Easy Thai Peanut Dressing

This creamy Thai peanut dressing is a delicious and healthy addition to drizzle over salad, stir-fry, or your favorite Thai food recipes.

This sauce has the perfect blend of savory and sweet flavors with a dash of tangy lime juice, maple syrup, and fresh ginger.

You can thank my local Thai restaurant for this recipe. They make some of the best noodle dishes, curries, and salads on planet Earth and all of the ingredients are super fresh. No matter my order, I always ask for an extra side of their peanut sauce.

In this post, I’m sharing my homemade version so you can make it at home and have it on hand for an addictive salad dressing or dipping sauce.

Simple Thai Peanut Dressing

I can’t think of a better gift for a fellow peanut butter lover than this Thai peanut dressing recipe. The peanut butter flavor shines through and is further enhanced with soy sauce, ginger, garlic, and chili paste.

It’s a delicious combination that has the power to make you crave something fresh and crunchy, just so you can drizzle it over the top.

What is Thai Peanut Sauce?

Peanut sauce is a salty and savory sauce made from peanut butter, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and just the right amount of spice. It’s most commonly found served with Thai recipes, and really brings out the flavors of cilantro and lime, which are staples in many Thai dishes.

I love a good salad and so I like to make sure that my peanut sauce can double as a peanut dressing for things like my Thai pasta salad.

Thai Peanut Dressing Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make Thai peanut dressing at home: 

• creamy peanut butter: creates a smooth consistency, you can however swap It for crunchy, which will have more texture
• maple syrup or honey: adds a sweet note
• fresh lime juice: brightens the flavor
• soy sauce: brings out the savory flavors. If you need a soy sauce recipe, use coconut aminos
• fresh garlic and ginger: the aromatics for this recipe
• chili paste: to add a little heat, but it’s totally optional if you like to keep things mild
• hot water: to help thin out the peanut butter and create a smooth dressing

How to Make Thai Peanut Dressing

I prefer to make this dressing in a large bowl with a whisk, just so I know everything is well combined and cohesive. However, if you want to toss everything in a blender or food processor, that works too! 

1. Combine
   In a medium to large bowl, combine the peanut butter, maple syrup or honey, lime juice, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and chili paste.
2. Add water
   Add 1 tablespoon hot water, and using a whisk or fork, stir the ingredients until a smooth sauce forms. 
3. Tweak
   If you prefer a thinner dressing, add additional hot, a tablespoon at a time, until the desired consistency is achieved. 
4. Transfer
   Using a large spoon or scraping spatula, transfer the dressing from the bowl to a lidded jar or airtight container. Make sure to scrape the sides to get every last drop. 

How to Serve Thai Peanut Dressing

It won’t take too long for this Thia peanut dressing to disappear and before long you’ll be planning dinners and lunches around it. Here are a few ideas to get you started: 

• Thai Peanut Lettuce Cups
• Chicken & Broccoli Stir-fry
• As a dip for Pan-Seared Chicken
• As a sauce for Thai Chicken Bowls
• Drizzle over Thai Chicken Pasta Salad

Just as I show you how to prepare this sauce and provide recipes to use with it throughout the week, I’ve got even more ideas just like this in my Meal Prep’d eBook.

Not only will you find healthy and satisfying meals for lunch and dinner, but I also show you how to prep them ahead so they stay fresh and ready to be assembled. 

How to Store this Peanut Butter Salad Dressing

Thai peanut butter salad dressing can be stored in an airtight container and refrigerated for up to 4 days – if it’s not devoured before then.

As the dressing sits, you may notice it getting slightly darker, but this is to be expected and can be fixed by giving it a quick whisk before serving to reincorporate the ingredients.

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