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This flavor-packed creamy peanut sauce comes together quickly with basic pantry ingredients. It’s the perfect balance of salty, sweet, and tangy, and can be used as a dip, dressing, or sauce for noodles.
Ingredients Needed for the Perfect Peanut Sauce
- Peanut butter – Adds body, richness, and nutty flavor. A creamy variety works best.
- Soy sauce – Adds both salt and umami. Opt for tamari if you’re gluten-free.
- Maple syrup – Adds sweetness and helps balance the flavors.
- Lime juice – Provides brightness and a subtle citrus kick.
- Ground ginger – Provides a warmth to the sauce. Opt to use fresh ginger for a stronger flavor.
- Garlic powder – Adds more depth of flavor and enhances the savoriness. You can also opt to use fresh garlic if you prefer a stronger kick.
- Sesame oil – Provides a delightful aroma and nuttiness.
- Water – Used to adjust the sauce’s consistency.
- Cilantro – Adds freshness and color. This is an optional ingredient, but recommended.
- Hot sauce – If you like spice, we recommend adding a little bit to kick this sauce up a notch.
Consistency is Key
- Thick – Best for dipping vegetables and tofu.
- Medium – Suitable for drizzling over grain bowls.
- Thin – Ideal as a dressing for noodle salads.
Tips and Tricks
- Use room temperature peanut butter to help it mix.
- Start with a small amount of water and add more as needed.
- Swap peanut butter with almond or cashew butter to experiment with flavors.
- Use tamari for a gluten-free option.
- Use fresh ginger and garlic for a stronger flavor.
Serving Suggestions
- Toss with rice noodles, shredded cabbage, carrots, and cilantro for a quick bowl.
- Drizzle over roasted sweet potatoes and chickpeas.
- Serve with spring rolls or tofu skewers.
- Spread in wraps with crispy tofu and lettuce for added flavor.
- Whip up a quick Vegetable Noodle Stir Fry.
- Try this Roasted Veggie Sandwich with Peanut Sauce.
Storage
Keep the sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. Stir it before using, and add a little water if it gets too thick.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! While it won’t be peanut sauce anymore, you can use sunflower seed butter to create something similar.
Yes, add your favorite hot sauce or chili flakes.
Yes, adjust the maple syrup based on your preferences.
It does not freeze well. Oils can separate. It tastes best fresh.
Your peanut butter may be cold. Let it warm at room temperature or whisk in warm water.
This peanut sauce is versatile and works with many meals. The ingredients are simple, and it’s easy to make. You can adjust the flavors to suit your taste or dietary needs, so it’s a handy recipe to have in your kitchen.
More Sauce Recipes to Try
Dips Spreads & Sauces
Vegan Big Mac Sauce (Vegan Special Sauce)
Dips Spreads & Sauces
Easy Vegan Chipotle Sauce
If you make this recipe, let us know what you think in the comments below! + If you post any photos on Instagram, make sure you tag us @sweetsimplevegan and @consciouschris so that we don’t miss them. We love seeing your photos!
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Easy Peanut Sauce
- Total Time: 8 minutes
- Yield: About 1 1/4 cup 1x
Description
Learn how to make this easy peanut sauce with just 8 simple ingredients and less than 10 minutes of your time!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup creamy unsalted peanut butter*
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce (or tamari for gluten-free)
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup (or liquid sweetener of choice)
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1/4 cup-1/3 cup water, or as needed to thin to your liking
- Optional: 2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
- Optional: hot sauce, to taste
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients, except for the water, into a medium bowl and whisk together until uniform.
- Slowly whisk in the water, a few tablespoons at a time, until the sauce reaches your desired consistency. We like our sauce runnier when we use it as a dressing and thicker when we use it as a dip.
Notes
- You can use almond, sunflower or cashew butter in place of the peanut butter in case of allergies.
- Store the sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Stir it before using, and add a little water if it gets too thick.
- You can use fresh ginger (1/2 tablespoon fresh grated ginger) and fresh garlic (2 cloves garlic, finely minced) if you would like a stronger flavor.
- Prep Time: 8 minutes
- Category: Dip, Sauce
- Cuisine: Vegan, Gluten-free
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Easy and delicious, also very easy to make. Had to make some substitutes: bottled lime juice vs fresh, mint in place of cilantro because I don’t have them on hand. Still turned out wonderful. Thanks!
This is the best peanut sauce I’ve ever made. I do simmer it for a bit.
Absolutely delicious.
Thank you for sharing
This is the BEST peanut sauce recipe – and I have tried a lot! Super easy and the flavor is perfect.
We use this with a quinoa and veggie salad we found on a vacation. Add chicken if you wish. This is a winner!
This was so delicious. I made the salad rolls from your site and had this with it. I’m making more tonight!
I always come back to this recipe everytime I make a peanut sauce. It is indeed perfect and flavorful !
can i use honey instead of maple syrup?
Yes!
try adding Tamarind concentrate (The Thai kind, not Indian) might not use lime also but you might. Can get on Amazon if you’re not near a Thai, Vietnamese or Cambodian grocery.
BEST!!!