Thai Peanut Dressing

Meggan Hill

• Updated

4.98 from 270 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
4.98 from 270 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
Did you make this recipe?Tag @culinaryhill on Instagram so we can admire your masterpiece! #culinaryhill
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Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.

4.98 from 270 votes (215 ratings without comment)

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Comments

    1. Hi Kathryn, the sesame oil imparts a lot of flavor for this dressing. It might be fine without it, but you might have to adjust the recipe a bit. I hope you love it! – Meggan

  2. Amazing recipe!! My go to ALWAYS!! My family and I love this recipe. Thank you.5 stars

    Reply

  3. This is perfection!!! Iโ€™ve been searching for the perfect Thai dressing recipe and this is it! Thank you thank you thank you!5 stars

    Reply

  4. Nice flavor but super โ€œthinโ€ consistency. I wanted to use this in a stir fry I make with chicken and veggies and thought this would end up thicker.3 stars

    Reply

    1. Hi Debbie, thanks for taking the time to write. Sorry it wasn’t the consistency you were looking for. – Meggan

    2. Maybe try whisking some cornstarch and water together, and then whisk that into the dressing to make more of a stir fry sauce instead of a salad dressing?

    1. Hi Alan, yes! Another reader shared they used crunchy peanut butter so there were small crunchy pieces throughout. Take care! – Meggan

    2. Maybe try whisking some cornstarch and water together, and then whisk that into the dressing to make more of a stir fry sauce instead of a salad dressing?

  9. Just what I was looking for however I used ground ginger powder, no garlic and used cayenne pepper.
    Served with shredded red and green cabbage, cucumber, shredded carrot, chickpeas and red pepper.5 stars

    Reply

    1. Hi Cami! This recipe makes 1 cup dressing, enough for 8 servings (2 tablespoons each). 1 recipe of dressing will dress 8-10 cups salad. – Meggan

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