Thai Peanut Dressing

This Thai Peanut Dressing is the perfect healthy dressing to top any salad and can even be used as a marinade. It is gluten-free, soy-free and free of refined sugar, making it better than most bottled dressings and so full of flavor!

Jump to:

• Ingredient Notes & Possible Substitutions
• Where Can I Find Coconut Aminos?
• What Type Of Peanut Butter Should I Use?
• Serving Suggestions
• How To Store This Dressing
• Related Recipe
• 📖 Recipe

Have you every had that perfectly sweet and savory Spicy Peanut Vinaigrette from Trader Joe's? It is peanut-ty, slightly spicy and absolutely perfect. Well, this Thai peanut dressing is all of that but healthier. Where that dressing uses cane sugar this one swaps in coconut sugar. This one also does not contain any gluten or soy unlike the store bought version. And, it uses peanut butter is used instead of any added oils! Winning.

While most bottled dressings have a (dirty) laundry list of ingredients, making dressings at home can be a simple solution! This recipe is a great one to start with because it is so flavorful! What better motivation to eat your veggies is there than having healthy and tasty homemade dressings stock in your fridge.

Ingredient Notes & Possible Substitutions

• Peanut Butter - Unsweetened peanut butter is needed for this recipe. I recommend using something that is just peanuts and salt. For a paleo-friendly option you could substitute almond butter or cashew butter (or a combination of the two).
• Coconut Aminos - Coconut aminos is a gluten-free soy-sauce substitute. It has a sweet and savory flavor and is less salty than soy sauce. If you are planning on using soy sauce instead make sure to adjust to taste because two tbsp. may be too strong in both flavor and saltiness.
• Rice Vinegar - Rice vinegar is slightly sweet and fairly neutral. If you are making this recipe paleo-friendly, you could substitute ½ tbsp. of ACV and then use an additional 1 ½ tbsp. of lime juice.
• Chili Paste - If you are sensitive to spice you may want to use less of this ingredient or substitute sriracha which is just a little more mild.
• Coconut Sugar - Coconut sugar has a toasty and almost caramel-ly flavor that makes it SO good in this recipe. If coconut sugar is not something you keep in the house and you don't mind using a little refined sugar, brown sugar would be a good substitute.
• Lime Juice - Fresh lime juice is always best!
• Red Chili Flakes - This can be omitted if you want the dressing to be less spicy.
• Ginger Paste - You can substitute 1 teaspoon of grated ginger instead of using ginger paste.

Where Can I Find Coconut Aminos?

Coconut aminos are not as elusive as they were 5 years ago. Today, most conventional grocery stores carry coconut aminos. Typically you will find them in the gluten-free aisle, next to the soy sauce or next to the cooking oils.

Coconut aminos are also sold online from retailers like Amazon or Thrive Market.

What Type Of Peanut Butter Should I Use?

We sweeten this recipe with coconut sugar so you will absolutely want to use unsweetened peanut butter!

If you don't know already, I am partial to a few select brands of peanut butte. My top choices are Laura Scudder's, Adam's, Smucker's Natural, Kirkland brand (from Costco) or Santa Cruz Organics. These are the brands I use almost exclusively in my recipes because they are unsweetened, contain just peanuts and salt and have a super peanut-y, toasty flavor which I love.

Use whatever peanut butter you want, but definitely look for unsweetened and a brand that contains only peanuts or peanuts and salt.

Serving Suggestions

This dressing goes so well with so many things! Here are some ideas:

• Dip carrots or bell peppers in it
• Make a salad with things like chickpeas, bell peppers, greens, peanuts, cucumber, carrots, cooked grains, chicken, onion, cabbage, etc.
• Use it to marinade chicken or tofu

How To Store This Dressing

This dressing will stay good for a while in the fridge. I suggest keeping it for 1-2 weeks, however it may actually last longer since it contains vinegar and none of the ingredients are really high food safety risks.

Place the extra dressing in an airtight container or bottle. Store in the fridge and give it a good shake or stir before using because some settling and separation is totally normal!

Related Recipe

• Spicy Thai Chicken Salad
• Thai Tacos with Peanut Sauce
• Chicken Summer Rolls with Peanut Sauce
• Paleo Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Did you try this Thai Peanut Dressing? I would love to see your creations! Take a photo and tag me on Instagram or leave a photo comment on Pinterest.

Feel free to leave a comment and a rating below. Feedback is always appreciated! 😊

📖 Recipe