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Make this easy peanut sauce recipe with pantry staples in 5 minutes. Creamy, sweet, and spicy with a Thai-style option for spring rolls, noodles, and more.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Peanut sauce is one of those recipes that just works, even if it’s your first time making it. It's quick, easy, and made with simple pantry ingredients. You don’t need any special equipment—just a bowl and a whisk. I use it for everything from Asian lettuce wraps and noodle bowls to grilled chicken, stir-fry, and spring rolls. It’s perfect for drizzling over salads or plain rice.
The best part about this peanut sauce recipe is that you get to customize the texture based on how you want to use it—thick for dipping or a little thinner for drizzling—and once you try it, you’ll keep coming back to it for Thai and Vietnamese-inspired meals.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Peanut butter – The base of the sauce. Use any peanut butter you like. I use a natural, creamy peanut butter with no added sugar or oil, but other types will work. See recipe footnotes for how to adjust.
- Soy sauce – Adds salt and savory flavor. Use low-sodium if preferred.
- Rice vinegar – Adds acidity to balance the richness. Just note that seasoned rice vinegar contains added sugar and salt.
- Sweetener – Maple syrup adds a smooth sweetness, but an equal amount of honey, sugar, or agave works as well.
- Fresh ginger – Adds a fresh, slightly spicy bite that lifts the whole sauce.
- Sriracha – Gives the sauce its heat and a little tang. You can adjust the amount to control the spice level.
- Garlic – Adds sharp, savory flavor that rounds everything out.
- Water – Used to control the consistency, from thick and dippable to smooth and pourable.
- Thai-style variation – Lime juice adds brightness, fish sauce adds depth, and coconut milk makes the sauce richer and creamier.
How to Make Peanut Sauce
Whisk together the peanut butter, soy sauce, rice vinegar, maple syrup, ginger, garlic, and sriracha in a mixing bowl until smooth. The sauce will be very thick and slightly sticky at this stage—this is normal before adding water.
Add 1 tablespoon of water at a time, whisking between each addition, until the sauce reaches your desired consistency.
You’ll notice the sauce lighten and smooth out as you go. Use less water for a thicker peanut sauce dip or more water for a drizzly sauce. Transfer to a lidded jar or airtight container and refrigerate for up to 5 days.
Serve at room temperature for the best texture and consistency.
Tips From The Test Kitchen
- Peanut butter selection – I’m using a natural, creamy peanut butter with no added sugar or oil. If using a conventional sweetened peanut butter, start with less maple syrup, taste, and add more if needed. Then add water a little at a time until the sauce reaches your desired consistency.
- Peanut butter temperature – If peanut butter is cold or stiff, warm it briefly in the microwave or on the stove until soft, then let it cool slightly before mixing.
- Adjusting consistency. The sauce will look very thick at first, but will smooth out as you add water (or coconut milk, if using). Add liquid gradually, since small amounts can quickly make it too thin.
- Customize the spice level. This is naturally spicy, thanks to sriracha. For more heat, add extra sriracha or a pinch of cayenne or chili flakes. For a mild version, replace sriracha with ketchup.
- Storing peanut sauce. Peanut sauce thickens in the refrigerator. Let it sit at room temperature or microwave in short intervals before serving to loosen.
Thai-Style Peanut Sauce (Optional)
Want a peanut sauce with more of a Thai restaurant flavor? Add 1 teaspoon fish sauce (note: this makes it not vegan), add the juice of 1 lime, and replace the water with coconut milk. Adjust the heat with extra sriracha, or swap in chili garlic sauce, sambal oelek, red pepper flakes, or cayenne to taste.
Peanut Sauce Serving Ideas
Use this peanut sauce as a dip for fresh spring rolls or a veggie tray—it’s especially good with raw cauliflower, carrots, and cucumbers. It’s also great drizzled over rice bowls, salads, or a Buddha bowl, and I love it on my Asian Slaw for easy lunches. I use it for meal prep all the time, especially over grilled chicken or roasted vegetables, and you can even toss it with noodles like my Thai peanut zoodles for a quick, easy meal.
Easy Asian-Inspired Recipes
- Thai Coconut Soup
- Quick Pho Recipe
- Thai Red Curry
- Pickled Carrots and Daikon
- Spicy Asian Cucumber Salad
- Chicken Fried Rice
📖 Recipe
Easy Peanut Sauce Recipe
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Video
Note about scaling
When scaling, the light gray ingredient notes after the comma don’t change. Adjust as needed.
Ingredients
- ½ cup Creamy Natural Peanut Butter, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon Soy Sauce
- 1 tablespoon Rice Vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Maple Syrup
- 1 tablespoon Sriracha Sauce
- 1 (½-inch) piece Fresh Ginger, peeled and finely grated
- 2 cloves Garlic, finely grated
- 2 tablespoons Cold Water, add more as needed
- pinch Salt, optional, as needed
* For a Thai-style variation, see recipe notes below.
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together PEANUT BUTTER, SOY SAUCE, RICE VINEGAR, MAPLE SYRUP, SRIRACHA, GINGER, and GARLIC until smooth.If using sweetened peanut butter, see footnotes.
- Add WATER, 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking until the sauce reaches your desired consistency.
- Taste and adjust for tang, sweetness, or heat to your liking. Add a pinch of SALT to taste.
- Serve immediately or refrigerate in an airtight container up to 5 days.
Recipe Notes
Thai-Style Peanut Sauce (Optional)
Add 1 teaspoon fish sauce (note: this makes it not vegan), add the juice of 1 lime, and replace the water with coconut milk, adding more as needed. Adjust the heat with extra sriracha, or use chili garlic sauce, sambal oelek, red pepper flakes, or cayenne to taste.Equipment
- fork or whisk
Nutrition
Nutrition facts are estimates and may vary based on brands, ingredients, and portions.
PJ says
I tried two other recipes before yours. Both batches went down the garbage disposal. Yours was absolutely perfect! It was exactly the flavors that I was looking for! Thank you so much. These made my lettuce wraps scrumptious!!
Traci Antonovich says
Wow PJ! So glad you enjoyed this recipe 🙂 Thanks for the kind words...makes my day!
Glenda says
Delicious! Thank you! Will use for my spring rolls, pasta, stir fry, and so much more .
Traci Antonovich says
Woohoo! Love hearing that...thanks for the feedback, Glenda! 🙂
Sheri says
Please add 5 stars to my review!
Traci Antonovich says
Thanks Sheri, done!
Sheri says
My favorite restaurant features a Buddha bowl with luscious peanut sauce.
My budget, unfortunately, doesn’t accommodate dining in as frequently as I’d like, which put me on the hunt for a comparable homemade alternative.
I’ve tried a lot but your recipe hits the nail on the head!
I particularly appreciate that it’s not overly sweet.
The recipe is flavorful as given but adding any of the suggested, optional ingredients allows you to customize to taste. Made enough for 3 generous servings.
Great job!
Traci Antonovich says
Thanks Sheri! Well this makes my day...and I too love peanut sauce that's isn't too sweet. This recipe is so flexible for someone to add sweetness, or spice, or more traditional ingredients. Thanks again for your feedback 🙂
Carmy says
I've never added cayenne pepper to my pb sauce before. I'll have to try that. I almost always have some in my fridge since it goes with everything! It is a staple for us! Especially when making stir frys!
Traci Antonovich says
Awesome and thanks! Yeah the cayenne is a nice way to not add extra salt and/or fat (via Sriracha, chili paste, or chili oil)...even though I love all of those things 😉
Christina says
I love that this is dairy free! And that ginger in there is genius. I need this for spring rolls, egg rolls, and basically everything worth dipping! LOL. Looks creamy and flavorful!
Traci Antonovich says
Thanks Christina! The ginger totally makes it, in my book 😉 Hope you try it and love it!
Tina says
Ditto on the best Asian sauce ever, seriously. It's so easy to make and those photos should give anyone the confidence to try to make this sauce if they have never done it before. Saving this for later, yours looks amazing.
Traci Antonovich says
Thanks so much Tina! Love hearing that...hope you love it 🙂
Debra says
THanks for the wonderful suggestions on what to use this sauce for. I actually can't imagine anything it wouldn't be good on. A seriously great sauce...and the tip about adding the water sparingly was just what we needed!
Traci Antonovich says
Thanks Debra! I'm with you on loving this sauce on everything 🙂
Dana says
I could often just eat this stuff with a SPOON. I lovelovelove PB mixed with a bit of heat, then brought to a savory dish. This really is the perfect kind of dip for summer rolls. I can never get enough of those refreshing little things! I usually use Sriracha sauce or sambal oelek for the heat, and honey for the sweet.
Traci Antonovich says
Thanks Dana! Yep, I love those options for the heat too. So many options, so little time 😉
Trish Bozeman says
Oooooh YES! We've been eating raw veggies as snacks this month and I'm needing a new way to make them exciting. This would be so awesome to dip them into! YUM!
Traci Antonovich says
Thanks Trish! Yep, it's the perfect raw veggie dip! 😉
Annemarie says
I LOVE the peanut sauce I get with my Thai food and I've been wondering how to make it! And it turns out that I have everything in the house needed to make it. Bonus! Now to make some satay to go with it...
Traci Antonovich says
Yay Annemarie! Hope you love this one! 🙂
Tracy says
Oh man I wish I had seen this sooner! Last week I had some delicious spring rolls from a local Thai restaurant. The spring rolls themselves were great, but omg that peanut sauce was SO disappointing!! It ruined the rolls. If only I had this recipe - I could have whipped up a WAY better sauce for them! Pinning to make sure I always have access to it in case I'm stuck with bad peanut sauce again!
Traci Antonovich says
Oh Tracy, this is so funny and not funny, b/c it happens so easily...a great thing ruined. I hope you love this recipe!
Sean says
Hooray for a simple, adaptable peanut sauce that's made with simple ingredients! I frequently find that sauces like these tend to be made by just mashing together a couple of other sauces, and at that point I don't know why you wouldn't just buy a peanut sauce. But this is great - it's all stuff I've got, and it's got a great final texture, and plenty of room to adapt to taste. I know that I'd personally include fish sauce given that I'm not aiming for vegan, but it is nonetheless really nice to have the option to keep it meat-free, given how tricky that tends to be with Southeast Asian food. Cheers!
Traci Antonovich says
Thanks Sean! Yes, adding fish sauce makes it distinctively more Thai...and I love it like that too 🙂 Glad you notice how simple the ingredients are. Hope you love this one!
Marisa Franca says
We've gotten into this huge Oriental food kick. I'm craving spring rolls, Thai noodles, etc. The sauce would certainly be handy to have on hand whenever we get the urge to make our Asian dishes. Thank you!! I think we'll do Thai tonight.
Traci Antonovich says
Yes! This sauce is perfect for anyone on that kick 🙂 Thanks and hope you love it!
Gloria says
This looks so good. I can just imagine the uses already. Perfect way to spice up rice, veggies and meat too. Homemade is best, and this proves it.
Traci Antonovich says
Thanks so much Gloria! Love hearing that...and you're right, it IS so versatile 😉
Patty says
I love peanut sauce but never thought of making it at home, this will be my new favorite with lots of hot sauce, thanks!
Traci Antonovich says
Thanks Patty! It's so easy...you'll love it! 🙂
Amanda says
Asian food has to be my favourite so I'll definitely be making this as there are so many dishes that go with a peanut sauce.
Traci Antonovich says
Thanks Amanda! I'm right there with you 🙂
Beth Neels says
I have never had a peanut sauce! I have to give this a try, because it's so easy! And delicious!
Traci Antonovich says
Thanks Beth! Hope it becomes your new fav! 🙂
Sues says
I absolutely love peanut sauce and this recipe looks like perfection!! That's so many things this would be delicious on... And I'd definitely be using it as a dressing on ALL my salads!
Traci Antonovich says
Thanks so much, Sues! This is the ultimate salad dressing 🙂
Sharon Chen says
This is perfect for my Thai dishes! Yum!
Traci Antonovich says
Thanks Sharon! Hope you love it 🙂
Cliona Keane says
This sounds like it will go with so many of my favourites! We are big lovers of homemade Asian cuisine in our house so this will be going on my list of must-makes.
Traci Antonovich says
Love hearing that, Cliona! We make lots of Asian too 🙂 Thanks and hope you love it!
Tisha says
Love peanut sauce! This looks so tasty!
Traci Antonovich says
Thanks Tisha! 🙂
Taylor Kiser says
Homemade is always better; and it's so easy to make! Looks delicious! Very versatile too!
Traci Antonovich says
Thanks so much Taylor! It's so versatile 🙂
Shanika says
This Peanut Sauce would be perfect on a lot of great dishes! Pinned for later!
Traci Antonovich says
Awesome! Thanks Shanika 🙂
Caroline says
Peanut sauce is one of my favorites, and the whole family loves chicken satay - it's a staple in the summer. Yours sounds tasty without being too complex too.
Traci Antonovich says
Thanks Caroline! Yep, no need to complicate this one 🙂