Best Pickled Ginger for Sushi at Home

If you’re making sushi at home, you need pickled ginger. I’m sorry, but if you don’t include it, you’re serving an incomplete picture. You need that crunchy, slightly spicy, zesty palate cleanser between bites. You need it to snack on so you don’t just mow through a platter of sushi with no regard for your fellow diner. (I can’t be the only one who counts sushi pieces and silently makes sure everyone is eating their allotted amount.) 

One way to ensure you always have pickle ginger at home? Hoard those watery little packets you get from grocery store sushi. They’re…fine. But if you really want to do pickled ginger right, you’ll buy the best pickled ginger from the grocery store. What is the best pickled ginger? I tasted six different jarfuls to find out. 

What makes the best pickled ginger

Whether you’re looking for gari pickled ginger (the more pale, nearly white stuff) or red pickled ginger (which can also look pink and is known as beni shoga), the key to great pickled ginger is texture. I want crunch—but not so much crunch that it’s like eating raw ginger. There should be some give to it. 

Flavorwise, red pickled ginger should be bold, sharp, and heavy on the vinegar, while gari pickled ginger should be slightly sweet and tangy with a spicy backbone. 

How I taste tested pickled ginger

I ate this stuff raw, straight out of the jar. End of story. My nasal passages were clearer than ever by the time this taste test was done. 

In the end, one brand took the gold in both red pickled ginger and gari pickled ginger. 

Best pickled ginger 

Best Gari Pickled Ginger

Yuho Sushi Ginger White

Amazon

Yuho makes the best pickled ginger, full stop. If you’re looking for the pale pink stuff, then the brand’s white pickled ginger is the best pickled ginger for sushi at your house. Though it’s not quite as crunchy as the brand’s red pickled ginger, it still has enough bite. And the flavor is delicious. It’s rich and savory and tangy and definitely spicy. Seriously, you might want to forgo the wasabi when you eat this—it’s spicy enough on its own.

Credit: Merc / Amazon

Rating:

9/10

Sporks

Best Red Pickled Ginger

Yuho Sushi Ginger Pink

Amazon

Yuho’s dark pink pickled ginger is crisp, crisp, crisp. And also it’s crunchy. Seriously, I love the texture. It’s such a perfect palate cleanser after biting through silky fish and tender rice. The flavor is fruitier and a little bit sweeter than the white pickled ginger. It’s very rich and not quite as spicy. The brand recommends trying the pickling liquid in a vinaigrette and I will definitely be doing that. This is the best red pickled ginger and the best pickled ginger if you don’t want anything too spicy.

Credit: Liv Averett / Amazon

Rating:

9/10

Sporks

Other pickled ginger brands we tried: 

Wel-Pac Sushi Ginger, Lucky Pickled Ginger (natural color), The Ginger People Organic Sushi Ginger, Sushi Chef Pickled Ginger