Homemade Peanut Salad Dressing
This peanut dressing is creamy and nutty without allowing the peanut flavor to overwhelm everything else. Fresh ginger, garlic, cilantro, lemon juice, rice vinegar, tamari, and hot sauce create layers of flavor, while a small amount of toasted sesame oil adds aroma. The neutral oil brings everything together into a smooth emulsion. The key is to taste at the end and adjust the acidity. You should recognize the peanut, but you should also be able to taste the ginger, citrus, soy, and herbs.
Recipe Video
Recipe Ingredients
- ⅓ cup Unsweetened Smooth Peanut Butter
- 2 tsp Garlic roughly chopped
- 1 tbsp Fresh Ginger peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp Fresh Lemon Juice plus more to taste
- ½ tsp Kosher Salt plus more to taste
- ¼ tsp Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- 1 tbsp Honey
- 2 tbsp Rice Vinegar plus more to taste
- 2 tbsp Tamari or Soy Sauce
- 1 tsp Frank’s RedHot Sauce or Sriracha
- ¼ cup Fresh Cilantro Leaves
- ½ cup Grapeseed Oil or Neutral-Flavored Oil
- 1 tsp Toasted Sesame Oil
Recipe Instructions
- Place the peanut butter, garlic, ginger, lemon juice, salt, black pepper, honey, rice vinegar, tamari, hot sauce, cilantro, grapeseed oil, and toasted sesame oil in a tall container suitable for an immersion blender.
- Blend until completely smooth and emulsified. The dressing should be creamy and fluid enough to pour.
- Taste the dressing carefully. Add more rice vinegar and lemon juice if the peanut butter makes it taste too rich or heavy. Acidity wakes up the other ingredients and keeps the peanut flavor from dominating.
- Adjust the salt, tamari, honey, or hot sauce as needed. You should be able to identify the peanut, ginger, citrus, cilantro, and sesame without any one flavor overwhelming the others.
- If the dressing is too thick, blend in water 1 tablespoon at a time until it reaches the desired consistency.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving to allow the flavors to develop.
Pro-Tips
Chef’s Notes
- Use unsweetened peanut butter to control the sweetness.
- Toasted sesame oil is powerful. Use only a small amount so it remains in the background.
- A regular blender may be used instead of an immersion blender.
- The dressing will thicken when refrigerated. Stir in a small amount of water before serving if necessary.
- Refrigerate in a covered container and use within 7 to 10 days.
Nutrition
Calories: 162.88kcalCarbohydrates: 4.47gProtein: 2.4gFat: 15.72gSaturated Fat: 1.98gPolyunsaturated Fat: 8.85gMonounsaturated Fat: 4.1gSodium: 365.41mgPotassium: 69.84mgFiber: 0.52gSugar: 2.79gVitamin A: 28.48IUVitamin C: 1.8mgCalcium: 7.49mgIron: 0.28mg