Easy Orange Peanut Sauce Recipe (Vegan)

Name: Easy Orange Peanut Sauce
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: ½ cup peanut butter (see notes); ½ cup orange juice; 2 tablespoons soy sauce (use Tamari or coconut aminos for gluten-free); 2 tablespoons rice vinegar; 1 tablespoon maple syrup; ½ teaspoons miso paste; 1-2 teaspoons Sriracha (or sambal oelek or another chili sauce); 2 cloves garlic (minced or pressed, see notes); 1 teaspoon ginger (minced or grated, see notes)

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This easy orange peanut sauce recipe is the best! It's smooth, creamy, spicy as you like, vegan, with no added oil, easy to adapt to gluten-free, and takes 15 minutes to make. It's the perfect homemade sauce for stir-fried veggies and crispy chicken tofu, dipping, or as a delicious peanut dressing for your favorite salads.

My first experience with peanut sauce was in the Netherlands, where it's called satay sauce due to its Indonesian origin. Satay are meat skewers (in my case, veggie skewers), and they're often smothered in that delightful peanut sauce I've come to love.

I know there are many peanut or satay sauce recipes out there, but this one has a flavor twist of sweet umami miso paste plus a spicy hit of sriracha chili sauce. Finally, I skipped coconut milk, often used in satay sauce, because this sauce is already rich with peanut butter. Plus, I hate opening a can of coconut milk only to use a little.

Table of Contents

Why You'll Love This Recipe
Recipe Ingredients and Notes
Recipe Variations
How to Make Peanut Sauce
Cook's Tips
Serving Suggestions
Frequently Asked Questions
👩🏻‍🍳 Recipe

Why You'll Love This Recipe

Simple to make without a blender or food processor, so cleanup is a minimum.
A spicy peanut sauce that has the vibe of orange ginger sauce but requires no cooking.
Easy to adapt to a gluten-free diet, with no added fish sauce, so it's naturally vegan.
A versatile sauce that compliments many dishes like baked tofu burgers, spicy cauliflower wings, or simple kale salads.
Great for meal prep, lasts for a week in the fridge, and is freezer-friendly.

Recipe Ingredients and Notes

The ingredients for peanut sauce with labels.

Peanut Butter. I find that creamy peanut butter works best for peanut sauces and dressings. My preference is natural peanut butter, processed without added oil or other ingredients. You may need to adjust the soy sauce if your peanut butter contains added salt.

Orange Juice. This recipe requires about ½ cup of fresh orange juice from one fresh orange or use juice from a carton or bottle.

Soy Sauce. Use Tamari or coconut aminos for a gluten-free option.

Miso Paste. I used white miso (Shiro), but you can add yellow or red depending on what you have. Remember, the darker the color of miso, the stronger the flavor.

Garlic. If you need options, use ½ teaspoon garlic powder (not garlic salt) for 2 garlic cloves.

Ginger. If you don't have fresh ginger, you have more options: Use ¼ teaspoon of ginger powder or 1 teaspoon of ginger paste.

Chili Paste. Sriracha is a convenient chili paste that I used because I happened to have it. But I highly recommend Sambal Oelek, a classic Indonesian vegan chili paste. You can also use a pinch of cayenne pepper or red chili flakes.

Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the complete list of ingredients, measurements, and instructions.

Recipe Variations

Pineapple juice or a blend of mandarin, grapefruit, or other citrus juices. Those with a ginger or lime spin would go nicely with the rest of the ingredients. I've not tried it with pomegranate or raspberry, but it's on a sticky note, so there are probably more peanut sauce recipes coming. 😀

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How to Make Peanut Sauce

The ingredients for orange peanut sauce in a bowl.

Step 1: Add all the ingredients to a small bowl with enough room for mixing.

Step 2: Whisk or stir until the sauce is blended and smooth.

Cook's Tips

For a creamy peanut salad dressing, thin the peanut sauce by adding more orange juice or a little water.
Just like tahini sauce, peanut sauce thickens as it sits or is chilled in the refrigerator.
If your peanut butter is hard or cold after being stored in the refrigerator (yes, some folks do this), mix it with the liquid ingredients first. Add a little more orange juice or a teaspoon of water before adding the garlic, ginger, miso paste, and chili paste.

Serving Suggestions

Noodles and vegetables with peanut sauce.

Use peanut sauce as a quick fix for noodles and frozen veggies. I'm serious, a delicious meal! It's equally delicious as a dressing for tofu noodle bowls or Buddha bowls. Use it as a dressing for a simple cucumber side salad or dipping veggie spring rolls. So many options!

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does peanut sauce last?

Store peanut sauce in an airtight container or sealed jar in the refrigerator for 1 week.

Can you freeze peanut sauce?

Homemade peanut sauce is freezer-friendly. Place it in a freezer container or sealed freezer bag, date it, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator or for a few hours on the countertop. Stir before using.

Is there a substitute for peanut butter in peanut sauce?

If you want to skip the peanut butter, you can still enjoy a cream 'peanut' sauce. Use another nut butter, like almond butter or cashew butter, sunflower seed butter, or tahini (sesame seed paste).

Is sriracha vegan?

Not always. Several brands of Sriracha are vegan, but you need to check the labels. The sticking point with Sriracha is usually the type of sugar used. Not all sugar is vegan.

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