Creamy, savory and downright slurpable, this easy peanut sauce makes everything yummier! Made with just 6 pantry staples like peanut butter, soy sauce and fresh ginger. Whip it up in 5 minutes flat and toss it with noodles, drizzle it over bowls or dunk those skewers.
If there is a sauce out there more perfect than peanut sauce, I don’t know her. Creamy, savoury, tangy, and just a tiny bit sweet…and I crave it, constantly. One of my favourite takeout dishes from a local Thai chain is just greens and tofu absolutely SMOTHERED in peanut sauce. The only other sauce that comes close to this level of adoration? A really good vegan queso.
So I have been obsessively deeply committed to creating the perfect peanut sauce recipe for my kitchen and my tastes…one that I can blend up in like five minutes with ingredients I always have on hand whenever the craving strikes.
And I have been doing just that, after near constant tweaking, with this recipe that’s been living on a note on my phone for a couple of years now. It doesn’t call for fish sauce, so it’s naturally vegan, and can easily be gluten free with GF tamari.
Before we go any further into how awesome sauce this stuff is, I’ll be clear: this is different from more traditional Thai and Indonesian peanut sauces that are made from ground peanuts, with coconut milk. If you want a more authentic Thai peanut sauce recipe, my friend Pailin is an incredible Thai chef (and a huge inspiration to me!) so definitely try hers.
While not exactly traditional, this peanut sauce IS out of this world. The combination of fresh lime juice, garlic and ginger creates an incredible depth of flavour. And the base recipe has no spice so it’s family friendly – you can dial up the heat easily with some hot sauce or chilies.
I love serving this with tofu skewers or tossing it with warm noodles. It makes a great grain bowl dressing and, because we’re friends, I’ll even admit the most unusual way I’ll use it: as a dip with tortilla chips. I know, I know, it sounds so weird but it is freakishly good.
Love deeply flavourful plant-based recipes that don’t take all day to cook? I think you might love my latest plant-based cookbook, Plant Magic!
How to make this 5 minute peanut sauce recipe
When I say easy, I mean it: it takes just 5 minutes to raid the pantry and pop the ingredients into a blender jar or bullet blender and blend it up until it’s silky smooth. Add hot sauce or don’t…it’s perfect as is! It’s thick but pourable and you can add a bit of extra water if you want more of a drizzle consistency.
Step One: Grab these six ingredients! You’ll need natural peanut butter (the kind that is just peanuts and salt) as well as a lime, maple syrup, soy sauce or tamari, a clove of garlic and a bit of ginger as well as some water.
Step Two: add everything with ¼ cup water to a blender jar (for using your immersion blender) or bullet blender and blend for about a minute until everything is super smooth. Don’t have a blender? No problem! Use a bowl, grate in your ginger and garlic and then whisk until smooth.
Step Three: make if your own! Test the consistency: if you want it thinner, add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and blend. Then taste: love it? Great! Want it tangier? Add a touch more lime. Want to tone it down? A touch more maple. Saltier? Add a tiny bit more soy. You can also add some chili garlic sauce or chile flakes to add some heat.
That’s it…so quick, so freaking delicious. Toss it with noodles, drizzle it over baked tofu, sauteed greens or a grain bowl. Use it as a dip for veggies or, like I said, tortilla chips.
Allergies + Swaps: I’m gonna let dietitian me chat for a moment! If you’ve got peanut allergies, this sauce is actually quite delicious with almond or cashew butter. Low FODMAP? You’ve got this: just ditch the garlic and you’re on your way to peanut sauce heaven…if you choose to use hot sauce, watch out for garlic.
More incredible sauces and dressings that make everything more craveable
- Vegan Alfredo Sauce
- Vegan Caesar Dressing (with hemp hearts!)
- Lemon Dijon Dressing
- Garlic Vinaigrette
- Sesame Lime Dressing
Craveable Peanut Sauce with Fresh Ginger
Equipment
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Immersion blender or Bullet Blender or just whisk in a bowl!
Ingredients
- ¾ cup natural peanut butter
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari use GF if gluten free
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice from 1-2 limes
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 clove garlic peeled, omit for low FODMAP
- 1 inch fresh ginger peeled
- ¼ cup water use up to 1/2 cup for a thinner sauce
Instructions
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In a bowl or a small blender jar, add the peanut butter, soy sauce, lime juice, maple syrup and ¼ cup water. If whisking, micrograte the garlic and ginger but if using a blender, just pop ’em in whole!
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Blend (or whisk) vigorously for about a minute, until nice and smooth.
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Now, make it your own: if you want it thinner, blend in extra water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it’s your perfect consistency. Add more zip with extra lime; some heat with chile garlic sauce or dried chile flakes; tone it down with a bit more maple or make it saltier with extra soy sauce!
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The peanut sauce will keep well in a jar in the fridge for about a week. It does thicken, but will soften when warmed. If it separates, just stir it up.
Notes
Peanut free? Try almond or cashew butter instead.
The post Craveable Peanut Sauce with Fresh Ginger appeared first on Desiree Nielsen.
