Easy Thai Peanut Satay Dipping Sauce (put it on everything!)

The best Satay Sauce recipe! This Easy Thai Peanut Satay Dipping Sauce goes great on EVERYTHING from spring rolls to chicken satay skewers and more!

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The Best Satay Sauce Recipe

One of my favorite Thai sauces, this Satay Sauce recipe is an easy, versatile and delicious sauce you can whip up in mere minutes! Made with pantry staples like peanut butter, canned coconut milk, and soy sauce, this tasty dip is an easy and accessible way to make delicious Satay sauce at home any night of the week!

I love to use this spicy peanut sauce as a dip for tasty and light spring rolls or grilled chicken satay skewers. It also makes a great easy salad dressing, and goes great with Thai noodles!

Ingredients

This easy Satay sauce is super easy to whip up when you're in the mood for some delicious Thai inspired dip for chicken satay or spring rolls and more! Here's what you'll need to make it:

• Smooth peanut butter. The main ingredient, this gives the sauce it's nutty taste. I love Jif. I find the peanut butter is a bit easier to work with when it's room temperature.
• Canned unsweetened coconut milk.
• Fresh squeezed lime juice.
• Lime zest.
• Fresh grated ginger. The fresh ginger gives the sauce a bright kick.
• Bottled Sweet chili sauce. This adds a bit of sweet, and a bit of heat!
• Sriracha sauce.
• Fish sauce. The fish sauce gives this sauce the distinct umami flavor you find in satay. Be sure to use a good quality fish sauce for best results, such as Red Boat.
• Dark soy sauce, low sodium soy sauce, tamari, or coconut aminos.
• Unseasoned rice vinegar.
• 3 cloves fresh garlic, minced.
• A few dashes Maggi seasoning (optional, but delicious). This sauce is packed with umami flavor, and a little goes a long way here, so I recommend adding a dash at a time.

How to make the satay sauce

This satay sauce is ready in a few minutes! With a bit of preparation, and a small saucepan! Here's how to make it:

1. Add all ingredients to a small saucepan and cook over medium heat for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently until warmed through and smooth. 
2. Remove from pan to a serving bowl, and garnish with ground peanuts and cilantro, or use as desired (aka for salad dressing or peanut noodles if not using as a dip). See recipe card below for full instructions and ingredients list.

What to serve with the satay sauce

This Thai Peanut Sauce recipe goes great with fresh spring rolls, grilled chicken satay skewers (it's the best part of chicken satay, in my opinion), peanut noodles, and even makes a great salad dressing for Asian-inspired salads or cold noodle salad. You could also serve the creamy sauce with crisp veggies as a dip, or with beef satay or grilled shrimp.

When serving as a dipping sauce, I like to garnish with ground peanuts (I love to use roasted peanuts) and some fresh cilantro leaves. White or black sesame seeds also make a great garnish!

Substitutions and Additions

This satay sauce can be easily adapted to your tastes, and to work with what you have on hand. Here are some great swaps and additions you can make to make this recipe your own!

• If you don't have smooth peanut butter, you can use crunchy peanut butter for this satay peanut sauce, but it will be a bit chunky, unless you run it quickly through the food processor.
• Use natural peanut butter in place of the classic Jif! Just be sure to stir well before adding it to the pot.
• Add some Thai red curry paste for a little extra heat, or in place of the sriracha sauce.
• Try apple cider vinegar in place of rice vinegar.
• Add a sprinkle of chilli flakes.
• Swap the sweet chili sauce for honey, or (if you can get your hands on some), palm sugar. 
• Use jarred garlic or garlic powder in place of the fresh minced garlic.
• Use low sodium soy sauce or coconut aminos in place of the dark soy sauce.

Storing leftovers

Store any leftover sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. For a creamier consistency when serving, microwave on high for about 20 seconds, give it a good stir, then stir well and serve.

Can the sauce be made ahead?

Yes! You can make the sauce a day in advance, then just briefly heat it up for 20-30 seconds in the microwave prior to serving the loosen it up. You could also briefly warm the sauce again in a saucepan prior to serving. When the sauce is cooled, it thickens quite a bit, so warming it up helps make it more dippable.

More great sauce recipes

If you love this easy satay sauce recipe, you'll love these quick and tasty sauces, too!

• Easy 5 Ingredient Gochujang Sauce
• Lemon Dill Sauce
• Creamy Chipotle Sauce
• Gochujang Mayo
• Sriracha Aioli

More Asian Inspired Recipes

If you love the flavors of this tangy satay sauce, you'll love these tasty recipes!

• Miso Butter Chicken Wings
• Vietnamese Style Pork Meatballs
• Spam Fried Rice
• Mini Korean Style Corn Dogs
• Kimchi Fried Rice with Bacon
• Thai Glass Noodle Salad with Peanut Dressing
• Bang Bang Shrimp Salad

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