This Asian-inspired peanut sauce is packed full of savory, rich, and citrusy flavor and comes together in less than 10 minutes! Learn how to make this peanut sauce and what to pair it with juicy meat skewers, crispy lettuce wraps, or even air-fried tofu.
Where’s peanut sauce from?
While many associate peanut or satay sauce with Thail or Sinaporean food, peanut sauce actually originated from Indonesian cuisine. Indonesians would pair the peanut sauce with satay (meat skewers influenced by Arab migrants). Later on, satay and its dipping sauce influenced other parts of Southeast Asia.
There are now many peanut sauce varieties, depending on where you are. One of the most popular versions of this peanut sauce is from Thailand. This sauce differs from Vietnamese peanut sauce because the Vietnamese version is much sweeter and has a base of hoisin sauce.
This peanut sauce is more similar to the Thai version of satay peanut sauce because it’s slightly sweeter. It’s made up of roasted and ground peanuts, coconut milk, tamarind, soy sauce, galangal, lemongrass, and lots of spices and peppers.
Ingredients in this peanut sauce
This Thai-inspired peanut sauce recipe uses unsalted, smooth peanut butter to make it easier than pounding fresh roasted peanuts. I like using the brand Once Again because it’s organic and has a nice consistency that doesn’t separate the oils from the peanuts.
The rest of the ingredients offer a range of savory, sweet, and citrusy flavors to the peanut sauce:
- Coconut milk – This is the base of our sauce and adds a nutty and light flavor to it.
- Red curry paste – this paste makes such a difference in the flavor because it’s full of spices and herbs, like chili pepper, lemongrass, shallots, galangal, and Makrut lime. You can easily find these in most Asian stores or online, like Amazon [BRYAN ADD LINK ONCE ON WORDPRESS]. I like using the Maesri brand in small cans.
- Fresh lime juice – adds a citrusy and tangy balance to the rich sauce. You can also add other types of citrus, like yuzu or lemons.
- Oyster sauce – for savory and sweet seasonings.
- Palm sugar – adds the right amount of sweetness to the sauce. The key to adding palm sugar is the weigh out your measurements because palm sugar often comes in pre portioned blocks. One teaspoon is 7 grams of palm sugar. I also like to grate or slice the palm sugar thinly with a knife so it dissolves faster.
- Grated garlic and grated ginger – give us aromatic and spicy flavors. You have the option to mince these ingredients if you prefer a less bold flavor.
- Fish sauce – to add an umami saltiness to the sauce.
Making the peanut sauce
You only need a small saute pan and a whisk to make this easy and homemade peanut sauce. I like to warm the coconut milk over medium heat and add all the other ingredients. Whisk the ingredients together until all of the sugar is dissolved and the peanut butter and curry paste are fully incorporated.
I like to continue cooking for 2-3 minutes to thicken the sauce to a consistency of pudding, but you can stop once it’s fully warmed up. If your Thai peanut sauce is too thick, add more coconut milk to thin the consistency. You can also add water if you prefer too.
Prep ahead & reheating
You can prep this peanut sauce and keep it in the fridge for 3-5 days in a food storage container. I like using glass jars with rubber rings and tight-fitting lids so as not to stain plastic because curry paste has this tendency.
Note, the sauce will also thicken in the fridge, and the flavors will marinate the longer it’s fridged, so it may be even better the day after. Once ready to use it again, heat it over the stove for about 2 minutes and then serve. Again, if you find the sauce is too thick after reheating, you can also dilute it with coconut milk or water.
What do you eat peanut sauce with?
There are so many different things you can eat this sauce with. Here are some examples:
- Meat skewers
- Lumpia Shanghai Recipe (Crispy Filipino Spring Rolls)
- Vietnamese Spring Rolls Recipe (Gỏi Cuốn)
- Veggie Kabobs (Grilled Vegetable Skewers)
- Crispy Air Fryer Tofu or Crispy Fried Tofu
- Lettuce cups
Peanut Sauce Recipe (Asian & Thai Inspired)
Ingredients
- ½ c coconut milk
- ¼ c smooth peanut butter unsalted
- 2 tbsp red curry paste
- 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
- ½ tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp palm sugar
- 1 tsp grated garlic
- 1 tsp grated ginger
- ¼ tsp fish sauce
Equipment Used
- knife and cutting board
- measuring cups and spoons
- saute pan
- spatula
- grater
Instructions
- In a sauce pot over medium heat, warm and stir the ½ c coconut milk for one minute bringing it to a light simmer (but not boil).
- Add the remaining ingredients: 2 tbsp red curry paste, ¼ c smooth peanut butter, 1 tbsp fresh lime juice, ½ tbsp oyster sauce, 1 tsp grated garlic, 1 tbsp palm sugar, 1 tsp grated ginger, and ¼ tsp fish sauce. Whisk until fully incorporated.
- Cook for 2-3 minutes or thickened to pudding texture. Note that it will thicken after cooling, so don’t cook the sauce down any longer than 5 minutes.
- Taste the sauce and adjust the ingredients if necessary. The sauce should be very savory, slightly sweet, and very flavorful, so it pairs well with any skewered meat or even raw veggies. It should taste almost too potent to eat by itself.
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