Easy Peanut Sauce

This Easy Peanut Sauce can be whipped up in about 5 minutes with just 5 ingredients! It’s so versatile! Great for saucing up tofu, tempeh, rice bowls, noodles, or salads. It has a mild flavor that kids love, but sriracha or crushed red pepper can easily be added if you like it spicy.

Peanut sauce, or satay sauce as it is sometimes called, is made from ground roasted peanuts and seasonings. According to Wikipedia, it originated in Indonesia, but is now widely used in a variety of cuisines around the world. It can be thick or thin, depending on what you’re using it for, may be spicy or mild, can be seasoned in a variety of ways, and is very versatile.

In this Easy Peanut Sauce recipe, I use store-bought peanut butter for convenience, but you could make your own in a blender or food processor, if you wish. Just a few other ingredients balance the flavors nicely. Feel free to kick it up a notch with sriracha or crushed red chili flakes.

Ingredients you need

Ingredient Notes and substitutions

Peanut Butter ~ This is the main ingredient, so make sure you use a good one. Look for organic varieties with only one ingredient listed – organic peanuts.

We like Trader Joe’s Creamy No Salt Organic Peanut Butter. If you can’t find that, we also like Kirkland Organic Creamy Peanut Butter, which contains just organic peanuts and salt. It can be found at Costco. Here are a few more healthy store-bought peanut butter options.

If you are allergic to peanuts or just prefer to use peanut-free ingredients, try creamy almond butter or Sunbutter instead.

Coconut Aminos ~ I like this soy sauce alternative because it has less sodium than traditional soy sauce and is gluten free. You can also use tamari (also gluten free), which still has less sodium than soy sauce, but more than coconut aminos. Traditional soy sauce would work as well, if that’s what you have.

Sweetener ~ I like pure maple syrup for this recipe. You can use agave if you prefer.

Crushed red pepper ~ A little pinch of crushed red pepper brings a kick of heat that balances the sweet and salty flavors well. A dash of sriracha or your favorite hot sauce would work, too.

If you don’t like spicy things, you can leave it out entirely.

How to make the recipe

All you need to make this simple recipe is a whisk and a bowl! Simply whisk all the ingredients together until smooth. Add a bit of water to thin it out to your desired consistency.

How to serve

This recipe is so versatile! Here’s how we enjoy using it:

• as a dip for fresh cut veggies;
• with Baked Tofu, spring rolls, or slathered on Asian burgers;
• drizzled over Asian salad or rice bowls (or any Buddha bowl);
• tossed with stir fry noodles or sautéed veggies and rice.

FAQs

If you love peanut butter in savory applications, you must try this creamy Spaghetti with Spinach and Cranberries, Sweet Potato Curry, or Thai-inspired Trail Mix.

More dairy free sauce recipes

• Vegan Cheese Sauce
• Cashew Curry Sauce
• Vegan Ranch Dressing
• Creamy Dill Sauce
• Citrus Tahini Dressing
• Vegan Chipotle Crema
• Easy Vegan Gravy