This easy peanut sauce is a salty, sweet, spicy dip and dressing for dumplings, spring rolls, Thai noodles, and satay. A peanut butter base combined with Asian pantry ingredients make this simple sauce everyone’s favorite Thai condiment. It’s naturally vegan with gluten free options!
Easy Peanut Sauce Recipe
Not long ago, someone asked me how I make peanut sauce.
I’ve made it for years and realized I needed to get it up on the blog.
There’s no secret formula, just everyday ingredients, combined to make…the best Asian condiment evrrrrrr!
You can make it a million ways, and whether you make mine, or someone else’s peanut sauce, you need at least one, go-to recipe that rocks your Asian food cravings in under 5 minutes.
Ways to use peanut sauce
- Thai spring rolls (also called summer rolls)
- salad dressing or buddha bowl topping
- dumpling sauce
- lettuce wrap topping
- satay marinade or satay dipping sauce
- vegetable crudités dip
- peanut sauce noodles and zoodles (zucchini noodles)
I mean, what other sauce (besides ranch dressing) has this many uses?!
How to make peanut sauce
1) Place soy sauce (or gf alternative), grated ginger, rice vinegar, maple syrup, finely grated garlic, cayenne pepper, and peanut butter in a bowl.
2) Whisk ingredients together until well-combined.
3) Add small amounts of water and continue whisking until you reach your desired consistency.
* see full recipe below
Pro tip: It’s way too easy to make this sauce way too watery. So, be diligent about adding only “small” amounts of water to reach the right consistency.
Does peanut sauce have dairy?
This sauce is naturally vegan and naturally dairy-free!
There’s no need to add animal products to it, as it’s so scrumptious on its own.
Next to hummus, I can’t think of a more popular plant-based condiment that’s so universal to non-vegans everywhere!
How do you make authentic Thai peanut sauce?
To me, anytime you add ingredients like soy sauce, ginger, garlic, spicy pepper, and rice vinegar to peanut butter, you’re making a Thai peanut sauce.
If you want more distinctive Thai flavors, start by substituting coconut milk for the water in this peanut sauce recipe. Then add any of the following ingredients in very small amounts:
- lime juice
- chili garlic sauce
- fish sauce [not vegan]
- lemongrass paste
- tamarind paste
- galangal
- Thai red curry paste
It’s fun to experiment with these ingredients. if you overuse any of them…mmmmmh, not so fun and harder to correct, so go easy!
How do you thicken peanut sauce?
Oh snap! You went and made your sauce too thin, did ya? We’ve all been there.
If this happens, simply whisk in more peanut butter to adjust it.
You can even use peanut butter powder to make the adjustment…it acts like flour, which is very cool!
It’s spendy…because it doesn’t include peanut oil. It has a million uses, just like peanut butter.
Easy Peanut Sauce Ingredients:
- natural peanut butter
- soy sauce (gluten free tamari)
- rice vinegar
- maple syrup
- ginger
- garlic
- cayenne pepper (or red pepper flakes)
- water
Tools I use for this recipe:
- microplane (to finely grate ginger and garlic)
- small mixing bowl
- fork (for stirring)
- airtight storage container
Looking for ways to use peanut sauce?
Turmeric Chickpea Buddha Bowl Recipe
Vegan Thai Peanut Zucchini Noodles
Traci Antonovich
Yields 2/3 cup
Sweet, savory, spicy, 5 minute peanut sauce for Thai noodles, salads, dumplings, spring rolls, satay, bowl meals, and lettuce wraps.
5 minPrep Time
5 minTotal Time
Save Recipe5 based on 21 review(s)
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Peanut Butter (natural, unsweetened)
- 1 Tbsp Reduced Sodium Soy Sauce (gluten free options available)
- 1 Tbsp Rice Vinegar (or lime juice)
- 1 tsp Maple Syrup
- 1 tsp Ginger (finely grated)
- 1 clove Garlic
- 1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper
- 1/4 - 1/3 cup Water
Instructions
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together PEANUT BUTTER, TAMARI, RICE VINEGAR, MAPLE SYRUP, GINGER, GARLIC, and CAYENNE until well-combined.
Slowly pour in small amounts of WATER and continue whisking until sauce reaches desired consistency.
Notes
Add any of the following ingredients to kick up the Thai peanut sauce flavors even more: sub coconut milk for water, lime juice, chili garlic sauce, fish sauce [not vegan], lemongrass paste, tamarind paste, galangal, or Thai red curry paste
Traci Antonovich
About my recipes: Minimal meat & more plants!
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