Layered in complex flavor, but super quick and easy to make, this Thai Peanut Sauce recipe is addictive! It is savory with just a touch of spice and sweetness to balance it out. Use as a dipping sauce for spring rolls, a salad dressing, tossed with noodles, or on whatever your peanut sauce loving taste buds desire!
I love peanut sauce! I would venture to say most people do! It's savory, just sweet enough, and goes great with almost anything.
Like a lot of people I was first introduced to peanut sauce when eating out at a Thai restaurant. This was before you were able to buy peanut sauce in any grocery store in the United States in almost any city. I'm aging myself here! But peanut sauce wasn't always readily available without either making it yourself or seeking it out.
As crazy as it sounds, it was still exotic back then. A world that had not yet discovered the secret peanut sauce.
The moral of the story here is that I fell in love with it. And then I went to Thailand and fell even deeper in love with peanut sauce. Truth be told, I fell more in love with all things Thai food related. I just couldn't get enough of it. I was lucky enough to spend a month there researching the culture, food, and learning from local chefs.
Thai cooks are known for their ability to balance salty, sweet, spicy, and acidic flavors. In fact, balancing these flavors is the key to cooking any Thai dish. This technique of flavor balancing that Thai cooks use is what makes the cuisine so delicious. And peanut sauce is no different.
This recipe takes all my knowledge of Thai food and produces a plant based version of an authentic Thai peanut sauce.
Ingredients Needed
Under 10 ingredients are needed to make this amazing Thai peanut sauce!
- Peanut Butter
- Low Sodium Tamari or Soy Sauce (tamari for gluten-free)
- Garlic Cloves
- Ginger Root
- Coconut Milk
- Lime Juice
- Rice Vinegar
- Agave
- Sriracha
As with any peanut sauce the heart of this recipe is peanuts! In this version, all natural creamy peanut butter is used as a shortcut in place of whole peanuts. Added to that yummy peanut base is tamari or soy sauce, which adds both salt and umami.
Garlic and ginger are the big players in this recipe that really bring foward the in your face flavor to the sauce. Without them the sauce would not have its amazing, wow, oh so addictive factor going for it.
Both rice vinegar and fresh lime juice are used to bring some acid to the sauce. This acidity helps to bring out the flavor of all the ingredients. The lime juice helps to brighten the sauce and the rice vinegar is smooth on the palate. I like to use a combination of both, so that the lime does not overpower.
To round out the flavor profile a touch of agave is used for sweetness and a touch of sriracha for spice.
And finally, coconut milk to bring it all together! Coconut milk not only adds to the creamy texture and sweetness, but adds that extra special touch of Thai. The recipe just isn't the same without it.
How to Make Thai Peanut Sauce
This recipe is super easy to make and takes no time at all. Just get your food processor out and your peanut sauce will be ready in under 10 minutes!
To make the sauce simply put all the ingredients into the bowl of your food processor and puree until smooth. The sauce should have no chunks and be nice and creamy.
If the finished peanut sauce is a little too thick you can add another 1 to 3 tablespoons of coconut milk to thin it out. I suggest starting out with just a little at a time. The consistency is a personal preference and will likely depend on what you are using the sauce for.
Once you get the sauce to your desired consistency, taste and season with salt if needed. If you like spice add more sriracha to increase the heat of the peanut sauce.
And that's it! Done. Simple as can be. You can use this Thai peanut sauce on spring rolls, veggies, noodles, and well, everything! One of my favorite ways to use this sauce is to make my Thai Peanut Noodles recipe.
This Thai Peanut Sauce recipe is amazing because it's...
- Creamy, smooth, peanut sauce lickity good
- Will have you wanting more
- Not too sweet or too spicy
- Goes great on almost anything
- Quick and easy to make
Leftovers
This recipe makes a little over one cup. You can store leftovers in the fridge for up to one week or freezer for up to 3 months.
When I make this peanut sauce I typically make about 2-3 times the amount of this recipe. Which means I double and sometimes triple the recipe. I do this because peanut sauce keeps very well in the freezer.
I hope you love this amazing addictive Thai Peanut Sauce!
If you try this recipe please let me know how it turns out by leaving a comment and rating. You can also hashtag #danceswithknives with a photo of your creation on Instagram where you can find me @dances_with_knives.
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Creamy Thai Peanut Sauce with Coconut Milk
Ingredients
- ½ cup creamy salted peanut butter (no sugar added)
- 3 tablespoon low sodium tamari (low sodium soy sauce if not gluten-free)
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 ½ teaspoon ginger root, grated
- 4 tablespoon coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon agave
- 1 teaspoon sriracha (more to make is spicy)
- 1 tablespoon roasted peanuts, chopped (optional garnish)
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients to the bowl of a food processor and puree until creamy and smooth. There should be no chunks.
- If the sauce is too thick just add a little more coconut milk to thin it out. The consistency of the sauce is a personal preference and may depend on what you are using it for. To coat noodles or if using as a salad dressing thinning it out is often helpful.
- Taste the sauce and season with salt if needed. You can also add more sriracha to make it spicy.
- Use this peanut sauce on spring rolls, noodles, in salads, or even as a dipping sauce for veggies. Check out my recipe for yummy Thai Peanut Noodles, which uses this amazing sauce.
Alina says
Can I replace the rice vinegar with something else? Thank you
Kim Grimmett says
Hi Alina,
Yes, you can easily replace the rice vinegar. For this recipe, apple cider vinegar is your best option. You could also just use lime juice instead but will change the final taste a little. The acid of the vinegar helps to balance the fat of the coconut milk and peanut. You can even make the recipe without any vinegar.
Jennifer says
I’ve been trying to figure out how to make this for quite some time. I’m very happy to have tried your recipe and it’s perfection. Thank you very much!
Kim Grimmett says
Hi! I'm so glad you enjoyed it. It's really easy to make right!? Plus, if you double the recipe you can freeze any extra you have. That's what I do a lot so I have it ready to go. I use it most of the time to make my peanut noodle salad, but it's incredible on just about anything. 🙂