This Thai-inspired Peanut Dressing is nutty and citrusy with a hint of sweetness, and a whisper of heat. Toss it with your favorite slaw mix, crunchy veggies, or leafy greens for a burst of sunny flavor.
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This Thai Peanut Salad Dressing has been on the blog for quite a while- first introduced in the Thai Crunch Salad, many years ago now. Several people have requested the peanut dressing recipe on its own with independent nutritional values, so this one is for you!
It is fairly similar in flavor to the Peanut Sauce we have on the blog, but its consistency is better suited to be tossed with salad greens or crunchy slaws.
Table of Contents
Why You will Love This Peanut Dressing!
- Deliciously Nutty: The rich and creamy flavor of peanut dressing adds a delightful element to your dishes. It complements a variety of ingredients, from fresh veggies to grilled meats, creating a harmonious taste.
- Vegan and Dairy-Free: Rich and creamy made without animal products, making it a delicious choice for many types of diets.
- Versatile: Peanut dressing can be used in various ways: drizzle it over slaws and salads to add depth and creaminess, use it as a dip for spring rolls or chicken satay, create simple lettuce wraps with tofu, or even toss it with noodles for a quick and satisfying meal.
- Balanced and Creamy: Peanut dressing strikes a perfect balance between sweetness, tanginess, and creaminess. The combination of peanut butter, soy sauce, lime juice, and other ingredients creates a harmonious blend that tantalizes your taste buds.
- Easy to Make: Making peanut dressing at home is a breeze. With just a few simple ingredients and a blender or whisk, you can whip up a batch in no time. Plus, you have the flexibility to adjust the flavors to suit your personal taste preferences.
Why make homemade Salad Dressing?
All too often, store-bought dressings are made with low-quality, inflammation-causing seed oils (canola, soy oil, sunflower, corn, grapeseed, rice bran, or safflower) because these are much less expensive to produce than high-quality olive oil.
The process by which these oils are made (heated to very high temps, then treated with chemicals to remove bad smells and dark color) is what is harmful to the body. Research shows that consuming too much of these seed oils creates inflammation in the body, damages our immune system, creates metabolic disease, type 2 diabetes, and the list goes on. Type 2 Diabetes did not exist until we introduced these “new” seed oils into our diets in the 1970s. A healthy diet consists of 2-4% of polyunsaturated fats, but now we are seeing an average of 10-20% of these oils in western diets, because of all the processed foods were consuming.
Store-bought salad dressing- even seemingly “good” brands that tout “Organic” and “non-GMO” are guilty of including these less expensive, harmful seed oils. Always check the labels. For more info on seed oils – read this and scroll all the way to the bottom.
The thought of people taking the time to create a beautiful, nourishing salad, then dousing it with seed oils makes me shudder! So please friends, check the labels or make your own.
Ingredients in Thai Peanut Dressing Recipe:
- Orange: You’ll need the juice of an orange to add a tangy sweetness to the dressing. Make sure to use a fresh orange for the best flavor.
- Lime: The juice of a lime will provide a refreshing citrus flavor and balance out the richness of the peanut butter. Again, fresh lime juice is best!
- Garlic cloves: Use fresh garlic cloves for a bold and aromatic flavor.
- Ginger: Fresh ginger adds a warm and slightly spicy kick to the dressing. Peel and grate the ginger before incorporating it into the mixture.
- All-natural peanut butter: Opt for unsweetened, natural peanut butter without any added oils or sugars for a healthier choice. The creamy texture and nutty flavor will greatly enhance the dressing.
- Olive oil: Use a good quality extra virgin olive oil for its smooth consistency and subtle flavor.
- Toasted sesame oil: Add a few drops of toasted sesame oil for its distinct and nutty aroma. Be mindful not to overpower the dressing with too much sesame oil.
- Soy sauce, Tamari, Coconut Aminos or Braggs Liquid Aminos: Any of these options will provide a savory umami taste to the dressing. Gluten-free varieties are available.
- Rice vinegar: This mild and slightly sweet vinegar adds a tangy note and helps to balance the flavors. You can substitute with apple cider vinegar if needed.
- Sambal or sriracha sauce: These spicy condiments add a nice heat to the dressing. Start with a small amount and adjust according to your preference for spiciness.
- Salt: A pinch of salt will help to enhance all the other flavors in the dressing.
- Sweetener: Depending on your taste, you can use honey, maple syrup, agave, or brown sugar to add a touch of sweetness. Adjust the amount based on your preference.
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
How to make Peanut Dressing:
Peanut Dressing requires 5 minutes of hands-on time. Simply place the ingredients- peanut butter, olive and sesame oil, orange juice, lime juice, rice vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and seasonings, in a blender and blend until smooth. (You can use a food processor, it just may not get as smooth.)
Pour the dressing into a sealed jar or salad dressing bottle. How easy is that?
Store the Peanut Dressing in the fridge for up to 7 days- a nice thing to have on hand!
Ways to use Peanut Dressing
- Use on Vegan Buddha Bowls!
- Make this Thai Salad Recipe
- Use as a dressing for slaws and salads!
Peanut Dressing FAQS
Natural and unsweetened peanut butter, orange juice, lime juice, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil, and a sweetener like honey or brown sugar. It can also include additional seasonings and spices to enhance the flavor.
The calorie and carbohydrate content of Thai peanut dressing can vary depending on the specific ingredients and quantities used. Peanut butter itself is relatively high in calories and carbohydrates, but when used in moderation, the dressing can still be a healthy addition to your meals.
Peanut dressing has a rich and creamy flavor with a combination of nuttiness, tanginess from the citrus juices, and a hint of sweetness from the sweetener. It may also have a subtle spicy kick if you choose to add ingredients like sriracha or sambal.
Peanut dressing can be a healthy choice when made with natural ingredients and consumed in moderation. Peanut butter provides healthy fats and protein, while citrus juices add essential vitamins. However, it’s important to be mindful of portion sizes and the amount of sweetener added.
More Dressings and Sauces to Enjoy:
- Mustard Seed Maple Dressing
- Greek Salad Dressing
- Creamy Pesto Dressing
- Italian Dressing
- Creamy Herby Hemp Dressing
My favorite way to enjoy this Thai Peanut dressing is tossed with cabbage slaw– utilizing all the beautiful fall cabbages in season right now! Or pick up a bag of shredded broccoli or shredded carrots and create your own mix. The peanut slaw keeps in the fridge for a few days and is great in tacos, on burgers or as a side to what you are already serving.
Have a beautiful fall weekend friends,
Love this recipe? Please let us know in the comments and leave a 5-star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below the recipe card.
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Peanut Dressing
- Prep Time: 5
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 ⅛ cups
- Category: dressings,
- Method: blended
- Cuisine: thai
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This Thai-inspired Peanut Dressing is delicious tossed with slaws and salad greens. It’s nutty, citrusy, subtly sweet with a tiny bit of heat that you can kick up a notch to taste. It’s delicious tossed with crunchy slaws!
Ingredients
- 1 orange, both zest and juice (1 tablespoon zest, 1/3 cup-1/2 cup juice)
- 1 lime, juice (1/4 cup)
- 3 tablespoons honey, maple, agave or brown sugar
- 2 garlic cloves
- 3 thin sliced disks of ginger (about 1 1/2 tablespoon)
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce or Braggs Liquid Amino Acids (GF)
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1/2– 1 teaspoon sambal (red chile paste) or sriracha sauce, or a pinch of red pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, more to taste.
- 1/4 cup peanut butter (*see notes)
Instructions
Place the orange juice, orange zest, lime juice, sweetener, garlic, ginger, olive oil, sesame oil, soy sauce, vinegar, optional chili paste, salt, and peanut butter in a blender, and blend until smooth.
Store in a sealed jar or salad dressing bottle in the fridge.
Notes
Peanut Dressing will keep up to 7 days in the fridge.
The dressing will thicken while refrigerated, just simply whisk it up to the desired consistency, and make it thinner with a little water or orange juice if needed.
We use unsweetened lightly salted peanut butter with no added oils.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 tablespoons
- Calories: 124
- Sugar: 5.6 g
- Sodium: 166.6 mg
- Fat: 10.3 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 7.8 g
- Fiber: 0.4 g
- Protein: 1.7 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
I got so many compliments on this dressing! I served it twice with a complex slaw salad. I like to reduce the sweetener and use more lime juice, plus more heat.
Great to hear Jan! Thanks for the helpful review.
This is excellent! So good. I was skeptical of the orange juice but it really kicks up the flavor. Ill use this on a lot of dishes ty
Glad you enjoyed Tobi!
This is a great recipe, not heavy at all like mayo based dressings, very tasty!
Thanks Nadine! Appreciate this!
This dressing is delicious! People always ask me for the recipe. I can’t tell you how many people I have referred to your website and newsletter. Loads! I often add matchstick apple to a slaw and reduce the maple syrup on the recipe. It’s a nice sweet/sour addition to your standard veggies.
Great to hear! Appreciate you sharing Sharah!!!
Yummy!!!!
Yay!
I’m wondering why type of blender people use for these smaller quantity dressings.
I’m not finding a processor or bender has the ability to mix the small amounts.
I know it is challenging. A lot of scraping down or the sides. That is why I double it. Oh! An immersion blender works great here.
Dear Admin, I have been following your recipes for several days now. You have beautifully described each recipe and loved it. Thank you very much.
Well thanks!
Looks Yummy and so easy
Hello, it’s Nisha here. This is really very useful salad dressing recipe I had ever seen. Thanks a lot.
Thanks Nisha!