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Thai

Thai satay peanut sauce

Non-vegetarian

น้ำจิ้มสะเต๊ะ · nam chim sate

Ground roasted peanuts simmered in coconut milk with fried red curry paste, palm sugar and tamarind into a rich, sweet-sour-spicy sauce for Thai satay.

Thai satay peanut sauce is a Thai sauce from Thailand, ready in about 30 minutes and made with roasted peanuts, thai curry paste and coconut milk. It serves 10 and is rated easy to cook.

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Close-up of chicken satay skewers served with peanut sauce and fresh vegetables.
Photo: Markus Winkler / Pexels · Pexels License
Prep
10 min
Cook
20 min
Total
30 min
Serves
10
Level
Easy
Calories
—

Ingredients

10 servings (about 55 g)

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Pulse the roasted peanuts (opens in a new tab) in a food processor (opens in a new tab) to a fine, sandy crumb, stopping before they turn to butter. Chop the palm sugar (opens in a new tab).

  2. Step 2

    Heat the 100 ml of thick coconut cream in a saucepan (opens in a new tab) over medium heat, stirring, for 3–5 minutes until it bubbles, thickens and the oil separates ('cracks').

    A curry simmering in a pot
    How it looks · Photo: Bachir Mamud on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Add the curry paste and fry in the coconut oil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until deeply fragrant and darker red.

  4. Step 4

    Stir in the remaining coconut milk (opens in a new tab), the peanuts, palm sugar (opens in a new tab), tamarind, salt and fish sauce (opens in a new tab) if using. Simmer on low for 10–15 minutes, stirring often (it catches easily), until thick, creamy and glossy with a little red oil on the surface.

  5. Step 5

    Taste for a balance of sweet, salty and gently sour, and loosen with water to a thick dipping consistency. Serve warm or at room temperature.

    • 1 min
    A finished dish being plated
    How it looks · Photo: Willians Huerta on Pexels

About this dish

Origin
Thailand · Commonly attributedSatay came to Thailand from the Malay world; the Thai sauce differs from Indonesian bumbu kacang by its red curry paste, coconut milk and tamarind. Proportions follow standard Thai home recipes.More food from Thailand
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Snack · Sauces · Dips & spreads
Cooking method
Simmered
Taste
nutty, sweet & spicy, creamy, tangy
Diet
Pescatarian · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free
All labelsPescatarian · Non-vegetarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Make-ahead
Cook more with
Roasted peanuts · Coconut milk · Jaggery / palm sugar · Tamarind paste
Techniques
Simmering · Bhunao

Allergens

  • Contains, can be adapted: Fishfrom fish sauce
  • Contains: Crustaceansfrom thai curry paste, fish sauce
  • Contains: Peanutsfrom roasted peanuts

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

Nutrition not available for this recipe

Not enough data to calculate: Thai curry paste. We show nothing rather than a made-up number.

Good to know

Tips

  • Serve with ajad, a quick relish of cucumber, shallot and chilli in sweet vinegar, which balances the rich sauce.

Common mistakes

  • Grinding the peanuts into a smooth butter; the sauce should keep a little texture.
  • Leaving it unattended: peanut and coconut scorch on the bottom very quickly.

Serve with

  • Pork or chicken satay (moo sate, gai sate) with toast and ajad.
  • Dressing for blanched vegetables or rice noodles.

Food safety

  • Contains peanuts; most Thai curry pastes also contain shrimp paste.

Storage

  • Refrigerate up to 5 days; freeze up to 2 months.

Reheating

  • Warm gently with a splash of water or coconut milk, stirring.

Variations

  • Massaman-paste satay sauce (Thailand): Uses massaman paste for a warmer, more spiced sauce.
  • Indonesian bumbu kacang (Indonesia): Peanuts pounded with chilli, garlic and kecap manis, without curry paste.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Customise in Sauce & Drizzle

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

  • Roasted peanuts, unsalted, skins rubbed off, finely ground (leave a little texture)150 g
Used in steps 1, 4

Masalas in this recipe

Make the masala first, then come back to finish the dish.

Make it milder, swap ingredients for your diet, change the batch size or thickness — the original stays as it is.

Customise in Sauce & Drizzle

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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