Finding a great peanut sauce recipe is a quest in itself. If you want it to be simple as well, that only adds to the burden. How did I solve this dilemma? With a little internet research and some serious resource support from a couple of the girls over at Wise Bread.

Peanut butter’s always been on my short list of favorite things. So when Linsey Knerl posted her piece  on how to make the most of this affordable protein source on the home front, I sat up and paid attention. And with Andrea Dickson’s talent for finding full-flavored frugal food, I knew her article on perfect peanut sauce would definitely be worth the read.

My dilemma? I needed a great peanut sauce to serve as an expected dressing choice for a pasta salad I was making. Using the resources provided by Linsey and Andrea, and a bit of internet research, I came up with the following simple, frugal blender version, complete with variations. The basic recipe is the most frugal based on prices I have access to, and still quite tasty.

Basic Blender Peanut Sauce Recipe:

1 cup peanut butter, 1 cup very hot water, 3 tbsp soy sauce, 3 tbsp lemon juice, 2 minced garlic cloves and 1 tsp dried hot pepper flakes.  Put in all in the blender. Secure the cover. Blend. That’s it. And the result is something that’s flexible enough to use on noodle salads, peanut butter lo mein, as a satay sauce substitute or as a yummy ethnic salad dressing.

Variation suggestions:

Substituting lime juice for lemon juice, replacing a bit of the water with cider vinegar for extra zip, using coconut milk instead of the water, using more dried pepper flakes or substituting chili sauce, and incorporating some fresh grated ginger or cilantro. Of course, Andrea’s article will give you some modification ideas as well.

There you have it. The simplest peanut sauce recipe I’ve come up with. Cheap. Easy. Tasty.

Related Recipe: Easy Low Fat Thai Shrimp Toast.