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Home » Vegan and Oil-free Recipes

Spicy Almond Butter Sauce

Published: Jun 29, 2024 by Liz Madsen

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This Spicy Almond Butter Sauce is so delicious and versatile! Make it spicy or mild, it's great on pasta, as a salad dressing, and veggies. There are so many great options for this yummy sauce!

Hey Internet, we're adding another sauce recipe to our arsenal of flavors. Sauce is so important to making life interesting. Put them on almost anything and that dish will become instantly better. 

Some of our favorite sauces we've made include our Vegan Tartar Sauce for our vegan fish recipes and Maple Mustard Tahini Sauce for wraps. We've also have a Vegan BBQ Sauce, Vegan Sweet and Sour Sauce and Vegan Teriyaki Sauce for vegan meats. We even have sweet sauces like out Vegan Caramel Sauce and vegan cheese replacements like our Cauliflower Cheese Sauce! If you want more, check out our compilation of over 50 vegan sauces and dips.

Today, we've made an easy sauce recipe that has a lot of different uses. This almond butter sauce recipe is spicy, sweet, rich and nutty. It's a lot like the sauce in our Vegan Peanut Noodles and Saucy Tahini Pasta but earthier. 

It's great on a fresh vegetables, in a noodle bowl, and with spring rolls. Good news is this vegan sauce recipe only takes five minutes to make. You'll be spending more time making what you're putting it on!

Why You'll Love This Almond Butter Sauce

  • 5 Minute Recipe: Just add all the ingredients to a jar or bowl and mix! No food processor or blender needed.
  • 4 Ingredients: This sauce is the easiest thing we've made so far! Paul makes it several times a week to put on crispy tofu, veggies like air fryer asparagus or air fryer Brussels sprouts, and rice or noodles.
  • Customizable: Fresh herbs and ginger are great additions and there is so much more to try.

Ingredients

Pick up these simple ingredients the next time you're at a grocery store. See the recipe card at the bottom of this post for full ingredients, instructions, and accurate nutritional information (to the best of my ability; please consult your physician or healthcare professional if you have specific dietary needs). I give substitutions for the ingredients in the section below this one, so most people can still make this recipe!

  • 2-3 Tablespoons Almond Butter: Creamy almond butter is nutty and rich, but not nearly as sweet as peanut butter. This will serve as our base. Our favorite brand (so much value and great flavor) is Kirkland Almond Butter, which we get at Costco. Trader Joe's also makes a nice one.
  • 2-3 Tablespoons Sriracha: We love the spice and flavor from sriracha!
  • 1 Tablespoon Maple Syrup: Adds sweetness to the almond sauce to help balance the flavor.
  • 0.25 Cups Hot Water: This will modify the thickness of the sauce and make it cover more food! Less water will make it thicker, more will make it thinner. 

Customizations and Substitutions

Take note that many of the substitutions listed will alter the ratios. Just add things slowly so you can make the changes necessary to get the right texture to your sauce.

  • Almond Butter: While it won't be an almond butter dressing anymore, you can use peanut butter, cashew butter, sunflower seed butter, or tahini as a replacement. 
  • Sriracha: Tabasco, chili garlic sauce, or sweet chili sauce can be used in a pinch. You could also try adding some red pepper flakes. If you don't like spicy, leave it out. You can add a splash of low sodium soy sauce or coconut aminos if you want to add another flavor dimension. Lime juice would be nice too.
  • Maple Syrup: Agave or date syrup are a great choice for maple syrup replacements.
  • Addition: Fresh Herbs: Some minced garlic, fresh ginger, or fresh cilantro (if you like that sort of thing) are great additions to the sauce.
  • Addition: Acids: Fresh lemon juice or lime juice can give you a brighter sauce. Rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar can also fill this role.
  • Addition: Flavors: For a bit more of a salty, umami profile, add a little soy sauce. For earthier tones, consider sesame oil. And for a bit more creaminess, try adding a little canned coconut milk.

How to Make Spicy Almond Butter Sauce

  1. Combine Base Ingredients: Add the Almond Butter, Sriracha, and Maple Syrup to a measuring cup. Stir with whisk.
  2. Add Water and Stir: Add the hot water a little at a time and stir until desired consistency is achieved. 
  3. Serve or Store.

Storage Instructions

Store in an airtight container for 5 to 7 days. Better yet, add it to a condiment bottle and make it an easy go-to dressing for all your meals!

Frequently Asked Questions

Any Suggestions On Pairings With This Sauce?

Pasta and noodles are a great first choice. Rice noodles or another kind of noodle that's long should do nicely. Consider making a stir fry or topping them with green onion, julienned red cabbage / red peppers / carrots, chopped whole almonds, and sesame seeds. Alternatively, add it to your cooked veggies and make them more interesting. I frequently add this almond butter sauce to my cooked broccoli and cauliflower as well as crispy tofu.

My Sauce is Too Thick/Thin. What Should I Do?

If your sauce is too thick, SLOWLY add a little bit more water or other liquids into the measuring cup. Stir and then check the consistency. It the same for thickening the sauce, but you're adding more of the thicker ingredients, like the almond butter.

What if I Don't Like It Spicy?

That's Ok. Just add less of the Sriracha (or none) and play around with other flavors like soy sauce, coconut aminos, lime juice, etc. It's easy to adjust the heat!

More Amazing Sauce Recipes

  • Vegan Meat Sauce
  • Easy Gluten-Free Teriyaki Sauce
  • Maple Mustard Tahini Sauce
  • Vegan BBQ Sauce
  • This Peanut Sauce we use in our Vegan Peanut Noodles
  • Vegan Sweet and Sour Sauce
  • Lemon Miso Tahini Sauce
  • Nut-Free Vegan Ranch Dressing
  • Vegan Sweet and Sour Sauce
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Spicy Almond Butter Sauce in a jar.

Spicy Almond Butter Sauce


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5 from 1 review

  • Author: Liz Madsen
  • Total Time: 5 minutes
  • Yield: 4 Tablespoons
  • Diet: Vegan
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Description

This Spicy Almond Butter Sauce is so delicious and versatile! Make it spicy or mild, it's great on pasta, as a salad dressing, and veggies.


Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 2-3 Tablespoons Almond Butter (see note 1 for substitutions)
  • 2-3 Tablespoons Sriracha (see note 2 for substitutions)
  • 1 Tablespoon Maple Syrup (see note 3 for substitutions)
  • 0.25 cups Hot Water

Instructions

  1. Combine Base Ingredients: Add the Almond Butter, Sriracha, and Maple Syrup to a measuring cup. Stir with whisk.
  2. Add Water and Stir: Add the hot water a little at a time and stir until desired consistency is achieved. 
  3. Serve or Store.

Notes

  • Note 1: While it won't be an almond butter dressing anymore, you can use peanut butter, cashew butter, sunflower seed butter, or tahini as a replacement. 
  • Note 2: Tabasco, chili garlic sauce, or sweet chili sauce can be used in a pinch. You could also try adding some red pepper flakes. If you don't like spicy, leave it out. You can add a splash of low sodium soy sauce or coconut aminos if you want to add another flavor dimension. Lime juice would be nice too.
  • Note 3: Agave or date syrup are a great choice for maple syrup replacements.
  • Note 4: Paul makes this sauce several times a week to put on crispy tofu, veggies like air fryer asparagus or air fryer Brussels sprouts, and rice or noodles.
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Category: Sauce
  • Method: Measuring Cup
  • Cuisine: American, Asian

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Susan

    November 16, 2024 at 2:21 pm

    A delicious take on peanut sauce! I added a little garlic also and serve with grated veggies and dumplings. Yum!

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Paul and Liz Madsen holding their dog Luna standing in front of a lake

Hi, we're Liz & Paul!

We develop plant-based comfort food recipes that are delicious, easy, and budget-friendly. We created Zardyplants to share our fun, delicious food with the world. But what does the name Zardyplants even mean?

More about us →

Trending

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    Vegan Garlic Noodles
  • Vegan Cream of Mushroom Soup
  • Green matcha pound cake on a gray stone slab
    Vegan Matcha Pound Cake
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    Vegan Philly Cheesesteak

Seasonal

  • Watermelon tuna poke bowl with veggies and fruits
    Watermelon Tuna
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  • Horizontal photo of two vegan chicken salad sandwiches stacked up
    Vegan Chicken Salad
  • A cut ice cream cake with chocolate and vanilla layers
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Want a free e-cookbook? Download our Everyday Plant-Based Recipes.

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