Here are the best ginger recipes that use fresh ginger root! This ingredient is ultra versatile: use it in recipes from tea to stir fries to apple crumble.
Got fresh ginger root? Ginger is one of the most beautiful, versatile ingredients to work with in the kitchen! This root of a flowering plant is used as a spice in many cuisines, and has lots of potential health benefits to boot. But the best part? It adds peppery, pungent flavor to recipes both sweet and savory.
Try it in a DIY herbal tea, mixed with honey and lemon, or infused into a simple syrup for cocktails. Make it into a stir fry or fried rice, or a 20 minute chickpea curry. You can even put it into an apple crisp, where it adds big, cozy flavor. In fact, we’re getting hungry! Let’s get cooking!
And now…the best fresh ginger recipes to try!
At the top of our ginger recipes: Ginger Tea! It’s a fantastic way to use fresh ginger root. Cozy and warming, it's full of spicy ginger flavor, with a hint of tangy lemon and sweet honey. It’s a good substitute for coffee, if you’re trying to avoid caffeine. And it's got potential health benefits like aiding digestion, reducing inflammation, and more! Here’s how to make this DIY herbal tea.
Here's another fantastic fresh ginger recipe: ginger lime hummus! This recipe kicks up the hummus game with fresh, Asian-style flavors: ginger, lime, garlic, and soy sauce. It's ultra simple: just throw 6 ingredients into a food processor and blend! Try it on a baguette with pickled vegetables as a Vegan Banh Mi Sandwich.
What’s your favorite comfort food? Mac and cheese and pizza can do the trick, but here’s our ultimate: Fried Rice! There’s something about the chewy clumps of eggs and the savory ginger and soy-infused bites that feels positively life giving. This is one of our top ginger recipes, because you simply cannot make it taste right without it. Here’s how to make the very best fried rice: it tastes just like takeout from your favorite restaurant!
Here's another ginger recipe where fresh ginger root is absolutely essential: broccoli stir fry! This healthy green veggie is covered in a sauce that’s so flavorful, you’ll forget that it’s good for you. Add a few other colorful veggies, garlic and ginger, and an incredibly savory sauce. There’s so much flavor going on, it’s one of the best ways to eat your colorful veggies. Fresh ginger makes for the very best flavor in a stir fry.
Also try: Teriyaki Vegetable Stir Fry
Fresh ginger is also perfect for desserts! You don't need to just work with the dried version: fresh ginger root adds bigger, better flavor! Here's the very best classic apple crumble (or apple crisp, because they’re pretty darn similar). It’s a big 9 x 13 pan to feed a crowd, and fresh ginger accentuates the gooey filling perfectly.
If you love the spicy flavor of the fresh root, might we suggest this Ginger Cocktail? It’s a refreshing spin on the vodka martini featuring ginger, lemon juice and dry vermouth. Each sip has just the right balance of sweet and tangy, with a spicy finish. Turns out, the bold flavor of ginger is a unique way to spice up your cocktail repertoire!
Another great ginger recipe: curry! Fresh ginger root adds just the right nuance to Indian-style curry recipes. This quick and easy dinner recipe takes only about 20 minutes to make: which is groundbreaking in dinner territory. Warm spices and coconut milk make it one the most tastiest things you can make in that short time window—hands down.
Also try Vegetable Curry
This ginger recipe features curry flavors in a different presentation: soup! The Thai flavors of coconut, ginger and curry are the perfect match to butternut squash. It’s silky, creamy, and warming from the inside out. It’s one of our favorite butternut squash recipes...ever.
This ginger recipe will become a go-to for adding a spicy zing all your drinks: Ginger Simple Syrup! This easy DIY cocktail syrup is just what you need to take your mixed drinks to the next level. You’ll be surprised at how much flavor comes from just a small amount of the stuff. Drizzle it in and it adds a gingery finish to cocktails: and it’s even better for adding intrigue to mocktails! It's great in a whiskey sour or a shortcut Penicillin.
Another stunner of a ginger recipe: Poke Bowls! This Hawaiian bowl of seasoned raw fish, rice and crunchy veggies has caught on here on the mainland, and everybody’s doing it! Yes, poke is that good. And guess what? You can easily make poke in the comfort of your own home: it’s perfect for a weeknight meal, or even better for a party. Ginger adds just the right flavor to the ahi tuna, with garlic, soy sauce, and sesame oil.
Also try: Ahi Poke or Vegan Poke Bowl
Last up in our ginger recipes: lentil soup! It’s full of hearty red lentils and root vegetables, and the broth is swirled with red curry paste and coconut milk. With all the texture and flavor going on, it feels rich and luxurious. But at the same time it’s a healthy, plant based meal!
A quick way to peel ginger
Here’s a quick tip on how to peel ginger: with a spoon! Ginger root is notoriously hard to peel with a vegetable peeler: it’s knobby and the skin is tough and stringy. But try peeling it with a spoon, and it works like a charm. It sounds unbelievable until you try it: but it’s the perfect tool for the uneven surface of ginger root.
Ginger nutrition benefits
Ginger has been used for centuries for medicinal purposes. The ginger tea recipe below is the best way to consume ginger, if you’re looking to absorb its benefits. We’re not doctors or nutritionists, but here are a few potential health benefits of drinking ginger tea, per a registered dietitian via BBC Food:
- Helps with digestion. Ginger has long been known to help with digestion and nausea. If you’ve got an upset stomach, ginger tea is much tastier than chewing on the actual root (I know from experience!).
- May be anti-inflammatory. Ginger has key phytonutrients known as gingerols, and these may help to support a healthy biome.
- May relieve headaches and migranes. Some research has shown ginger tea to aid in pain relief.
Ginger Tea & More Recipes!
(7 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 1 drink 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Here’s how to make ginger tea with fresh ginger root! This soothing and invigorating drink has big flavor and potential health benefits, too.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
- 1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) boiling water
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 lemon wedge
Instructions
- Bring the water to a boil.
- Meanwhile, peel the ginger with a spoon and finely grate it with a grater or microplane.
- Place the ginger in a tea strainer or tea ball, then place it in a mug. Pour over the boiling water. Allow the ginger to steep for 5 minutes.
- Remove the tea strainer. Stir in honey and a spritz of lemon juice from the wedge.
- Category: Drink
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Vegan
Keywords: Ginger Recipes
About the Authors
Sonja Overhiser
Cookbook Author and writer
Sonja Overhiser is author of Pretty Simple Cooking, named one of the best healthy cookbooks of 2018. She’s host of the food podcast Small Bites and founder of the food blog A Couple Cooks. Featured from the TODAY Show to Bon Appetit, Sonja seeks to inspire adventurous eating to make the world a better place one bite at a time.
Alex Overhiser
Cookbook Author and photographer
Alex Overhiser is an acclaimed food photographer and author based in Indianapolis. He’s host of the food podcast Small Bites and founder of the recipe website A Couple Cooks. Featured from the TODAY Show to Bon Appetit, Alex is author of Pretty Simple Cooking, named one of the best vegetarian cookbooks by Epicurious.
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