Peanut Sauce
Peanut butter, soy sauce, lime juice, honey and chilli warmed for 8 minutes into a smooth, savoury dipping sauce. Eight servings in 13 minutes.
Where This Goes Wrong
Use plain peanut butter.
Add the water gradually.
Keep the heat low.
Thin with warm water before serving.
Making Peanut Sauce
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Put the peanut butter, soy sauce, lime juice, honey, garlic and chilli in a small pan over low heat.
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Whisk in the warm water a little at a time and warm for 8 minutes, stirring, until smooth.
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Taste and adjust. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Why It Works
Peanut sauce is an emulsion, and like any emulsion it only needs a little patience. Warm the peanut butter with the liquids over a low heat and whisk until it loosens into a smooth sauce.
Smooth peanut butter gives the best result, though crunchy works if you like texture. Use the plain kind with nothing but peanuts and salt, as sweetened brands can turn the sauce cloying.
Soy sauce gives salt, lime juice gives sharpness and honey rounds it off. A little chilli and garlic wake it all up. Taste it as you go, since peanut butters vary in saltiness.
If the sauce goes thick, whisk in warm water a spoonful at a time. If your hob runs hot, keep it on the lowest setting. It thickens as it cools, so thin it again before serving. A spoon of sesame oil added at the end gives a toasted note that suits noodle salads and dumplings especially well.
Storage and Reheating
Keeps in a jar in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Ingredient Swaps
- Lemon is the everyday swap for lime in this kind of dish — the acidity plays the same role even though the flavour is not identical.
- An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the usual stand-in when you are out of fresh garlic — it will not caramelise the same way, but it carries the flavour.
What to Serve Alongside
- Noodles
- Spring rolls
- Raw vegetables
- Chicken skewers
Still Wondering?
How long does Peanut Sauce take to make?
About 13 minutes in total — 5 minutes of preparation and 8 minutes of cooking. The recipe serves 8.
What are the key tips for making Peanut Sauce?
Use plain peanut butter. Add the water gradually. Keep the heat low. Thin with warm water before serving.
What should I serve with Peanut Sauce?
Noodles; Spring rolls; Raw vegetables; Chicken skewers.
How should Peanut Sauce be stored?
Keeps in a jar in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Is Peanut Sauce suitable for a special diet?
This recipe is vegetarian, low-carb and keto. Those labels are checked against the ingredient list, so a dish is only marked when nothing in it contradicts the claim.
Nutrition per Serving
Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list. Treat these as an estimate — brands and cuts vary.
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Written and tested by Turab
One person, one kitchen — no test kitchen, no team. How every recipe on this site is checked before it goes up.
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