Peanut Dipping Sauce

Some sauces play backup, and others earn a permanent spot in your recipe rotation. This one? Total keeper. This peanut dipping sauce is a simple blend of peanut butter, soy sauce, lime, a little sweetness, and a touch of spice. It manages to pull off bold, balanced flavor with just a few pantry staples. No heat or special equipment is needed here—just a quick whisk and you’re done. It’s lush, creamy, and built to elevate everything it touches.

We love serving it with spring rolls, but this sauce can also do so much more! Spoon it over soba noodles, drizzle it onto tofu, or thin it out for a quick salad dressing. However you use it, this sauce delivers flavor, flexibility, and that effortless ease you’ll want to come back to again and again.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Big flavor, tiny effort. A quick whisk is all it takes to create bold, balanced flavor with pantry ingredients you probably already have. Here are more reasons to love it:

• It’s flexible and forgiving. The recipe is easy to adjust—add more lime for brightness, a splash of water to thin, or extra heat if you like it spicy.
• Pairs with everything. Dunk spring rolls, drizzle over noodles, or spoon onto crispy tofu. It makes pretty much anything instantly better.
• Meal prep friendly. It keeps well in the fridge and gets even better after a day. Stir, pour, and you’re ready to go.
• Totally customizable. Swap peanut butter for almond, cashew, or sunflower seed butter if needed. The flavor shifts slightly, but it still works beautifully.

Key Ingredients

This peanut dipping sauce comes together with just a few pantry staples. Each one plays a role in hitting that perfect balance of creamy, salty, tangy, sweet, and spicy. Here’s what you’ll need:

• Peanut butter: Creamy, rich, and savory. This is your base—use smooth peanut butter for the best texture.
• Soy sauce & rice vinegar: These bring salty, umami depth and a gentle tang. Tamari works great as a gluten-free swap.
• Lime juice & sugar: Fresh lime brightens things up; a little sugar keeps it balanced. Maple syrup works too.
• Garlic powder & ground ginger: Dried spices add warmth and complexity with zero prep.
• Red pepper flakes: For a subtle kick. Add more or skip entirely based on your heat preference. Add a squeeze of sriracha for another layer of heat.
• Water: Just enough to thin the sauce to your ideal creamy, pourable consistency.

How To Make

This peanut dipping sauce comes together fast—no cooking, no chopping, no blender required. Just a bowl, a whisk, and a few pantry staples. Here’s how it’s done:

• Step 1: Add everything to a bowl. In a medium bowl, combine the peanut butter, soy sauce, lime juice, rice vinegar, sugar (or maple syrup), garlic powder, ground ginger, and red pepper flakes.
• Step 2: Whisk until smooth. Stir vigorously until the mixture is fully combined and creamy. The sauce will look thick at first—just keep whisking until it comes together.
• Step 3. Adjust the texture. Add water one tablespoon at a time until the sauce reaches your ideal dipping consistency. Some like it thicker for spring rolls, others prefer it pourable for noodles.

That’s it. Sauce = done. Use it right away, or stash it in the fridge—it keeps beautifully and gets even better with time.

How to Serve

This sauce may have been born for spring rolls, but it’s not a one-dish wonder. It’s creamy and wildly versatile, so don’t be surprised if you want to start putting it on everything! Here are some ideas to get you started:

• Tossed with soba noodles: Warm or cold, this peanut sauce turns a bowl of soba noodles into something magical. Bonus points for adding scallions and crispy tofu.
• Drizzled over a cold noodle salad: If you’ve got our cold noodle salad in the fridge, this sauce is what pulls it all together—creamy meets crunchy in the best way.
• Use it as a satay-style dipping sauce: Try it with homemade seitan skewers or tofu recipes.
• Twirled into a Thai tofu salad: Our Thai tofu salad is already bright and fresh—this sauce just adds depth. Thin it out slightly for dressing vibes, or leave it thick for dolloping.
• Serve it with anything you’d dip: Fresh spring rolls, raw veggies, leftover grains, or random fridge finds. This is the default sauce that makes all of it taste better.

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