The Ultimate Peanut Sauce
This is the kind of sauce that instantly makes everything more interesting. Rich, creamy, salty, a little sweet, gently spicy, and brightened at the end with fresh lime, it’s the kind of thing you make once and then start finding excuses to put on everything.
It’s deeply flavorful, beautifully balanced, and wildly versatile. Spoon it over noodles, use it as a dip for spring rolls, drizzle it over grilled chicken or roasted vegetables, or serve it alongside rice bowls when they need something extra. It is, quite simply, a sauce-terpiece.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons sesame oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
5 scallions, thinly sliced
1 jalapeño, seeded if preferred, finely chopped
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup coconut milk
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon fish sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons mirin
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon maple syrup
Juice of 1 lime
Instructions
Heat the sesame oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the scallions and sauté until softened and fragrant, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic and jalapeño and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until everything smells aromatic and just begins to soften.
Pour in the chicken stock and stir to combine. Add the coconut milk, then the peanut butter, stirring until the peanut butter begins to melt into the liquid.
Add the hoisin sauce, fish sauce, soy sauce, mirin, rice wine vinegar, and maple syrup. Stir well until everything is fully incorporated.
Reduce the heat to low and let the sauce simmer gently for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened slightly and the flavors have had time to come together.
Remove the sauce from the heat and use an immersion blender to blend until completely smooth and creamy. Once blended, stir in the fresh lime juice.
Taste and adjust if needed. Add a splash more stock or coconut milk if you want a looser consistency, especially if serving it over noodles or rice bowls.
How to Serve It
This sauce is incredibly versatile and works with just about everything. It’s especially good with:
Homemade spring rolls
Rice paper rolls
Cold noodles or warm noodle bowls
Grilled chicken
Satay skewers
Roasted broccoli or cauliflower
Rice bowls
Stir-fried vegetables
Crispy tofu
Lettuce wraps
Grilled shrimp
Cabbage slaw
Steamed rice
Dumplings
Notes
This sauce will thicken as it sits, so if you’re making it ahead, just loosen it with a bit of warm water, stock, or coconut milk before serving.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for several days. It’s one of those sauces that somehow gets even better after a little time.