Easy Peanut Sauce Recipe

A spoon rests in a bowl of creamy light brown peanut sauce in a white bowl.

5 from 45 votes

Make this 5-minute peanut sauce recipe with pantry staples and a whisk. It’s creamy, sweet, and spicy with a Thai-style option—perfect for spring rolls, noodles, and dipping.

Prep Time5

Total Time5

Course: Condiment, Sauce

Cuisine: Asian

Diet: Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings: cup

Calories: 53kcal

Author: Traci

Equipment

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.

Video

Notes

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)

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.

Nutrition