WEST AFRICAN PEANUT STEW (VEGAN)
West African Peanut Stew – Made in one pot this easy vegan soup recipe is a warm and comforting meal that’s quick and healthy. It’s well-balanced, full of vitamins and minerals and gluten-free with an option to be oil-free!
Hello foodie friends! I’m still working my way through jars of peanut butter left over from these Peanut Butter Cookies.
This African inspired recipe has been on my to-do list for awhile so I’m happy to finally share it with you today. It’s absolutely delicious and I think you’re going to love it too!
What Is Peanut Stew?
Peanut stew is a staple food of Western Africa. The actual African name of this insanely tasty stew is “Groundnut Stew”. It’s thick, rich and flavorful with lots of spiciness – but you decide how hot you want to make it. There are numerous versions of groundnut stew recipes across Africa that vary with meats, vegetables and spices.
This is my vegan version of a quick and easy, one-pot peanut stew containing commonly used ingredients such as peanut, onion, tomato, garlic, spinach and sweet potato. I’ve also added ginger and coriander, and a good dose of heat with chili peppers since West African Peanut Stew is typically spicy. The heat pairs beautifully with the sweet potatoes!
How To Make West African Peanut Stew
Making peanut stew is super easy and requires just a few simple steps.
- Start with prepping the produce, this is the hardest part and takes about 10 minutes max.
- In a large pot, saute the onion, garlic, ginger, and chili peppers for 5 minutes (pictured above).
- Add the sweet potatoes, tomatoes, spices and liquids and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes, or until sweet potatoes are fork tender.
- Turn off heat and stir in the peanut butter, then stir in the spinach and lemon (shown below). Soup will thicken upon standing.
Now all that’s left to do is enjoy!
Ingredient Substitutions
- In place of sweet potatoes, use regular potatoes, or a combo of both. Parsnips would be great here too!
- Change up the spinach and use kale or collard greens, see notes in the recipe card.
- If you don’t have diced tomatoes, use one 6oz. can of tomato paste, stirring in with the veggie broth. Also, you can dice up 3 fresh tomatoes.
- Chili peppers vary in intensity as noted on the Scoville Scale. Scotch bonnet peppers are most commonly used in West African cuisine and are one of the hottest, along with Habanero. For somewhat less heat, use Cayenne or Serrano peppers. And for the least amount of spicy kick, go with Jalapeno peppers.
Adjusting For Dietary Restrictions
- Nut Allergies: Omit the peanut butter using almond butter, cashew butter or sunbutter. Even a mix of tahini with any of these butters would be delicious! Also, skip the peanuts as garnish.
- Oil-Free: In place of oil, use water as noted in the recipe card.
Serving Suggestions
- Grain: Peanut stew is wonderful served with a grain on the side like white rice (jasmine or basmati), brown rice, or this Cilantro Lime Rice would be fantastic! You may even prefer Farro or Quinoa.
- Bread: Serve with a slice of Naan Bread to soak up and swipe the juices.
How To Store Leftovers
- Refrigerator: Leftovers will keep for 5 – 6 days in the refrigerator, stored in a covered container.
- Freezer: This peanut stew is freezer friendly and freezes well for up to 2 – 3 months. To freeze, let cool completely and store in freezer safe containers (affiliate link), leaving 1/2 inch head space for expansion. You can also freeze larger portions in large ziplock bags (remove as much air as possible before zip locking). Let thaw before reheating.
- Reheat: Simply re-warm on the stovetop over low heat until warmed through. Alternatively, reheat in the microwave using 30 – 60 second intervals, stirring after each, until warm.
- Meal prep: It makes a great meal prep for the week with homemade Naan on the side for soaking up the juices.
More Easy 30-Minute Recipes
- Chana Masala
- Lemon Chickpea Orzo Soup
- Easy Portobello Fajitas
- See all 30-Minute Vegan Recipes on TSV!
If you try this groundnut stew recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment and rate it below. I love to hear what you think, or any changes you make.
PrintWEST AFRICAN PEANUT STEW (VEGAN)
Thick, hearty and delicious this vegan West African Peanut Stew is made in one pot and ready in about 30 minutes making it a perfect weeknight meal!
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 20 min
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4 - 6 1x
- Category: Entree
- Cuisine: Vegan, African
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or 1/3 cup water (for water saute)
- 1 large onion, diced
- 5 – 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 – 3 tablespoons ginger, grated
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- 1 – 2 chili peppers (jalapeno, serrano, scotch bonnet or habanero peppers), diced*
- 2 – 3 lbs. sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
- 1 can (15oz.) diced tomatoes, with juices
- 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth or water (or combo)
- 3/4 cup natural peanut butter (creamy or smooth)
- 5 oz. fresh spinach, chopped if not using baby spinach**
- 2 small lemons, juice of
- mineral salt & pepper, to taste
To serve
- fresh cilantro, chopped
- peanuts, crushed or whole
- dash of hot sauce (sriracha, franks hot sauce or red pepper flakes), optional
- grain of choice (rice, quinoa or couscous), optional
Instructions
Saute: In a large pot, heat oil or water over medium heat, add the onion, garlic, ginger, and chili peppers and saute for 5 minutes stirring frequently.
Boil and simmer: Add the sweet potatoes, tomatoes, spices and liquids, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes, or until sweet potatoes are fork tender.
Add final ingredients: Turn off heat and stir in the peanut butter, and finish with the spinach and lemon juice. Soup will thicken upon cooling. Season with salt & pepper to taste.
Serves 4 – 6
Serve in individual bowls with optional grain of choice (this cilantro lime rice would be great) and garnish with cilantro and peanuts. Soup pairs wonderfully with naan bread for soaking and dipping!
Store: Leftovers will keep for 5 days in a covered container in the refrigerator. To store longer, keep in the freezer for up to 2 months in freezer friendly containers or baggies.
Notes
*Traditional West African peanut stew is VERY spicy, adjust peppers to your taste. The order of peppers listed above are from least hot (jalapeno) to most hot (habanero). Be careful when cutting hot peppers, the oils of these peppers will stay on your fingers so don’t rub your eyes. If you don’t have peppers on hand, use up to 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of cayenne powder. Also, 1 to 2 teaspoons of crushed red peppers will work too. Use your best judgement on how much spicy heat to add. For more info on intensity of peppers: Scoville Scale
**Feel free to use kale or collard greens. If using full grown kale and collards you’ll want to remove the thick center stems and chop the remaining leafs.
In place of sweet potatoes, use regular potatoes, or a combo of both. For extra fiber, leave the skin on the potatoes, just be sure to scrub them well before dicing. Parsnips would be great here too!
If you don’t have diced tomatoes, use one 6oz. can of tomato paste, stirring in with the veggie broth.
Nut allergies: Those with peanut allergies can still make this flavorful soup using almond butter, cashew butter or sunbutter. Even a mix of tahini with any of these butters would be delicious!
RECOMMENDED EQUIPMENT: For grating the ginger I love using my microplane. Also, the small holes of a box grater will work well too (affiliate links).
Nutritional information is calculated using 2 cups veggie broth. I usually prefer to dilute my veggie broth using a combo of broth and water.
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This is one of the best dishes I’ve EVER had! Love the flavors! Thank you for this great recipe!!
This recipe is one of my absolute favorites!! I’ve made it so many times, and it’s always a hit when my family or friends try it! I am not a fan of cilantro so I leave that out, and usually just use bell peppers and add cayenne pepper to spice it up and it comes out so good! A can of black beans is also a great addition – doesn’t affect the flavor and adds some protein. Thanks so much for this recipe!
This was our first recipe try from this website and it was a hit. Well loved by our family and made enough leftovers to freeze and enjoy later this Fall. Looking forward to trying more recipes. Thanks!
SO GOOD!!!! I doubled the peanut butter, put a 4 oz can of chopped jalapeños, threw in some red lentils for added protein. Had no lemon so used lime. Also I think I quintupled the coriander 🙈🤣 AH-MAZ-ING!!!!!
Hey Julie! I have been on your site MANY times this last year, and find all of your recipes very simple, delicious & fun to make. However, this one stood out and is one of my absolute favourites! Even my brother (a stubborn & determined carnivore) LOVED this recipe and since then has tried a few of your others. Thank you so much:)
This is excellent! We will definitely be making this again.
I never rate recipes, but I just had to rate this one. It was to die for! Absolutely delicious. Sweet and fatty and tangy (but still healthy, of course). Definitely hit the spot. Even my extremely picky family enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing :)
I made this receipt EXACTLY as directed with exactly the same ingredients and proportions specified. It is delicious and a keeper. I’m saving it and passing it around. A big bowl was a filling meal – but next time I won’t be able to resist adding a side of cornbread.
Only one comment about the written directions: Do you people have minions in the kitchen before you enter so that YOUR prep is only 10 minutes? Even with a food processor, dicing onions, garlic, jalapeno, ginger and peeling and dicing sweet potatoes took closer to 30 minutes. It takes at least five minutes just to gather ingredients.
This is not a negative comment. The recipe is TOTALLY worth it.
I have lost count of the number of times I have made this recipe. The versatility is fantastic as I can add red lentils, finely chopped cabbage, green peas, etc. because the sauce is so flavorful, sneaking in additional veggies goes unnoticed. I even add peanut powder for a more rich and lucious flavor.
OMG! This recipe is PERFECT! I modified it a bit and added cinnamon, more ginger, 3 sweet peppers, chickpeas, kale instead of spinach and pumpkin instead of second sweet potato (since I had some left in the fridge). And let me tell you, it turned out FANTASTIC! It’s so creamy, rich and filling just on its own that you don’t even need rice to feel stuffed! It’s definitely a MUST in Autumn season!