10 minute Vietnamese Peanut Sauce Recipe (with Video)

Name: Vietnamese Peanut Sauce (tương đậu phộng)
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 10 min
Ingredients: 5 cloves garlic (minced); ¼ cup peanut butter; 1/4 cup hoisin sauce; 1/2 cup water; ¾ cup Vietnamese dipping sauce (nuoc cham); 1 teaspoon cornstarch; 1 tablespoon peanuts (crushed)

Vietnamese peanut sauce is the perfect pairing for Vietnamese spring rolls, grilled meats, or even as a salad dressing. This easy, delicious, and versatile sauce comes together in just 10 minutes!

Vietnamese Peanut Sauce (tuong dau phong)

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Vietnamese peanut sauce, or tuong dau phong, is one of my all-time favorite condiments! This creamy, sweet, and savory Vietnamese peanut sauce uses only a handful of pantry staple ingredients and comes together in under 10 minutes. It’s the perfect pairing to Vietnamese spring rolls (goi cuon)!

This Vietnamese peanut sauce recipe is made with creamy peanut butter, freshly minced garlic, hoisin sauce, and nuoc cham (Vietnamese dipping sauce). Your search for the best Vietnamese peanut sauce is officially over. This is the only peanut sauce recipe you’ll ever need.

What is Vietnamese Peanut Sauce?
Ingredients
How to Make Vietnamese Peanut Sauce
Expert Tips
Storage Instructions
Pairing Suggestions
FAQ
Vietnamese Peanut Sauce Recipe

What is Vietnamese Peanut Sauce?

Vietnamese peanut sauce, or tuong dau phong, is a rich, creamy, sweet, and savory Vietnamese dipping sauce that is most commonly used to dip Vietnamese spring rolls (goi cuon). It is typically made with peanut butter, hoisin sauce, garlic, fish sauce, cornstarch, and water.

This recipe is my mom’s special Vietnamese peanut sauce, which she has been using for years. This sauce is very versatile and can be used with Vietnamese lemongrass chicken, bun thit nuong (Vietnamese grilled pork vermicelli noodles), or goi ga (Vietnamese chicken salad).

Someone dipping a goi cuon spring roll into a peanut sauce.

Ingredients

You can find all the ingredients for this Vietnamese peanut sauce or tuong dau phong recipe at your local Asian store. Full measurements and links to the ingredients I used are listed in the recipe card below.

Peanut Butter: Creamy peanut butter works best for a rich, creamy velvety texture.
Garlic: use freshly minced garlic for the richest flavor.
Hoisin Sauce: adds a sweet, savory and tangy flavor similar to barbeque sauce.
Cornstarch: thickens up the peanut sauce.
Vietnamese Dipping Sauce (nuoc cham): a staple Vietnamese dipping sauce that is made up of freshly minced garlic, fish sauce, water, sugar, chili sauce, and lime juice. You can find my recipe for Vietnamese dipping sauce here.
- It is used in Vietnamese dishes such as bun cha gio (Vietnamese egg rolls with vermicelli noodles), banh khot (mini Vietnamese savory pancakes), or banh tom (Vietnamese shrimp and sweet potato fritters).
Crushed Peanuts: used as a garnish and an additional crunch.

Substitutions

Almond Butter: can be an alternative to peanut butter.
Fresh peanuts: you can grind fresh peanuts in a mortar and pestle or blender for fresh peanut butter.

Additions

Spice: add extra sambal oelek or freshly minced Thai red chili peppers for more heat.

How to Make Vietnamese Peanut Sauce

Here are the step-by-step instructions for this Vietnamese peanut sauce or tuong dau phong recipe.

Add one tablespoon of vegetable oil to a small saucepan and sauté the minced garlic on over medium-high heat until browned and fragrant.
Next, mix in the peanut butter, hoisin sauce, hot water, and Vietnamese dipping sauce (nuoc cham) until thoroughly combined.

Continue to cook and stir until the peanut sauce thickens. If it is too thick, add 1-2 tablespoons of water to loosen it up. Top with crushed peanuts and serve immediately. Enjoy!

Expert Tips

Make the Vietnamese fish sauce (nuoc cham) in advance. Nuoc cham uses fresh minced garlic which will seep into the sauce and taste better over time. But you can always use freshly made Vietnamese dipping sauce as well.
If the sauce is too thick, use 1-2 tablespoons of water to thin it out to your desired consistency.
Taste and adjust. Once all the peanut sauce ingredients are combined, taste and adjust with more peanut butter, nuoc cham, or water if needed.

Storage Instructions

Store this Vietnamese peanut dipping sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. I do not recommend freezing this sauce, as it will change its consistency when thawed.

Pairing Suggestions

This Vietnamese peanut sauce is typically paired with Vietnamese dishes, but can also be paired with the following suggestions.

Spring rolls such as Vietnamese spring rolls (goi cuon), bo bia (Chinese sausage spring rolls), nem nuong cuon (grilled pork spring rolls).
Grilled protein dishes such as Thai chicken satay, Vietnamese pork chops (suon nuong), Vietnamese lemongrass chicken, or Vietnamese chicken wings.
Vietnamese bowls such as: bun thit nuong (Vietnamese grilled pork noodles) or bun cha gio (Vietnamese egg rolls with vermicelli noodles).
Salad dressing for goi ga (Vietnamese chicken salad).

FAQ

What is peanut sauce made of?

Peanut sauce or tương đậu phộng is traditionally made with creamy peanut butter, hoisin sauce, garlic, hot chili peppers, fish sauce, and water.

Is peanut sauce healthy?

Yes! This peanut sauce contains nutrient-packed ingredients such as peanuts, fish sauce, and lime.

What do you serve peanut sauce with?

This peanut sauce pairs with Vietnamese spring rolls or grilled pork spring rolls.

Additional Condiment Recipes to Try

Vietnamese Peanut Sauce Recipe

Vietnamese Peanut Sauce (tương đậu phộng)

5 from 2 votes

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 5

Total Time 10

AUTHOR: Megan Pham

Print Pin

Vietnamese peanut sauce is the perfect pairing for Vietnamese spring rolls, grilled meats, or even as a salad dressing. This easy, delicious, and versatile sauce comes together in just 10 minutes!

Ingredients

Servings: servings

Garnish

▢ 1 tablespoon peanuts crushed

Instructions

Sauté garlic. Add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a small saucepan and sauté the minced garlic on medium-high heat until browned and fragrant.
Mix the sauces. Next, add the peanut butter, hoisin sauce, water, Vietnamese dipping sauce (nuoc cham), and cornstarch and mix until combined.
Cook the sauce. Continue to cook and stir until the Vietnamese peanut sauce thickens. If it is too thick, add 1-2 tablespoons of water to loosen it up. Top with crushed peanuts and serve immediately. Enjoy!

Video

Notes

Make the Vietnamese fish sauce (nuoc cham) in advance. Nuoc cham uses fresh minced garlic which will seep into the sauce and taste better over time. But you can always use freshly made Vietnamese dipping sauce as well.

Equipment

Nutrition:

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Vietnamese Peanut Sauce (tuong dau phong)

What is Vietnamese Peanut Sauce?

Expert Tips