You can eat ginger raw, cooked, pickled, dried, powdered, candied, or steeped as tea. Fresh ginger root is the most versatile form, and most people start by peeling it and then slicing, grating, or mincing it into food and drinks. The real question is which method works best for what you’re trying to do, so here’s a practical breakdown.
How to Prepare Fresh Ginger Root
Fresh ginger has a papery tan skin that you’ll want to remove before eating. The easiest technique is to scrape the skin off with the edge of a spoon rather than using a knife or peeler. Hold the root firmly in one hand and use the spoon’s edge to gently scrape from one end to the other, following the root’s natural curves. The spoon conforms to ginger’s bumpy, knobby shape and removes only the thin skin, so you waste far less flesh than you would with a blade. For the joints and tight spots, use the spoon’s tip to peel in small sections.
Once peeled, you have several options:
- Slicing: Cut thin coins or matchsticks. Thinner slices release more flavor, making this ideal for stir-fries, soups, and curries where you want visible pieces of ginger in the dish.
- Grating: Use a microplane or box grater to turn ginger into a fine pulp. This is best for marinades, dressings, and sauces where you want the flavor distributed evenly without biting into chunks. A classic combination is grated ginger with soy sauce, garlic, honey, and a splash of something spicy.
- Mincing: Chop peeled ginger into tiny pieces with a knife. This works well when you want more texture than grating provides but smaller bits than slicing gives you.
- Juicing: Grate ginger and then squeeze the pulp through a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth. You get pure ginger juice, which is perfect for smoothies, cocktails, or adding a sharp kick to lemonade without any fibrous texture.
You can also eat fresh ginger raw. A thin slice on its own is intensely spicy and peppery, much stronger than cooked ginger. Raw ginger works well minced into salad dressings or blended into smoothies where other ingredients temper the heat.
Making Ginger Tea
Ginger tea is one of the simplest and most popular ways to consume ginger. Cut peeled ginger into very thin slices to maximize the release of its essential oils and flavor compounds. Bring water to a full boil, pour it over the slices, and cover the cup or pot. Steep for 2 to 4 minutes for a mild, warming tea. If you prefer a stronger, spicier brew, let it steep for up to 10 minutes.
You can add honey, lemon, or a cinnamon stick to round out the flavor. Some people simmer the slices directly in a small pot of water for 10 to 15 minutes instead of steeping, which produces an even more concentrated drink.
Other Common Forms of Ginger
Ground ginger (the dry powder in your spice rack) has a different flavor profile than fresh. It’s warmer and less sharp, which is why it shows up in baked goods like gingerbread, pumpkin pie, and spice cookies. Substituting between fresh and ground is tricky because the ratios vary, but a common starting point is one tablespoon of grated fresh ginger for roughly half a teaspoon of ground. A one-inch piece of fresh ginger is roughly equivalent to one and a quarter teaspoons of ground ginger.
Pickled ginger, the pink slices served alongside sushi, is young ginger preserved in vinegar and sugar. It’s meant to cleanse the palate between bites, but you can also toss it into grain bowls or sandwiches. Candied (crystallized) ginger is cooked in sugar syrup and coated in granulated sugar. It’s chewy, sweet, and spicy, good as a snack on its own, chopped into trail mix, or folded into cookie dough. Ginger powder capsules are another option, mainly used for targeted health purposes rather than flavor.
Ginger for Nausea and Motion Sickness
Ginger has a long track record for settling the stomach, and clinical research backs this up for motion sickness specifically. In one trial, 940 mg of powdered ginger in capsules reduced motion sickness more effectively than dimenhydrinate (the active ingredient in Dramamine). Another study with naval cadets sailing in rough seas found that 1 gram of powdered ginger reduced seasickness symptoms by 38% and vomiting by 72% compared to a placebo.
The typical recommendation is 500 mg of ginger root powder (about one standard capsule) taken one hour before travel, then another 500 mg every two to four hours as needed. For children, use half the adult dose. You can also chew on candied ginger or sip strong ginger tea before and during travel if you prefer not to take capsules, though the dosing is less precise.
Not every study has found ginger effective for motion sickness, so results can vary from person to person. But for many people it’s a reliable, low-risk option worth trying before reaching for medication.
How Much Ginger Is Safe to Eat Daily
Ginger is safe to eat every day. Experts generally recommend keeping your intake to 3 to 4 grams per day, which is roughly a one-inch piece of fresh root or about one teaspoon of ground ginger. Going above 6 grams daily has been shown to cause digestive problems like heartburn, reflux, and diarrhea.
If you’re pregnant and using ginger for morning sickness, the suggested limit drops to 1 gram per day. The safety data on ginger during pregnancy is limited and study results have been mixed, so keeping the dose low is the cautious approach.
One interaction worth knowing about: ginger has natural blood-thinning properties. It can inhibit platelet clumping, which means consuming large amounts alongside anticoagulant medications like warfarin could increase bleeding risk. Small culinary amounts in cooking are not a concern, but regularly taking high-dose ginger supplements while on blood thinners is something to discuss with a pharmacist or doctor.
Buying and Storing Fresh Ginger
At the store, look for ginger that feels firm and heavy for its size. The skin should be smooth and taut, not wrinkled or soft. Wrinkles mean it’s drying out and past its prime. You can snap off just the amount you need from a larger root, so don’t feel obligated to buy a huge piece.
Unpeeled, uncut ginger lasts about 3 weeks at room temperature on the counter. Wrapped well and stored in the refrigerator’s crisper drawer, it keeps for up to a month. Once you peel or cut it, the fridge life drops to 2 to 3 weeks. For longer storage, freeze whole unpeeled ginger for 3 to 4 months. Frozen ginger is actually easier to grate than fresh, since the fibers break down during freezing, so you can pull it straight from the freezer and run it across a microplane without thawing. You can also blend peeled ginger into a paste and freeze that in ice cube trays for convenient pre-portioned amounts that last 3 to 4 months.