thanks for sharing
Thank you Karla! Hope you enjoy! 🙂
A good substitute is Peruvian ginger. It is small so not tough like mature ginger. However it doesn’t have the pink buds. I find it at Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, and the organic section of my grocery store. It will do in a pinch. For pink coloring that’s natural, a piece of skin from a red plum will add color. Think along of the lines of beni shoga pickled in plum brine (ume-su) but for color only. I’ve made umeboshi many, many times. I also make my own ume-su from regular plums then puree the solids and make a plum paste. Just brine them and let them ferment on the counter. Sometimes I add a bit of citric acid to aid in the fermentation process and to add tartness. My mother was a whiz in the kitchen and I learned from her to improvise. She grew up during WWII in Japan and they had to make do with what was available. Oftentimes, there wasn’t much.
Hi Chieko! Thank you so much for such a helpful input! I’ve seen those Peruvian ginger, and good to know they are good substitute! And the pink coloring – thanks for sharing it too! Now I think about it, maybe many variations of food were invented/introduced during the time when there wasn’t much. 🙂
Many Japanese settled in South America around WWII so it makes sense ginger is grown there. I feel to be successful in the kitchen, any kitchen, is to be able to make do with what’s available! Love your website. Thanks so much! I make ika no shiokara. Would you be interested in doing something like that? I have HD quality photos. I think your following would be interested, especially if it’s paired with rice, saki, beer. I’m also making a different shiokara from whitebait. If presented properly, it may be attractive to non-Asians!. My cousin in Japan always laughs about the stuff I make because she doesn’t think Americans would like them. Lol!
Wow you’re such a great cook! I’ve never tried making Ika no Shiokara. I’m inspired by you! Haha yeah, your cousin is funny but she is right. I’m hesitant to share Monjayaki too. I think everyone will think it’s vomit… LOL. I was hesitant to share Hijiki too but I shared it. 😀 Thank you for your comment!
Hi Nami, Thank you very much for sharing this recipe. I have been looking for young ginger for a long time and finely today I found it. They even had the branches in. The pickled turned out wonderful !
Hi Angela! Congratulations (LOL!) on finding young ginger! So happy you made homemade pickled ginger. Aren’t they delicious? MSG and preservative and food color free! 😀
Thank you for giving your readers this recipe for gari, Nami! I’m so happy to have it and can’t wait to try it. I live also in the SF Bay Area, in Mountain View, and we have many Asian Markets here, so finding the young pink tipped ginger is easy when it’s in season. Not only do I love gari with sushi, but I have a funny memory. When I was pregnant with my son, during that first trimester, the only food craving I had was for gari! I could eat an entire jar in two days. It was great for nausea and just the taste was sooo delicious to me then.
Hi Leslie! I had bad morning sickness that I couldn’t hold food in my stomach, and I used to eat ginger candy (best one was from Thailand), so I can sort of relate your craving for gari! Haha entire jar in 2 days! Your son will enjoy gari in the future. 🙂 . Hope you like the homemade gari!
I love pickled ginger and wouldn’t eat sushi without it ! It really compliments the sushi. I just started to make my own sushi and now I’m looking forward to making other dishes. Thank you so much.
Hi Michael! It’s wonderful that you enjoy making your own sushi! Hope you can find young ginger to make this sushi ginger. 🙂
Hi, I tried this recipe but I wasn’t sure how long to boil the vinegar. The smell seemed strong even though the liquid reduced by half. How long do you recommend cooking the vinegar, and is it ok if there’s still a slightly strong vinegar smell. Thank you!
Hi Jade! Did you use rice vinegar? Because rice vinegar is more mild than other types of vinegar. I highly recommend using it. The vingar smells strong when you pour, but after you cook for 30-60 seconds, the really strong smell goes away. It’ll be still vinegar smell though.
If you’re not used to vinegar dishes, you might feel it’s strong vinegar smell, but compared to the smell when you pour the vinegar, it should be more mild. You just need to dissolve the sugar, and letting the strong vinegar smell evaporated. Some people don’t even cook the vinegar part… but I think it helps to remove that strong smell and dissolve sugar. 🙂
Thank Nami!
It was much better this time =)!
Thank you for your feedback, Jade! 🙂
Hi. Can’t i do it with matured ginger at all? ???? its very hard to find young ginger here in Lebanon ive never seen but matured ginger..
Hi Mariam! Matured ginger has very strong ginger taste (as you can imagine), so… the result will be quite different. Some JOC readers made with regular ginger, but I had never tasted it so I’m not sure how strong it was… Maybe boil a little longer than my recipe says, so you can remove the strong flavor before pickling? 🙂
I love pickled ginger. My husband and I are the only ones that like to eat it when Japanese restaurants serve it with sushi.
Wanted to tell you that I went to Thailand in April and the place that I loved the most was the Khlong Lat Mayon Floating Market. My daughter checked the different floating markets and this seemed to be the less touristy one. And the best Thai food we had was on the street outside our hotel. (5 dishes for $17!!) Enjoy Thailand!!
Hi Susan! I’m happy to hear you like pickled ginger! 🙂
Thank you for your recommendation! I saved the location in my map! Sounds like you had a fantastic trip!
Kisses and Hugs to every one with and to Mr. JOC. xxxxxx…… Mushi!
Thank you Wilberto! 🙂
Thanks for pickled ginger I just love it
Hi Nancye! So happy to hear that. 🙂
How many minutes does it usually take for the smell of the ginger to evaporate?
Hi Vivienne! Smell? Hmmm I think smell stays. Boiling is to make the taste of strong ginger go away a little bit, but the smells won’t disappear by boiling for a long time I think?
We had fresh young ginger with pink tips at our farmer’s market today, so I bought some and made this! Hoo! Wow! Was it ever strong! I only boiled it 1 1/2 minutes and maybe didn’t wait for the vinegar smell to entirely disappear. I love it!
Hi JtP! AWESOME!!!! It’ll become mild as the time goes by (so don’t eat all of it so soon haha). 🙂 Thank you for your kind feedback. Enjoy!!
Thank you very much for this recipe. I will give it a try but will have to use the older ginger as the young you show in not avilable in Central Britany in France 🙁
Hi Vivienne! The regular ginger is spicier, but some of readers left comment above that it worked well. It might depends on one’s spicy level, preference and ginger type, but I hope it’ll come out well for you! 🙂
I was wondering how long it lasts when it has been opened? I know commercialy bought it isn’t very long
Hi Faye! The store-bought one can probably last 3-6 months, I think…
Does that mean even if you open it, it will still be okay in the fridge for up to a year?
Hi Faye! In general, after opening it, it should be consumed sooner… but I’d rather check manufacture’s instructions as some use preservatives some may don’t, etc.
After putting the boiled and cooled liquid into the jar with the sliced ginger, do I let it stand out of the refrigerator? Is so put the lid on the jar or leave the lid off? Thanks.
Hi Jason! You can close the lid and let cool, then refrigerate. 🙂
Hi Namiko-san, would I be able to replace Japanese rice wine / vinegar with regular white distilled vinegar?
Hi Leng! You can – but if you compare with these two vinegars, they are different in strength… white distilled vinegar is def much stronger, and not mild like rice vinegar. So you might get strong kick when you make it with the same amount. I may suggest to use less and see how it goes. 🙂
Hi Namiko-san, thank you for taking time replying. I’ve noted the differences between rice vinegar vs. white distilled vinegar. I’ll invest in a bottle of rice wine vinegar since there are a lot of usage for it in Japanese cuisine. As mine just finished I was contemplating if I should get 1 :p
Hi Leng! Yeah, Japanese cooking always use rice vinegar. To make cucumber salad, sushi rice (to make sushi, not regular steamed rice), and dressings… very helpful to have one. 😉 Hope you enjoy!
Thanks Namiko-san for offering tips on how I can make use of rice vinegar. It’s really helpful and I appreciate it! You have a nice day there xxx
Thank you for this recipe. I love pickled ginger. Do you think I could make this substituting the sugar with monk fruit granulated sweetener? I am on a very low carbohydrate diet.
Hi Lynne! I’ve never tried monk fruit granulated sweetner before so I can’t tell. Sorry… 🙁 Please give it a try and let me know. It should be sweeten, so if you use it to replace sugar, I assume it works?
Can you make it with regular ginger if you don’t care about the color? It is so much easier to find. Thanks
I see this question was answered in other comments which I just read. Thanks.
Thank you so much for reading through the comments to find my answer. I really appreciate it! 🙂
Can I use Apple cider vinegar to replace rice vinegar?
Hi Grace! I wish I can tell you… but I had never tried this recipe with apple cider so I can’t tell. It won’t taste like the Japanese pickled ginger tho, with apple vinegar.
Hi there, I am looking for a wonton soup recipe and wondering if you had one. The best one I have tried had water chestnuts in it. I am also looking for a home made EASY to make miso soup recipe. I live in the boonies where there is no Asian markets within 200km. Can you please help?
Hi Cynthia!
Here is my wonton recipe: https://www.justonecookbook.com/shrimp-pork-wonton/
I’m sorry but mine does not include water chestnuts, but you can definitely add that in. Water chestnuts can be purchased on Amazon:
https://amzn.to/2MQdKih
Miso Soup recipes are here: https://www.justonecookbook.com/homemade-miso-soup/
You can add different ingredients in miso soup: https://www.justonecookbook.com/vegetable-miso-soup/
Miso also can be found on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2PEqtRW
And if you want the shortcut method to make dashi, get this dashi packet instead of dashi powder: https://amzn.to/2MMS4U6
Hope that helps!
Even in relatively close proximity to a Japanese supermarket, young ginger is currently out of season and very expensive, pound for pound, against matured ginger. I’ve considered modifying the recipe by leaving the salted ginger to sit for 10 minutes, rather than 5, and boiling for 3 full minutes, hopefully rendering it a little more tender and mild. Alternatively, one user suggested that Peruvian ginger is more tender, although I’ve also read that its flavor is actually even stronger than regular mature ginger.
Then there’s the matter of coloration. The idea of using plum peel is very interesting, although I wonder how the flavor and texture would change using some ume plum brine along with the rice wine vinegar? Is the flavor of red shiso very apparent in ume plum brine, or is it mostly the color?
Hi Chris! I agree, I’ve seen young ginger only few times here. You only need a small amount to make the solution pink, so I wouldn’t worry about the taste. 🙂
I was disappointed not to find this recipe in your book.
All you did was to make a reference to Pickled Red Ginger (Beni Shoga) in the “Pantry Basics” chapter.
Hi David! Do you mean my eBook? I’m sorry this recipe was not in my eBook. The eBook was published in 2013, so this recipe was not posted at that time. 🙁
So, I didn’t have any ginger with the fresh little pink parts even though I used my own freshly harvested ginger. I really wanted it to be that pretty pink color so I threw in a couple wild hibiscus pods. It really did the trick. Just finished the recipe, thanks!!
Hi Su! Wow, what a great trick! Thanks for sharing it with us. I’m sure other readers will appreciate it. 🙂 Thank you for trying my recipe!
Wonderful recipe.
Thank you so much, Rita!
It may help to add a general estimate of time for boiling the vinegar sugar mixture in addition to, “bring it to a boil till strong vinegar smell has evaporated.” I’m not great at cooking, got confused, panicked, and somehow ended up making weird vinegar caramel.
It turned out okay on my second try though! (Hopefully a minute or two was about right?)
Thanks for posting this, none of my canning books have even a similar recipe, so I’m glad you put in the time.
Hi Alyssa! Thank you so much for your feedback. I’ve changed my recipe instruction to be “Bring it to a boil till strong vinegar smell has evaporated, roughly 1 minute.” I’m terribly sorry for not pointing that out. Hope you enjoy the recipe!
love the ginger, i am eating it non stop instead of buying everyday. thank you.
Hi Judy! Thank you for trying my recipe! I’m so happy to hear you like it! 🙂
Can I substitute seasoned rice vinegar to rice vinegar?
Hi Mai! Yes, you can, but seasoned rice vinegar has salt and sugar in it, so adjust the taste accordingly. 🙂
How long should I pickle before it is ready to eat?
Hi Yazheyla! 3-4 hours later, it should be ready to enjoy! 🙂
How long does the pickled ginger keep?
Hi Jordana! The pickled ginger can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 year. 🙂
Wonderful!
Thank you for including all the important details, of season when young ginger comes out,
Etc.
very successful.
Thank you.
Arrigato gozimas.
L
Hi Laurie! You’re very welcome! Thank you for your kind feedback. 🙂
Hi there – I live in Australia, and have been making pickled ginger from your recipe for a long time. We love it, and it’s fantastic to always have some ready. I have tried experiments using apple cider vinegar, and also Italian vinegars. For anyone thinking it is a good substitute, you might be disappointed as it is far too strong. Japanese rice vinegar is more subtle and not as pungent as other vinegars. We often have difficulty getting young ginger where I live, so I sometimes use older ginger to pickle and use only in cooking. Hopefully we will be able to go back to Japan soon – we were there last year for our fourth visit! Thinking of our lovely Japanese friends in this awful time.
Hi Carol! Thank you so much for your kind feedback. I’m so happy to hear you enjoy this recipe so much. I agree with you. I always make sure people don’t take it lightly when I say rice vinegar… When I tried other types of vinegar (I only grew up with rice vinegar), I was shocked at how strong the vinegar tastes! Thank you for testing this with apple cider vinegar (I wasn’t fully sure) and Italian vinegars (never tried it). Your kind tips are truly appreciated!