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.
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.
Ingredients
Here are the ingredients you’ll need for this peanut salad dressing recipe.
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
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
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
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
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 dressing for salads
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
Nutrition
Content, recipe, and photos updated April 28, 2022. Originally posted on October 18, 2012 as jack o’ lantern salad with tangy peanut dressing.
Caitlin
the peanut dressing sounds delicious. i’m pretty sure i could just drink it straight 😉
Richa
i love the crunchy asian salad and that orange is super happy:)
Rose
The salad is beautiful and sounds delicious. I love pairing of those fruits and veggies with the Asian flavor profile.
KellyC
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?
Cadry
I don’t have any book plans in the works currently, but I like the way you think! 🙂
Maggie Muggins
Peanut dressing? Sold! That’s the cutest salad ever! I commend your patience for carving an orange, ha ha.
chow vegan
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!
VeganLisa
I love this! So absolutely adorable.
Cadry
Thanks, Lisa! And welcome back from your trip!
luminousvegans
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 🙂
Cadry
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!
Stephanie
Love this!! And I love all the holidays, you name it, I’m excited about it!
Cadry
Yay! A woman after my own heart!
Somer
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!
Cadry
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! 😉
Kristy
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. 🙂
Cadry
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?
ameyfm
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!
Cadry
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!
Melissa
Ok these jack o’ lanterns may seriously be the cutest things I have ever seen!!
Cadry
Yay! Thanks, Melissa!