Thai Peanut Dressing

THAI PEANUT DRESSING IN 5 MINUTES!

This Thai Peanut Dressing is super easy, lusciously creamy with layers of fabulous flavor.  This velvety dressing is created in blending peanut butter, coconut yogurt, red curry paste, Asian sweet chili sauce, cilantro and splashes of lime and soy sauce – can you taste it now?!  This spicy Thai Dressing recipe can be be used as a dressing, sauce, marinade or dip for salads, wraps, chicken, etc. because with one taste, you are going to want to douse this Thai Peanut Dressing on EVERYTHING!  

pouring spicy Thai Peanut Dressing over a salad


 

THAI PEANUT DRESSING RECIPE

It’s no secret that Thai Food makes me swoon.  From my Coconut Curry Chicken,Red Curry ChickenChicken Pad ThaiPanang CurryYellow CurryTom Kha Gai, and many more, Thai food is always making an appearance at our table. So why not encapsulate all of that tantalizing complex flavor into an easy salad dressing?!  I give you Thai Peanut Dressing!  It’s the dressing of my dreams.

First of all, this spicy Thai Peanut Dressing recipe is SO creamy.  Love me a creamy salad dressing and the best way to whip up a silky dressing or vinaigrette is in your blender…sssooooo smooth (and easy!). This dressing’s multidimensional flavors of savory and nutty with with a touch of sweet and fresh citrus will have you drinking it straight from the blender and wanting to douse everything with it.

showing how to make Thai Peanut Dressing by pouring dressing from blender into a  jar

THAI PEANUT DRESSING INGREDIENTS

If make much Thai food, then the ingredient for Thai Peanut Dressing will all be familiar to you and a pantry staple.  Here is what you need:

  • coconut yogurt:  I use one 5.3 oz. container Greek Chobani yogurt.  Most grocery stores should carry it but if not, you can substitute plain Greek yogurt with a splash of coconut extract.
  • creamy peanut butter: you can use natural peanut butter but they have a tendency to separate more, so it’s up to you.
  • Asian sweet chili sauce:  can be found in the Asian section of your grocery store and might just be my favorite condiment ever.   Buy it for this Thai Peanut Dressing and you will use it again and again – including most of my Asian recipes.  It is sweet and spicy and packed with flavor from a combination of red chilies, onion, garlic, brown sugar and fish sauce.  I would start with one tablespoon and add more after blending for more of a kick.
  • red curry paste:  is made of finely ground coriander, peppercorns, Kaffir lime leaves, lemongrass, galangal, lime leaves, cilantro, shallot, garlic, and fresh chiles – all combined for you.   It packs a huge flavor punch!
  • lime juice:  you may use fresh or bottled lime juice.
  • sugar: balances the soy and vinegar.  You may need more or less  sugar depending on your personal preference.
  • soy sauce:  use low sodium soy sauce so you can control the saltiness of the curry.
  • Asian hot chili sauce:  customize the spice level with sriracha or sambal oelek to taste.
  • rice vinegar use unseasoned rice vinegar for best results.  You can add more or less to taste depending on how tangy you like your Thai Peanut Dressing.  If your body doesn’t tolerate vinegar, you can add substitute with lime juice to taste.
  • cilantro:  you don’t need to remove the stems because they have great flavor and we are blending them up any way.  Just loosely pack the cilantro leaves and stems into a measuring cup to measure.
  • garlic: you can use more less garlic to taste.
  • ground ginger: I don’t use fresh ginger because it is such a small quantity, but if you have it on hand, you will want about ½ teaspoon fresh ginger.
  • milk: use to thin to desired consistency.
showing how to make authentic thai peanut salad dressing recipe by adding peanut butter, cilantro, red curry paste, garlic, ginger to blender

CAN I MAKE VEGAN THAI PEANUT DRESSING?

To make this Thai Peanut Dressing vegan, use non-dairy milk (almond, cashew, coconut etc.) and vegan yogurt. To my knowledge, the rest of the ingredients are vegan!

HOW TO MAKE THAI PEANUT DRESSING

This Thai Peanut Dressing only takes 5 minutes to blend up! To make, simply add all of the ingredients to your blender and chop then puree until smooth, adding additional milk as needed to reach desired consistency.  How easy was that?!

HOW DO I MAKE MY DRESSING SMOOTHER?

To  make make your Thai Peanut Salad Dressing smoother, simply continue to puree.  Take not to OVER blend, however, or else you will end up with a very watery dressing.  For best results, blend just until smooth.

up front view of spicy thai peanut dressing recipe in a glass bottle garnished with limes and cilantro on a white plate

HOW CAN I MAKE MY DRESSING THINNER?

The consistency of your Thai Peanut Dressing will largely depend on the peanut butter you use and the power of your blender.  If your dressing is too thick after blending, simply whisk in a few extra tablespoons of water or milk. I like to whisk the liquid as opposed to blending because then I can see exactly how much I need as I’m whisking and you don’t run the risk of the blender over-mixing and thinning out your dressing too much.

HOW CAN I MAKE MY DRESSING SPICIER?

You can completely customize the spice level of this Thai Peanut Salad Dressing.  For more sweet heat, add additional Asian Sweet Chili Sauce.  For just additional spicy, add Asian chili sauce.  Take care to add either sauce one teaspoon at a time because it is easy to add more but hard to neutralize if the dressing becomes too spicy.

showing how to make thai peanut salad dressing recipe by mixing peanut butter, cilantro, red curry paste, garlic, ginger in blender

HOW TO SERVE THAI PEANUT SALAD DRESSING

If you’re serving your Thai Peanut Dressing right away in a salad, you can add it to the salad bowl and mix it, but if you aren’t planning on using it until later OR if you expect leftovers, serve the dressing on the side so the salad doesn’t get soggy.

I like my Thai Peanut Dressing slightly chilled but not straight out of the refrigerator so I usually let it set at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving, but this is personal preference.  Make sure you shake the dressing well or give it a good stir before serving (depending on how you stored it).

Depending on what you use your dressing with, you can add chopped peanuts or sunflower seeds for an extra crunch!   You may also want to add scallions or mint for garnish.  Serve with extra lime wedges to drizzle on top of your stir fry, wraps, etc.

DO I NEED TO CHILL THAI PEANUT DRESSING?

As with all dressings, this Thai Peanut Dressing tastes 1000X better if allowed to chill for at least 30 minutes before serving.  This further develops the flavors and allows them to meld together.  Dressing also tastes far superior chilled as oppose to lukewarm.

top view of easy thai peanut salad dressing in a glass bottle

HOW TO STORE THAI PEANUT DRESSING

Transfer spicy Thai Peanut Dressing to an airtight container or mason jar and store in the refrigerator for up to seven days.

WHAT TO SERVE WITH THAI PEANUT DRESSING?

Thai Peanut Dressing is much more than a salad dressing!  Serve it with:

LOOKING FOR MORE THAI RECIPES?

Asian Pineapple Salad with Coconut Peanut Dressing is a salad lover's dream! packed with refreshing pineapple and crunchy peanuts, peppers, carrots, jicama and coconut all doused with the most AMAZING silky Coconut Peanut Dressing that I could drink by itself!

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Asian Pineapple Salad with Coconut Peanut Dressing is a salad lover's dream! packed with refreshing pineapple and crunchy peanuts, peppers, carrots, jicama and coconut all doused with the most AMAZING silky Coconut Peanut Dressing that I could drink by itself!

Thai Peanut Dressing

This Thai Peanut Dressing is super easy, lusciously creamy with layers of fabulous flavor.  It can be be used as a dressing, sauce, marinade or dip for salads, wraps, chicken, etc. because with one taste, you are going to want to douse this Thai Peanut Dressing on EVERYTHING!
Servings: 2 cups
Total Time: 5 minutes
Prep Time: 5 minutes

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Ingredients

Instructions

  • Add all of the ingredients to your blender and chop then puree until smooth, adding additional milk as need to reach desired consistency. Chill before serving.
  • Store leftover dressing in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.

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29 Comments

  1. Frankie Nelson says

    I’d like to make the Asian Peanut Coconut Dressing. It has so many of my favorite ingredients.

    • Jen says

      Thanks Frankie! I think you will love it!

  2. Joan Kubes says

    This dressing looks fabulous! I want to try to make it a low carb version.

  3. Debbie says

    The Asian Peanut Coconut Dressing looks amazing. Could you share the recipe for the salad that you have posted with it. Thanks

    • Jen says

      Thank so much Debbie! I will be posting the salad recipe within the next couple weeks 🙂

  4. Anita says

    all of the dressings look delish!

    • Jen says

      Thank you so much Anita! Dressings make a salad!!!

  5. Isidro Blochberger says

    Tomato Soup Salad Dressing 400 Honey Lime Dressing and Blendtec Giveaway! Asian Peanut Coconut Dressing 400 Honey Lime Dressing and Blendtec Giveaway!

  6. Carol Homan says

    I like your recipes,but do you have any for someone allergic to dairy products of all kind and soy milk and strong citrus. can handle vinegar and a little lemon and lime

    • Jen says

      Hi Carol, thank you for visiting my site! I would start with Asian recipes as those are all dairy free – the rest you would have to look at individually and make substitutions as needed. Good luck and I hope you enjoy the Asian recipes!

      • Amrita says

        Jen hi can I use plain yoghurt instead of the coco yoghurt ? Any other replacement..

        • Jen says

          You can use plain yogurt but then it won’t have the coconut taste.

  7. Monica says

    The Asian Peanut Coconut dressing is ridiculous! I ate all my veggies because they were all covered with it.
    Thank you!

    • Jen says

      Awesome Monica! I am thrilled you love it so much and what a great way to eat those veggies!

  8. Renee says

    So I’m getting ready to make this but I have to ask, where does the coconut come from? I’ve looked over the ingredients like three times and can’t find it.

    • Jen says

      The coconut yogurt 🙂

  9. Lora says

    Another winner! This is so delicious. I truly don’t know how you do it. Really…do you start with an inspiration recipe and work from that? Do you dream this all up in your head? Everything I’ve ever made from your site is fantastic!

    • Jen says

      yessss! I’m thrilled this was another winner, thanks Lora! I come up with recipes all of the above ways – dream of them, just think of what sounds good and then figure out how to make it, mash my old recipes together, start with a cookbook recipe and then totally change it to be the best – and on and on :)!

  10. Barb Gibson says

    Hey Jen if I can’t find coconut yogurt. What can I use to substitute it.
    Thanks Barb

    • Jen says

      Hi Barb! You can substitute plain yogurt and add some coconut extract (optional) or half mayo, half sour cream. I hope that helps!

  11. Melissa says

    What is the nutritional information?

  12. Jean Ohai says

    Love peanut dressings!

    • Jen says

      Yessss! They are the best! I think you’ll especially love this one!

  13. Allyson says

    Really loved this recipe! I don’t do dairy or sugar so used erythritol and full fat coconut milk in place of the milk and yogurt. This was great as the dressing for an Asian slaw.

    • Jen says

      I’s so pleased you enjoyed it Allyson and what a great idea to use it on Asian Slaw!