Best salsa de cacahaute (peanut and chile salsa)

Salsa de cacahaute is a peanut sauce(salsa) recipe whose primary ingredients are peanuts, garlic, arbol peppers, and seasoning. It is an oil and nut-based salsa that adds a unique flavor to the recipe. This salsa sauce is naturally vegetarian—and easily vegan—as long as you use vegetable broth or water instead of chicken broth. The rich flavor comes from peanuts, spices, and chiles, not animal products.

What is salsa de cacahaute?

Salsa de cacahaute is a peanut-based salsa with a nutty, smoky, and spicy(adjustable) flavor, but that doesn’t burn. It is said to originate from Veracruz, Mexico.

It is also known as Mexican peanut sauce in 🇲🇽 In Mexican Cuisine. It is mainly made with oil, dry chilies, peanuts, and salt. You can later add onions, tomatoes, and garlic to it. For chilies, it includes dried chiles like guajillo, ancho, or pasilla for depth and heat. This peanut salsa is very common in central and southern Mexico, particularly in Oaxaca and Puebla.

One thing I want mention here is, I do add water into my salsa to adjust the consistency. The sauce can be smooth or chunky, depending on preference.

🍜 Cultural cousins

I also want to mention a few similar sauces to salsa de cacahuate from around the world

• Satay sauce in Southeast Asia
• Groundnut stew in West Africa
• Gado-gado sauce in Indonesia

🍽️ Serving

At Priya’s Curry Nation, We are born vegetarians and we don’t eat eggs, seafood, meats etc. The suggestions included in the recipes( as per our readers requests) are our best guesses that we read on the internet. It sometimes works and sometimes not. Please keep that in mind.
Rest assured, this is a 100% vegetarian recipe that truly works 🙂

• Botanas (Snacks): Served as a dip for fried plantains, roasted vegetables, or tortilla chips. Used to top enchiladas, tacos, or tamales, and sometimes served alongside grilled meats.

• Enchiladas de Cacahuate: Rolled tortillas filled with cheese, chicken, or beans, covered in peanut sauce.
• Tacos: As a creamy, spicy topping for tacos al pastor, carnitas, or even tofu.
• Tamal topping: Adds richness and spice to plain tamales.
• Over grilled or roasted vegetables (zucchini, eggplant, sweet potato)
• With tofu or tempeh: Use it as a marinade or dip
• With rice or quinoa: Makes a great sauce base

Ingredients

Below are the ingredients required to make cacahuate.

Peanuts: Also known as groundnuts, you can either use unsalted roasted peanuts or raw, with or without skin. Roasting with oil intensifies the flavor.

Chiles: I am using Arbol peppers here. However, these are the options you can add

• Guajillo – mild, slightly sweet
• Ancho – rich, fruity
• Chipotle – smoky and spicy
• Arbol – small and hot, for fiery versions

Oil: Any neutral cooking oil like avocado oil, olive oil, groundnut oil, or sunflower oil, whichever you use every day. I do not recommend mustard oil, coconut oil, or sesame oil, as these oils already have their own intense flavor.

Vegetables: You can use white onions, garlic, tomatillos, or tomatoes along with peanuts. I am sharing the most basic version of the recipe hence I am using garlic only.

Salt and pepper: Can you imagine a life without salt and pepper! 😉

Liquid: To adjust the consistency, you can use either vegetarian broth, chicken broth, or just plain water.

You can add lemon juice on the top.

How to(with photos)

Roasting,

Take a skillet and heat oil in the pan. Once the oil reaches its heating point, add peanuts, garlic and roast it on medium flame until golden brown.

Add dry chilies and roast for 2 minutes. Turn off the flame and let everything cool down completely.

Making salsa,

Once everything is cool down, transfer into a blender if you want smooth salsa or into a food processor if you want chunky salsa.

Add water or broth to adjust the consistency and blend well.

Add hint of lemon juice if you like on the top enjoy with chips 🙂

🌱 Bonus Tips to enhance the salsa

• Add a touch of agave syrup or brown sugar for a sweet-savory twist.
• For a smoky version, include a chipotle pepper.
• Want extra creaminess? Add a splash of coconut milk or a handful of cashews.

Love quick salsa recipes? try these,

• Mango salsa – you can’t go wrong with it.
• Salsa roja – make this authentic and ultimate salsa roja at home, and you won’t go for store-bought afterwards.
• Salsa verde cruda – raw, uncooked and fresh green salsa is worth trying.