I was really craving a good creamy-spicy peanut sauce this week, so I thought I’d try my hand at making one. What I came up with is based on Thai peanut sauce, but using the ingredients I had on hand. While it’s not authentic by any means, it’s super delicious with complex flavors that left me wanting to drink it with a spoon. AH-MAZ-ING. Plus it’s versatile. I used it as a salad dressing, pasta sauce, and as a flavorful drizzle over a rice pilaf.
Spicy Peanut Sauce
Adjust the Heat
If you do not have sriracha sauce, you can use red pepper flakes. Again, begin with a small amount and add more until it is as hot as you’d like. Remember, when using dried spices, the sauce will get spicier as it refrigerates and the flakes rehydrate.
How to Use Leftover Coconut Milk
My recipe calls for 1/4 cup of coconut milk which is only about 1/8th of a can. If you are looking for something to do with the rest of it (because no one likes to throw stuff away, especially delicious coconut milk), you can make some Savory Coconut Rice with the remainder. It is also really tasty when poured over oatmeal with fruit and nuts. If you make smoothies, coconut milk will add a lot of creaminess and a tropical flavor!
Tips for Using Fresh Ginger
When buying fresh ginger, don’t be shy about breaking off a small nub from the large roots they have at the grocery store. It is perfectly acceptable. I never use a lot of ginger so I always just break off an inch or two so that I’m not paying for more than I need. Ginger is easily peeled with a regular vegetable peeler and then you can grate it using the smallest side of a cheese grater.
Try These Authentic Peanut Sauce Recipes
As I mentioned above, this is just sort of my “wing it with what I have” version of peanut sauce. If you want to try an authentic peanut sauce, check out these awesome recipes (various versions from various countries):
- Satay and Peanut Sauce from Hot Thai Kitchen
- Vietnamese Peanut Dipping Sauce from Vickie Pham
- All Purpose Peanut Sauce from The Woks of Life
Spicy Peanut Sauce
Servings 8 (1/4 cup ea.)Ingredients
- 3/4 cup natural style peanut butter ($0.82)
- 1/4 cup coconut milk, optional ($0.16)
- juice from 1/2 a lime ($0.17)
- 1 inch fresh ginger, peeled, grated (optional) ($0.24)
- 1 clove garlic, minced ($0.06)
- 1 tsp sriracha sauce, rooster hot sauce ($0.05)
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce ($0.03)
- 1/2 tsp sesame oil, optional ($0.02)
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar ($0.03)
- 1/4 bunch cilantro ($0.17)
- 1/4 - 1/2 cup water ($0.00)
Instructions
- Make sure your natural style peanut butter is thoroughly mixed before measuring (you don’t want to get all oil or all solids). In a blender or food processor combine all of the ingredients except the sriracha sauce. Begin with only 1/4 cup of water and add more until you get the consistency you want (I used 1/2 cup total). Add the sriracha sauce a little at a time (blending between) until it is to your desired heat (I used about 1/2 tsp).
- Enjoy the peanut sauce on salads, pasta or as a dipping sauce!
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!
A fantastic sauce. I’m finally commenting because I decided to use the version without coconut milk as a dressing for a salad wrap (kale, chicken, yellow bell pepper, fresh coriander, mango). Delicious, and definitely something that I will make again.
this is delicious! I had a half can of coconut milk and a bunch of cilantro that needed to be eaten ASAP. I did not have lime juice or ginger, but I did have a jar of sushi ginger, so I used a big splash of the liquid from that. I am serving it with baked tofu, coconut brown rice, and roasted broccoli. I also was too lazy to get out my food processor, so I used my stick blender and it worked just fine.
Just wanted to note that I freeze fresh ginger, and it holds up well. For peeling, using the edge of a spoon works wonders. You don’t lose as much of the flesh.
I love this site and have probably made over 30 recipes. I also share it widely. Thanks Beth and Budget bytes team!
Good quick peanut sauce. Nice balance between heat and sweet. I had some brown rice ramen, chop salad, and boneless chicken breast. The peanut sauce was a great sauce for it all!
Put this on a stir fry and it was so good, also added a bit of red chili paste to give it some heat.
Yummy! Thanks Brooke for sharing.
This is a go-to sauce in our house! One of our favorite uses is to bake a spaghetti squash, saute some broccoli and red peppers, and mix it all together. If we have some on hand, I also mix in some roasted cashews!
I am allergic to all forms of citrus. Could anything be substituted for the lime? Possibly pineapple juice or vinegar of some sort?
Personally I feel like the lime is critical to the flavor in this one. You might be able to get away with some sort of mild vinegar, but the lime flavor really makes this one pop.
Rice vinegar is a decent substitute! I’ve found it can help add a fruity tartness in place of lemons and limes, however though mild it does still have a faint vinegar aroma.
Oops, I forgot a couple of things when I made my first comment: the gas used for cooking, and the water and dish detergent used for washing dishes. It’s still an inexpensive recipe, but I am just saying that your figures are not complete or accurate.
Well, she does price all the recopies based on FOOD. Not housing expenses. That is our thing to figure. No need to get nit-picky. We all know her recipes are delicious.
There is also the cost of the internet connection and the computer to view the recipes. ;) It could go on and on but I think the typical convention is to just list the cost of the ingredients that you end up eating. You aren’t (strictly speaking) wrong, but it would be kind of extraneous to list all of that in a recipe.
Looking forward to trying this sauce. Tonight we are making your egg roll recipe and we are using the “quick peanut sauce”…but I think we will do this one next. Thanks!
Really??????? You’re going to criticize a recipe because it didn’t factor in the cost of gas and clean up????? Do you see thismlisted in ANY recipe ANYWHERE????? Maybe we should all send Rachel Rae or other Top Chefs a note stating they need to include this info when advising how to cook an affordable meal? Or are you just trying to be a mean girl???? Tsk tsk
You say water costs $0.00. I’ve got news for you – water is not free.
But the amount used is definitely less than $0.01. Prices are approximate and are only for demonstrative purposes.
Sounds delicious! Can’t wait to try. If I can just add a couple of tips …. ginger freezes well. I put the whole ginger in a plastic bag in the freezer . Use a grater or sharp knife to remove small portions. Coconut milk and cream also freeze well.
Excellent recipe! Another budget tip: coconut milk freezes well, too. Use what you need, pour the rest into a plastic container and freeze.
Great sauce! We have used this recipe now for about a year as our stir fry sauce. I dropped out the sugar (don’t need it) and the cilantro (don’t like it) and added 1 tsp tamarind paste to give it more thai flair. Thank you so much for this!
Could you make a big batch and freeze it, like in single servings?? Thanks!
Hmm, I’m honestly not sure how well this would freeze. I’ve never tried to freeze this kind of sauce before.
Oh, also, I did grate the ginger and mince the garlic, but otherwise didn’t blend or puree the sauce at all. I also used crunchy peanut butter, which adds in little chunks of peanut throughout, which I like :)
This sauce is seriously SO. GOOD.
I’ve made it a couple of times, both times adding a bit more liquid to make it coat noodles more easily.
I also left out the brown sugar, as I tend to add in sauteed red bell peppers, frozen green pea+carrot mix, and caramelized onion, which all add some sweetness.
I also toss in a little tofu to up the fillingness, and serve it over soba noodles (which add an awesome earthiness).
Great recipe that I’m SO glad I found!
Whats the shelf life for this?
Probably five days or so in the fridge.
Finally, I have a hint I can share!
You can load up on fresh ginger root when you see it for a good price and FREEZE it!! Yes, you can!!
I just stick it in a zip-top bag and store it in my freezer, and when I’m ready, I run it across my microplane grater into whatever I’m making. It tastes just as fresh as when you bought it, and I’m pretty sure it keeps forever this way.
Nothing beats the taste of fresh ginger in a sauce like this — or in your Sesame Ginger Dressing, which I would eat like pudding if my family wasn’t watching. ;-)
WOW! I’ve tried many of your recipes and they’ve all been wonderful, so I shouldn’t be so surprised at how good this sauce is, but WOW! This stuff is dangerous. Mainly because I nearly sliced my tongue licking the blades of my food processor. (Don’t try this at home, kids.) All kidding aside, thank you Beth for sharing not only this but all your wonderful recipes. You’ve renewed my love of cooking!
I love you for saying that about ginger. I almost always break up the larger piece of ginger in the store but feel guilty about it; now I won’t! Thank you.
How much lime juice? 1/2 of a lime?
Yep, half a lime. I just fixed the recipe to reflect, thanks!
Just made this. Thanks for the recipe and LOVE your blog. I added more lime juice than required. Super yummy!
Needed to add about 1/4 to 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar, 3 more cloves of garlic and 2 more tbsp of soy sauce and this recipe is delicious! Thanks for sharing!!!
What are some substitutes for coconut milk?
I really can’t think of anything that would be an appropriate substitute, unfortunately… The coconut milk is one of the major flavor elements here and what gives it that Thai flavor.
Love it! I added a little more brown sugar though because I like sweet over spicy!
Didn’t have any ginger or soy sauce on hand, but I still think it came out pretty delicious.
Coconut milk, why have I not tried you sooner? So creamy…
Steph – I think the sauce would taste quite a bit more sweet and won’t have as strong of a peanut flavor… that being said, it might still be tasty :) I say give it a shot!
Beth,
How well do you think this will work with regular ol’ Jif? I normally buy natural pb but am visiting my boyfriend right now and want to buy the fewest ingredients possible!
I have made peanut sauce before, and my kids liked it decently. I made this recipe tonight, and was shocked,.. SHOCKED when my 3 year old devoured his dinner. I served it on whole wheat pasta and mixed in some steamed broccoli. Now, these are things that he will eat, albeit somewhat reluctantly…. Tonight, he asked for seconds and polished off every last bit. I am sold.
This looks so simple and tasty, I can’t wait to try it!
Tip: Easiest way to grate ginger is to scrape with a spoon. That way you can get into all the crevices easily
YUM! So delicious and so simple. Your tip to use the remainder of the coconut milk for rice was spot on – a perfect combo. Thanks!
This was so good and so simple! Thanks for posting!!
P.s
Found you on Pinterest. :)
what about shredded coconut?
I just made this sauce this weekend….WHOA! I pulled out all of the ingredients you have listed here and started with your proportions but then added a bit more of certain things here and there. Also, I used honey instead of brown sugar. YUM! It’s AMAZING!!! I’ve been putting it on EVERYTHING but the tastiest thing I’ve made was thai peanut coleslaw… I just bought bagged coleslaw mix and used the sauce instead of mayo. So Delicious!
You can try ‘coconut cream powder’. It’s a dry version of coconut milk (mix with water, or just put straight into your sauce). Therefore, you won’t have to waste that can of coconut milk or open a whole can just to make this =)
I am reserving a bit of coconut milk from today’s meal just for this recipe. I’ve made a variety of peanut sauces, and I must say, none of them have failed–surely because my husband and I are peanut fiends. But I love to try your recipes, as they are always right up my alley!
I use honey instead of brown sugar
add a pinch of red chilli flakes
I made this last night, and while it was very peanuty, it was lacking some flavor. I forgot to add the 1 tsp of hot sauce while cooking, but afterwards my husband and I had to add a lot of hot sauce onto our noodles to get that kick. I even added extra coconut milk to make it creamier too. Not sure what went wrong, but next time I may add some fish sauce and more(!) hot sauce to it as well.
You have never, ever failed me. This was delicious!!! I cannot wait to consume this all week long for lunch :)
This does freeze great! I got it passed on to me in a freezer meal swap and my family all loved it. We had it hot over noodles and then ate the leftovers as a cold pasta salad.
I just made a batch of this, and one dunked finger convinced me that it is the loveliest peanut sauce I have tasted outside Asia! I did add a wee bit of fish sauce though, and a wee bit more coconut milk than required, but YUM> :-)
This looks amazing, can’t wait to try it!
On a side note, if you don’t want to buy just a small chunk of ginger root, just keep the unused portion wrapped in saran wrap in the freezer. It makes it much easier to grate and lasts for a long time. I go through a ton with my love of asian dishes. :)
I would not keep it longer than 5-7 days in the refrigerator. Although I have not tried to freeze it, I bet it would work great!
How long will this keep?
I just made this- very interesting and very good!
I used to be a total chicken with fish sauce too. I hate the smell of it but it really does add a wonderful flavour. I have to admit that I usually only use half the amount called for though.
i know… i know… let me tell you a secret: i have a bottle of fish sauce in my cabinet that i contemplated using in this recipe (a lot of recipes that i saw had fish sauce) BUT i have never used it and i’m a little bit intimidated by it… so i left it out. i need to just dive in and use it in something so i can get acquainted the flavor!
I’m surprised there’s no fish sauce there :)