Easy Thai Peanut Sauce
This is a quick and easy Thai peanut sauce recipe is made with creamy peanut butter, chili-garlic sauce and lots of seasonings. Ready in 5 minutes. Great as a dipping sauce, drizzling sauce, or for hot and spicy meals.
I was invited to a gathering recently and it was requested that I bring some type of chicken skewers, so my mind went immediately to Thai Chicken Satay. The only issue was that I was in a bit of a time crunch, basically slammed with a number of things. As we all are.
I needed a good Thai peanut sauce for slathering onto the chicken, and I wanted people to be able to use it as a dipper, too. I love my chicken satay nice and extra saucy, so the side dipping sauce is a must.
Problem: I didn’t have all of the ingredients I needed for the spicy peanut sauce I wanted to make! Being busy as heck, I decided to work with the ingredients I had on hand to make this very quick and easy Thai peanut sauce recipe that turned out AWESOME. In fact, it’s my new go-to spicy peanut sauce recipe that can be used in any number of ways.
Thai peanut sauce is more traditionally made with roasted peanuts, coconut milk, fish sauce and lots of fresh ingredients and seasonings, but this is an EASY version made with peanut butter and easily obtained dry and wet ingredients.
Perfect for those who LOVE peanut butter and like things a bit spicy. AND who are strapped for time.
Let’s talk about how we make it, shall we?
Ingredients Needed
- ¼ cup creamy peanut butter (use 1/2 cup for more peanut flavor)
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons chili-garlic sauce
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon lime juice
- 1 teaspoon cayenne powder (or use paprika for a milder heat)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder (or use 1 clove garlic, finely minced or grated)
- 1 teaspoon ginger powder (or use 1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger)
- 1 tablespoon water, or more as needed for thinning
How to Make Easy Thai Peanut Sauce – the Recipe Method
- Add all of your ingredients to a medium sized bowl – creamy peanut butter, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, chili-garlic sauce, sesame oil, honey, lime juice, cayenne powder or paprika, garlic and ginger.
- Time to Whisk! Whisk all of the ingredients together, except for the water, in a small bowl until well combined and the sauce is nice and smooth.
- Thin Out Your Sauce. Add water a teaspoon at a time until you achieve your desired consistency.
Boom! There it is, my friends! This is the easiest Thai peanut sauce you’ll ever make. No need to crush and grind and wait for flavors to mingle and develop. This version is super easy with peanut butter and wet ingredients you already have in your pantry or refrigerator.
This Thai peanut sauce will last a week in the refrigerator or longer. It is not ideal for freezing, and best used right away.
Recipe Tips & Notes
- Peanut Butter. Use ¼ cup for more pronounced spicy pepper flavor, or use ½ cup for more peanut flavor. I would start with 1/4 cup then test it, as you can easily add in more peanut butter to adjust to your personal tastes.
- Other Ingredients. Sriracha is a nice addition for this sauce either with or instead of chili-garlic sauce. Try it with gochujang as well. It’s delicious!
- Serving Suggestions. Use it as a dipping sauce, drizzling sauce, or you can heat it in a pan with cooked vegetables and/or chicken for a meal. It’s great with any sort of noodle dish, a dip for spring rolls, even making stir fries. And yes, easy chicken satay!
That’s it, my friends! I hope you enjoy my version of Easy Thai Peanut Sauce. Let me know how you like it and how you use it!
Try Some of My Other Popular Recipes
- Thai Shrimp Curry
- Chicken Korma
- Spicy Beef Vindaloo
- Coconut Chicken Curry
- Khao Soi – Northern Thai Coconut Curry Soup
- Sweet and Spicy Cashew Chicken
- Easy Chickpea Curry
- Curry Recipes
Got any questions? Ask away! I’m happy to help. If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you’ll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don’t forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I’ll be sure to share! Thanks! — Mike H.
- ¼ cup creamy peanut butter use ½ cup for more peanut flavor
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons chili-garlic sauce
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon lime juice
- 1 teaspoon cayenne powder or use paprika for a milder heat
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder or use 1 clove garlic, finely minced or grated
- 1 teaspoon ginger powder or use 1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
- 1 tablespoon water or more as needed for thinning
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Whisk all of the ingredients together, except for the water, in a small bowl until well combined and the sauce is nice and smooth.
-
Add water a teaspoon at a time until you achieve your desired consistency.
-
Serve!
NOTES: This Thai peanut sauce will last a week in the refrigerator or longer. It is not ideal for freezing, and best used right away. Use it as a dipping sauce, drizzling sauce, or you can heat it in a pan with cooked vegetables and/or chicken for a meal.
Makes ~1-1/4 cup.
20 tablespoons
2 comments
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I made this last week and used it for a peanut butter chicken stir fry and it was fabulous! Better than anything I have bought in a bottle at the store!
Excellent, Tim! Glad you enjoyed it! I am super happy with this recipe. So easy and tasty!