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How to make peanut sauce in 5 minutes with pantry staples and a whisk. It's sweet, spicy, and offers a Thai peanut sauce variation—great for summer rolls, noodles, salads, and satay.
Try my Pickled Carrots and Daikon or Thai cucumber salad next!
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
I come back to this easy peanut sauce again and again because it’s downright addictive in the best way! You only need peanut butter, soy sauce, and a few pantry staples. No special equipment—just a bowl and a whisk.
I originally made this peanut sauce for summer rolls and peanut noodles, but it quickly became my go-to for Thai and Vietnamese-inspired recipes. It’s creamy, a little sweet, a little spicy, and totally plant-based! This peanut sauce recipe is versatile enough to use for salads, noodles, stir-fry, wraps, bowls, and veggie trays.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Peanut butter – Smooth and unsweetened works best, since we’re adding sweetener separately, but you can use any peanut butter.
- Soy sauce – I use low-sodium to keep the salt in check. You can swap in coconut aminos or tamari if needed.
- Unseasoned rice vinegar – If you only have seasoned rice vinegar, adjust the added amount of salt and sugar, to taste.
- Sweetener – I prefer maple syrup, but you can use honey, sugar, agave, or add your preferred sweetener to taste.
- Fresh ginger – Adds a signature kick and brightness. You can substitute it with a pinch of ginger powder if desired.
- Sriracha – This makes the peanut sauce spicy in the best way! You can substitute it with chili garlic sauce or sambal oelek chili paste.
- Garlic – Fresh grated garlic brings sharp, savory depth and flavor.
- Water – Just enough to thin the sauce to your liking.
- Thai variation - You'll need fresh lime, fish sauce, and coconut milk.
How to Make Peanut Sauce
You don’t need special equipment to make peanut sauce with peanut butter—just a fine grater, a bowl, and a whisk to mix. Or skip the whisking and use a blender, your choice!
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the peanut butter, soy sauce, rice vinegar, maple syrup, ginger, sriracha, and garlic until smooth.
Add the water and whisk again until fully combined. Adjust with more water or peanut butter to reach your desired consistency. Store in an airtight container and refrigerate up to 5 days.
Tips From My Test Kitchen
- Peanut butter temperature matters for mixing. For easier whisking and a smooth texture, let the peanut butter come to room temperature or gently warm it before mixing.
- If you're using a sweetened peanut butter like JIF, taste it first before adding any sweetener—you may not need to add it.
- If the peanut sauce isn't smoothing out, add splashes of liquid and keep whisking until it smooths out to your liking.
- Always taste as you go. Want more tang? Add a splash of vinegar. Craving more sweetness or spicy? Add a bit more maple syrup or Sriracha to taste.
- Peanut sauce thickens in the fridge. For serving, let it sit out for 30 minutes or microwave in 15-second intervals to loosen.
Thai Peanut Sauce Variation
Want a peanut sauce that tastes more like the one you'd find with Thai chicken satay or at a Thai restaurant? Try these easy swaps to bring out that salty, sweet, creamy, and tangy flavor:
- Use 1 teaspoon of fish sauce instead of soy sauce to give the sauce that salty, umami flavor.
- Add the juice from a lime for a tangy, authentic Thai flavor.
- Replace the water with canned coconut milk for a creamier, richer texture. Add more to adjust the consistency as needed.
- Add extra sriracha or a pinch of Thai chili powder, depending on how spicy you like it.
More Serving Ideas
This delectable peanut butter sauce is so versatile! I like to drizzle it over my Asian Slaw for lunches, buddha bowl, or toss it with Thai peanut zoodles. It's great as a dip for veggies when I need something fast and flavorful. Once you have a jar in the fridge, you’ll find excuses to use it.
Kitchen Gear I Use for This Recipe
I use a glass measuring cup if I need to microwave the peanut butter to soften it. A fine grater makes the fresh ginger and fresh garlic super smooth, which makes the sauce extra flavorful. If you're using a food processor or high-speed blender, you can skip both and let the machine do the work.
More Asian recipes
- Thai Coconut Soup
- Quick Pho Recipe
- Thai Red Curry
- Spicy Asian Cucumber Salad
- Chicken Fried Rice
- Thai Pumpkin Curry
📖 Recipe
Easy Peanut Sauce in 5 Minutes
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When scaling the recipe 2x or 3x, the gray ingredient note stays the same. Adjust quantities accordingly.
Ingredients
- ½ cup Natural Peanut Butter, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon Soy Sauce, or coconut aminos
- 1 tablespoon Unseasoned Rice Vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Maple Syrup
- 2 teaspoons Sriracha Sauce
- 1 (1-inch) knob Fresh Ginger, peeled and finely grated
- 2 cloves Garlic, finely grated
- 2-3 tablespoons Cold Water, add more as needed
Instructions
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the PEANUT BUTTER, SOY SAUCE, RICE VINEGAR, MAPLE SYRUP, SRIRACHA, GINGER, and GARLIC until smooth.Alternatively, you can blend everything in a food processor or high-speed blender until smooth.
- Add the WATER and whisk again until the sauce is well blended. If the sauce is too thick, whisk in a few splashes of water to loosen it. If it becomes too thin, stir in a bit more peanut butter to thicken.
- Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Recipe Notes
Thai-Peanut Sauce Variation
Use 1 teaspoon of fish sauce instead of soy sauce to give the sauce that salty, umami flavor. Add the juice from a lime for a tangy, authentic Thai flavor. Replace the water with canned coconut milk for a creamier, richer texture. Add more to adjust the consistency as needed. Add extra sriracha or a pinch of Thai chili powder, depending on how spicy you like it.Equipment
- fork or whisk
Hilary says
Loved it added a little lime juice and sesame oil Had it with noodles and chicken and a few chopped veggies
Traci says
Yay! So glad you went for it and enjoyed. I love peanut sauce in the same ways. Thanks for sharing your experience. Enjoy!
Gina says
How much peanut butter? The amount is missing. Thanks!
Traci says
Hi Gina, I'm not sure what you mean. The amount of peanut butter is in the recipe card. Let me know if you have any more questions. Thanks and enjoy!
Traci says
Hi Wendy, there's a 'jump to recipe' button at the very top of the article on most modern blogs, including mine. It takes you straight to the recipe, which is located at the bottom of the article. Enjoy!
Jennifer says
Will be making this soon. Probably keep refrigerated, I would assume? Thanks, Traci.
Jennifer
Traci says
Aww, of course 🙂 And yes refrigerate – I included a note in the recipe card. Thanks for asking. Enjoy!!
Seva Garrett says
love this sauce! used it for Stir Fry, everyone loved it!
Traci says
Oops sorry I missed this comment. Yes, love peanut sauce for stir fry. I'm glad you enjoyed and thanks for sharing your experience. xoxo
Leese says
It was so amazing. I love my food spicy so I added crushed red pepper flakes and Cayenne. I put some on spicy tuna lettuce wraps and then mixed w ramen and veggies. Can’t wait to make another batch and double it. Thank you.
Traci says
Yayy! I'm so glad you went for it. So easy, right? And, as you know, customizable 🙂 I love mine spicy too, so I usually add more heat than the family-friendly version I created here. Thanks so much for the feedback. Much appreciated!
Narelle says
All the information is there if you look.
The Kitchen Girl says
I'm not sure what you mean. There's a printable recipe card with the full recipe measurements and instructions.
Patti says
Substituted the one tablespoon of soy sauce with one tablespoon of fish sauce and added a whole tablespoon of Siracha. Really gave it a kick with umami!
The Kitchen Girl says
Awesome...so glad you enjoyed it! I like fish sauce in it too, but I kept it vegan knowing it could be added. Thanks for the review! 🙂
Natasja says
Made peanut soba noodles with this and it tasted so good! Even the picky eaters in my house loved it.
We will be eating this a lot more.
The Kitchen Girl says
Yay! I'm so glad to hear it, Natasja! This peanut sauce really goes well on a lot of things. Glad your family is enjoying it...thanks for letting me know!
K says
Tastes great! How long would this last stored in the refrigerator? I'd love to whip up a large batch and set aside for future use.
Traci Antonovich says
Thanks K! I've had mine up to a week or 10 days easily...maybe even more, but mine never lasts that long lol. Glad you're enjoying the recipe 🙂
GC says
Delicious sauce! I used it as a dipping sauce for dumplings. I had to use double the amount of water though for it to have a nice consistency.
Traci Antonovich says
Yay, so glad you enjoyed it! And yes, the water can easily be adjusted to change consistency. Glad you found your sweet spot 🙂