This 6-ingredient peanut-free sauce, also known as satay sauce, is a perfect and versatile sauce for grilled meats, spring rolls, or noodle recipes. I made chicken satay the other night, and it was delicious. Last week, I even used this as a dipping sauce for my Vietnamese Spring Rolls. I'll post the recipes for them soon. Dinner was done in 10 minutes, grilling the chicken and making the peanut butter sauce. So talk about a busy weeknight meal. I guarantee this will become your favorite peanut-free sauce recipe!
I have a recipe for both regular peanut sauce and peanut-free options below.
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Simple Ingredients and Substitutions
Red Curry Paste: this can substitute for yellow curry paste. Check out my curry guide here. This is the brand I use. I love it because it's as close to the most authentic curry flavor you can get. It's what restaurants use!
SunButter: We have a peanut allergy in the house, so we use sunflower butter in place of peanut butter. You can substitute creamy natural peanut butter. Do not use chunky peanut butter because of its texture; we are going for a creamy peanut butter sauce consistency. Other creamy options are almond butter or cashew butter. The portions will be 1:1 ratio.
White Sugar: brown sugar, cane sugar, coconut sugar (palm sugar), maple syrup, or honey can be used as a substitute using a 1:1 ratio.
Dark Soy Sauce: This is a savory soy sauce that will give you an umami flavor, is sweeter than regular soy sauce, and has the consistency of dark molasses. You can substitute for regular or low-sodium soy sauce, but note the difference in flavor. So, you may want to adjust the sugar content to your personal taste. Alternatively, you can use coconut aminos as a gluten-free option.
Apple cider vinegar: You can use rice vinegar as a substitute. They both have a mild flavor with a hint of sweetness, so that you can use a 1:1 ratio.
Coconut milk: Provides a creamy texture and a subtle sweetness that complements various flavors.
*See the recipe card below for the ingredients to make this delicious recipe for peanut sauce.
What is SunButter And How Does It Taste
SunButter is a brand of peanut butter-like spread that uses sunflower seeds instead of peanuts. We have a peanut allergy in my household, and this is the brand I trust and use.
Like peanut butter, sunflower butter has an earthy roasted flavor, but it is not as sweet, and the flavor is more pronounced as a characteristic of most seed plants.
When sunflower seed butter is an ingredient, adding a bit of sweetness (sugar, honey, molasses, etc.) helps balance its slightly bitter flavor.
How to Make This Delicious Peanut-Free Sauce Recipe
Mix all ingredients in a saucepan, stirring often, until heated. If you want the peanut sauce thinner, add a little water at a time. I prefer my peanut dipping sauce to be thicker, so I didn't add any water.
Storage
Store any leftover of this savory sauce in the fridge in an airtight container for 3 to 5 days. I have not tested if it will freeze well because we never have any leftovers. If you know, please leave me a comment.
Otherwise, we've also used this sauce for dipping fresh spring rolls or as a dressing for rice noodles. It is delicious, hot or cold.
FAQ
If the concern is solely about peanuts, almond butter or other nut butter can be suitable substitutes. However, choose alternatives like sunflower seed butter or tahini if there's a nut allergy.
Various Asian-inspired dishes, such as stir-fries, noodle dishes, rice bowls, and salads, pair excellently with peanut-free sauces.
They can also be used as dips for vegetables, spring rolls, or as a marinade for proteins like tofu, chicken, beef, pork, or shrimp.
Try These Tasty Recipes
Looking for other tasty recipes? You may want to give these recipes a try:
Perfect Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with this peanut-free sauce:
📖 Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon Red Curry Paste
- ¾ cup Sun Butter
- ¼ cup White Sugar
- 2 teaspoon Dark Soy Sauce
- 2 tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 ½ cups Coconut Milk
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients in a saucepan. Stir until heated through.
- For a thinner sauce, add a little bit of water.
Notes
- Store any leftover of this savory sauce in the fridge in an airtight container for 3 to 5 days.
- Sauce can be used for dipping, or as a dressing for noodles.
- Sauce can be served hot or cold.
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