This Thai Peanut Salad Dressing is easy to make, delicious, and versatile. You can use it as a salad dressing, dipping sauce, stir-fry sauce, satay, or drizzle over your favorite rice or noodle bowls. It’s gluten-free, vegan, dairy-free and healthier than any bottled sauce you’ll find in the grocery stores. Make it ahead to add spicy, nutty Asian flavor to your meals all week.
This post contains affiliate links. I am an affiliate for Amazon Associates and other brands and earn a small commission on qualifying purchases. You’re by no means obligated to use my links but, if you do, thank you for supporting Organize Yourself Skinny.
One of my favorite salad dressings is the Thai Peanut dressing you get with the Panera Thai Chicken Salad. I love the nutty, tangy flavors! However, since being diagnosed with a gluten allergy, I haven’t enjoyed that delicious salad. So, I decided to make a gluten-free version!
This Thai Peanut Dressing is absolutely delicious, and you’ll want to drink it straight from the jar! It’s gluten-free, but nobody can tell the difference.
Trust me; you’ll want to put this on everything – I recommend starting with my Thai Peanut Salad.
Reasons you’ll love this recipe
- Pantry ingredients. If you like Asian-inspired foods, then you likely have everything in your kitchen right now to make this.
- Easy to prepare. Whisk everything together and enjoy – this Thai salad dressing comes together in less than 5 minutes.
- Use this dressing on everything! I use it mainly as a salad dressing, but it doubles as a Thai peanut sauce that you can drizzle on everything from stir-fries to rice bowls.
- Make-ahead. I like making a jar of Thai peanut sauce to add flavor to a recipe all week.
Ingredients
- Tamari is a gluten-free soy sauce. I don’t recommend coconut amino acids because it’s to sweet of a flavor that throws the rest of the ingredients off. San-J is my favorite Tamari brand.
- Rice vinegar gives the Thai dressing a layer of vinegar flavor.
- Sesame oil is one of my favorite Asian ingredients; it gives the recipe that nutty, rich flavor.
- I discovered chili oil a few years ago, and it’s my go-to ingredient when I want to give an Asian-inspired recipe a spicy kick.
- Ginger and garlic give the dressing a fresh component, and I prefer to use fresh ginger and garlic when making this dressing.
- Creamy peanut butter is star of this dressing and sauce. To keep this salad dressing clean, I recommend using organic natural peanut butter. You don’t want to use anything with hydrogenated oil or artificial ingredients.
- Honey is essential to use a sweetener to balance out the other flavors. Honey is often my go-to when making homemade salad dressing, and I feel it adds a touch of sweetness without overpowering the other ingredients. You can also use maple syrup or coconut sugar. Brown sugar can work but I prefer to leave the refined sugar out.
- Fresh lime juice gives a burst of fresh flavor to the Thai dressing.
- Unsweetened coconut milk thins out the sauce to make it a salad dressing. Use the coconut milk in the carton; you can save the rest to use in smoothies.
Faqs
This homemade version uses healthier, cleaner ingredients, so it’s better for you than most store-bought versions. However, even though it includes good fats from peanut butter and oils, it’s still higher in fat and calories than other salad dressing options.
So, it can still be part of a healthy, clean eating diet, but you should pay close attention to the amount you use.
Yes, this homemade version uses coconut milk, is best refrigerated, and will stay fresh for up to a week.
Cooking Tips
- If you want to thicken this Thai salad dressing up to use as a sauce, leave out the coconut milk or start with a smaller amount until you get the consistency you’re looking for.
- The chili oil gives this Thai peanut sauce a nice amount of spice. If you want it spicy, add more oil, sprinkle in some crushed red pepper flakes, or stir in sriracha sauce. To make it mild, then leave it out.
- Stir in a tablespoon or so of cilantro or sliced green onions for extra fresh flavor.
- If your peanut butter is thick and challenging to whisk, then microwave it for a few seconds to thin it out – same with the honey.
- You can quickly whisk the Thai Dressing ingredients together in a bowl, but you can also throw everything into a blender or food processor. If you do this, you won’t need to microwave thicker peanut butter or honey.
Supplies
- Small Bowl
- Whisk
- Mason jars and lids
Serving suggestions
You can enjoy this Thai Peanut Salad Dressing recipe in many different ways.
- Toss it with your favorite Asian-inspired salad. I also love filling a large bowl with shredded red cabbage, carrots, cucumbers, bell pepper, and shredded rotisserie chicken then drizzling the Thai dressing on top. So good!
- Use it in stir-fries; it would be delicious in this shrimp-fried rice, quinoa-fried rice, or tossed with veggies.
- As a dipping sauce for grilled chicken, pork, or beef.
- Drizzle on rice or noodle bowls. I love to spoon some over shredded chicken breast broccoli, red bell peppers, and brown rice to make a quick, healthy dinner.
How to Make Thai Peanut Salad Dressing
- If you need to, warm up the peanut butter and honey on the stove or microwave until both are easy to whisk.
- Place all ingredients into a medium-size mixing bowl and whisk together until blended. Give the dressing a taste for salt or other seasonings.
- Pour the salad dressing into a mason jar and store in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Storage
Pour the Thai salad dressing in a mason jar or other glass container with a tight fighting lid and store in the refrigerator for up to a week. If the dressing thickens in the fridge, let it sit out for a few minutes on the counter and then give it a couple of shakes before using it. You can also use extra coconut milk or water to thin the dressing until you get the desired consistency.
Thai Peanut Salad Dressing
Equipment
- microplane grater for the ginger and garlic
- citrus juicer for the lime
- small bowl
- Whisk
- air tight containers I like using mason jars.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup tamari
- 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon chili oil
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
- 1 teaspoon grated garlic cloves
- 1/2 cup creamy natural organic peanut butter softened or melted
- 2 tablespoons melted honey
- juice of 1 lime
- 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk in the carton
Instructions
- If you need to, warm up the peanut butter and honey on the stove or microwave until both are easy to whisk.
- Place all of the ingredients into a medium-size mixing bowl and whisk together until blended.
- Give the dressing a taste for salt or other seasonings.
- Pour the salad dressing into a mason jar and store in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Notes
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe?
Have you tried this Thai Peanut Salad Dressing recipe? If so, I’d love for you to rate this recipe and leave a comment below. We all learn from each other’s experiences. Also, it would be awesome if you could share a picture on Instagram and tag it #organizeyourselfskinny. I can’t wait to see it!
Jennifer says
Tammy,
Just for clarification purposes, when you refer to coconut milk in a carton, you dont mean unsweetened coconut water, like the beverage, right?
I want to make sure I am purchasing the right item.
Many thanks!
Tammy Overhoff says
Yes, it’s unsweetened coconut milk that you find in a carton in the dairy section next to the other milk.
Tara says
Will coconut milk from a can not work?
Tammy Overhoff says
I’ve only used the coconut milk in a carton so I’m not sure. You can give it a try, I’m thinking it will be thicker.
Stacey says
You mention a specific chili oil that you use but the link doesn’t seem to be there and there’s no mention of the name….can you let me know what it is please?
Tammy Overhoff says
Hey there. The chili oil I have right now is Asian Gourmet Chili oil. You can find the chili oil brands next to the soy sauce in the grocery store. Hope that helps.