Thai Peanut Sauce is beloved for its nutty, tangy-sweet flavor and you can have it ready in under 10 minutes!
Peanut sauce is also super-easy to customize to suit any preference. Check out our tips in the recipe variations to see how to make it gluten-free or vegan too.
If you’ve eaten at a Thai restaurant in the U.S., then chances are you’ve had Thai peanut sauce with chicken satay. Served as a condiment, dipping sauce, and even worked into other dishes like Thai peanut curries, this popular sauce complements so many dishes.
The best part is, it’s so easy to make at home! I’ve tried my share of store-bought peanut sauce and certainly appreciate the convenience, but it was also pricy considering the common ingredients.
The ingredients for Thai peanut sauce are not exotic, so you may find you already have most of them on hand. Simple, delicious, and ready in under 10 minutes; what’s not to love?!
Peanuts vs. Peanut Butter for Making Peanut Sauce
While you can use peanut butter to make the recipe, we prefer using dry roasted peanuts for the pure peanut taste and the bits of crunch in the texture.
Peanut butter often has other ingredients like corn syrup, molasses, sugar, or palm oil, that can alter the flavor and texture. Even natural peanut butter tends to be softer so the consistency isn’t quite the same.
However, the advantage of using peanut butter over peanuts is that you can mix it by hand and don’t need a food processor to make the recipe.
10 Ways To Serve Homemade Thai Peanut Sauce
- Sauce for Grilled Chicken or Salmon
- Toss peanut sauce with Roasted Vegetables
- Thin just a little to pour over salads
- Top lettuce wraps or fresh spring rolls
- Serve peanut sauce alongside your next Veggie Tray
- Stir in to Pad Thai noodles
- Substitute for mayonnaise in chicken salad
- Dress Coleslaw
- Add to Vegetable Curry
- Dip for Chicken Wings
Easy Step By Step
- Pulse the peanuts in a food processor until they form a thick paste.
- Add the remaining ingredients and puree until smooth.
- Adjust the seasoning and serve.
This is a super-simple recipe, and all you need is a few measuring spoons and cups and a food processor or blender.
Recipe TIPS
- Add more soy or fish sauce for salt
- Add more honey for sweetness
- Add more lime juice for acidity or tartness
- Add more chilis, sriracha, or crushed red peppers for spice
- Thin the sauce with a bit of coconut milk or water
- If you don’t have a food processor, use chunky peanut butter instead of roasted peanuts.
- Peanut sauce will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. The best way to keep it fresh is to always pour into a small cup for dipping and never keep sauce that has had other foods dipped into it.
Recipe Variations
- Substitute roasted and salted cashews for the peanuts
- Make it gluten-free and substitute coconut aminos or Tamari for the soy sauce
- Make it vegan with liquid aminos as a substitute for fish sauce and maple syrup for honey
- Thin the sauce with additional coconut milk or coconut water to serve as a salad dressing
Thai Peanut Sauce
Ingredients
Thai Peanut Sauce
- 1 cup dry roasted peanuts or 1/3 cup peanut butter
- 1/2 cup coconut milk
- 1/3 cup honey
- 3 cloves garlic
- 3 tablespoons lime juice
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce , use Tamari for gluten-free
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red peppers , or 2 small Thai chilis
Instructions
- Process peanuts in a food processor until it forms a thick paste. Add the remaining ingredients and puree until mostly smooth (scrape down the sides of the bowl if needed).
- Taste and adjust the seasoning, as desired—more soy or fish sauce for salt, honey for sweet, crushed red peppers for spice, or lime for more acidity and tang.
Notes
- Thin the sauce with a bit of coconut milk or water
- If you don’t have a food processor, use chunky peanut butter instead of roasted peanuts.
- Peanut sauce will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. The best way to keep it fresh is to always pour it into a small cup for dipping and never keep sauce that has had other foods dipped into it.
- Substitute roasted and salted cashews for the peanuts
- Make it gluten-free and substitute coconut aminos or Tamari for the soy sauce
- Make it vegan with liquid aminos as a substitute for fish sauce and maple syrup for honey
- Thin the sauce with additional coconut milk or coconut water to serve as a salad dressing
Karen (Back Road Journal) says
Who doesn’t like peanut sauce and it is so easy to make and way cheaper than buying a bottle.
John / Kitchen Riffs says
Love this stuff — I can eat it by the spoonful. And then lick the bowl. đŸ™‚ Really nice recipe — thanks.
Jill says
Love it, the spice is just right!
Sunny says
Oh, I LOVE peantu sauce! When I don’t have a lot of time, I make this peanut sauce…
1/2 c. smooth peanut butter
2 Tbs. low sodium soy sauce
2 tsp. minced garlic
1 1/2 tsp. garlic chili sauce
1 tsp. fresh ginger
sriracha, to taste
It’s really great when you are in a pinch! You can add a little water to thin it out as well.
Judy says
Thanks for stopping by, and for your quick sauce notes. Checked out your site, the enchilada pie looked yummy.
Erin @ EKat's Kitchen says
I really love that you’ve made your own peanut sauce… coming back a second time to visit! Thanks for linking up with Friday Potluck!
Judy says
Thanks so much for stopping by, it is fun being a part of Friday Potluck đŸ™‚
Christy says
I adore peanut sauce – I make one also but without the coconut milk – I will have to try yours next time. Thanks for sharing this with us at the Hearth and Soul Hop!
rsmacaalay says
Yummy, I love Thai food as well the mixture of different flavours plus that zing from chillies are lovely to my tastebuds. Can I use this one as the satay sauce?
Judy says
You may use it however you like đŸ™‚
Erin @ EKat's Kitchen says
I love love love love love Thai Peanut sauce (and Indonesian!) and had a friend who used to make her own — campfire style nonetheless. Ever since I’ve been looking for a great recipe… thank you for posting! I’m bookmarking and will have to try soon!
Medeja says
Sounds amazingly delicious ! đŸ™‚
Hannah (BitterSweet) says
Peanut sauce makes an awesome topping for just about anything- Gotta love a condiment that versatile. I usually go a more simple, Asian-inspired route with mine, but I definitely like the sound of your spicy, coconut version.