Thai Peanut Dressing

Meggan Hill

• Updated

4.99 from 269 votes

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This easy, delicious Thai Peanut Dressing is made from mostly pantry ingredients and is delicious on salads, grilled chicken, or for dipping your favorite appetizers.

A bowl of Thai peanut dressing.


 

Table of Contents

  1. Thai Peanut Sauce Recipe Ingredients
  2. How to Make Thai Peanut Sauce
  3. Recipe tips and variations
  4. Storage
  5. Peanut Salad Dressing Recipe

Thai Peanut Sauce Recipe Ingredients

Labeled Thai peanut dressing ingredients.

At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.

  • Peanut butter: I love Crazy Richard’s brand peanut butter because it is made with only peanuts (no added sugars or palm oil) and they support American peanut farmers, using only 100% US-grown peanuts. If you’re ambitious, you can certainly make homemade peanut butter which might be even better.
  • Rice vinegar: Or substitute apple cider vinegar.
  • Honey: For a vegan version, substitute agave nectar or maple syrup (the flavor will change).

How to Make Thai Peanut Sauce

  1. In a small bowl, whisk together peanut butter, rice vinegar, soy sauce, honey, lime juice, ginger, sesame oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes.
A bowl with ingredients for Thai peanut dressing.
  1. Season to taste with salt and pepper (I like 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper). If the dressing is too thick, thin with water, 1 teaspoon at a time.
A bowl of Thai peanut dressing.

Recipe tips and variations

  • Yield: This recipe makes 1 cup dressing, enough for 8 servings (2 tablespoons each). 1 recipe of dressing will dress 8-10 cups salad.
  • Make the dressing your own: Substitute almond butter for the peanut butter, make it creamier with a splash of coconut milk, or dial up the heat with more red chili flakes.
  • Rainbow Thai Salad: This Thai Peanut Dressing is divine on this Rainbow Thai Salad made with colorful vegetables, fresh herbs, sweet mango, and crunchy peanuts.
  • Vietnamese Spring Rolls: Thai Peanut Dressing makes the most delicious dipping sauce for Vietnamese Spring Rolls. These fresh, summery rolls have lettuce, carrots, cucumber, cellophane noodles, tofu, bean sprouts, mint, and cilantro rolled inside paper-thin rice paper.
  • How to make a vegan Thai peanut dressing: For a vegan version, substitute agave nectar or maple syrup for the honey (the flavor will change).
  • Can I use a different nut butter instead of peanut butter: Feel free to substitute almond butter, cashew butter, or any other nut butter as you see fit. Just know the flavor will change.
  • More homemade sauces: For more Asian-inspired sauces, discover my easy homemade Teriyaki glaze, Vietnamese Nuoc Cham, or Ginger Sauce.

Storage

Store covered in the refrigerator and use within 4 days.

Put your dressing to work

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A bowl of Thai peanut dressing.

Peanut Salad Dressing

By Meggan Hill
This easy, delicious Thai Peanut Dressing is made from mostly pantry ingredients and is delicious on salads, grilled chicken, or for dipping your favorite appetizers.
Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Servings 8 servings (2 tbsp each)
Course Pantry, Salad
Cuisine Asian, Thai
Calories 74
4.99 from 269 votes
ReviewPrint

Ingredients 

Instructions 

  • In a small bowl, whisk together peanut butter, rice vinegar, soy sauce, honey, lime juice, ginger, sesame oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Season to taste with salt and pepper (I like 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper). If the dressing is too thick, thin with water, 1 teaspoon at a time.

Recipe Video

Notes

  1. Peanut butter: I love Crazy Richard’s brand peanut butter because it is made with only peanuts (no added sugars or palm oil) and they support American peanut farmers, using only 100% US-grown peanuts. If you’re ambitious, you can certainly make homemade peanut butter which might be even better.
  2. Rice vinegar: Or substitute apple cider vinegar.
  3. Honey: For a vegan version, substitute agave nectar or maple syrup (the flavor will change).
  4. Yield: This recipe makes 1 cup dressing, enough for 8 servings (2 tablespoons each). 1 recipe of dressing will dress 8-10 cups salad.
  5. Storage: Store covered in the refrigerator and use within 4 days.

Nutrition

Serving: 2 tbspCalories: 74kcalCarbohydrates: 7gProtein: 3gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 290mgPotassium: 77mgFiber: 1gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 20IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 7mgIron: 1mg
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4.99 from 269 votes (215 ratings without comment)

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Comments

  1. I made this dressing for a chicken salad we had for dinner tonight. It was perfect … easy to make using staples I keep on hand and absolutely delicious! I’ve made a lot of Thai peanut dressings and I think this is my new favorite (and my husband’s also)!5 stars

    Reply

  2. I love how simple this is! I actually just tried to make an Thai dressing last week that required me to buy six new oils and vinegars etc and I decided against it. This is so much better and cheaper!!5 stars

    Reply

  3. This was perfect absolutely delicious – I’ve tried other recipes didn’t work.  Looking forward to checking other recipes!  🙂5 stars

    Reply

    1. Hi Claudia, the only prep that is needed is to mince it before adding it. It also works fine to use jarred ginger or ginger paste. -Meggan

    1. Thank you Geri! It makes 1 cup (8 servings, 2 tablespoons each). I hope you love it! -Meggan

    2. This had a very nice flavor, and I am making it again. I have a question: each time I got it out of the refrigerator when I made it before, the peanut butter had settled to the bottom and was not able to be blended into the remainder by shaking. The last salad was mostly covered by PB with a nice flavor. Please suggest a remedy!5 stars

    3. So sorry that happened! Your best bet would either be to pour it into a bowl (scraping the peanut butter out of the jar) and whisk it vigorously, or scrape everything into a blender or food processor to recombine. The blender sounds like a lot of work in my opinion so I think the bowl/whisk option is easier. Sorry for the hassle! Thank you! – Meggan

    1. Per official food safety rules, it’s 4 days. But if you feel comfortable keeping in the fridge for a little longer… like a week… you could totally get away with that. But officially, the CDC (and my food safety manager certification) says 4 days. Thanks!