Vietnamese Peanut Dipping Sauce

⭐️ Why You Should Try It

• It’s packed with flavor: Think nutty, savory, and sweet, with a lot of umami! It’s so delicious you will want to make spring rolls just for the sauce. Yes, it’s THAT good!
• It takes just 10 minutes to prepare and requires only 6 ingredients.
• It keeps well: You can store the sauce in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, meaning you can prepare it ahead of time and make the spring rolls at the last minute.

📘 How to Make It

This peanut dipping sauce is super easy to prepare. It can be prepared in one pot in less than 10 minutes. Here is what you will need:

• Garlic and shallots – For a natural sweetness and a garlicky flavor. You can substitute the shallot for 1/4 of an onion if you don’t have any shallots on hand.
• Hoisin sauce – It makes the base, bringing saltiness as well as sweetness. Hoisin sauce is made from fermented soybeans, adding a ton of umami! You can use a store-bought sauce, or if you want to make your own, check out my Hoisin sauce recipe!
• Peanut butter – For the nutty flavor. I recommend using natural peanut butter, the runny kind.
• Water – To slightly dilute the sauce.
• Coconut milk – Optional, coconut milk helps round up the flavor and adds extra creaminess.

Since the sauce needs to be cooled down, I recommend preparing it before your spring rolls. To make the dipping sauce:

1. Sauté garlic and shallots for 1-2 minutes.
2. Add the hoisin sauce, peanut butter, water, and coconut milk if using.
3. Let simmer for 1-2 minutes and stir to combine.
4. Let it cool completely, and use it as a dipping sauce for spring rolls!

🥢 Where to Use It

While this sauce is almost exclusively served with fresh spring rolls, you can also use it as a dipping sauce for bánh xèo or as a salad dressing! It is definitely not common, but trust me, it’s delicious!