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    Home » Sauces, spreads & dips

    Tangy peanut salad dressing (vegan)

    Updated: May 13, 2025 · Published: Apr 28, 2022 by Cadry Nelson · This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. · 23 Comments

    Jump to recipe
    Tangy peanut salad dressing being poured onto leafy green salad with blood oranges.

    Salads are infinitely more interesting when a good dressing is involved. This peanut butter salad dressing comes together in just minutes.

    It’s a delicious homemade alternative to store-bought Thai peanut vinaigrette or bottled dressing.

    Peanut dressing being poured onto green salad with blood oranges.

    Jazz up your salad with this easy & delicious peanut dressing.

    This simple homemade dressing is:

    • Nutty
    • Quick
    • And zesty!

    It is super creamy, thanks to a base of peanut butter. (No dairy here!)

    It doesn’t require a blender. And it’s ready in minutes!

    Plus, it lasts for about a week in the fridge.

    So you can make this salad dressing ahead of time. Then add it whenever you need to liven up your leafy greens.

    In addition to salads, you can use it as a dipping sauce. Or toss it with noodles.

    In this post:

    Jump to:
    • Ingredients
    • Step by step instructions
    • Make it your own
    • Serving ideas
    • Storage
    • More salad dressing recipes
    • 📖 Recipe

    Ingredients

    Here are the ingredients you’ll need for this peanut salad dressing recipe.

    Labeled ingredients for peanut salad dressing.

    Peanut butter: You can use either crunchy or creamy peanut butter.

    For optimum flavor, choose a natural peanut butter with just two ingredients – peanuts & salt.

    (Some brands add all kinds of unnecessary ingredients like sugar & palm oil.)

    Toasted sesame oil: This oil adds delicious nuttiness. A little bit goes a long way.

    Look for it in the center aisles of the grocery store with other Asian ingredients.

    Rice vinegar: This light vinegar lends tang to the dressing.

    Sriracha: Vietnamese or Thai chili pepper sauce gives a spicy kick.

    Tamari: This Japanese soy sauce gives umami and salt.

    Be sure to choose gluten free tamari, if you need it to be GF.

    Water: Water is used to thin the dressing to just the right thickness for pourability.

    Salt: Depending on the saltiness of your tamari and peanut butter, you may or may not want to add a pinch of salt to taste.

    Step by step instructions

    Here’s how to make this recipe at a glance. For complete ingredient amounts & instructions, keep scrolling to the recipe card below.

    Bowl mixing ingredients for peanut salad dressing.

    Put the following ingredients into a bowl:

    • Peanut butter
    • Toasted sesame oil
    • Rice vinegar
    • Sriracha
    • Tamari
    • Water

    Use a spoon or whisk to blend until smooth.

    Peanut butters vary in viscosity.

    If the dressing is too thick, add a splash of water. If it’s too thin, add an additional dab of peanut butter.

    Add salt to taste.

    Make it your own

    You can make this peanut salad dressing recipe your own by varying the ingredients or preparation methods.

    • Instead of store-bought peanut butter, make your own peanut butter first using whole peanuts.
    • Replace peanut butter with almond butter, pistachio butter, sunflower seed butter, or cashew butter.
    • Instead of whisking in a bowl, combine in a blender or food processor.
    • Replace tamari with Chinese soy sauce, coconut aminos, or Bragg’s liquid aminos.
    • Replace sriracha with sambal oelek or any hot sauce you enjoy. Add more if you like things super spicy or omit if you don’t.
    • Replace rice vinegar with white vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or lime juice.
    • Add maple syrup or agave syrup for sweetness.
    • Add grated garlic and/or fresh ginger for bite or floral notes.
    • For an herbaceous flair, add chopped cilantro.

    Serving ideas

    Small sauce container with peanut dressing.

    This peanut dressing is perfect for light, crunchy salads. It’s especially delicious on a green salad with blood oranges & peanuts.

    I usually use peanut sauce for spring rolls and satay. However, this peanut salad dressing can be used in that way as well.

    Use it with any of the following dishes.

    As a dipping sauce:

    • Tofu satay
    • Spring roll tortilla wraps
    • Rainbow vegetable platter

    Drizzled on bowls or tossed with noodles:

    • Baked tofu bowls (instead of tahini dressing)
    • Cold peanut noodles (instead of listed peanut sauce)

    Storage

    Store the dressing in a covered container in the refrigerator. It will keep for about a week.

    The dressing will thicken further in the refrigerator. To thin it out, add a splash of water, and stir to combine, if necessary.

    It can also be frozen for up to 4 months. Store in a freezer bag or airtight storage container. Thaw in the refrigerator when you’re ready to use it.

    More salad dressing recipes

    Peanut salad dressing drizzled on salad greens with bright red blood orange wedges.

    Keep those leafy greens coming with these tasty dressings you’re sure to love.

    • Creamy cashew dressing
    • Vegan ranch dressing
    • Vegan blue cheese dressing
    • Easy tahini dressing
    • Balsamic vinaigrette
    Tangy peanut salad dressing in glass pourer over salad.

    If you try this recipe and love it, let me know! Leave a comment and ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating in the comment section below. It truly makes my day and is such a help!

    📖 Recipe

    Tangy peanut salad dressing being poured onto colorful leafy green salad.

    Tangy peanut dressing for salads

    Author: Cadry Nelson
    5 from 8 votes
    Bring your leafy green salads to life with this tangy, nutty salad dressing. It uses pantry-friendly ingredients. And it comes together in just minutes.
    Makes about ½ cup of dressing. It can easily be doubled if you'd like to keep more on hand.
    Print Pin Rate
    Prep Time: 3 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 2 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 5 minutes minutes
    Servings: 4 people
    Course: Salad
    Cuisine: Asian, Vegan
    Keyword: easy salad dressing

    Ingredients

    • 3 Tablespoons peanut butter crunchy or creamy, preferably natural
    • ½ teaspoon toasted sesame oil
    • 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
    • ½ teaspoon sriracha
    • 2 teaspoons tamari
    • 3 Tablespoons water
    • Salt to taste

    Instructions

    • Use a spoon or whisk to combine peanut butter, toasted sesame oil, rice vinegar, sriracha, tamari, and three tablespoons of water in a small bowl until smooth.
    • If the dressing is too thick, add additional water (up to one tablespoon) until the dressing has reached your desired thickness and intensity of flavor.
      If the dressing is too thin, add an additional teaspoon of peanut butter.
      Keep in mind that the dressing will thicken in the refrigerator, and don't add additional water until you're about to serve, if necessary.
    • Taste the dressing and add salt, if needed.

    Notes

    Store in a covered container in the refrigerator. It will keep for about a week.
    It will thicken as it cools in the fridge. To thin it, add a splash of water & stir to combine, if necessary.
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    Nutrition

    Calories: 78kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 233mg | Potassium: 75mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 1IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 7mg | Iron: 1mg

    Content, recipe, and photos updated April 28, 2022. Originally posted on October 18, 2012 as jack o’ lantern salad with tangy peanut dressing.

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    About Cadry Nelson

    Cadry Nelson is the writer, recipe creator, and photographer behind Cadry’s Kitchen, and the author of Living Vegan For Dummies, 2nd Edition. Since launching her blog in 2009, Cadry has been making plant-based cooking approachable, and reimagining classic comfort foods. Her work has been featured in NBC News, Buzzfeed, Yahoo, Parade, VegNews, and more. She regularly appears on local TV shows, demonstrating to a broad audience how easy vegan cooking can be.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      5 from 8 votes (1 rating without comment)

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    1. Shell

      May 19, 2022 at 2:13 pm

      5 stars
      Such an easy, yummy dressing. I like making it with sunflower seed butter.

      Reply
      • Cadry Nelson

        May 25, 2022 at 10:51 am

        I’m so glad to hear you’re enjoying it! Thanks!

        Reply
    2. Melissa

      October 24, 2012 at 11:34 am

      5 stars
      Ok these jack o’ lanterns may seriously be the cutest things I have ever seen!!

      Reply
      • Cadry

        October 24, 2012 at 3:20 pm

        Yay! Thanks, Melissa!

        Reply
    3. ameyfm

      October 22, 2012 at 1:30 am

      what a great post. I like Halloween okay, but I am way more jazzed about Christmas. One year I actually made homemade advent calendars as xmas cards and had to send them all out before the end of November! It was wonderful, and also, never to be repeated. Happy Holiday season to both of you!

      Reply
      • Cadry

        October 23, 2012 at 10:03 am

        Homemade advent calendars!! What a neat idea! Did you make little paper flaps with your cartoons behind them? I imagine that took a lot of cutting, pasting, and folding!

        Reply
    4. Kristy

      October 20, 2012 at 3:22 pm

      What a cute dish! Your anthropomorphic dishes always put such a big smile on my face- they remind me of the way my grandpa would make pancakes with faces on them for me when I was a kid. So cool.

      I used to be a huge Christmas person until about ten years ago (has it been ten years!!!) my friends and I began celebrating Festivus every year. Now, I look forward to Festivus more than any other holiday. Christmas is a very, very close second, though. 🙂

      Reply
      • Cadry

        October 21, 2012 at 8:59 am

        Yes, anthropomorphizing food definitely ups its fun factor! I like it that your grandpa would make faces on your pancakes for you. 🙂

        How did you and your friends happen to start celebrating Festivus? That’s a holiday I don’t know much about. What do you do to celebrate?

        Reply
    5. Somer

      October 19, 2012 at 9:51 am

      So funny, my husband is Australian and doesn’t get my fascination with Halloween (it’s totally NOT a big deal there, kids don’t even go trick or treating). I’m a little bit obsessed but have learned to tone it down a bit. Cadry, I love this cute salad, and the dressing, I could DRINK it! Yum!

      Reply
      • Cadry

        October 19, 2012 at 2:03 pm

        That’s awesome that you’re such a Halloween lover! Why tone it down? I say embrace it whole-heartedly! You’re the second person to say that you could drink the dressing. Maybe I should have labeled it as a smoothie! 😉

        Reply
    6. Stephanie

      October 19, 2012 at 4:36 am

      5 stars
      Love this!! And I love all the holidays, you name it, I’m excited about it!

      Reply
      • Cadry

        October 19, 2012 at 2:01 pm

        Yay! A woman after my own heart!

        Reply
    7. luminousvegans

      October 18, 2012 at 6:40 pm

      I need more salad in my life. This looks like a fun way to have it! It’s hard for me to feel salad-y in the fall but the cute jack-o-lantern puts me in the salad mood 🙂

      Reply
      • Cadry

        October 19, 2012 at 12:21 pm

        I know what you mean about being drawn to warmer foods when the temperatures drop. Maybe try adding some roasted squash in the salad to heat things up a little!

        Reply
    8. VeganLisa

      October 18, 2012 at 6:25 pm

      5 stars
      I love this! So absolutely adorable.

      Reply
      • Cadry

        October 19, 2012 at 12:19 pm

        Thanks, Lisa! And welcome back from your trip!

        Reply
    9. chow vegan

      October 18, 2012 at 4:43 pm

      It doesn’t bother me when retailers put out the holiday stuff but I do like to push the buttons on all of the musical / moveable things too. 🙂 The carved orange is such a great idea and so cute!

      Reply
    10. Maggie Muggins

      October 18, 2012 at 5:33 pm

      Peanut dressing? Sold! That’s the cutest salad ever! I commend your patience for carving an orange, ha ha.

      Reply
    11. KellyC

      October 18, 2012 at 3:11 pm

      Your pumpkins are adorable and that salad looks super tasty as usual! When are you going to put all these tasty recipes in a book?

      Reply
      • Cadry

        October 19, 2012 at 10:03 am

        I don’t have any book plans in the works currently, but I like the way you think! 🙂

        Reply
    12. Rose

      October 18, 2012 at 2:25 pm

      5 stars
      The salad is beautiful and sounds delicious. I love pairing of those fruits and veggies with the Asian flavor profile.

      Reply
    13. Richa

      October 18, 2012 at 12:49 pm

      i love the crunchy asian salad and that orange is super happy:)

      Reply
    14. Caitlin

      October 18, 2012 at 11:58 am

      the peanut dressing sounds delicious. i’m pretty sure i could just drink it straight 😉

      Reply

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