This all-purpose peanut sauce can be a life-saver when the last thing you want to do is cook an elaborate meal!
Tasty on Everything
This peanut sauce is great on almost anything. Tossed with noodles, drizzled over veggies, meats, or tofu, or served as a sauce for all your favorite dippables like summer rolls, chicken satay, or pan-fried dumplings.
If you saw my recent peanut noodle recipe, this all-purpose sauce goes hand in hand. It really is one of those things that’s deceptively simple, but it can be challenging to get right.
The key is not skipping out on the extra flavor TLC of fresh garlic and ginger.
This Sauce is Customizable (But Try the Fish Sauce!)
This peanut sauce is highly customizable. For example, I know that fish sauce is an ingredient that people love to hate, but it really adds a delicious umami edge that sets this recipe apart from others. I promise that any fishiness recedes to the background—it’s just like cooking with anchovies!
That said, it could easily be omitted if you’re looking to make this a fully plant-based recipe. Or you can sub in vegan fish sauce!
Other adjustments you can make are your choice of soy sauce, how much sesame oil you include, and whether you add in some choice additional flavor agents like lime juice, chili oil, and/or sriracha.
Experiment, and make it your own!
Peanut Sauce Recipe Instructions
Add all of the ingredients (garlic, ginger, peanut butter, soy sauce, fish sauce, sesame oil) and any optional add-ins into a small bowl.
Add the hot water, and stir to combine until you have a smooth sauce. Alternatively, you can make this in a food processor for a smoother texture.
Enjoy this sauce on noodles, veggie noodles, tofu, grilled meats, vegetables, wontons or dumplings, salads, summer rolls, and more!
All Purpose Peanut Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ginger (minced or grated)
- 1/3 cup peanut butter (creamy or chunky are both fine; 1/3 cup = 80g)
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons fish sauce (omit to make this vegan or substitute with vegan fish sauce)
- 1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil (or to taste)
- 2-3 tablespoons hot water (to your desired consistency)
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients into a small bowl. Add the hot water, and stir to combine until you have a smooth sauce. Alternatively, you can make this in a food processor for a smoother texture.
Should you shortly fry the garlic and ginger?
Hi Caspar, certainly! You could also add it to a heat proof bowl before the other ingredients, then superheat some high smoke point oil and pour it over the garlic and ginger. Takes the raw edge off but still leaves a strong garlicky and gingery flavor.
For even more flavor, use fermented garlic. Better still, use honey fermented garlic.
Hi Brenda, that’s an interesting addition! One day we will have to give it a try.
I added lime to the peanut sauce, and will add some chili oil next time I make it. Thanks for all the delicious recipes!
Thanks, Deana!
Just curious, is this the type of peanut sauce they use over cherng fun rice rolls? TIA
Hi Sam, not quite–this has more of a southeast asian bent given the lime and the fish sauce. But I’m sure it would still be tasty!
This recipe looks awesome but for some of us who can’t eat peanuts, I suggest try using sunflower butter… I used it as a substitute for the peanut butter and it worked just as well… Sunflower butter comes in both smooth and crunchy and it is sold where the peanut butter is in your local supermarkets!
Great tip, Sharon!
This sauce is amazing! It really hit the spot for me.
Thanks, Elaine!
Thanks for sharing your recipe. I used what I had on hand. Peanut Butter, sweet thick soy sauce, oyster sauce, dark sesame oil and unseasoned rice vinegar. It was thick and delicious and went well with the shrimp and with the crab rangoon. I will be making more add adding a little ginger and lime juice.
Thank you, Patty! Glad you liked it and now you know how to make it to your exact liking next time! :)