Trader Joe’s Thai Peanut Satay Sauce has been gaining a cult-like following in recent months according to a thread on Reddit. Early impressions describe the sauce as rich, thick, and full of peanut flavor. With that kind of descriptions, it’s almost worth picking up just to scoop and taste on its own.
It doesn’t take much to see why this product out of the thousands on the Trader Joe’s shelves has caught on. The thick peanut base has enough body to hold up as a sauce, a dressing, or a dip, which means you don’t have to limit it to one recipe or one meal. People are mixing it with noodles, spooning it over proteins, and even using it as a base for new salads or wraps.
Noodles Turned Instant Meal
One of the most popular ways people are using the satay sauce is with Trader Joe’s Thai wheat noodles. Tossed with cooked noodles and sautéed vegetables, half a jar of satay sauce makes for a quick meal that tastes like it took longer to make than it really did. Some add scrambled eggs, chicken, or tofu to make it more filling, but even plain with veggies it makes a satisfying dinner.
The peanut flavor clings to the noodles, and adding something acidic like lime juice or a splash of rice vinegar helps cut through the richness and keeps the dish from feeling one-dimensional.
Give Protein a Flavor Boost
If you want something with a bit more substance, a common theme is to use the satay sauce with proteins like chicken or tofu. People sauté or grill cubed chicken and toss it with the peanut sauce right at the end of cooking, then serve it over rice with simple greens like broccoli or spinach.
Vegetarians on the threads say it’s great on tofu, especially when the tofu has been pan seared or baked first. The sauce makes crisp edges taste richer and gives soft vegetables something to play off against. Even quick green beans or broccoli get a bit more punch when coated in that thick peanut base.
Sandwiches, Wraps and Bowls
Some people have taken a more outside-the-box approach and used the satay sauce as a dressing or spread. One commenter mixes it into lettuce wraps with ground turkey and shredded carrots, which turns lettuce into a handheld meal that feels more polished than plain wraps. Another uses a bit of the jar stirred into a hummus wrap to give it extra oomph without adding heavy sauce. Others layer the sauce into rice bowls with quick-pickled cucumbers, sautéed mushrooms, and tofu for a meal that’s equal parts savory and fresh.
Peanut Noodles In a Variety of Ways
The sauce also works as a base for richer noodle dishes outside of the wheat noodles. A highly upvoted post on Reddit describes adding it to freshly cooked rice noodles with garlic, ginger, carrots, and green onions, then finishing it with a squeeze of lime and a drizzle of chili oil. It’s basically homemade Thai takeout.
It’s thick enough to coat noodles without watering down, but it also works well with additions like a splash of coconut milk to loosen it, a bit of soy sauce for salt, or cilantro to brighten it.
Dipping, Dressing and More
Not every use has to be a full main course. Some shoppers heat the sauce briefly to loosen it and use it as a dressing on salad with cabbage, carrots, and red peppers. Others dunk spring rolls or sweet potato fries into it, treating it like a peanut dip rather than a signature ingredient.
Trader Joe’s sells some pretty tasty premade salad dressings in the refrigerated produce section, but many of their sauces like this peanut satay sauce can be thinned out to create even more flavorful dressing options.
What Makes It Worth Buying
People who tried the sauce as soon as it hit shelves describe it as flavorful and easy to use right out of the jar. Many say it feels richer than some of TJ’s other bottled sauces, and because it’s vegetarian and versatile, it works in a wide range of meals without much fussing.
If you’ve been bypassing the condiment aisle because you’re unsure what you’ll do with yet another jar, this one might be worth a second look. From noodle meals to grilled proteins, wraps to rice bowls, Trader Joe’s Thai Peanut Satay Sauce can pull a lot of dinners together with minimal effort and a lot of flavor punch.
Gina Matsoukas is an AP syndicated writer. She is the founder, photographer and recipe developer of Running to the Kitchen — a food website focused on providing healthy, wholesome recipes using fresh and seasonal ingredients. Her work has been featured in numerous media outlets both digital and print, including MSN, Huffington post, Buzzfeed, Women’s Health and Food Network.
