Spicy Thai Peanut Sauce With Sesame Oil

Chicken skewer dipped in traditional Thai peanut sauce in a white bowl

The Spruce / D.Schmid

Prep: 5 mins
Cook: 0 mins
Total: 5 mins
Servings: 6 servings

Thai sauce is a very versatile tool in the kitchen. Dump it on leftover rice and add frozen veggies. Use it as a salad dressing or a vegetable stir-fry sauce. You pretty much can't go wrong.

This recipe is vegetarian and vegan. If you need it to be gluten-free as well, just use tamari or Bragg's Liquid Aminos in place of the regular soy sauce, as all the other ingredients are gluten-free.

This homemade peanut sauce recipe is made with garlic, soy sauce, ginger and cayenne pepper for a traditional Thai flavor. This recipe for spicy Thai peanut sauce goes with noodles, salad, fried tofu or even a bowl of pasta. Try it poured over steamed veggies for kids.

Ingredients

  • 2/3 cup peanut butter

  • 1/4 cup soy sauce, or tamari

  • 3 cloves garlic, minced

  • 2 green onions, diced

  • 2 tablespoons sesame oil

  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

  • 2 tablespoons lime juice, from about 2 limes

  • 2 tablespoons sesame seeds, optional

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. In a small saucepan over very low heat, whisk together all ingredients until well combined.

  3. Once ingredients are combined, remove from heat and spoon onto your favorite noodle dish or transfer to a small container with a cover and store in the refrigerator.

  4. Enjoy!

Tips

  • If you need to substitute an ingredient or two, it shouldn't be a problem. The essential ingredients are the peanut butter and soy sauce (or tamari). The sesame oil and limes add a significant amount of flavor, but if you need to omit the green onions or use garlic powder instead of fresh, you'll still end up with a mighty tasty homemade peanut sauce.
  • You will notice that this recipe calls for soy sauce or tamari. While the two are similar, there are some definite differences between these two tasty Asian sauces. Tamari is not simply gluten-free soy sauce; it is a Japanese form of soy sauce made without wheat that is made with a byproduct of miso paste. Tamari is darker in color than soy sauce and has a less salty flavor. Consider experimenting with both until you decide which you like more!
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
221 Calories
19g Fat
9g Carbs
7g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6
Amount per serving
Calories 221
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 19g 24%
Saturated Fat 3g 17%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 722mg 31%
Total Carbohydrate 9g 3%
Dietary Fiber 2g 7%
Total Sugars 2g
Protein 7g
Vitamin C 3mg 15%
Calcium 26mg 2%
Iron 1mg 5%
Potassium 248mg 5%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)