How to Make Thai Peanut Sauce

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This easy-to-make Thai Peanut Sauce is spicy, tangy, creamy and packed with all sorts of amazing flavors - plus it only takes 5 minutes to make!!

And it's SO GOOD. It's just so perfectly creamy, with just the right amounts of tang from the tamarind (more on that later), and some heat from those hot and fiery Thai chilies.

It's seriously so good it can be used on anything...dips, salads, noodles, spring rolls...you name it.

No cooking involved, all to do is mix up the ingredients in a blender and voila - you're ready to partake in the deliciousness.

Ingredients

The main ingredients in this recipe are peanut butter, tamarind, soy sauce, fish sauce, Thai chilies and coconut milk. The full list of ingredients (as well as links to buy if you need them) can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

I recommend using creamy peanut butter to get the creamiest results. If you use chunky, just puree it for a little bit longer to get rid of most of the peanuts.

If you've ready any of my other recipes, you'll know I have a strong preference for Red Boat 40 fish sauce. While you can use any kind in this recipe as the amount required is small, I recommend trying this brand as it is the best. Buy Red Boat 40 (affiliate link). 

For the creamiest result, I always recommend using full fat coconut milk. The light just doesn't have the richness the full fat version has. Most stores carry coconut milk, but if not, you can buy coconut milk here (affiliate link). 

What is Tamarind and What Does it Taste Like?

Tamarind is a pod like fruit with a sweet and tart flavor. Commonly used in Thai, Indian and Mexican cooking, the pulp of the fruit is very sour. Due to its strong flavor, recipes will typically call for only a small amount mixed with sugar to make a little less tart. Buy tamarind pulp (affiliate link).

Step By Step Instructions

Combine all the ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth. If the sauce is too thick, add additional coconut milk until the consistency is right.

Serve this spicy Thai peanut sauce immediately, or store in the refrigerator in a covered container for a up to weeks. 

Is Thai Peanut Sauce Spicy?

Traditional Thai peanut sauce has a good amount of spicy flavor. This recipe can be a spicy or mild as you choose. Thai chilies can be quite spicy, so I typically start with one chili and work my way up to desired spiciness. 

How To Use Peanut Sauce

This sauce is so incredibly versatile, it work great as a dip, salad dressing, pasta sauce, and on grilled meats. 

• Thin it slightly with olive oil (as needed) and use it as a salad dressing. It would be great on this Thai Beef Salad;
• Use it to make peanut noodles. Just cook a package of rice noodles, egg noodles or even spaghetti noodles and mix with this sauce. Thin it with a little coconut milk if you need to;
• Use it as a dip for these Satay Baked Chicken Wings (or any other chicken wings for that matter);
• Use it as a dip for this grilled Beef Satay, or even chicken, pork or shrimp satay;
• Serve it as a dip for raw vegetables, fried tofu or even just crackers;
• Serve it with these Chicken Summer Rolls, these Chicken Lettuce Wraps or these Spring Rolls.

Expert Tips

1. To make it spicier, add additional Thai chilies.
2. Add additional coconut milk to thin the sauce if needed.
3. You can substitute jalapenos for the Thai chilies if you can't find them. You can also just use 1 tablespoon of chili garlic sauce.

Can You Freeze Thai Peanut Sauce?

You totally can! Put the sauce in a sealed container and freeze for up to 3 months. I recommend freezing it in portions so you don't have to thaw out the whole big batch. Thaw in the fridge overnight and use. 

Did you make this Thai peanut sauce? Rate the recipe and leave a comment below to let me know how it turned out!

Thai Peanut Sauce

This easy-to-make Thai peanut sauce is spicy, tangy, creamy and just packed with all sorts of amazing flavors.

5 from 7 votes

Print Rate

Course: sauce

Cuisine: Indonesian, Thai

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes minutes

Servings: 10 servings

Calories: 232kcal

Author: Danielle Wolter

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• ▢ 1 tablespoon tamarind pulp
• ▢ 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• ▢ 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
• ▢ 1-4 Thai chilies depending on spice preference
• ▢ 1 teaspoon fish sauce
• ▢ 2 teaspoons coconut sugar
• ▢ 4 tablespoons oil
• ▢ ½ cup coconut milk
• ▢ 1 tablespoon lime juice

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Instructions

• Combine all the ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth. If the sauce is too thick, add additional coconut milk until the consistency is right.
• Serve immediately, or store in the refrigerator in a covered container for up to 2 weeks.

Expert Tips:

1. To make it spicier, add additional Thai chilies.
2. Add additional coconut milk to thin the sauce if needed.
3. It can be stored in the fridge in a covered container for up 2 weeks.
4. You can substitute jalapenos for the Thai chilies if you can't find them. You can also just use 1 tablespoon of chili garlic sauce.
5. To freeze: Put the sauce in a sealed container and freeze for up to 3 months. I recommend freezing it in portions so you don't have to thaw out the whole big batch. Thaw in the fridge overnight and use. 

Nutrition

Serving: 2tablespoons | Calories: 232kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Sodium: 361mg | Potassium: 221mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 43IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 14mg | Iron: 1mg

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