Easy Peanut Sauce – Yummy Toddler Food

This easy Peanut Sauce Recipe transforms a bowl of noodles or rice into a flavorful main dish that will make you feel like you’ve ordered takeout—without leaving home! It’s easy to make in minutes and stores well so you never have to worry about waste.

Easy Peanut Sauce

This sauce is one of my go-to toppings to dress up basic ingredients from chicken and shrimp to grains and noodles. It is easy to make ahead, stores well in the fridge, and instantly makes a plain dinner taste impressively delicious.

And, all you need to do is to stir the ingredients together!

I find this easy to adjust for my family’s preferences and you can even make it peanut-free, if needed, for an allergy. Make sure to look at the notes at the end of the recipe for all of the tips. (See all of my favorite dips and sauces for more ideas, too.)

Ingredients You Need

To make this easy peanut sauce you’ll need to have the following ingredients on hand and ready to go.

• Sesame oil (toasted if possible): This oil adds deep flavor, so I love using it in this sauce recipe.
• Rice vinegar: Rice vinegar adds acidity to the sauce, helping to balance the rest of the flavors. If you do not have this or cannot find it, you can use a little lime juice instead.
• Soy sauce: Soy sauce adds a load of rich flavor, and I prefer to use reduced-sodium so it’s not quite as salty. If you need this to be gluten-free, you can use tamari, which has a very similar flavor.
• Maple syrup: A little maple syrup in the peanut sauce adds sweetness that pairs really nicely with the rest of the ingredients. You can also use honey for kids over 12 months old.
• Creamy peanut butter: I keep unsweetened natural-style peanut butter in my kitchen since I love that flavor and it’s easy to stir into the peanut sauce recipe. You can use any type of peanut butter you prefer, but if yours is sweetened, you can probably omit the maple syrup in the recipe.
• Ground or fresh ginger: Grating ginger (I keep mine in the freezer to make this easier) or adding ground dried ginger adds a pop of flavor that is really pleasant in the mix.
• Fresh garlic: I grate fresh garlic into the sauce with a microplane. You can use ground garlic powder if you prefer.

TIP: These ingredients keep in the pantry for months, so if you don’t often use one of the Asian ingredients, you will have plenty of time to try them in new recipes!

Step-by-Step Instructions

Here’s a look at the simple process involved in making this sauce. Scroll down to the end of the post for the full amounts and timing.

1. Grate the garlic on a fine microplane.
2. Add it to a medium bowl with the rest of the ingredients.
3. Stir and keep stirring. It will look clumpy and not so great at first, but just keep stirring!
4. Once it starts to come together into a smooth sauce, add a little more water if needed to thin it out—this may depend on what you plan to do with the peanut sauce.

Serving Suggestions

We love peanut sauce with Rice Noodle Salad, Sesame Tofu, over chicken, over rice, or even over shredded cabbage salad. It’s mild and versatile and a great sauce to keep in the fridge to liven up basic ingredients like grains, poultry, fish, and veggies.

How to Store

You can store this sauce in an airtight container like a mason jar for up to 5 days. It does thicken as it sits in the fridge, so you may want or need to stir in a little water to get it to the desired consistency—thinner if you plan to drizzle it is likely better!

Best Tips for Success

• Stir the sauce together until it’s well-combined.
• Use the blender to make the sauce and throw in a handful of spinach or kale to add nutrients.
• Thin with water as needed—add water and stir until it’s totally incorporated—if it’s too thick to easily drizzle over food. It will firm up a bit when stored in the fridge so you may need to thin it out before using if you make it ahead or have leftovers.
• You can store a knob of fresh ginger in a freezer bag in the freezer and grate it (still frozen) into the bowl.
• It would be delicious with spring rolls, shrimp, chicken tenders, or really any steamed veggie. (My kids have even been known to dip scrambled eggs into it, oddly enough!)
• Use Sunbutter or almond butter as needed/desired to make this peanut-free.

Please comment below with feedback if you try the recipe. I’d love to hear what your family thinks!

• Add all ingredients to a medium bowl. Stir until the sauce is a uniformly creamy consistency, which may take 30-60 seconds. Keep stirring if it looks separated or chunky—it will come together, I promise!

• Serve tossed with noodles or shredded Napa cabbage, drizzled over chicken or shrimp, or as a dipping sauce for steamed veggies.

• Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days.

• Stir the sauce together until it’s well-combined.
• Use the blender to make the sauce and throw in a handful of spinach or kale to add nutrients.
• Thin with water as needed—add water and stir until it’s totally incorporated—if it’s too thick to easily drizzle over food. It will firm up a bit when stored in the fridge so you may need to thin it out before using if you make it ahead or have leftovers.
• You can store a knob of fresh ginger in a freezer bag in the freezer and grate it (still frozen) into the bowl.
• Use Sunbutter or almond butter as needed/desired.

Calories: 174kcal, Carbohydrates: 12g, Protein: 6g, Fat: 13g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 6g, Sodium: 234mg, Potassium: 173mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 8g, Vitamin A: 1IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 23mg, Iron: 1mg

This post was first published April 2019.