Hoisin Peanut Sauce Recipe - The Perfect Pear (2024)

Hoisin peanut sauceis a healthy recipe packed with flavor. It's a great dipping sauce for fresh spring rolls, veggies, a sauce to drizzle over protein, or toss with noodles!

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Why You'll Love This Peanut Butter Hoisin Sauce

This simple dipping sauce comes together in minutes and is extremely easy to whip up to serve with Vietnamese fresh spring rolls or toss with rice noodles! After traveling to Vietnam for our honeymoon, we fell in love with Vietnamese cooking and I had to make my own version of this traditional sauce.

Equipment

• Medium mixing bowl- at least a 4-cup bowl is needed to make this full recipe! You can also use a large liquid measuring cup.
• Whisk- I like to use a whisk to really combine all of the ingredients.

Hoisin Peanut Sauce Ingredients

Full ingredients, measurements, and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

• Natural creamy peanut butter- I'm a big fan of natural peanut butter in this recipe for a couple of reasons. First, it's made with simple ingredients: peanuts and potentially salt (the nut butters that don't separate can have hydrogenated oils, which are a source oftrans fats). Second, it's more liquidy and is the best part of this hoisin peanut sauce recipe!
• Water- the main purpose of water in this recipe is to thin the sauce out. There are a lot of strong flavors in this hoisin peanut sauce recipe and water helps to balance them out.
• Hoisin sauce- made from fermented soybeans, this sauce has a complex but delicious flavor and salty taste. Some dishes call for it served on the side as-is but it makes a delightful sauce when paired with peanut butter, lime juice, rice wine vinegar, and more!
• Fresh lime juice- a hint of citrus, especially lime, compliments the peanut, hoisin, and other flavors in this recipe. While traveling to Vietnam on our honeymoon, we learned fresh lime is a big part of Vietnamese cuisine and we can see why!
• Rice wine vinegar- rice wine vinegar adds a unique tangy flavor and helps to thin out this sauce a little bit. Look in the vinegar section of the dressings aisle in the grocery store to find it!
• Soy sauce(or coconut aminos)- this adds an umami salty flavor to this recipe. Be sure to use gluten-free soy sauce if you're gluten-free!
• Chili crisp- this is a delicious spicy chili flake and garlicky mixture that is so good on many things from this peanut sauce recipe to scrambled eggs! The international section in a grocery store, an Asian market, oronline are the best places to find it!
• Optional toppings:sesame seeds, chopped peanuts, chopped fresh mint/cilantro/parsley, sliced green onion

How to Make Hoisin Peanut Sauce

1:First, combine all ingredients in a medium bowl.

2:Then, whisk until fully combined.

Variations & Substitutions

• If you prefer a thicker sauce, start with just ¼ cup of water instead of a full cup. Add a tablespoon of water until the desired consistency is reached.
• To add a little crunch to this peanut hoisin sauce, you can use crunchy instead of creamy peanut butter!
• Add an extra tablespoon of chili crisp, red pepper flakes, or hot sauce (like sriracha) for a spicy peanut sauce.
• Although this is a peanut hoisin sauce recipe, you can use other nut butters like almond or cashew butter, or even tahini for a stronger sesame flavor!
• If you want a little sweetness in this recipe, you can add a tablespoon or two (or more after tasting) of pure maple syrup or honey.

Pro Tips

If you're using this recipe to toss into noodle dishes, I recommend keeping ¼ cup pasta water (per pound of noodles) in the pot with the noodles. This will help to thin out the peanut sauce and evenly coat the noodles!

Serving, Storing, & Making Ahead

Serving

There are so many ways to serve this hoisin peanut butter sauce:

• Tossed into noodle dishes with stir fry veggies and a lean protein (our favorite our udon or rice noodles!)
• As a stir-fry sauce tossed with veggies and protein to serve with a side of brown rice
• Drizzled as a salad dressing
• A dipping sauce for Vietnamese spring rolls, egg rolls, or lettuce wraps
• In a tastyThai peanut noodle bowl

*No matter how I serve this Vietnamese-inspired dipping sauce, I love sprinkling sesame seeds, chopped fresh mint, and/or red pepper flakes on top before serving!

Storing

• Store any leftover hoisin peanut sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days or freeze for up to 2 months!
• If you're going to freeze this sauce, I recommend freezing it before tossing it in any noodles, then thawing and cooking the noodles fresh. The sauce stores really well in the freezer but the noodles may not!

Making Ahead

• This sauce stores well if you want to make it ahead of time and makes a great meal prep recipe.
• I recommend adding a tablespoon of water the next day (or whatever day you plan on eating it) to thin it out a little bit!

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