An easy Vietnamese peanut sauce that's versatile & ready in under 5 minutes! Made with smooth, creamy peanut butter, coconut milk & fresh lime juice. Perfect for dipping spring rolls!
This Vietnamese peanut sauce is smooth, creamy and perfect as a spring roll or summer roll dipping sauce! It's made with smooth peanut butter, lite coconut milk, hoisin sauce, and freshly squeezed lime juice.
If you love the peanut sauce that's served at Vietnamese restaurants, you'll love this recipe. It's exactly the same flavors you get at the restaurant and you can make it at home in under 5 minutes.
Why you'll love this recipe
You'll love this recipe because it's a perfect balance of flavors and it's super versatile!
- Rich and creamy flavors from the peanut butter and coconut milk
- It has a touch of sweetness from brown sugar and coconut milk
- Just the right amount of acidity and brightness from the lime juice
- It's a simple recipe that's ready in under 5 minutes!
Ingredients you'll need
- Peanut butter - I used creamy, all natural peanut butter but you can use any you have on hand.
- Note: if your peanut butter has added sugar, you may not need to add more. I recommend tasting first before adding additional sugar.
- Coconut milk - I used lite coconut milk but you can use other varieties of coconut milk.
- Note: Full fat coconut milk will make the sauce thicker so you may need to thin it out with water. If you don't have coconut milk, feel free to substitute with water.
- Lime juice - I recommend using freshly squeezed lime juice. For juicy limes, look for ones that are soft with a thin peel.
Instructions
Set aside the chopped peanuts. Mix all the ingredients in a medium sized bowl then garnish with chopped peanuts.
If you like a little spice, add a tablespoon of chili garlic sauce on top. It cuts through the richness of the peanut butter and adds a little bit of heat.
Serving suggestions
This is excellent for dipping spring rolls or summer rolls!
You can also serve it with the follow dishes:
- satay
- crispy, fried tofu
- buddha bowls
- dip for fresh vegetable platter
More Sauces and Dips:
- 3 Classic Spring Roll Dipping Sauces
- Spicy Asian Chimichurri Sauce
- Cilantro Jalapeno Hummus
- Remoulade Crab Cake Sauce
- Sweet and Tangy Sticky Soy Glaze
- Vegan Pumpkin Seed Pesto
Recipe
Vietnamese Peanut Sauce
☑ Ingredients
- ¼ cup creamy peanut butter - - see Recipe Note 1
- ¼ cup lite coconut milk - - see Recipe Note 2; can substitute with water
- 1 ½ Tablespoon hoisin sauce
- 1 ½ Tablespoon lime juice
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon chopped peanuts - - for garnish
- 1 Tablespoon chili garlic sauce - - (optional)
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients (except for the chopped peanuts) in a medium size bowl and mix it together until the peanut sauce is smooth and creamy. Depending on how thick your peanut butter is, you may need to add more coconut milk or water to get the desired consistency.
- Garnish with chopped peanuts and chili garlic sauce if desired. Makes about ¾ cup of sauce.
✎ Recipe Notes
- I used all natural peanut butter for this recipe. If your peanut butter has added sugar, you may not need to add more sugar. I recommend tasting first before adding additional sugar.
- You can use any variety of coconut milk but full fat coconut milk will make the sauce thicker so you may need to thin it out with water. If you don't have coconut milk, feel free to substitute with water.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Serve with fresh vegetarian summer rolls.
- This recipe is featured in 3 Classic Spring Roll Dipping Sauces.
Nutrition
*Nutritional information is an estimate, calculated using online tools.
Dennis
This is really tasty! My wife is a fan of this with spring rolls.
Addie
This sauce was so delicious in my stir fry! Highly recommend for chicken!
Raquel
This peanut sauce goes with so many dishes! Love how easy it is too!
Jeannie
If you're a fan of peanut butter, you're going to love this sauce. Really delicious!
Jeri
This was perfect for dipping spring rolls in, yum!
Izzy
would it be possible to use sambal oelek instead of chili garlic sauce?
Jamie
Hi Izzy! Absolutely you can use sambal. Hope you like it!
Emma
This sauce is really tasty. We love grilling chicken, and usually, just use something from a jar, but I decided to make a peanut sauce from scratch, and it is so worthwhile. I really noticed how much more fresh the taste was, and it is great to be able to adjust the flavours to your liking.
Toni
We love making cold summer rolls, and I am always after new sauce variations to serve them with. i didn't have coconut milk, so I just used water and the sauce was lovely. Will try next time with the coconut to see what I prefer.
Jamie
Thanks Toni! I love serving cold summer rolls with this peanut sauce too!
Jennifer
I really enjoyed this peanut sauce. It was really simple to make, and I can see this being in my regular homemade condiment recipe rotation. It's so versatile.
Bhawana
I'm in love with this peanut sauce recipe. It's just like how they serve at Vietnamese restaurants and it's so easy to make!
Sharon
This Peanut Sauce was so flavorful and creamy! I put them on a vietnamese salad bowl and it went perfectly on it!
Alison
I love this peanut sauce. This recipe was delicious and easy! Will make again! I can't believe I've never made one at home until now.
Rika
This sauce is so smooth and creamy! I love making my own peanut sauce because I can adjust the flavorings how I like. This one was just right!
Alex
I had been looking for a delicious peanut sauce recipe for so long, and I am so glad I came along yours. It is smooth and creamy and SO tasty. I can't wait to make it again soon!