Home » Dips and Sauces » 5 Minute Easy Peanut Sauce Recipe
ByKyliePublished on
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This easy peanut sauce recipe comes together in 5 minutes and is the perfect creamy vegan drizzle or dipping sauce for all your favorite dishes. It requires only a handful of real ingredients and no fancy kitchen tools or gadgets!
You Will Love This
- It’s super quick and easy to make. Just a few wholesome ingredients and a couple minutes of prep time (with no fancy kitchen gadgets) are all it takes! And although a whisk will help make it super creamy, a regular old fork will work just fine as well. It’s perfect as a dip for fresh spring rolls or a chicken satay sauce paired with fresh pickled carrots and cucumbers!
- The flavor is amazing. The fresh flavors in this easy peanut sauce are out of this world – creamy, tangy, peanut butter with a hint of lime, ginger, garlic, and sesame oil makes this peanut sauce better than any store-bought version! There are a lot of great sauces at the grocery store – but when it comes to peanut sauce, homemade is always better!
- If you love this peanut sauce, be sure to check out my Veggie Loaded Sesame Noodles, Vegan Peanut Noodle Salad, and my Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls!
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Soy Sauce — This adds saltiness along with some umami flavor that really makes this sauce sing. You can substitute coconut aminos, low-sodium sodium soy sauce or tamari, as well.
- Peanut Butter — I like to use standard creamy peanut butter because of how smooth it is and because it’s slightly sweet. This combination works beautifully with the other ingredients. But you can substitute natural peanut butter or your preferred nut butter, like almond or cashew.
- Lime Juice — Fresh squeezed is best but this is our family’s favorite brand of bottled lime juice. You could substitute with lemon juice, but it will alter the flavor slightly.
- Rice Vinegar — You can swap the rice vinegar for apple cider vinegar if you don’t have any on hand, but the rice vinegar will give you the best flavor.
- Brown Sugar — Along with the creamy peanut butter, brown sugar makes the peanut sauce slightly sweet and works beautifully with the lime juice, vinegar, and soy sauce. I like brown sugar because of the molasses flavor it incorporates, so light or dark will work.
- Sesame Oil — A little bit of sesame oil goes a long way, so all you need for this recipe is a half of a teaspoon. Look for pure, toasted sesame oil.
- Dry Seasonings — You’ll need garlic powder, ground ginger, cayenne pepper, kosher salt, and freshly cracked black pepper for this peanut sauce. You can substitute fresh minced garlic cloves, fresh grated ginger, sea salt, and a freshly cracked peppercorn medley, if needed, but make sure to check the proper ratio for dry to fresh substitutions.
Instructions
Add soy sauce, peanut butter, lime juice, rice vinegar, brown sugar, sesame oil, garlic powder, ground ginger, cayenne pepper, and a couple of large pinches of black pepper to a large measuring cup or bowl.
Whisk ingredients together. After a minute or so it will look like the picture below. This is normal!
Continue to whisk vigorously until well combined, smooth and creamy.
Serve with your family’s favorites!
Make Ahead, Storage and Freezing Instructions
- You can make this easy peanut sauce recipe up to a week in advance and store it in an airtight container in the fridge!
- It will thicken up as it sits in the fridge, so you might need to add a splash of lime juice or water before mixing it up when it comes straight from the refrigerator. Or let it sit out on the counter for a half-hour or so and allow it to come to room temperature.
- It’s also freezer-friendly for up to 6 months! Freeze it in measured increments, like in an ice cube tray, to easily thaw and use later.
Tips
- You could also blend this sauce in a food processor or blender to save a few minutes of prep work.
- Feel free to add a splash or two of water to the sauce until it reaches your desired consistency.
- Spice up this peanut sauce with a pinch of red pepper flakes, a squirt of sriracha, or a scoop of red chili paste.
- Depending on what type of nut butter you use,the sauce may look a bit odd and stringy while you are mixing it – this is normal. With different ingredients coming together, it’s going to take a few minutes until everything becomes well incorporated. Check out my pictures above to see how it may look while mixing, and then how it should look after mixing.
FAQ
What is peanut sauce made of?
This homemade peanut sauce is made from just a handful of pantry staple ingredients – soy sauce, peanut butter, sesame oil, rice vinegar, lime juice, brown sugar, and spices. It will add tons of flavor to your favorite dishes and takes just a few minutes to throw together!
How healthy is peanut sauce?
I really try to avoid using the word healthy, but I can confidently say that peanut sauce is delicious and made with simple ingredients. Plus, a little bit goes a long way. Pair it with fresh ingredients like veggies, whole wheat noodles, and chicken breast or tofu and you’ve got a quick and easy dinner made with real ingredients.
What does peanut sauce taste like?
This creamy peanut sauce infuses bright, savory, and sweet flavors with its simple ingredients. It obviously tastes like peanut butter but also has bright notes of lime, umami flavor from the soy sauce, and a tangy zing from the rice vinegar. It’s perfect to use as a marinade, dressing, or dipping sauce!
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Easy Peanut Sauce
5 Stars4 Stars3 Stars2 Stars1 Star
5 from 4 reviews
This easy 5-minute vegan peanut sauce is the perfect creamy drizzle or dipping sauce for all your favorite dishes. It requires only a handful of real ingredients and requires no fancy kitchen tools or gadgets!
- Author: Kylie
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: No Cook
- Cuisine: Thai
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
UnitsScale
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 2/3–3/4 cup peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
- pinch cayenne pepper
- fresh cracked pepper
- water as needed
Instructions
- Add soy sauce, peanut butter, lime juice, rice vinegar, brown sugar, sesame oil, garlic powder, ground ginger, cayenne pepper, and a couple pinches of black pepper to a large measuring cup.
- Whisk vigorously until well combined, smooth and creamy.
- Add water as needed to reach your desired consistency.
- Serve with your family favorites and enjoy!
Notes
- You could also blend this sauce in a food processor or blender to save a few minutes of prep work.
- Spice up this peanut sauce with a pinch of red pepper flakes, a squirt of sriracha, or a scoop of chili paste.
- Depending on what type of nut butter you use,the sauce may look a bit odd and stringy while you are mixing it – this is normal. With different ingredients coming together, it’s going to take a few minutes until everything becomes well incorporated. Check out my pictures above to see how it may look while mixing, and then how it should look after mixing.
