How To Make The Best Peanut Sauce (Easy Recipe)
Nov 05, 2018 • Updated Feb 07, 2024
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How to Make Peanut Sauce! A quick, one-bowl peanut sauce recipe that’s vegan, gluten-free, oil-free, and full of flavor. This creamy sauce is perfect to dip spring rolls in, cook tofu or tempeh with, or simply use as a dressing for salad or noodles.
What is Peanut Sauce?
Peanut sauce is a sweet, savory, and often spicy condiment made from ground peanuts, along with various ingredients that can include soy sauce, garlic, ginger, sesame oil, fish sauce, sugar, and chili. This versatile sauce is commonly used in Thai cuisine, as well as Indonesian, Chinese, Taiwanese, and Vietnamese cuisines.
It’s often served as a dipping sauce for tofu or chicken satay skewers, spring rolls, or drizzled over noodle dishes, rice bowls, vegetables, or grilled meats. It can also be used to make salad dressing and more. Today, we’re making a super easy peanut sauce recipe made with simple ingredients and completely vegan!
What Makes This Recipe Great
This Vegan Peanut Sauce has been my go-to sauce for the last 2 weeks. I’ve grilled my tempeh and tofu in this sauce, dipped spring rolls into it, and also made noodle salads tossed in it. It comes together in one bowl and takes 5 minutes or less to make!
It’s full of flavor but made without any oil or refined sugars. I like to make a jar of this sauce at the start of the week and use it to cook through the rest of the week–it goes quickly because it’s so good! If you’ve ever wondered how to make peanut sauce, this easy recipe is for you!
How to Make Peanut Sauce
This recipe uses a lot of pantry staples and ingredients I often have on hand. As always, you can adjust this sauce to suit your taste preferences. If you like your peanut sauce on the sweeter side, add some more maple syrup. If you like it saltier/more savory, add more Tamari! The same goes for texture, adjust accordingly with more or less water.
If you’re allergic to peanuts, you can substitute them with an alternative nut or seed butter, but the taste will vary.
Ingredient Notes
- Creamy Peanut Butter: I recommend using room temperature natural peanut butter that contains only peanuts (no salt, no added sugar), as the maple syrup adds sweetness to this sauce, and the tamari adds saltiness.
- Rice Wine Vinegar
- Fresh Lime Juice
- Water: More as needed for desired consistency.
- Tamari or Soy Sauce: If you’re gluten intolerant, Tamari is an excellent gluten-free soy sauce alternative. You can also use coconut aminos if desired.
- Maple Syrup: More to taste. You can substitute brown sugar if preferred.
- Fresh Ginger: You can also use 1/4 tsp ground ginger.
- Fresh Garlic (roasted): You can also use 1/4 tsp garlic powder.
- Pinch of Red Pepper Flakes
- Optional: Sesame seeds and roasted peanuts to top.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a large bowl and whisk until smooth and emulsified.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Expert Tips
- I recommend using peanut butter that contains only peanuts (no salt, no added sugar), as the maple syrup adds sweetness to this sauce, and the tamari adds saltiness. If you want to use crunchy peanut butter, that is up to you!
- You can also make this classic satay sauce with almond butter or cashew butter if you don’t eat peanuts. Sunflower seed butter is a nut-free option.
- Store the leftover sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Use this amazing sauce with my Tofu Satay, this Thai Salad, Pad Thai, and more!
More Vegan Sauce Recipes
Goes with Everything Green Sauce
Gluten-Free Gochujang Substitute
If you make this recipe, be sure to let me know what you think with a comment below! Follow me on Instagram for more delicious recipes!
How To Make The Best Peanut Sauce (Easy Recipe)
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup creamy natural peanut butter
- 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
- 3 tbsp water more as needed
- 2 tbsp tamari or soy sauce
- 1 tbsp maple syrup more to taste
- 1/2 tsp freshly grated ginger or 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- 1 clove garlic roasted or 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- pinch of red pepper flakes
- optional sesame seeds roasted peanuts to top
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a large bowl, and whisk until smooth and emulsified.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Notes
Expert Tips
- I recommend using peanut butter that contains only peanuts (no salt, no added sugar), as the maple syrup adds sweetness to this sauce, and the tamari adds saltiness. If you want to use crunchy peanut butter, that is up to you!
- You can also make this classic satay sauce with almond butter or cashew butter if you don’t eat peanuts. Sunflower seed butter is a nut-free option.
- Store the leftover sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Use this amazing sauce with my Tofu Satay, this Thai Salad, Pad Thai, and more!
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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