Peanut Dipping Sauce
Healthy peanut sauce to serve as dip or drizzle over Asian dishes! You can toss this savory peanut sauce with noodles, too. It's good every which way!
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 27, 2024
Since we’re entering the season of potlucks and barbecues, it’s time to share my go-to peanut sauce recipe. It’s creamy, savory, a little spicy and totally satisfying.
Bonus? This flavorful sauce is easy to make.
Make some peanut sauce and drizzle it on everything! This peanut sauce also makes a stellar veggie dip. Store-bought veggie dips are notoriously full of preservatives, but not this one.
Watch How to Make Peanut Sauce
Uses for Peanut Sauce
Veggie dip aside, this peanut sauce is wonderful over noodles and served with spring rolls. You can also drizzle it on steamed or roasted vegetables for some extra protein and tons of flavor. It’s great with mango, too!
Recipes Featuring Peanut Sauce
If you’re craving more of a complete meal or eager for more peanutty goodness, check out these recipes on Cookie and Kate.
- Peanut Slaw with Soba Noodles
- Thai Mango Cabbage Wraps with Crispy Tofu and Peanut Sauce
- Spicy Thai Peanut Sauce over Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Rice
- Summer Rolls with Spicy Peanut Sauce
- Crunchy Thai Peanut & Quinoa Salad
Peanut Sauce Tips & Variations
I love this sauce the way it’s written below, but feel free to play around with it.
- For a more traditional Thai peanut sauce, you can substitute coconut milk for the water. This will mellow the other flavors a bit.
- For an extra burst of fresh flavor, add a squeeze of lime juice and/or some chopped cilantro.
- If the sauce too thick for your purposes, simply thin it out with some additional water or coconut milk or lime juice.
Please let me know how you like this peanut sauce recipe in the comments! I always love to hear from you.
Peanut Dipping Sauce
You can serve this healthy peanut sauce recipe as a dip or drizzle over Asian dishes! You can toss this savory peanut sauce with noodles, too. It’s good every which way! Recipe yields about 1 ⅔ cup sauce.
Ingredients
- ¾ cup creamy peanut butter
- ¼ cup rice vinegar
- ⅓ cup reduced sodium tamari or reduced-sodium soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 1 ½ teaspoons grated fresh ginger or ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 to 2 medium cloves garlic, pressed or minced, to taste
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, plus more for sprinkling
- 2 to 4 tablespoons water or coconut milk, or as necessary to reach your desired consistency
- Optional garnishes: sprinkling of chopped roasted peanuts and additional red pepper flakes
Instructions
- In a 2-cup liquid measuring cup or medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the ingredients until well blended. If your peanut butter is particularly thick, you may need to use the full 4 tablespoons of water to thin out the mixture (or more, if necessary).
- Feel free to adjust to taste here—for example, sometimes I want my sauce more savory and add another clove of garlic, or a little sweeter, so I add extra honey.
- If you’re serving the sauce as a party dip, transfer it to a serving bowl and sprinkle with chopped peanuts and red pepper flakes for some visual interest!
Notes
Recipe adapted from my broccoli rabe peanut soba noodles and peanut-sesame slaw.
Make it vegan: Use maple syrup instead of honey.
Make it gluten free: Be sure to use gluten-free tamari, not regular soy sauce.
Storage suggestions: Store this dip in the refrigerator, covered, for up to a week. You may need to whisk it again before serving or wake up the flavors with a little splash of vinegar.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
This was awful
I’m sorry you didn’t love this one. What didn’t you like, Donna?
I loved this! It tastes just like the restaurant’s that is near me. I did a little veggie plate and small salad. I thought it was best with little bell peppers. This will become a staple at my house now. Thank you!!
Kate, this was scrumptious! We put it on baked tofu and wow! We can’t wait to try it on angel hair pasta and on chicken, too. Thanks for a super tasty and easy recipe!
You’re welcome, Tamara! I’m glad you loved it.
Wow! I literally cannot believe that you thought this was awful. I’ve eaten a lot of peanut sauce and this probably wasn’t the best one I’ve ever had but it is definitely one of the better. My family had fried tofu with peanut sauce from my favorite Thai restaurant yesterday and everyone loved it. This was universally praised as significantly better.
I agree about a squirt of lime.
I’m happy you love it, Eric!
loved this! added a squeeze of fresh lime too for an extra zip!
This was awesome!
Love! Love! Love! Love! Love!
Soooo delicious! Would like to pour it over noodles, chicken, Asian dishes, my fingers, etc! Great recipe! Thanks for sharing!
I recently purchased your cookbook as I want to add more vegetables and vegan options to my diet. I am not one to follow recipes to the letter as I am creative and can’t leave anything alone. I also have wheat/wheat gluten and dairy intolerances so I am always tweaking recipes. That being said, I made your peanut sauce. The flavors are balanced and this sauce does not have the ‘peanut butter’ flavor as some do. This peanut sauce recipe is by far the best I have found so far. Because of my issues I substituted gluten free soy sauce and cut the amount in half to cut the salt and added a hint more water. I used it on the roasted broccoli dish from the cookbook and the next day on a basic salad. It was AWESOME. I will be using this for my spring rolls as well. Oh… I also used a teaspoon of sambal instead of the red pepper flakes. Thank you!
This was the saltiest sauce I’ve ever tasted, and honestly, I had to throw it all away. I tried so hard to alter the recipe once it was made to make it edible, but the aftertaste was absolutely horrific.
Very strange Angela, since there is no salt as an ingredient in the ingredient list. You must have used things with salt in it.
I think this might be caused by the Soy Sauce. In the recipe, it’s mentioning reduced sodium. I’d say try a different soy sauce. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I tried your granola and loved it! Also like your pantry staples list and can’t wait to try the dressings, hummus and peanut dip! Nice work…I’m bookmarking your site in my head.
I used raw tahini instead of peanut butter. The lime juice and cilantro really made it pop, it was so good! I made fresh spring rolls for an appetizer, but the dip was so good I ended up having enough to spoil my appetite for dinner.
delicious! i followed the recipe exactly but found that it tasted a little too vinegary and not as spicy as i wanted, so i added more peanut butter and about a tablespoon of red pepper flakes and it was much better! i used seasoned rice vinegar so that may have been why it tasted a little off, but all in all, great recipe thank you!!
So so yummy!! Thank you for the recipe!!
Not good. Too much vinegar. Way too tangy.
Good
Love love love this recipe!!
I changed only a couple things. I used 2 T of maple syrup instead of the honey, added a little extra fresh ginger, and a little more red pepper flakes. Yum yum!
This sauce is awesome! We use it as a dipping sauce for our summer rolls and drizzle for rice bowls. I have to use almond butter because my daughter has a peanut allergy. I generally use less honey, add 1-2 Tbsp of dark sesame oil, and always a good quality soy sauce —Kikkoman or San-J. Everyone always asks for the recipe. Love your website and book!
Thank you for sharing, Fan! I’m happy you can make this work for your family.
I agree with some others, far too vinegary. I added about twice the amount of peanut butter, and a load of chilli, and it almost balances it out. Start with half the vinegar then add to taste!
I made this without the vinegar (didn’t have any) and thought it was delicious! It was a great dip for some veggie potstickers.
This sauce is the best thing I have tasted all year ! We were blown away by how delicious it is! Thank you
This is honestly the best satay sauce recipe I’ve EVER made! Thankyou so much for this recipe
I loved this! It tastes just like the restaurant’s that is near me. I did a little veggie plate and small salad. I thought it was best with little bell peppers. This will become a staple at my house now. Thank you!!
You’re welcome, Hannah! Thank you for your review.
This was perfect and just what I was looking for. I left out the tamari as I just wanted plain fried tofu like you get in a Thai restaurant. I used it to top a salad and added peanut sauce. It was delicious! What is the best way to store leftovers? Thank you!
Hi Linda! I have a note on how to store and liven it up in the recipe notes. t
Hi, my original comment was for the baked tofu recipe, not the peanut sauce. I guess I skipped to the wrong page! I wanted to know the best way to store the tofu and how long it will last after baking. Thank you!
Hi Linda! It should keep for a few days in an airtight container. I suggest gently reheating on the stove or you can in the microwave as well.
If using non-reduced sodium soy sauce I would drastically reduce the amount you use – maybe by half. I looooove this recipe but was way too salty when I used regular ole’ soy sauce.
Delicious! Even my husband who usually hates peanut sauce loves your recipe.
Can you freeze it. How long can you store it.
Hi! I haven’t tried freezing it, so I’m not quite sure.
I really enjoyed making this, and it’s delicious. Now for it to rest overnight and a tofu stir fry on Monday. I followed your on Insta!
Super salty. Try using only 2 Tulsa soy sauce and 1/3 cup honey. I had to add a half cup honey to make this even out.
I’m sorry you didn’t love it. You can use reduced sodium next time and that should help.
My 13 yr old daughter wanted to be a vegetarian after Christmas. I have made several recipes from your list. This sauce is one of our favorites. I used it with your oven roasted crispy tofu with some rice noodles and broccoli…our favorite Chinese takeout place has lost our business.
I’m glad she is enjoying them! Thank you for sharing, Kevin.
this recipe is amazing
Super yum! I dipped red bell peppers and tossed some air fried tofu in this beautiful sauce for lunch. Saved!
Wonderful to hear, Dani!
Delicious, and whisks up so easily! We used it as a creamy dressing for a bowl of quinoa and fresh veggies. Thank you!
You’re welcome, Naomi!
So good!
Thank you, Evan! I appreciate your review.
We absolutely love this recipe. It’s the peanut sauce I’ve been trying to make for years – thank you! We love it on the baked tofu (which we actually make in our air fryer). Have a batch coming out in a few minutes…..
– Shelley
You’re welcome, Shelley! I’m happy you enjoyed it.
Perfect recipe! Wouldn’t change a thing!! Great with THai spring rolls!
Unless you like your throat burned by acid, DO NOT use 1/4 cup! I had to throw out the batch that I made following the exact recipe. It was WAY too sour and way too salty. Not even adding more peanut butter, more coconut milk and more honey could redeem it. The next batch I made, I only added about a 1/2 tablespoon of vinegar and about a tablespoon or so of the soy sauce.
Hi Bree, I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy this recipe. Did you use a reduced sodium soy sauce or tamari?
This was really good. You gals have the best recipes. I always click on your recipes first ! Thank you for being GREAT!
I had tried another peanut sauce and realized it did not have any asian flare. There was no ginger and no garlic?! Your recipe was the opposite! all that I love about asian cuisine i could taste in this peanut sauce. Very authentic:) Thank you for doing it right!
I’m glad you loved it, Joy! Thank your for your review.
It’s so easy to make and tasted amazing! I added some chili instead of red pepper :)
I must have spent $100 over time trying to find a peanut sauce I like- they were either too spicy or too “chemically”! All of them ended up at the back of the fridge and eventually the bin! I LOVE this recipe and I am asked to share it with everyone I serve it to. On grilled shrimp is my favourite but it’s great with chicken and Asian potstickers! Thank you for sharing!
I’m glad this one was perfect, Cherie! Thank you for taking the time to review.
I am not usually one to leave reviews, but here I will because my family loves this recipe! For an easy weeknight meal, I often make it with Cookie and Kate’s crispy tofu recipe and roast broccoli or other hearty veggies on a different tray at the same as the tofu. I throw it all together over whole wheat noodles or soba. (Sometimes I blanch the veggies instead if I’m feeling fancy). All in all, a win!
This was so good. I can’t wait to put it on everything. Just had it on salmon, and will put it on noodles and rice bowls for my lunches next week. So easy! Thank you!
Wonderful to hear, Cindy! Thank you for sharing.
Never made peanut sauce before but love it in many dishes. Am visiting in Europe where they don’t use cup and tablespoons like us (metric system) and tablespoons anyway are all different sizes but used the basic ingredients and made it to taste for 7 people. We all loved it. It’s a keeper! Started with vaguely similar measurements, adjusting to make it sauce instead of paste-like, with drops of water, vinegar, honey, or pepper flakes to get it just right. Perfect topping for our Spring rolls! Thank you!
Way too much vinegar, not a nice sauce
I’m sorry you didn’t love this recipe, Lauren.
This was SO good!!! I went hunting online for a peanut sauce without sesame and am so happy I found this one. I mixed it in with chicken, green beans, sweet potato, and GF pasta. Even my most finicky little eater loved it and demanded I make it again. Notes: I used Coconut Aminos instead of Tamari or soy sauce, and I added a little almond milk that I had in the fridge for the water/coconut milk ingredient. Really, I couldn’t stop eating this!
Wonderful to hear, Jen! Thank you for your review.
Delicious! I’ll never buy prepared sauce again. Super easy to make in the magic bullet. I used it as a spring roll dip.
Made this to accompany veggie & tofu spring rolls last night. It is sooo good, I Might need to make a larger batch next time so I can bathe in it.
This was also too salty for me. I definitely used low-sodium soy sauce and I am not a salt shy person. I wonder if some peanut butters have a much higher salt content. I used Jif creamy pb and the store brand of reduced sodium soy sauce.
I tried to play around to fix it, but wasn’t able to adjust the ratios adequately, which is why I think the brand of pb may matter here.
I’m sorry to hear that! Yes, peanut butter and soy sauce can vary by salt added.
Do you mind me asking what brand you usually use to try for comparison?
Hi! I use no salt or sugar added Whole Foods 365 peanut butter and low sodium tamari.
I made this recipe for dipping my baked tofu. The hardest part was staying away from the peanut sauce while I waited for the tofu to finish baking. This recipe is delicious.
I’m glad you loved it, Jo! Thank you for sharing.
We loved it! Thank you for the recipe. It is extremely versatile and easy to adjust to personal tastes. I was out of soy and had to use coconut amino so I am really looking forward to trying with regular low sodium soy. After tasting I also added some sriracha because we like things spicy. We used it with some TJs chicken cilantro wontons and shumai and it was awesome. Looking forward to trying on noodles!
You’re welcome, Christine! I’m glad it still turned out well with coconut aminos. I appreciate your review!
Yum
Yumyumyuuuuuumm!!!!!!!!!!
I’m glad you loved it, Lee!
Wow, this stuff is delicious. I added a little toasted sesame oil and lemon juice since I had no limes. My dinner guests scraped their bowls clean.