If you're looking for a sauce that's creamy, nutty, savory, and totally crave-worthy, this Chinese Peanut Sauce is about to become your new kitchen MVP! 🥜✨
It’s ridiculously easy to make with just a few pantry staples, and it turns everything — from noodles to veggies to grilled chicken — into a restaurant-worthy meal at home.
After making this sauce dozens of times, I can confidently say it’s one of the most versatile (and addictive) sauces you’ll ever whip up!
For other Asian-inspired respires please try Asian Marinated Pork Tenderloin, Hibachi Yum Yum Sauce, Blackstone Lo Mein, Blackstone Hibachi Chicken and Vegetables, or Beef Stir Fry.
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Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Super easy: 5 minutes and one bowl — no stove required!
- Incredibly versatile: Drizzle it over noodles, rice bowls, wraps, salads, grilled meats — it works with everything.
- Flavor explosion: It’s creamy, slightly sweet, a little salty, a tiny bit spicy — everything you want in one bite.
- Customizable: You can make it thicker, thinner, spicier, or sweeter depending on how you like it.
- Protein - You can choose the protein sources you want to make like shrimp, Crispy Air Fryer Tofu, Easy Blackstone Chicken Breasts (Griddle Recipe), or steak!
Ingredients Needed
- Peanut butter - Use good peanut butter that is just ground-up peanuts and no other ingredients added to it. Costco’s Kirland’s brand is really good for this. Can always sub PB2 to make it lower points.
- For the peanut butter, I prefer brands like Jiff or Skippy and it can be crunchy or creamy. If you have a peanut allergy, almond butter is ok to use as well. You might need to adjust the amount of water you add into the sauce first to ¼ cup. Use real peanut butter too, please. It tastes better than PB2 for this dish.
- Water - already in your house!
- Soy sauce - Use a Low Sodium or if you don’t have that on hand go for Tamari or Coconut Amino Acids. To make this sauce gluten-free sub Coconut Aminos or tamari instead of soy sauce.
- Sugar - Regular granulated sugar, I do not use sugar substitutes in any of my recipes but if you know the conversions feel free to do so
- See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitution Tips
- Peanut-free? Use almond butter or cashew butter instead!
- Gluten-free? Use tamari or coconut aminos instead of soy sauce.
- Low-sugar? Skip the maple syrup or use a sugar-free sweetener like monk fruit syrup.
How to make Peanut Sauce
Step 1: Whisk the peanut butter, water, soy sauce, and sugar, in a small bowl or measuring cup until well combined. Set aside.
Step 2: In a nonstick skillet over medium heat add the olive oil. Add the onions and garlic to the pan and cook until heated through or soft; 3 to 5 minutes. Season with crushed red pepper flakes (optional).
Step 3: Add diced chicken to the pan and cook until the chicken is heated through. 3 to 5 minutes. The chicken is done when it is no longer pink in the middle. I usually take one chicken piece out and cut it to see if it is cooked.
Step 4: Add the peanut sauce to the pan and continue cooking for another 2 to 3 minutes until everything is heated through.
Recipe Tip: If the sauce is too thick add small amounts of water until you like the consistency.
Serve with cooked noodles.
Serving Suggestions for Chinese Peanut Sauce
- Over noodles: Toss with rice noodles, lo mein, or spaghetti for quick peanut noodles.
- As a dip: Serve with spring rolls, grilled chicken skewers, or raw veggies.
- On salads: Drizzle over cabbage slaw, shredded carrots, and chopped herbs for a bright, fresh salad.
- For wraps: Spread on tortillas or lettuce wraps with grilled chicken and veggies.
Peanut sauce is also great for dipping with Air Fryer Frozen Chicken Nuggets.
To make the sauce smooth and creamy use a food processor, instead of whisking the sauce in a bowl.
Recipe FAQs
This peanut sauce recipe consists of peanut butter, soy sauce, water, and sugar. That's it! No other ingredients are needed.
Peanut sauce will last in air tight container for 3 to 5 days or until it's all used up. Just make sure the lid is sealed tight so no air gets in.
Other recipes you might like
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Chinese Peanut Sauce
- Prep Time: 5 min
- Cook Time: 10 min
- Total Time: 20 min
- Yield: 4 to 6
- Category: Easy
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Asian
Description
Chinese peanut sauce is a delicious sauce made of peanut butter and soy sauce. You can use it as a marinade or even make a pan sauce with it for cooking chicken.
Ingredients
Peanut Sauce:
½ cup peanut butter
½ cup water
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons sugar
Chinese Peanut Sauce Stir Fry
2 large chicken breasts, diced into cubes
2 tsp of olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup onion, diced
pinch of red pepper flakes
Cooked Spaghetti Noodles for serving
2 scallions, diced (0ptional)
Instructions
Peanut Sauce: Whisk the peanut butter, water, soy sauce, and sugar, in a small bowl until well combined. Set aside.
Peanut Sauce Stir Fry: In a nonstick skillet over medium heat add the olive oil. Add the onions and garlic to the pan and cook until heated through or soft; 2 to 3 minutes. Season with crushed red pepper flakes.
Add diced chicken to the pan and cook until the chicken is heated through. 4 to 6 minutes. The chicken is done when it is no longer pink in the middle. I usually take one chicken piece out and cut it to see if it is cooked.
Add the peanut sauce to the pan and continue cooking for another 2 to 3 minutes until everything is heated through.
If the sauce is too thick add small amounts of water until you like the consistency.
Serve with cooked noodles.
Serving Size: ¾ cup of chicken with sauce
Notes
My WW Personal Points: 5 Click here to see in recipe builder (will have to log in)
If the sauce is too thick add small amounts of water until you like the consistency.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ¾ cup
- Calories: 212
- Sugar: 9g
- Sodium: 590mg
- Fat: 13g
- Saturated Fat: 2g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2g
- Carbohydrates: 16g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 10g
Mel says
Easy & Delicious-I put the chicken in lettuce wraps, it was FANTASTIC!
Lu says
Easy and spectacular!!!
Carol says
This recipe was a big hit!!!!! I added red pepper cut into strips and broccoli florets and served it over basmati rice! Mmm!
blue raven says
just made it to nite 5/30/20 vary good , will be making it again an again, husbond went back for more, an that is saying a lot.
Shanna says
Definitely a hit with my family! I will be keeping this to make again!
Jenna says
Yes, it would, that sounds delicious!
Michael Brown says
Would this be good over extra crispy breaded chicken thighs cut into strips
Jenna says
Yes, veggies would be great!
Kristen Sipek says
If you love peanut butter as much as I do, then this dish is for you! The only thing I would add would be stir fry veggies that included broccoli.
Ashley says
Did you use this instead of pasta sauce for spaghetti? We will try this next time we have spaghetti!