Peanut Butter Dressing

This peanut butter dressing is dead simple: chunky peanut butter, dark corn syrup, and milk stirred together in a bowl. That’s it. It makes a thick, sweet, nutty drizzle designed specifically for fresh fruit salads where it clings to apple slices, banana chunks, and berries.

Dark corn syrup gives this dressing a deeper, more caramel-like sweetness than light corn syrup or honey would. It blends smoothly with the peanut butter and thins it just enough to be pourable without making it watery. The milk loosens the mixture further and adds a creamy quality that softens the intensity of the peanut butter.

The chunky peanut butter is a deliberate choice. Those peanut pieces scattered through the dressing add crunch against soft fruit, giving the salad a textural contrast that smooth peanut butter can’t deliver.

Chill before serving. The dressing thickens slightly in the fridge and the flavors meld together.

Kitchen Tips

• Stir the peanut butter and corn syrup together first until combined before adding the milk. Adding all three at once makes it harder to get a smooth blend.
• If the dressing is too thick after chilling, add milk a teaspoon at a time until it’s pourable again.
• Best served over firm fruits like apples, pears, and grapes. Very juicy fruits like watermelon thin out the dressing on the plate.
• Kids love this as a dip with apple slices and celery sticks as an after-school snack.

Variations

• Chocolate peanut butter: Stir in a tablespoon of cocoa powder for a chocolate-peanut butter fruit dip.
• Honey swap: Replace the dark corn syrup with honey for a more natural sweetness with a floral note.
• Spiced version: Add a pinch of cinnamon to complement fall fruit salads with apples and pears.