Best Peanut Sauce Recipe
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The best homemade peanut sauce recipe from scratch, perfectly smooth and creamy, drizzle-able, packed with savory umami layers and comes together in a few minutes. Simple recipe, outstanding garlicky gingery flavor and luscious texture, you’ll never want to use the store bought stuff ever again.
Best Peanut Sauce
No blender needed, just a whisk and a bowl to incorporate and emulsify all the ingredients together into the most luscious peanut sauce you’ll want to drizzle over everything! Think seitan chicken, spring rolls, tofu, lettuce wraps, tacos, dipping nuggets or coating your favorite Asian noodles, this is one recipe you want printed and stuck on your refrigerator door for years to come.
Useful Ingredient Notes
- The Peanut Butter – you’ll want to choose one with a smooth creamy texture but without any added oils. The ingredient list should say only roasted peanuts + salt. Make sure to stir it well in the jar before using so any natural separation is emulsified back in.
- Shoyu or Tamari – Use it to add a deep umami layer of flavor and saltiness. Any soy sauce and even coco aminos will work just fine here, choose your favorite.
- Lime – Freshly squeezed lime juice plays a very important role in the balance of Salt, Fat + Acid, the holy trinity of the perfect savory flavor profile. Lemon and even vinegar can work in a pinch with the lime delivering the best acidity in my opinion, don’t leave it out.
- Maple Syrup – just a little touch of it for sweetness to balance the acidity just right. Use more or less as desired.
- Garlic – freshly grated garlic cloves deliver the perfect punch without being overwhelming. It’s important to grate them (ideally with a fine microplane zester if available) so the flavor gets extracted and distributed throughout the sauce without the risk of anyone ever biting into a chunk of raw garlic.
- Ginger – a teaspoon of freshly grated ginger root will elevate your sauce with that subtle ginger spiciness while also giving it that authentic flavor. Ground ginger works great as well and it blends into the sauce flawlessly, use whichever you prefer or you have available.
- Sriracha – for a little spicy kick, feel free to leave it out for a mild flavor although this is not really hot.
- Toasted Sesame Oil – It’s optional especially if you want to make your sauce WFPB compliant. I love the toasty flavor it adds to the sauce without overpowering so I indulge with a little bit of it here.
- Water or Coconut Milk – You need some liquid to emulsify the sauce to a thinner texture, I prefer water but many people like a little coconut flavor in their sauce so you do you!
On Storage
This sauce keeps well in the refrigerator for quite a while but I will say 2 weeks just because I’m not the FDA. Make sure to store it in an airtight jar and stir it well before using. Bring it to room temperature for 15 minutes or so before serving to make it more drizzle-able and dipp-able!
Serving Ideas
- Vegan Sheet Pan Mushroom Fajitas
- Tropical Tofu Noodles
- Vegan Chicken Nuggets
- Air-Fryer Tofu
- Peanut Tofu
- Lettuce Wraps
- Spring Rolls
- Cauliflower Wings
- Roasted Broccoli.
- Kelp Noodles.
How to Make the Best Peanut Sauce
Best Peanut Sauce
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1/4 cup Tamari or shoyu + more to taste
- 3 Tbsp lime juice freshly squeezed
- 2 Tbsp maple syrup
- 2 Tbsp toasted sesame oil omit for oil- free WFPB compliant
- 2 garlic cloves grated
- 1 tsp grated ginger root or ground ginger to taste 1/2 tsp +
- 1 Tbsp sriracha
- 1/4 cup water or coconut milk
Noodles
- 4 servings udon or soba noodles (cooked + rinsed under cold water)
- 2 scallions thinly sliced at an angle
- 1/4 cup chopped salted peanuts
- Chili crisp for serving / garnish
- Black + white sesame seeds for garnish mixed with red chili flakes
- Basil
Instructions
- În a medium bowl whisk together all the sauce ingredients until creamy and smooth. Adjust seasonings to your taste with more lime and Sriracha. Set aside.
- Meanwhile boil your noodles until al dente, drain and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process.
- Coat the noodles in the peanut sauce (reserve some sauce for garnish) and serve topped with chopped salted peanuts, thinly sliced scallions, sesame seeds, fresh basil, lime wedges and your favorite tofu for a heartier protein packed meal.
