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Pickled Ginger

Sushi without pickled ginger wouldn’t be the same. But did you know that you can easily make your own pickled ginger? It’s cheap, easy, and so satisfying!

Pickled Ginger

As I promised in the ginger beer post, this is the recipe for homemade gari (pickled ginger).

You can start from scratch with the ginger root, or if you’ve made the ginger beer, then we’re working with the leftover ginger slices.

I’ve included both ways in the recipe box below. The main difference is that when we’re working with the leftover ginger slices, then we’re not adding any additional sugar in the liquid.

I love the combination of making ginger beer syrup first and then using the ginger slices for the pickled ginger. You get two for one :)

Eating sushi without some pickled ginger is just not the same because it adds such an essential flavor to it. Sometimes I even snack just the plain pickled ginger pieces. Don’t judge. I’m sure you have weird habits too.

Pickled Ginger

As you can see, the ginger isn’t pink like most store-bought versions. Normally only very young ginger roots produce pink pickled ginger. Store-bought pickled ginger is oftentimes artificially colored to get the color that we are used to. You could use some beet juice to color them naturally if you’d like that but I left mine white/yellow because I think pickled ginger is pretty in its natural color.

Have you ever looked at the ingredients of pickled ginger? There are LOTS OF e-numbers, preservatives, and ingredients I can’t pronounce. So making pickled ginger yourself at home is a great alternative and you know exactly what’s in there. Yay!

Pickled Ginger

How to make Pickled Ginger

The Ingredients & possible substitutes

You’ll only need a handful of ingredients:

  • ginger root – 200 g of ginger root is enough for 1/2 cup of pickled ginger
  • water
  • rice vinegar – I am using white rice vinegar. Brown rice vinegar would also be fine.
  • sugar – I am using white sugar but can also use dextrose or brown sugar.
  • salt

The Basic Steps

As always you can find the whole recipe below in the box. I want to show you the basic steps first, though.

Pickled Ginger

Step 3: Then fill the ginger and liquid into a jar, close the lid, let it cool off. Then store it in the fridge. The ginger will last for months. Let it pickle at least overnight before using the ginger.

Good to know

How do you eat sushi with ginger? Pickled Ginger is used as a palate cleanser between sushi servings, so you are not meant to lay ginger on sushi. I will not call the sushi police if you don’t follow this etiquette.

Why is pickled ginger pink? If you use young ginger roots, they have a pinkish tint which is enhanced further by pickling. Because of this people expect pickled ginger to be pink, that’s why pickled ginger is most often artificially or naturally dyed (e.g. with beetroot juice).

How long does pickled ginger last? If you only use clean utensils to spoon out the pickled ginger that you need, it will last up to six months. Make sure the pickled ginger is covered with the liquid when you put it back into the fridge.

Serve it with…

Love it? Rate it!

I hope you enjoy this pickled ginger as much as I do! If you like it, please let me know. It always makes my day to hear good reviews!
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Cheers, Bianca

Pickled Ginger

Pickled Ginger

Elephantastic Vegan
Sushi without pickled ginger wouldn't be the same. But did you know that you can easily make your own pickled ginger? It's cheap, easy, and so satisfying!
3.72 from 14 votes
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Course Basics, Condiment
Cuisine Japanese, Vegan
Servings 1 cup
Calories 211 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

  • 1 large ginger root (200g)
  • 3/4 cup water
  • 1/4 cup rice vinegar
  • 1/4 cup white sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Instructions
 

If you start from scratch and haven't made the ginger beer:

  • Peel the ginger and slice it with a vegetable peeler into super thin pieces.
  • In a pot, heat the water, rice vinegar, sugar, salt, and ginger slices. Bring it to a boil and let it simmer for about 20 minutes.
  • Put everything in a jar, close it, let it cool off, and store it in the fridge. Let it pickle at least overnight and then use it for your favorite dishes! It will keep in the fridge for months.

If you have the ginger slices leftovers from making the ginger beer recipe:

  • In a small pot, heat 1/4 cup of rice vinegar and 3/4 cup of water, and 1 teaspoon salt (So everything except the sugar). Bring it to a boil.
  • Place the ginger slices in a jar. Pour the liquid over the ginger slices, close the jar, let it cool off, and place it in the fridge. Let it pickle at least overnight.

Notes

Storage: Store the pickled ginger in an air-tight jar, in the fridge. This way it will last for a few months.

Nutrition

Calories: 211kcalCarbohydrates: 51gProtein: 1gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 2337mgPotassium: 32mgFiber: 1gSugar: 50gVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 12mgIron: 1mg
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Recipe Rating




Sam

Thursday 1st of July 2021

I'm currently making your syrup recipe so I will definitely be making this next. I also eat pickled ginger in top of the sushi AND snack on it by itself! It's like spicy candy! Thank you for these recipes!

SewVegan

Monday 24th of May 2021

About how many grams of ginger root? The root comes in lots of sizes. Thank you!

Bianca

Thursday 27th of May 2021

My ginger root had 200g.

Michelle Mondejar

Friday 2nd of October 2020

you are not weird..lol i eat this the same way I do with pickles by itself...ginger is really good for digestion and good for liver detoxing and keeping it healthy...which is why i was so happy when i found ur recipe...i was buying ginger pickled from the sushi place near me...with this recipe now i can make my own...TY! =)

Bianca

Sunday 4th of October 2020

Hope you enjoy! :)

Kathy

Tuesday 16th of April 2019

I have the leftover ginger from making ginger beer, I only used sugar free granules but now I want to make a sweet preserve with the ginger pieces. I don't eat sushi. Any ideas?

Niki

Sunday 14th of June 2015

Hi,

I just made this yesterday. It was still very spicy, I hope it will be less spicy in 5 days, when I plan on using it with the sushi bowl :) Thanks for the recipe, I never would have tried this diy without it. And I always did find it quite expensive in the stores. My boyfriend is still scetical, though, he thinks it won't turn out like the storebought.

I'll let you know how we liked it.

Niki

Wednesday 24th of June 2015

Hi, after 7 days of letting it sit in the fridge, we had the ginger with the sushi bowl. I really liked it, my boyfriend thinks, the slices weren't thin enough and not soft enough. Maybe I should have cooked them longer, since I couldn't get them as thin as the storebought are. I worked with a big sharp knife but still, not thin enough. Thanks for the recipe, I will keep it and work on my cutting, adjust cooking time and maybe use a little more sugar. xoxo