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ByCatherine PerezUpdated on
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A fresh and creamy dressing perfect for salads, bowls and dipping. This peanut ginger sauce is tangy, sweet and loaded with garlic and ginger.
I’m going to tell the truth here, I originally thought it would be pointless to post this sauce. However, the more I went on to sharing some of my dishes that use it, I realized how much you guys actually love it on it’s own. So it only made sense I would share the dressing that I literally make at least once a week.
Velvety smooth, super flavorful thanks to the addition of ginger, soy and a slight bit of acid and sweetness. It makes for the perfect dressing to top salads and noodles with. It’s also great for dipping veggies too. And you can customize it to meet your dietary preferences as well.
Table of Contents
Key Ingredients and Substitutions
- Peanut Butter: Use a natural and creamy peanut butter for a nice and velvety texture. If you want more texture, you can also use a crunchy peanut butter.
- Soy Sauce: Regular soy sauce, tamari, gluten-free soy sauce and coconut aminos all work wonderfully with this sauce.
- Maple Syrup: Helps balance the salty, tangy and umami flavors in the sauce really well.
- Garlic: You can use garlic powder or 1 clove of freshly crushed garlic for the best flavor.
- Ginger: Ground powdered ginger works really well or you can grate some fresh ginger to use in the sauce.
- Lime Juice: You can add both the juice and lime zest if desired. The zest will provide the true lime essence to the sauce, while the juice will provide the necessary tang.
- Sriracha: I love my peanut sauce a little spicy, so I appreciate adding sriracha to this mix. You can use more or leave completely out based on your preference.
How to Make This Easy Peanut Sauce
To a bowl, add in your sauce ingredients except the water and give it a really good mix to fully combine. I recommend using a fork or whisk to make sure that there are no lumps. You will notice the sauce thicken as it is whisked together.
At this point, slowly start pouring in your water and whisking to help loosen up the dressing. You can adjust the thickness of your dressing further by adding more water to it.
For best results that you can control, add water a tablespoon at a time while whisking until the sauce is at your desired consistency. Feel free to taste and adjust seasonings based on preference.
Tips for the Perfect Creamy Dressing
- Use a natural peanut butter. The creaminess provides the best texture for this dressing. Make sure the only ingredients are peanuts and salt.
- Slowly add in your water to help adjust the consistency of your dressing. If you add too much water, your dressing will be too thin and much harder to fix versus if you just slowly pour in the water as needed.
- Adjust consistency based on the application. You may want a thinner sauce to coat your noodles while you may want to use less water when wanting to use this as a dip.
- Use fresh garlic and ginger for truly fresh and powerful taste. If using fresh, make sure that you crush or grate your garlic and ginger finely. This will help the flavors better mellow out in the sauce when mixed with the acid.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you make this ahead of time?
Yes, you can. I love making a batch of this sauce for the work week. I store the dressing in an airtight jar and will spoon or pour dressing as desired on to different bowls. The sauce will stay fresh in the fridge for up to 7 days.
Can you freeze peanut sauce?
Yes! Pour into desired portion containers with airtight seals and place in the freezer for up to 3 months. Allow to completely thaw then mix and adjust the consistency as desired before using.
Is there a nut-free alternative for making this sauce?
You can either try making this miso ginger tahini sauce or opt for swapping out the peanut butter for a nut-free option like sunflower butter. While it won’t have the same classic peanut butter taste, this is still a really flavorful sauce that still works in the same applications as the peanut sauce.
How to Use
This sauce is perfect for various bowls. You can try it in some of the following applications:
- Noodles
- Salads
- Vegetable Dip
- Stir-Fries
More Tasty Dressing Ideas
- Ginger Green Goddess Dressing
- Miso Ginger Tahini Sauce
- Cashew Mustard Dressing
- Easy Balsamic Tahini Dressing
Peanut Ginger Sauce
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- Author: Catherine Perez
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Dressings
- Method: No Cook
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
A fresh and creamy dressing perfect for salads, bowls and dipping. This peanut ginger sauce is tangy, sweet and loaded with garlic and ginger.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1/4 cup natural peanut butter
- 3 tbsp soy sauce, tamari or gluten-free alternative
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 tsp sriracha, or more
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder or one clove crushed garlic
- 1/2 tsp ginger powder or 1 tsp freshly grated ginger
- Juice of half a lime
- 1/4 cup or more of water
Instructions
- To a small bowl add in your peanut butter, soy sauce, maple syrup, sriracha, garlic, ginger and lime juice then whisk to combine. You will notice the sauce start to thicken as you mix it.
- Slowly pour in your water, about 1 tablespoon at a time, until the sauce is at your desired consistency. Enjoy as desired.
Notes
Adjust the consistency of your dressing by adding small amounts of water to the dressing until you achieve your desired consistency.
To help mellow out the taste of fresh garlic, let it sit in the citrus juice a little before adding the rest of the ingredients to mix.
To truly make this gluten-free, make sure to use a gluten-free soy sauce, gluten-free tamari or coconut aminos.
If you tried this recipe or any other recipe on the blog, then let me know what you thought in the comments below! And if you loved it, don’t forget to rate it too. Feel free to follow on Instagram, Pinterest, and TikTok for the latest nutrition tips and recipe videos.
★Catherine
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