This peanut sauce recipe is quick and easy! Ready in only 5 minutes, it's creamy, savory, and a little sweet. It's perfect as a dipping sauce for spring rolls or tossed with noodles or salad. A splash of rice vinegar and ginger makes it extra tasty!
Try this sauce in my easy 10-minute Peanut Noodles recipe!
About This Recipe
Is peanut sauce the greatest sauce ever? I can never get enough of it. It's super versatile and tastes delicious. I love going to Chinese hotpot restaurants and finding DIY sauce stations, where I can make endless peanut sauce the way I like it.
Making peanut sauce at home is incredibly easy! Sure, you can buy bottled peanut sauce, but homemade is so much better. Not only does it taste better, but you know exactly what's in it.
This quick and creamy peanut sauce is rich, savory, and just a little tangy and sweet. It's perfect for noodles or salads, but I also love it as a dip for spring rolls or drizzled over grilled chicken. Once you try it, you'll want to use it on everything!
Key Ingredients
Peanut Butter: For the creamiest sauce, I actually recommend processed peanut butters. The extra additives they add make the sauce super smooth. That said, any type of peanut butter will work... organic, crunchy, smooth...you name it.
Soy sauce: This turns the peanut sauce from sweet to savory.
Honey: Some sweetness helps balance the savory and bitter flavors.
Rice vinegar: Acid helps cut through the richness of the sauce.
Toasted sesame oil: Make sure your sesame oil is TOASTED. If it's not toasted, it's just regular sesame oil, which doesn't have much flavor. Toasted sesame oil is very nutty and "roasted" tasting.
Ginger: Freshly grated for the best flavor.
Water: Helps make the sauce looser and creamier. When you initially add water, it will actually cause the peanut butter to seize up and thicken. But once you add enough, it will start getting creamier in color and looser.
Instructions
STEP 1: In a medium bowl, add all the peanut sauce ingredients except the water.
STEP 2: Whisk until smooth. As you can see, the sauce is not creamy yet. In fact, depending on how much peanut butter you measured, it may look very thick and pasty.
STEP 3: Now, whisk in the water, one tablespoon at a time, until the sauce becomes noticeably paler and looser.
STEP 4: Store in the fridge for up to one week. I love using it with peanut noodles!
๐ Recipe
Quick & Easy Peanut Sauce
Ingredients
- ยฝ cup peanut butter
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons honey (or maple syrup)
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar (or fresh lime juice)
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
- 4 to 6 tablespoons water (as needed)
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the peanut butter, soy sauce, honey, rice vinegar, sesame oil, ginger, and 4 tablespoons of water. If the mixture is too thick (and not creamy), mix in 1 tablespoon of water at a time until it becomes creamy and saucey.
- Store the sauce in the refrigerator for up to one week. I love to use it as a dip for spring rolls, as salad dressing, or a quick sauce for noodles.
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