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Peanut Butter Stir Fry Sauce

August 15, 2023

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Created On: August 8, 2023 | By Debbie | Leave a comment

This simple, 8-ingredient peanut butter stir fry sauce is an easy and delicious way to pack a ton of flavor into a stir fry. Whisk it by hand or whip it up in the food processor – either way you can make this in just 5 minutes or less.

peanut butter stir fry sauce in a jar with a spoon.

As a plant-based dietitian, I love stir fries for a quick an easy weeknight meal that is loaded with colorful veggies. One of the easiest ways to pack in a lot of flavor to a basic stir fry is a good sauce. This peanut butter stir fry sauce is a favorite in our house! We probably make a stir fry with this sauce at least once a week.

What is Peanut Sauce?

Peanut sauce, also known as satay sauce, is attributed to Thai cuisine, but variations of it can be found in a variety of South Asian dishes including those from Indonesian and Malay cuisine. Traditional peanut sauce is actually made from whole peanuts that are ground up into the sauce, but with peanut butter being readily available it is often used these days. Other ingredients for Thai peanut sauce include soy sauce, ginger, garlic, chili paste, lime juice, and coconut milk.

Why You Should Make this Recipe

Super Simple to Make: Whisk everything together in a bowl or blitz it in the food processor and your peanut sauce is ready in 5 minutes or less.
Versatile: We use this easy peanut sauce recipe on stir fry but it’s also great on wraps, pasta, and even salads.
Packed with Flavor: We love keeping this sauce on hand as an easy way to add a ton of flavor. You can easily adjust the saltiness and spiciness to your liking.
Diet and Allergen Friendly: This peanut sauce is vegan, egg free, and dairy free. Make it gluten free by using tamari instead of soy sauce.

Ingredients You’ll Need

peanut butter stir fry sauce ingredients in small bowls on a white background.

Peanut Butter: We use a natural creamy peanut butter or homemade peanut butter. If you don’t mind pieces of peanuts, you can use chunky peanut butter if that is what you have.
Soy Sauce: Use reduced sodium soy sauce to lower the sodium content in this sauce. If you are gluten free, use tamari instead of soy sauce.
Sriracha: We love adding a little bit of spice to this sauce with sriracha. We use anywhere from 1-2 tablespoons; just depends on whether we are serving this to our toddler that night or not.
Rice Vinegar: Adds a hint of sweetness and balances this creamy and rich sauce out with a bit of acid. If you don’t have rice vinegar, you can substitute with the same amount of fresh squeezed lime juice.
Toasted Sesame Oil: Adds great umami flavor to this sauce.
Garlic & Ginger: For maximum flavor, I like to use fresh garlic and fresh ginger in this stir fry sauce, but you can use garlic powder and dried ginger instead; use about 1 teaspoon of each in place of the fresh.
Brown Sugar: we usually skip the sugar, but if you like a little more sweetness to balance out this spicy peanut sauce, you can also add 1-2 tablespoons brown sugar or maple syrup.

How to Make Peanut Butter Stir Fry Sauce

peanut butter stir fry ingredients in food processor before blending.

Step One: Add all of your peanut stir fry sauce ingredients to a food processor or blender cup. (I don’t always feel like mincing my garlic or ginger so I like to make this in a food processor.) You can also add everything to a jar and whisk well to combine.

peanut butter stir fry in food processor after blender.

Step Two: Pulse until creamy and smooth. Add more water if needed depending on how thin you want your sauce. Use right away or transfer to a jar and store in the refrigerator for 3-4 days until ready to use.

Recipe FAQs

Can I use crunchy peanut butter for peanut sauce?

Yes! I like to use a food processor to mix my peanut sauce so you’ll still get a creamy sauce even when using chunky peanut butter. If mixing with a whisk, you’ll have a chunkier sauce but it’s still just as tasty.

Natural peanut butter vs Regular peanut butter for peanut sauce?

This peanut butter stir fry sauce will be a little sweeter when using regular peanut butter as it often has sugar added – but it still works for this recipe. The consistency of peanut butter varies from brand to brand so you may just need to adjust the water added in this recipe to get the desired sauce consistency you want.

What’s the difference between satay sauce and peanut sauce?

Peanut sauce and satay sauce are basically the same thing. What Americans think of when they say peanut sauce is actually called satay sauce (or bumbu kacang) in Indonesia as it is traditionally served with satay (grilled, skewered meats).

peanut butter stir fry sauce in a glass jar with a spoon.

Meal Prep and Storage

Meal Prep: feel free to make this sauce and stir in a jar or an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days to save time when you are ready to use it. We love keeping some in the fridge for an easy salad dressing or dipping sauce too.
Fridge: store this delicious peanut sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Stir fry sauce can thicken as it chills so just stir in a splash of water to thin it out again when ready to use.
Freezer: sauce can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months. Allow to thaw in the fridge overnight before using.

What to Serve with Peanut Sauce

There are so many great ways to use this simple but delicious sauce!

Did you love this recipe? Make sure to leave a rating and tag #dietitiandebbie on instagram!