Peanut Sauce Recipe

This easy to make Peanut Sauce is smooth and creamy and perfect as a dipping sauce, salad dressing, for noodles, with tofu satay, or chicken satay. It’s a simple, 5 ingredient, no cook peanut sauce that you’ll find yourself making over and over again!

Peanut sauce or satay sauce, is an Indonesian sauce made from roasted peanuts and blended until it’s smooth and delicious. This recipe is not intended to be an authentic Thai or Vietnamese sauce. It’s intended to be easy for most U.S. households get great ingredients so that they can make delicious sauces.

It’s also lick-the-bowl delicious!

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Whole peanuts

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This is a very versatile sauce, in that you can use whole roasted peanuts, or use peanut butter as your starting point.

If you start with whole peanuts, you’ll want to make this in a high-powered blender so that you get the sauce nice and smooth.

A high-powered blender like a Vitamix or Blendtec will make a quick and smooth puree out of the peanuts.

If you have a Vitamix and want to do use it, place all your sauce ingredients in the container and secure the lid. Select Variable 1. Turn the machine on, and increase the speed to Variable 10, then to high. Blend for 1 minute until smooth and heated through.

If you don’t have a high powered blender, no big deal, you can make the sauce in a regular blender but use peanut butter. Or, simply place all the ingredients in a small saucepan and heat on medium, stirring, until smooth and combined.

Peanut Butter vs. peanuts

The saltiness and sweetness of the sauce is really dependent on the peanuts or peanut butter here.

If you use unsalted roasted peanuts, there won’t be any added salt or sugar.

If you use an unsalted and unsweetened peanut butter, again, no added sugar or salt.

But if you use conventional peanut butter it will be sweeter and saltier. You may wish to reduce the honey to 1 tablespoon.

Always taste the sauce before adding any additional salt.

And, if the peanut butter is really thin and runny, you may want to leave the water out of the recipe until after you blend the whole thing. Then, add a little water if it needs thinning.

How to make

This one’s really easy. Simply pop all the ingredients into the blender and process until smooth.

You can also make this on the stovetop if you don’t want to use a blender or food processor. Place all ingredients in a medium saucepan, and heat over medium heat, stirring, until sauce is smooth.

Pro tip: if you open the can of coconut milk and it’s separated, where the coconut solids or coconut cream have floated to the top and the coconut water is at the bottom of the can. Simply pour the whole thing into a microwave safe bowl (I love those 2 cup Pyrex measuring cups for this), and microwave it for a minute or two. Give it a stir, and it’ll all come together.

The sauce will thicken as it cools. Want it thicker, add a little more peanut butter. Thinner, add a little more water or coconut milk.

Storage

Keep any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Sauce may be heated in a small saucepan over medium-low heat or in the microwave if desired.

For longer storage, pop it in the freezer for up to 2 months. It can be frozen in ice cube trays for smaller portions, and once frozen, the cubes can be kept in freezer safe bags.

Serving suggestions

Serve this savory sauce with:

• Rice: plain rice, coconut rice, or cilantro lime rice
• Air fryer tofu and Air Fryer Broccoli
• Noodles
• Bowls like my Asian bowl, Winter grain bowl, or salmon bowl
• As a salad dressing
• Dipping sauce with veggies, egg rolls, spring rolls, coconut shrimp, or lettuce wraps.
• I served this sauce as an appetizer at an anniversary party I threw for my in-laws for their 35^th wedding anniversary. I made several Asian themed foods and this was one of the dipping sauces. Everyone loved it, especially my mother in law.
• Make a stir fry by cooking your chicken or tofu in a skillet in the sauce then tossing in some veggies.

Of course, you may want to just eat it with a spoon!

Changes to the recipe

This is a nice simple recipe to start with. I always recommend you make the recipe as is, then try swaps and additions. Here are some starter ideas for you:

• Add garlic or garlic powder
• Use chili garlic paste instead of sriracha
• Pop in some curry
• Add ginger – fresh or powdered
• Use tahini or almond butter instead of peanut butter
• Add a splash of vinegar
• Make it gluten free with tamari or coconut aminos instead of soy sauce
• Make it vegan with maple syrup or brown sugar instead of honey
• Want to skip the sugar? You can certainly do so.

More great sauces

Asian Plum Sauce

Pepper Jelly

Cilantro Lime Dressing

Peruvian Green Sauce

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Recipe

Peanut Sauce

Debi

This easy to make Peanut Sauce is smooth and creamy and perfect as a dipping sauce, salad dressing, for noodles, or with tofu satay or chicken satay. It’s a simple, 5 ingredient, no cook peanut sauce that you’ll find yourself making over and over again!

5 from 1 vote

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Cook ModePrevent your screen from going to sleep.

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 0 minutes mins

Total Time 5 minutes mins

Course Appetizer, Sauce

Cuisine American

Servings 16 servings

Calories 75 kcal

Equipment

• blender

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 cup roasted unsalted peanuts or ¾ cup natural peanut butter
• 1 ½ teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• ½ cup hot water
• ¼ cup canned unsweetened coconut milk light or regular
• 2 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• ¼ – ½ teaspoon Sriracha sauce optional

Instructions

 

• Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth.
• If you prefer not to use a blender or food processor, place all ingredients in a medium saucepan, and heat over medium heat, stirring, until sauce is smooth.
• Taste adding salt and pepper if desired.

Notes

Pro tip: if you open the can of coconut milk and it’s separated, where the coconut solids of coconut cream has floated to the top and the coconut water is at the bottom of the can. Simply pour the whole thing into a microwave safe bowl (I love those 2 cup Pyrex measuring cups for this), and microwave if for a minute or two. Give it a stir, and it’ll all come together.

Makes about 2 cups, which would be about 16 servings at 2 tablespoons each.

The sauce will thicken as it cools. Want it thicker, add a little more peanut butter. Thinner, add a little more water or coconut milk.

And, if the peanut butter is really thin and runny, you may want to leave the water out of the recipe until after you blend the whole thing. Then, add a little water if it needs thinning.

Nutrition

Calories: 75kcalCarbohydrates: 4gProtein: 3gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gSodium: 167mgPotassium: 73mgFiber: 1gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 0.1IUVitamin C: 0.1mgCalcium: 7mgIron: 0.3mg

Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations, and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.

Keyword peanut, peanut butter, peanuts

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