Peanut Dressing
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This peanut dressing is creamy, savory and just a little sweet, with fresh ginger, garlic and tamari. It’s ready in 5 minutes and good on just about everything.
I’ve been on a serious peanut sauce mission for years, trying to nail a homemade Thai-inspired version that hits every note of the peanut sauces I love from restaurants. This is the recipe I’ve landed on and it’s the one I make on repeat.
The magic is in the little details: tamari instead of regular soy sauce for a deeper umami base, fresh ginger and garlic for real depth of flavor and just enough maple syrup and rice vinegar to balance out the richness of the peanut butter. Whisk it up in 5 minutes and you’ve got the perfect sweet, savory, tangy Thai-style dressing. Use it on my kale sweet potato brown rice bowl or as a dip for my fresh spring rolls.
Table of Contents
“This was great and so easy to put together. We made Pad Thai with it. It was wonderful.”
Why I Love This Peanut Dressing
- Dressing and sauce in one jar: Whisk it thin and it coats a salad. Leave it thick and it is a dip or a sauce for noodles. The consistency is entirely up to you and you control it with water.
- Naturally vegan and gluten-free: With tamari instead of soy sauce, it works for just about everyone at the table without a single substitution.
- A true family favorite: This is the recipe my family requests on repeat. It goes on salads, noodles, tofu, and anything else I can talk them into eating it with, and it has been that way for years now.
Ingredients and Substitutions
Here’s what you’ll need for this easy peanut dressing:
- peanut butter – the base and the star. Use natural peanut butter with just peanuts and salt, skipping the added oils and sugar.
- fresh ginger – don’t skip it. Fresh ginger adds a warm, bright bite that makes the whole dressing.
- garlic – fresh is best here for that savory punch.
- rice vinegar – adds the acidity that keeps the dressing from being cloying. Rice vinegar is milder and slightly sweeter than most vinegars which is exactly what you want against peanut butter.
- low sodium tamari – brings the salty, savory umami backbone. Tamari is naturally gluten-free which makes it my default here.
- maple syrup – a touch of sweetness to balance the savory and tang.
- cayenne pepper – optional but I almost always add a pinch. It is not enough to make the dressing spicy, just enough to give it a little warmth on the back end.
Find the full ingredient list with measurements in the recipe card below.
Recipe Substitutions
- Nut butter: Almond or cashew butter both work beautifully and give you a slightly milder result. For a nut-free version, sunflower seed butter is the best swap and holds up surprisingly well.
- No rice vinegar? Apple cider vinegar works if that is what you have, though it is sharper so start with a little less and taste as you go.
- Tamari: Regular soy sauce is a direct swap if you do not need it gluten-free. Coconut aminos work too and are noticeably sweeter and lower in sodium, so you may want to pull back slightly on the maple syrup.
- Sweetener swap: Honey is a straight swap. A pitted medjool date blended in also works if you want to sweeten it with whole food only, though you will need a blender for that one.
How to Make this Peanut Dressing
You can make this dressing two ways. Whisk it together in a bowl if you want to keep it quick and simple, or blend it for a smoother, more cohesive dressing. I personally reach for my blender since it pulls the garlic and ginger all the way in.
Step 1: Add all ingredients to a bowl or blender.
Step 2: Whisk or blend until smooth, adding water a little at a time until it reaches the consistency you like.
Brittany’s Tips
- Grate your ginger instead of chopping it: If you are whisking rather than blending, a microplane gets you fine ginger that disappears into the dressing instead of leaving fibrous bits behind.
- Watch your sodium if that matters to you: Between the tamari and the salt in most peanut butters, this can add up fast. Use low sodium tamari and an unsalted or lightly salted peanut butter and you will bring it down significantly without losing any flavor.
What to Serve with a Peanut Dressing
Once you make this you are going to find reasons to use it. Here is where it goes in my kitchen:
- Tossed with noodles: This is my favorite use for it. Thin it slightly and toss it with my soba noodle salad or any cooked rice noodle. One reader made pad Thai with it and I have not stopped thinking about that since.
- Over a slaw or crunchy salad: It is incredible on my crunchy Asian slaw and on my Asian edamame salad in place of the ginger miso dressing. Anything with shredded cabbage and carrots is a good match.
- As a dipping sauce: Leave it thick and serve it alongside spring rolls or lettuce wraps. It is also genuinely good with raw vegetables if you want a more interesting alternative to hummus.
- Drizzled over tofu or tempeh: Spoon it over my Asian tofu tacos or any crispy air fryer tofu. The sauce clings to the crispy edges and it is so good.
- Stirred into a stir fry at the end: Pull the pan off the heat and stir in a few spoonfuls. It turns a plain vegetable and protein stir fry into something that tastes like it took real effort.
How to Store Peanut Dressing
Store the dressing in an airtight jar in the fridge for up to one week. It will thicken considerably as it chills since the peanut butter firms up, which is completely normal.
Let it sit on the counter for 10 minutes and whisk in a splash of water to bring it back to a pourable consistency. If you plan to use it as a dip, you can skip the thinning entirely and use it cold and thick.
Frequently Asked Questions
Essentially yes, the only real difference is consistency. Thin this dressing with a little more water and you have a peanut dressing for salads. Leave it thick and you have a peanut sauce for noodles, spring rolls, and dipping. The recipe is the same either way, so make it once and adjust it to whatever you are serving it with.
It’s Thai-inspired rather than a traditional Thai dressing. It leans on ginger, tamari and rice vinegar for that savory-sweet Asian flavor, but it skips the coconut milk, sesame oil and chili you’d find in an authentic version. That keeps it simple and quick, with ingredients you likely already have.
More Salad Dressing Recipes
If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below.
Easy Peanut Dressing
Ingredients
- ¼ cup peanut butter
- 1 clove garlic, chopped
- 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, chopped
- 2 Tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons low sodium tamari or soy sauce
- 2 Tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper, optional
- water, to thin
Instructions
- Add all ingredients into a bowl and whisk to combine or alternatively add all ingredients into a blender and blend until combined. Add water to thin and serve.¼ cup peanut butter, 1 clove garlic, 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, 2 Tablespoons rice vinegar, 2 Tablespoons low sodium tamari or soy sauce, 2 Tablespoons maple syrup, 1 pinch cayenne pepper, water
Notes
- Storage: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week. It thickens as it chills, so stir in water to thin before using.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like This Recipe? Rate & Comment Below!
I made this, it’s delicious. I’m getting a bit older and I find myself always adding stronger flavors to nearly everything, my taste buds are getting older with me! That said, I added a 1/2 t. turmeric and a 1/2 t. of sumac. The flavors all got along very well. Thanks for the recipe!
Yay! So glad you loved this dressing, Marie. Thanks for making it and for coming back to leave a review. I so appreciate it!
I searched for salad dressings and found your lovely website. I will certainly pay you another visit. Greetings from Putney, London, UK
Hi Kate, I’m so happy you’re here! You’ll have to come back and let me know which salad dressing recipes you try.
delish! I’m having it with shredded red cabbage & carrots. might add some lemon juice. thank you from Brussels!
Brussels, wow! Thank you so much, Johanna. I’m glad you’re enjoying the peanut dressing!
Do you have sodium levels for the peanut dressing.
Hi Cheri, it’s around 345 mg per serving! I’ll update the recipe card. To keep sodium low, make sure to use low sodium tamari and find a peanut butter with no or little salt added.
This was great and so easy to put together. We made Pad Thai with it. It was wonderful.
Woo! So glad you loved this dressing, Joy. Thanks for making it and for the review. I appreciate it!
Delicious. I used a date instead of maple syrup, and used almond butter, and coconut aminos because that’s what I had. So delicious. Over sweet kale mix and shrimp.
So glad this dressing was a hit, Becky! Thanks for making it and for coming back to share what subs you made, I so appreciate it!
Fabulous and Delicious
This was excellent! Super, super delicious!! 5 stars!