Creamy Peanut Sauce

Meghan Splawn
Meghan Splawn
Meghan was the Food Editor for Kitchn's Skills content. She's a master of everyday baking, family cooking, and harnessing good light. Meghan approaches food with an eye towards budgeting — both time and money — and having fun. Meghan has a baking and pastry degree, and spent the first 10 years of her career as part of Alton Brown's culinary team. She co-hosts a weekly podcast about food and family called Didn't I Just Feed You.
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Jan Valdez
Jan ValdezAssistant Recipe Producer at The Kitchn
I got into this field by spending 10 years working in Research & Development and Product Development test kitchens, testing new products and recipes. For nearly eight years, I was the Senior Culinary R&D Specialist at Weber headquarters, where all the grills are designed, engineered, and tested. I've helped launch numerous best-selling, top-rated grills across the globe (you should see my grill collection at home!). One of my proudest accomplishments happened years earlier, when I had the opportunity to visit the Good Housekeeping Institue in NYC after developing an award-winning Tropical Citrus Shrimp recipe that jumpstarted my career in test kitchens and food editing. Since then, I've worked at Serious Eats (one of my favorite food sites) and EatingWell as an updates editor. I'm passionate about both classic recipes and new, unique twists. I'm constantly learning and that's what makes food and cooking so fun (just ask me how to bake light and airy pavlovas on the grill – I've tested them countless times!).
updated Mar 28, 2024
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The goes-with-anything, does-everything creamy peanut sauce you can make from pantry staples.

Makes3/4 cup

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My first restaurant job was at a little lunch cafe famous for its giant cookies, towering hummus sandwiches, and cold peanut noodles. This husband-and-wife-run neighborhood joint was regularly filled with young professionals slurping cold, spicy soba noodles from plastic clamshell containers. While the owners were always generous with recipes — they gave me their cookie recipes when I left that job — they would not share the secrets to their peanut sauce.

I have spent many years, and many jars of peanut butter, trying to replicate that well-loved sauce. All those trials and errors have led me to this recipe. I can definitively say the recipe here is the easiest, creamiest, most versatile peanut sauce you can make from pantry staples. There are a few surprising things you learn during the search for a really good peanut sauce, all of which I’m sharing with you now!

Credit: Photo: Ryan Liebe; Food Styling: Brett Regot
Quick Overview

Tips for Making Peanut Sauce

  • Use mass-market peanut butter for a creamier, longer-lasting sauce. Do you have a jar of Skippy or JIF? This creamy peanut butter base won’t separate during storage and makes this sauce even more versatile by giving it body for dipping while also being easy to thin with water (without breaking the emulsion, no less).
  • Make a flavorful vinaigrette before adding the peanut butter. The thinking behind this sauce came from an aha moment I had while testing the dressing for this no-cook noodle bowl. The vinaigrette hits all the flavor notes — all it needed was some peanut flavor.
  • Thin the sauce with water for various applications. This sauce is easy to assemble and can be used right away for dipping, but for pouring over salads or tossing with noodles it needs to be thinned with a little water.

Why You’ll Love It

  • This easy and versatile peanut sauce is made from pantry staples.
  • The rich peanut flavor gets some brightness from lime and rice vinegar, a subtle sweetness from honey, and plenty of spice from chili paste, garlic, and ginger.

Key Ingredients in Peanut Sauce

  • Peanut butter: For a creamier peanut sauce that won’t separate, use regular no-stir peanut butter.
  • Soy sauce or tamari: Tamari is made with no (or very little) wheat, with a slightly deeper flavor than soy sauce.
  • Sambal or chili-garlic paste: Sambal and chili-garlic paste are often used interchangeably, although the latter has more garlic flavor.
  • Rice vinegar: Look for unseasoned rice vinegar.
  • Sesame oil: Toasted sesame oil is the secret ingredient to amazing peanut sauce.

How to Make Peanut Sauce

  1. Make a flavorful vinaigrette. Place the lime juice, soy sauce or tamari, vinegar, honey, ginger, garlic, and chili-garlic paste together in a 2-cup glass jar, seal, and shake to combine.
  2. Add the peanut butter and shake again to combine. Add the peanut butter, olive oil, and sesame oil. Seal the jar and shake vigorously for 30 seconds until the sauce comes together.
  3. Thin the sauce, as needed. Add more water 1 teaspoon at a time until desired consistency is reached for coating noodles.
Credit: Photo: Ryan Liebe; Food Styling: Brett Regot

Ways to Use Peanut Sauce

Fresh out of the jar or mixing bowl, this sauce is velvety and thick. Use it for dipping summer rolls, crispy tofu, or grilled chicken. I love to slather it onto sandwiches and wraps too. If you plan on using the sauce to coat noodles or as a salad dressing, thin it with one to three tablespoons of water before tossing. Here are a few of our favorite ways to use peanut sauce.

Storage Tips

Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 1 week. Let sit at room temperature before using.

Comments

Creamy Peanut Sauce Recipe

The goes-with-anything, does-everything creamy peanut sauce you can make from pantry staples.

Makes 3/4 cup

Nutritional Info

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons

    freshly squeezed lime juice (from 1 lime)

  • 2 tablespoons

    tamari or soy sauce

  • 2 teaspoons

    rice vinegar

  • 2 teaspoons

    honey

  • 1 teaspoon

    finely grated peeled fresh ginger

  • 1 clove

    garlic, grated

  • 1/2 to 1 teaspoon

    sambal or chili-garlic paste

  • 1/4 cup

    creamy peanut butter

  • 3 tablespoons

    olive oil

  • 2 teaspoons

    toasted sesame oil

  • 2 to 3 tablespoons

    water (optional)

Instructions

  1. Place 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice, 2 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce, 2 teaspoons rice vinegar, 2 teaspoons honey, 1 teaspoon finely grated peeled fresh ginger, 1 clove grated garlic, and 1/2 to 1 teaspoon sambal or chili-garlic paste together in a 2-cup glass jar, seal, and shake to combine. Alternatively, use a bowl and whisk to combine.

  2. Add 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter, 3 tablespoons olive oil, and 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil. Seal the jar and shake vigorously for 30 seconds until the sauce comes together, or whisk until combined. Serve as a dipping sauce.

  3. Pour in 2 tablespoons of water, replace the lid and shake until incorporated, or whisk until combined. Add more water 1 teaspoon at a time until desired consistency is reached for coating noodles.

Recipe Notes

Storage: Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 1 week. Let sit at room temperature before using.

Filed in:
asian
children
easy
Gluten-Free
How To
Keeps Well