Thai Peanut Dressing
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If you love bold, creamy sauces that instantly elevate any meal, this Thai Peanut Dressing is about to become your new favorite! It’s rich, nutty, and perfectly balanced with sweet, savory, and slightly spicy flavor. Made with 7 simple ingredients and ready in just 5 minutes, this easy dressing recipe is perfect for salads, noodle bowls, slaws, or as a dipping sauce. Once you try it, you’ll want to drizzle it on everything!
Why you’ll love this dressing
Inspired by the popularity of my Thai Peanut Sauce, that’s been on the blog since 2013, I made this Thai Peanut Dressing that has similar flavors, but isn’t quite as thick, making it perfect for tossing with a salad or drizzling over a bowl! Here’s why you’ll love it:
- It delivers big flavor with almost no effort. Creamy, nutty, sweet, and savory flavors come together fast, instantly upgrading salads, bowls, and noodles.
- It’s incredibly versatile. Use it as a salad dressing, noodle sauce, dip for veggies, or drizzle it over grilled chicken or shrimp.
- It’s quicker (and better) than store-bought. Made fresh in just 5 minutes, it tastes brighter than anything from a bottle, and you can customize the flavors to your taste!
Ingredients
Here I explain the best ingredients for this Thai peanut dressing recipe, what each one does, and substitution options. For the exact ingredient measurements, see the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Peanut butter – make sure it’s creamy, not chunky, so you’ll get a dressing that’s smooth and creamy.
- Soy sauce – I like to use low-sodium, so the dressing doesn’t become too salty.
- Toasted sesame oil
- Rice vinegar
- Maple syrup – for sweetness, you could also use honey instead.
- Chili garlic sauce – found in the Asian section of most grocery stores. In a pinch, you could use sriracha, but that will be spicier than the chili garlic sauce, so I recommend cutting the amount in half.
- Lime juice – I recommend fresh squeezed for the best flavor.
Instructions
Add all of the ingredients to a blender, or food processor, and blend until smooth and creamy.
Ways to use it
This recipe makes about 2 ½ cups of dressing. It will stay good in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, so you can use it in a variety of different meals. Here are some ideas to get you started!
- As a salad dressing – it’s delicious tossed with lettuce to make a traditional salad, but I really love to use it in the Thai Chicken Salad that you see pictured above.
- Make a slaw – toss the dressing with shredded cabbage and carrots to make a tasty Thai Peanut Slaw. It’s a fun twist to add to Instant Pot Pulled Pork sandwiches.
- Drizzled over a bowl – try it on this Thai Peanut Sweet Potato Buddha Bowl, or this Thai Peanut Pineapple Veggie Rice Bowl.
- Toss it with noodles – I love to toss it with noodles and stir fried veggies for a tasty meal!
- Use it as a dip – it’s great for a veggie dip with carrots and bell peppers, or use it as a dip for Chicken Satay.
More salad dressings
Try these other easy homemade salad dressing recipes to make simple, scrumptious salads at home!
Thai Peanut Salad Dressing
Ingredients
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- ⅓ cup soy sauce
- ⅓ cup sesame oil
- ⅓ cup rice vinegar
- ¼ cup water
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons chili garlic sauce
- 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth.
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Notes
- To make this recipe gluten free, use gluten-free soy sauce or tamari, instead of traditional soy sauce.
Nutrition Facts
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