This blender Peanut Sauce Recipe transforms a bowl of noodles or rice into a flavorful main dish that will make you feel like you’ve ordered takeout. It even helps rice stick together so it’s easier for toddlers to eat!
Easy Peanut Sauce
This sauce is one of my go-to toppings to dress up basic ingredients from chicken and shrimp to grains and noodles. It’s easy to make ahead of time and stores well in the fridge, and instantly makes a plan dinner taste impressively delicious. And, all you need to do to make it is to stir the ingredients together, so it’s easy to make as well.
Ingredients You Need
To make this easy peanut sauce you’ll need:
- sesame oil (toasted if possible)
- rice vinegar
- soy sauce (or tamari if you need to be gluten-free; reduced-sodium if possible)
- maple syrup
- creamy peanut butter
- ground ginger
- fresh garlic
TIP: These ingredients keep in the pantry for months, so if you don’t often use one of the Asian ingredients, you will have plenty of time to try them in new recipes!
Using this Peanut Sauce as a Dipping Sauce
It would be delicious with spring rolls, shrimp, chicken tenders, or really any steamed veggie. (My kids have even been known to dip scrambled eggs into it, oddly enough!)
Step-by-Step Instructions
Here’s a look at the simple process involved in making this sauce.
- Grate the garlic on a fine microplane. (photo 1)
- Add it to a medium bowl with the rest of the ingredients. (photo 2)
- Stir and keep stirring. It will look clumpy and not so great at first, but I promise you, all that means is that you need to keep stirring! (photo 3)
- Once it starts to come together into a smooth sauce, add a little more water if needed to thin it out—this may depend on what you plan to do with the peanut sauce. (photo 4)
What should I use peanut sauce with?
We love peanut sauce with rice noodles, over chicken, over rice, or even over shredded cabbage salad. It’s mild and versatile and is a great sauce to keep on hand in the fridge to liven up basic ingredients like grains, poultry, fish, and veggies.
How long can I store this sauce in the fridge?
You can store this sauce in an airtight container like a mason jar for up to 5 days. It does thicken as it sits in the fridge, so you may want or need to stir in a little water to get it to the desired consistency—thinner if you plan to drizzle it is likely better!
Tips for Making the Best Peanut Sauce
- Stir the sauce together until it’s well combined.
- Use the blender to make the sauce and throw in a handful of spinach or kale to add nutrients.
- Thin with water as needed—add water and stir until it’s totally incorporated—if it’s too thick to easily drizzle over food. It will firm up a bit when stored in the fridge so you may need to thin it out before using if you make it ahead or have leftovers.
- You can store a knob of fresh ginger in a freezer bag in the freezer and grate it (still frozen) into the bowl.
- Use Sunbutter or almond butter as needed/desired.
Please comment below with feedback if you try the recipe. I’d love to hear what your family thinks!
Easy Peanut Sauce
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup creamy unsweetened peanut butter
- 1/3 cup brown rice vinegar
- 1/3 cup water
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce (or tamari)
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger (or 1-inch grated fresh ginger)
- 1 clove garlic (grated on a microplane)
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a medium bowl. Stir until the sauce is a uniformly creamy consistency, which may take 30-60 seconds. Keep stirring if it looks separated or chunky—it will come together, I promise!
- Serve tossed with noodles or shredded Napa cabbage, drizzled over chicken or shrimp, or as a dipping sauce for steamed veggies.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days.
Equipment
Notes
- Stir the sauce together until it's well combined.
- Use the blender to make the sauce and throw in a handful of spinach or kale to add nutrients.
- Thin with water as needed—add water and stir until it's totally incorporated—if it's too thick to easily drizzle over food. It will firm up a bit when stored in the fridge so you may need to thin it out before using if you make it ahead or have leftovers.
- You can store a knob of fresh ginger in a freezer bag in the freezer and grate it (still frozen) into the bowl.
- Use Sunbutter or almond butter as needed/desired.
I just made this and it was delicious thank you!
Can you use this sauce to stir fry as well or is it just for dipping/used as dressing?
Thank you!
you can totally use it with a stir fry. It’s better added at the end of cooking though, not used as a cooking liquid.
What would you suggest as a substitute if I can’t find brown rice vinegar?
You could use a little lime juice
For the creamy PB, should it have salt in it? Sugar in it? Or can it be peanut only?
I use Smuckers natural or Teddies, which are just peanuts and salt.
Can you freeze this sauce?
Yes! In an airtight container for up to 3 months.