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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.

Table of Contents
Thai Peanut Sauce Recipe 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
- 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 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.
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Peanut Salad Dressing
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter (see note 1)
- 3 tablespoons rice vinegar (see note 2)
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons honey (see note 3)
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger minced
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
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
- 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).
- Yield: This recipe makes 1 cup dressing, enough for 8 servings (2 tablespoons each). 1 recipe of dressing will dress 8-10 cups salad.
- Storage: Store covered in the refrigerator and use within 4 days.
Yum! Perfect as is…I wouldn’t change a thing 🙂
I’m glad you loved it, Jen! – Meggan
I’ve made 3 other peanut dressing/sauces but this is my fourth and final. Perfect ratio of the ingredients to make it really delicious for many dishes, including salads. Thank you! Nancy
You’re so welcome, Nancy! I’m glad you loved it! 😊 – Meggan
Omg! In love! Delicious!! So fresh and vibrant tasting. I’ve been missing the Trader Joes Asian peanut salad dressing , and this more than makes up for it!!
I’m so glad you love it, Malki! Take care! – Meggan
Brilliant flavors and so easy to make. My new go to for Thai peanut dressing
I’m so glad you loved it, Marianne! Take care! – Meggan
OMG!!!! The BEST peanut dressing everrrrrrr! I want to DRINK it it’s so good! ❤️❤️❤️
Same! I’m so glad you love it, Lisa! Take care! – Meggan
This was amazing! I was looking for a copycat recipe to Trader Joe’s spicy peanut ginger dressing and this is it! I live on a farm, hours away from the nearest Trader Joe’s so this is perfect! Between my daughter and I, we finished the batch in two days. Its wonderful to have an alternative to traditional salad dressings. Off to making another batch after leaving this review. This recipe is sure to be a new staple in the kitchen!
Hi Cherie, thank you so much for the lovely comment! I’m glad you and your daughter loved it! – Meggan
Can you freeze it to keep longer?
Hi Nicole, I haven’t tried to freeze this dressing, but I don’t see why you couldn’t! I would freeze it in something airtight. Take care! – Meggan
Delicious!!! Although, 2 raw cloves of garlic is a bit much, so I used 1 and it was perfect.
I recommend making a double batch!
So glad you loved it, Amy! – Meggan
I was scrolling down to leave a review, thinking to myself, “This is the BOMB!” Turns out, someone else just left the same review, lol. I came to your recipe after TJ’s discontinued their Spicy Thai Vinagrette Dressing (I thought my life was over that day). I tried one other recipe and it was not good. Yours, though, is amazing. I like it even better than TJ’s and that stuff was like crack. Also, I don’t cook much, so I feel really proud of myself for making this from scratch and am hopeful I’ll try cooking more tasty recipes from your site. BTW, I’m vegan and used agave instead of honey – still amazing. Thank you!!!
Hi James! Thank you so much for your comment! You’re so welcome! I’m so glad you love it as much as I do! I’m proud of you too for making something from scratch, it can be challenging so I try to make it as simple as possible. Take care! – Meggan
This dressing is THE BOMB. I’ve been looking for one just like this for years, ever since Trader Joe’s discontinued their Thai-inspired noodle salad with peanut dressing. Can’t believe I’ve finally found it. I used natural-style peanut butter (peanuts and salt only, I think it was Laura Scudders. I left out the honey because I don’t like the sweetness, and I left out the red pepper flakes because….I forgot them. But it turned out absolutely delicious. Thank you so much.
You’re so welcome! It’s so frustrating when products get discontinued. I’m so happy to be able to help! Take care! – Meggan