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This Peanut Sauce tastes so good, you’ll want to serve it with everything. Try it as a dipping sauce for baked tofu, drizzled over a salad, or tossed with noodles for an easy stir fry.
Inspired by the flavors of Thai cuisine, this sauce is creamy, salty, sweet, tangy, and a little spicy. It’s also easy to customize since you can taste it as you go!
This easy peanut sauce recipe can be stirred together in minutes, without the need for a food processor or blender. It’s the perfect topping for lettuce wraps, chicken satay, noodle bowls, and more.
Ingredients You’ll Need
All-natural peanut butter provides the creamy base for this sauce, but you can also use any other nut butter you have, like almond butter. Paired with tamari, which is a gluten-free soy sauce, lime juice, maple syrup, and sriracha for spice, it has an irresistible flavor and takes just minutes to stir together.
This dip is also easy to customize! Use lemon juice or a splash of rice vinegar if you don’t have limes on hand, or use honey for sweetness if you prefer. You can also use red pepper flakes for added spice if you don’t have sriracha.
Fresh garlic and ginger take the flavor over the top, but you can use a pinch of the powdered versions if you need to.
How to Make Peanut Sauce
In a medium bowl, combine the peanut butter, tamari, lime juice, maple syrup, sriracha, minced garlic, and ginger. Use a whisk or spoon to stir well.
Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water to help thin out the sauce.
Start with just 1 tablespoon at a time, and continue to add more water until the sauce reaches your desired consistency. You could also use coconut milk, instead of water, to make the sauce thinner.
Two tablespoons of water are usually plenty for a sauce that will drip off of a spoon. Serve right away with spring rolls, crispy tofu, or over your favorite noodles.
It also makes a delicious salad dressing!
Leftover peanut sauce can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
It will thicken when chilled, so let it come to room temperature before using it again. Or, thin it out with another tablespoon of water, if needed.
Serve it right away as a veggie dip, drizzled over salad and noodle bowls, or as a dip for baked tofu. It’s hard to resist once you taste it, so don’t be surprised if you find yourself looking for an excuse to make it often.
Looking for more delicious sauce ideas? Try Creamy Cilantro Sauce, Vegan Burger Sauce, or Romesco Sauce for more options.
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons tamari (or soy sauce; see notes)
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon sriracha
- 1 inch fresh ginger , minced
- 1 garlic clove , minced
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine the peanut butter, tamari, lime juice, maple syrup, and sriracha. Use a microplane to finely mince the ginger and garlic on top. Whisk well until the ingredients are mixed. (It will be thick at this point.)
- Add a tablespoon of water to the bowl, and whisk again until the sauce is thinner. If you want an even thinner sauce, add another tablespoon of water, and stir again. Be careful not to add too much water at once, so the sauce won't get too thin.
- This peanut sauce can be used right away or stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. It will thicken when chilled, so you may need to add another tablespoon of water when you get it out of the fridge later. Or let it come to room temperature to thin out again.
Video
Notes
- Nutrition information is for roughly 3 tablespoons of sauce. This information is automatically calculated, and is just an estimate, and not a guarantee.
- This recipe was tested with all-natural creamy peanut butter (the only ingredients on the label are peanuts and salt). You can use almond butter, cashew butter, or tahini as an alternative to peanut butter.
- Tamari is often a gluten-free alternative to soy sauce, but be sure to check the label because it’s not always gluten-free. Use regular soy sauce if you don’t need a gluten-free option. If you need a soy-free recipe, try coconut aminos instead. You’ll probably have to add extra salt, in that case, since it’s not as salty as soy sauce or tamari.
Nutrition
If you try this Peanut Sauce recipe, please leave a comment and star rating below letting me know how you like it.
This stuff is amazing! We love having it with frozen stir-fried veggies and shrimp for a quick meal. It’s amazing with almond butter too. Usually cut the maple syrup in half to keep sugar down. Thanks for a great recipe!
So good! I just made this and your crispy tofu bites, and then tossed with TJs broccoli slaw. It was perfect! Thank you!
This truly is the BEST peanut sauce, and also somehow the easiest!!! So delicious.
Can I use almond butter instead. I am allergic to peanuts
LOVE this recipe! It’s our go-to anytime we want a quick stir fry with some major yum. Usually use almond butter instead of peanut butter, swap the tamari for coconut aminos, and thin it out with a bit of broth. So delish! Thanks for another great recipe Megan!
We absolutely love this recipe; it has all our favorite flavors. I toss it with angel hair pasta and serve it as a side dish to roasted chicken breasts (which can be kind of boring). I didn’t have lime this time so I used fresh lemon & orange and some spicy chili lime seasoning.
Question on other nut choices. The other day I purchase a jar of almond butter from Kroger,when I opened and tasted it, it reminds me of peanut butter, but without the two dimensions flavor of peanut butter,so I wanted to know,can you use almond butter instead of peanut butter for making this peanut butter sauce? The flavor is very close to tasting like peanut butter?
I think this sauce would be delicious with almond butter, too! Let me know if you give it a try.