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The BEST spicy peanut dipping sauce for spring rolls and all your dipping, drizzling, and dressing needs. It’s creamy, savory, spicy, garlicky, inexpensive, versatile, and ready in just 5 minutes!

completed Spicy Peanut Dipping Sauce in two containers against a white background
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Super Versatile 5-Minute Spicy Peanut Butter Sauce

Inexpensive, super versatile, delicious condiments are a must-have for any low-budget kitchen, especially when they’re as tasty and easy to throw together as avocado basil pesto, creamy vegan garlic sauce, and this spicy peanut dipping sauce!

This easy peanut sauce is ultra-creamy, salty, garlicky, tangy, has a spicy kick, and optionally even a little sweetness—a super-satisfying treat for your taste buds that’s easily adjustable to your taste! It’s also naturally gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan. Plus, it’s made with simple, inexpensive pantry staples and easy to throw together in just 5 minutes, no cooking necessary!

Whether you’re looking for the perfect peanut sauce for spring rolls, over noodles and rice, marinating tofu, buddha bowls, and more—this peanut butter dipping sauce fits the bill and is ready to take your dish to the next level. Plus, the leftovers will store for a couple of weeks in the fridge (3 months in the freezer)!

The Ingredients

All you need is 6 inexpensive, simple pantry ingredients to prepare this flavorful and diet-friendly easy spicy peanut sauce recipe.

ingredients for Spicy Peanut Dipping Sauce measured out against a light surface
  • Peanut butter: We’ve found that creamy peanut butter works best for peanut dipping sauce. You can use smooth or chunky peanut butter, but look for options with minimal ingredients and no additives.
  • Sesame oil: This adds a lot of flavor to the spicy peanut sauce, but if you don’t have any, use a neutral-flavored oil, like vegetable oil, avocado oil, etc.
  • Soy sauce: Use regular or reduced sodium. If you’re gluten-free, use coconut aminos or tamari instead.
  • Garlic: It’s best to use fresh garlic when possible, but garlic powder will work in a pinch (to taste).
  • Lemon juice: We prefer fresh lemon juice (or lime juice), but bottled works, too. Alternatively, a small amount of rice vinegar would work well.
  • Hot sauce: We use sriracha, but any chili sauce (or chili paste) works. Adjust the amount based on how spicy you want the peanut butter sauce.
  • Water: Use warm water to thin it to your desired consistency. You can use it as a dip, drizzle, sauce, spicy peanut salad dressing, etc.  

What Else Could I Add To Chili Peanut Sauce?

  • Sweetener: A small amount of sweetener can help to balance the acidic and spicy flavor in this easy peanut dipping sauce. You can use maple syrup, agave, coconut sugar, brown sugar, etc. Use a sugar alternative if preferred.
  • Coconut milk: For a creamier, Thai spicy peanut sauce, use coconut milk to thin the sauce instead of water.
  • Ginger: This will add aromatic heat to the peanut dipping sauce.
  • Hoisin sauce: It’s tricky to describe the flavor of hoisin, but it’s very salty and slightly sweet, packed with umami flavor, and can be added to this peanut sauce for extra depth. Start with a teaspoon and increase to taste.
  • Red pepper flakes: To add more spice.

Adding a combination of coconut milk, ginger, and a small amount of sweetener (we recommend coconut sugar) will transform this into a Thai spicy peanut sauce. Boost it even further with a small amount of vegan Thai red curry paste.

How to Make Spicy Peanut Sauce?

Preparing this spicy peanut dipping sauce takes just two steps.

  • 1) Combine all the ingredients (except the water) in a standard-sized bowl and mix well with a fork or spoon. If you want it thinner, add water, one spoonful at a time, until you reach your desired consistency.
  • 2) Give the spicy peanut sauce a taste and adjust any of the ingredients to your liking – enjoy!

Alternatively, you can throw everything in a mini food processor and have it ready in 30 seconds.

FAQs

Can I substitute the peanut butter?

Despite its name, this summer roll dipping sauce will work well with several other types of nut butter, like almond butter or cashew butter.
For a nut-free version, you could try sunflower seed butter.

Can I make the spicy peanut sauce without oil?

While it won’t have as much of a silky mouthfeel, you can omit the oil if preferred.

How to thicken peanut sauce?

If you’ve accidentally added too much water, you can chill it to thicken slightly or add more peanut butter (note you may need more of other ingredients then as the flavor will vary).

Recipe Notes

  • If the peanut butter is thick: Warming it in the microwave for 10-20 seconds can make it easier to mix.
  • Add the water incrementally: Add just one tablespoon at a time, mixing it well until it reaches your desired consistency.
  • Start with less soy sauce: As this is the peanut dipping sauce’s main ‘salty’ element, we recommend adding it just a little at a time to your desired flavor to avoid it being overly salty.
  • Adjust the spiciness: You can omit it entirely or increase the amount to taste.
  • Tweak the ingredients to taste: Like the spicy element, every ingredient in this spicy peanut sauce recipe is adjustable to your taste buds.
completed Spicy Peanut Dipping Sauce in two containers against a white background

Storage Instructions

Store any leftover peanut butter sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for 1-2 weeks. It may separate as it sits, so stir it between each use. Also, give it a taste and freshen it up with a little more lemon juice/garlic/hot sauce if needed.

You can also freeze the sauce for 2-3 months, then allow it to thaw in the fridge or at room temperature before using it.

Microwave it for 10-20 seconds to make it smooth and creamy again if needed.

Serving Suggestions

This spicy peanut sauce is very versatile. Here are just a few ways to enjoy this creamy condiment.

What is your favorite way to enjoy this peanut butter sauce? Let us know in the comments below.

completed peanut sauce in a white bowl and small clear jar against light background

More Sauce Recipes You’ll Love:

Photos by Alfonso Revilla

Spicy Peanut Dipping Sauce

5 from 80 votes
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 0 minutes
Total: 5 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
The BEST spicy peanut dipping sauce for spring rolls and all your dipping, drizzling, and dressing needs. It's creamy, savory, spicy, garlicky, inexpensive, versatile, and ready in just 5 minutes!

Ingredients 

  • ½ cup of creamy peanut butter
  • 1 tablespoon of sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon of soy sauce
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • Juice of 1 small lemon
  • ¼ – ½ cup of water start with ¼
  • ¼ teaspoon of Sriracha or other chili sauce to taste

Instructions 

  • In a standard-size bowl, combine all the ingredients and mix thoroughly with a fork or spoon. If you’d like it to thin out your sauce, add more water by the tablespoon until you reach your desired consistency.

Video

Notes

  • If the peanut butter is thick: Warming it in the microwave for 10-20 seconds can make it easier to mix.
  • Add the water incrementally: Add just one tablespoon at a time, mixing it well until it reaches your desired consistency.
  • Start with less soy sauce: As this is the peanut dipping sauce’s main ‘salty’ element, we recommend adding it just a little at a time to your desired flavor to avoid it being overly salty.
  • Adjust the spiciness: You can omit it entirely or increase the amount to taste.

Nutrition

Calories: 116kcalCarbohydrates: 4gProtein: 4gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gSodium: 195mgPotassium: 105mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 0.4IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 10mgIron: 0.4mg

Disclaimer: Although plantbasedonabudget.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, kindly note that these are only estimates. Nutritional information may be affected based on the product type, the brand that was purchased, and in other unforeseeable ways. Plantbasedonabudget.com will not be held liable for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information. If you need to follow a specific caloric regimen, please consult your doctor first.

Additional Info

Author: Jake
Course: Dinner, Lunch, Sauce
Cuisine: Asian
Method: No Cook
Diet: Vegan
Tried this recipe?Please tag us at @PlantBasedOnABudget! 🙂
About

Jake

Jake switched to a plant based diet in 1996 and quickly realized he had no idea how to cook. All these years later and he’s still trying to figure it out…

More about Jake

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Comments

  1. 5 stars
    I can think of so many things to dip in this sauce! I’ll bet it would be awesome on cold Thai noodle bowls. That Is what I plan to do!

  2. This peanut sauce was fantastic with our pan seared dumplings! I plan on also using it for our turkey lettuce wraps this week 🙂