Japanese Pickled Ginger Recipe (Gari)

Most people associate pickled ginger with Japanese sushi but it's prepared and enjoyed in other parts of Asia. Years ago thumbing through a classic Vietnamese cookbook from the 1940s, I came across a pickled ginger recipe that was similar to the Japanese preparation but less sweet. Here's a Thai recipe that is more tart than sweet and another that's fancied up with lemongrass and chile (reminds me of the green tomato pickle I make). But the Japanese version (gari) is without doubt the go-to. The commercial gari pales in comparison to homemade, which has brighter flavor and personality. Plus you can tweak the brine according to your taste. I've pickled ginger annually for over ten years and sometimes it turns pink and sometimes it does not. What is always true is this: It tastes a million times better than storebought! You'd impress a sushi chef with homemade pickled ginger so go for it!

Sourcing young ginger

The first task is getting the young, baby ginger! Typically cooks use young ginger that's mild in heat and easy to slice. Its skin is translucent so it looks creamy. Sometimes there are pink pointy tips, too. I used to see young ginger at Asian markets in September or October, but recently, I spotted some at Mitsuwa, a Japanese market with locations in major Asian enclaves; check other Japanese, Chinese, and Korean markets. The summer ginger seemed to be a little tougher (more heat). Young ginger can sometimes be found in winter too but again, it's a little more fibrous than fall ginger. Young ginger is pricey (over $10 a pound in 2026) but you only need a good half pound for exceptional pickled ginger that you can keep around for about a year, if not longer.

I've eaten raw young ginger with Thai sausage and stir-fried noodles with young ginger and scallion. But in the main, I pickle it to make the most of my investment.  I've pickled whole knobs but that takes a while to mature.

Can't find young ginger to pickle? Use "old" ginger -- the kind sold at supermarkets with tan skin. Ginger from China is much milder than ginger from say, Hawaii or Peru. Pick knobs that are juicy and mild tasting. Scrape the ends with a fingernail to taste it. Peel it with a spoon or vegetable peeler before slicing. To reduce harshness, soak the ginger several times in just-boiled water for 1 to 2 minutes, changing the water in between soakings. I'd soak 2 to 4 times, depending on the heat of the ginger. You want some but not a ton of heat!

Other pickled ginger tips!

After sourcing the ginger and before diving into this recipe, consider the following pointers for your success:

• Slicing the ginger is best done with a mandoline or super sharp knife. I actually use both. The mandoline does most of the work and my knife (a Japanese nakiri vegetable knife) finishes the pieces that are too dangerously small to put through the mandoline. My favorite tool is the Kyocera mandoline slicer. Its ceramic blade works like a charm and is easy to adjust. It does slip sometimes so be careful to position it over a bowl or a rectangular or square container so it will stay put. With the Kyocera slicer, I use setting "2" to slice the young ginger for pickling. The OXO mandoline slicer is supposedly non-slip so you can consider it as an option, if you don't already have a mandoline. Cutting the ginger with a knife is really hard.

• Transferring the ginger to a pickling container is easily done with a canning funnel. I have a plastic one similar to this one that works like a charm for many kitchen tasks!
• Tweaking the amount of sugar is to be expected. How much you use depends on your palate and on the ginger itself. You can always add a little extra sugar to the brine after you've cooked and tasted it. If you go too far, add a splash of vinegar. If you don't want to use granulated sugar, use agave syrup or honey.
• For the rice vinegar, my go to brands are Japanese, such as Marukan brand. Choose unseasoned rice vinegar because why do you want to let someone else determine flavor for you? You have distinctive tastes.
• As mellow young baby ginger is, you still have to mollify the rhizome with hot water. Instead of blanching the ginger as some recipes call for, I soak it in just-boiled water from an electric kettle, on of my favorite kitchen appliances. It's less fussy.

What to do with all that pickled ginger that you'll soon have in the fridge? Aside from the usual use for pickled ginger -- as a side for sushi or sashimi, cook with it. Try this Chinese panfried tofu with pickled ginger at VWK. From my newsletter, cook up a simple Burmese-style ginger salad (gyin thoke).

Print Recipe

Japanese Pickled Ginger (Gari)

Japanese Pickled Ginger (Gari) Young ginger is a seasonal ingredient available at Asian markets; see the main post for details on sourcing. Use organic can sugar for great flavor. Or, blend 3 tablespoon white plus 1 tablespoon brown sugar for the pickling brine. One batch makes about 1 ½ cups (360ml).

Course: condiment, pickle

Cuisine: Japanese

Keyword: gari, pickled ginger

Ingredients

• About 300g | 10 ounces young ginger
• 50 g | ¼ cup plus 1 ½ tablespoon granulated sugar plus more as needed
• 2 teaspoons fine sea salt or 1 ½ tablespoons kosher salt
• Brimming 160ml | ⅔ cup unseasoned Japanese rice vinegar
• 2 squares of dried kombu kelp, each about the size of your thumbnail (optional)

Instructions

• Use an inverted spoon to scrape off the thin, papery bits from the ginger. To cut super thin slices, use a mandoline or very sharp knife. Cut across the grain and aim for nearly see-through pieces.
• Transfer the ginger to a saucepan or heatproof bowl. Toss with the 1 ½ tablespoons of sugar and salt. Set aside for 30 minutes to reduce its harshness.
• About 10 minutes before the ginger finishes mellowing out, bring a kettle of water to a boil. When the ginger is done, pour the just-boiled water over the ginger. Use enough water to cover the ginger. Gently stir and let sit for 20 seconds to further reduce the harshness. Dump into a mesh strainer. Don't rinse. Shake a few times to expel water, then transfer into a 2-cup capacity glass jar.
• In a saucepan (it's fine to reuse the one you just used!) over medium heat, bring the remaining ¼ cup (50g) of sugar, vinegar, and kelp to a boil. Stir a few times to dissolve the sugar. Remove from the heat and pour into the jar of ginger.
• Push down with chopsticks or a spoon to submerge. Cool, uncovered, then cap and refrigerate. Depending on the ginger, it may be ready to eat in 1 to 3 days. Taste and see. After 3 days, if the ginger is not sweet enough, add sugar by the ½ to 1 tablespoon; or if it is too sweet, add vinegar by the 1 tablespoon. Then let it mature in the fridge for a few days before eating.

  Keeps well in the refrigerator for about 1 year.