West African Peanut Stew
West African peanut stew is a simple one-pot recipe ready in 30 minutes or less! Creamy peanut-infused broth surrounds chickpeas, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, and hearty greens. It’s rich, comforting, and subtly spicy. Serve it as-is or with rice and bread!
💛 Why you’ll love this recipe
- Healthy: Made with nutritious ingredients like sweet potatoes and peanuts, this recipe is full of healthy fats, protein, and complex carbohydrates.
- Easy: The entire stew is made in one pot. Seriously, you won’t believe how quick and easy it is to throw together!
- Gluten-Free: If you’re Celiac or have a gluten intolerance, rest assured this vegan peanut stew is gluten-free.
- Flavorful: Each bite is rich, savory, and spicy. Plus, it’s incredibly simple to swap in different mix-ins to make it your own.
If you love West African peanut stew, you should really check out our vegan chili, fava bean soup, sopa de frijoles, and vegan pozole.
🥜 What is West African peanut stew?
African peanut stew is a staple dish across West Africa. There are different names depending on the region and ingredients, but some examples include Maafe, Groundnut Stew, and Domoda.
The main components of peanut stew are peanuts (aka groundnuts), tomatoes, and spicy chilies. From there, mix-ins vary slightly. In some versions, there are sweet potatoes and squash while in others there are meats, eggplant, peppers, okra, and corn.
Pulling inspiration from Gambian-style Domoda, we’ve included sweet potatoes and chickpeas for our choice of protein. Mixed with aromatics like ginger and garlic, the stew is incredibly comforting. It’s perfect for those cold winter nights when you just can’t seem to warm up!
📜 History
Groundnut stews are a traditional part of West African cuisine, including places like Sierra Leone, Mali, the Gambia, Senegal, Nigeria, and Ghana.
During the colonial era, Portuguese and Spanish explorers brought groundnuts with them to the shores of western Africa from South America. After their arrival there, peanuts became an integral part of both the cuisine and the economy.
Peanut-based sauces and stews spread all throughout the Congo and Sub-Saharan Africa, with variations stemming from local ingredient availabilities.
🌱 Is West African peanut stew vegan?
Many West African peanut stews contain beef, bushmeat, or chicken, but there are still many others that are completely vegetarian or vegan. In the majority of cases, you can simply omit the meat and swap out the chicken or beef broth for vegetable broth.
If you’re concerned about protein content, try adding vegan chicken, tofu, or a vegan beef replacement in addition to the chickpeas.
🛒 Ingredients & substitutions
- Olive oil: To sauté the aromatics and spices. Use peanut oil or avocado oil if you don’t have olive oil kicking around.
- Onion, garlic, ginger: Provide savory, zesty, and slightly spicy notes. Make sure they are all fresh!
- Spices: We use cayenne pepper and red pepper flakes for heat. To emulate a more traditional recipe, add scotch bonnet peppers if you have access.
- Tomato paste: Rounds out the broth with a slightly sweet, umami-rich element. Use tomato paste from a tube over canned tomato paste for the most intense taste.
- Diced tomatoes: Canned diced tomatoes provide juicy bursts all throughout the stew. No canned tomatoes on hand? Use fresh diced tomatoes instead.
- Sweet potatoes: Orange-fleshed sweet potatoes, butternut squash, kabocha squash, or even regular potatoes are all great options.
- Chickpeas: To replace chicken or beef sometimes found in peanut stew, we love chickpeas. They’re creamy, hearty, and satisfying. Used canned or home-cooked.
- Vegetable broth: We used a combination of vegetable broth and water, but you can use all broth or all water. Vegetable bouillon also works!
- Peanut butter: Both smooth and crunchy peanut butter make delicious additions. Use smooth for a creamy broth, or crunchy for more texture. Whatever the case, just make sure it’s natural with no added sugar or oils.
- Kale: Adds a pop of color and extra nutrients in each bite. Use any hearty greens you prefer like spinach, chard, or beet greens.
- Salt & pepper: To enhance the other flavors and add a little kick.
For a complete ingredient list and step-by-step guide, scroll down to our recipe card.
📝 How to make African peanut stew
Step 1: Sauté the aromatics
Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium. Add in diced onions, minced garlic, and grated ginger. Sauté for 1-2 minutes.
Step 2: Stir in the vegetables
Next, add in the cayenne and red chili flakes. Once the spices are fragrant, add the tomato paste, sweet potatoes or squash, chickpeas, diced tomatoes, vegetable broth, and water, giving the mixture a stir.
Step 3: Simmer the soup
Cover the pot and reduce the heat to simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until the potatoes or squash is fork-tender.
Step 4: Add the peanut butter
Add the peanut butter and chopped kale, stirring well to incorporate the peanut butter. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed, making sure to add sea salt and pepper to your liking. For more spice, sprinkle in extra cayenne, red chili flakes, fresh spicy peppers, or hot sauce.
Step 5: Thicken the stew
To further thicken the stew, roughly mash some of the sweet potatoes against the side of the pot with a spoon or spatula. Happy eating!
If you have questions about making this vegan peanut stew, check out our FAQs or leave a comment down below!
🍚 How to serve African peanut stew
West African peanut stew is so full of flavors, you can definitely serve it on its own. To amp up the taste even more, pair it with sides and garnishes like these:
- Brown or white rice
- Quinoa, millet, or couscous
- Fufu
- Dairy-free bread
- Sourdough bread
- Cauliflower rice
- Roasted peanuts
- Fresh herbs like cilantro or parsley
- Hot sauce
- Lime wedges
- Fresh chiles (scotch bonnet, habaneros, serranos)
🌡️ Storage & reheating
For any leftover West African peanut stew, follow these simple storage and reheating tips:
- Fridge: Once cooled, transfer everything to the fridge where it will stay fresh for 5-6 days. We prefer airtight glass containers to prevent any flavor seepage.
- Freezer: For longer storage times, keep leftovers in a freezer-safe bag or container. They will stay fresh for up to 2-3 months. We suggest freezing the stew in single-serving containers so it’s easier for meal prep and reheating.
- Reheating: Heat the stew on the stovetop over medium-low for 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently. For more convenience, warm it in the microwave in 20-30 second increments.
♻️ Variations
- Nuts: If you have a peanut allergy in the house, replace the peanut butter with almond butter or cashew butter. For a completely nut-free African stew, try tahini or sunflower seed butter.
- Protein: To increase the protein content, add tofu, tempeh, seitan, lentils, white beans, or pinto beans.
- Oil-free: Instead of using olive oil, sauté the vegetables in water or vegetable broth for an equally delicious stew.
- Vegetables: Try sweet potatoes, regular potatoes, squash, pumpkin, eggplant, okra, or corn.
- Coconut milk: For an even richer option, try adding full-fat coconut milk.
- Spices: Include other spices like turmeric, cinnamon, or bay leaves.
🧑🍳 Top tips
- Fresh vegetables: For the base, use fresh onions, garlic, and ginger. Avoid any powdered forms as this really affects the overall flavor.
- Peanut butter: Use all smooth, unsweetened, natural peanut butter, which is most commonly used in African stews. Anything else will affect the taste and texture.
- Taste and adjust: Add the spices slowly, then taste and adjust it as you go. It’s better gradually increase them rather than have the stew end up overpowering.
- Simmer: Make sure to simmer for at least 15-20 minutes This not only helps the stew thicken, but it will allow the flavors to meld together.
- Consistency: If your stew is too thick, add a tablespoon of vegetable stock at a time. If it’s too thin, roughly mash the sweet potatoes or use a cornstarch slurry (1 part cornstarch and 2 parts water).
💬 FAQ
If you want to use less peanut butter in your peanut stew, you can try replacing it with canned coconut milk or tahini.
West African peanut stew is a healthy and balanced meal that can fit into most people’s weekly meal plan. It’s full of vitamins and minerals, complex carbs, and healthy fats. It’s also important to note that any meal can be deemed unhealthy if eaten in excess.
🍴 More soups and stews
If you enjoyed this African stew, be sure to check out some more soups and stews like these:
- 4-Ingredient Potato Soup: A hearty and complex soup made with just 4 ingredients.
- Black Bean Soup: Mexican-style black bean soup topped with vegan cheese, avocado, and crispy tortilla strips.
- Sopa de Conchas: Mexican shell pasta soup that’s simple and comforting.
- Vegan Tortilla Soup: A vegan version of traditional Mexican tortilla soup.
Easy West African Peanut Stew
Equipment
- Large stockpot
- Chef's knife
- Cutting board
- Grater
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium white onion, diced
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoons fresh ginger, grated
- 1 teaspoon cayenne powder
- ½ tablespoon red pepper flakes
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 medium sweet potatoes, cubed
- 1 ½ cups cooked chickpeas
- 1 15- ounce can diced tomatoes
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 2 cups water
- ¾ cup natural peanut butter, smooth or crunchy
- 3 cups fresh kale, chopped
- Sea salt & pepper to taste
For Serving optional
- Roasted peanuts, whole or chopped
- Rice, quinoa, or couscous
- Chopped cilantro
- Hot sauce of choice
- Lime wedges
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium. Add in diced onions, minced garlic, and grated ginger. Sauté for 1-2 minutes.
- Next, add in the cayenne and red chili flakes, stirring to combine. Once the spices are fragrant, add the tomato paste, sweet potatoes or squash, chickpeas, diced tomatoes, vegetable broth, and water, giving the mixture another stir.
- Cover the pot and reduce the heat to simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until the potatoes or squash is fork-tender.
- Add the peanut butter and chopped kale, stirring well to incorporate the peanut butter.
- Taste and adjust seasonings as needed, making sure to add sea salt and pepper to your liking. For more spice, sprinkle in extra cayenne, red chili flakes, fresh spicy peppers, or hot sauce.
- To further thicken the stew, roughly mash some of the sweet potatoes against the side of the pot with a spoon or spatula.
- Serve this peanut stew over brown rice, quinoa, or cauliflower rice, and top it with roasted peanuts, fresh herbs, hot sauce, or lime wedges. Happy eating!
Notes
- Fresh vegetables: For the base, use fresh onions, garlic, and ginger. Avoid any powdered forms as this really affects the overall flavor.
- Peanut butter: Use all smooth, unsweetened, natural peanut butter, which is most commonly used in African stews. Anything else will affect the taste and texture.
- Taste and adjust: Add the spices slowly, then taste and adjust it as you go. It’s better gradually increase them rather than have the stew end up overpowering.
- Simmer: Make sure to simmer for at least 15-20 minutes This not only helps the stew thicken, but it will allow the flavors to meld together.
- Consistency: If your stew is too thick, add a tablespoon of vegetable stock at a time. If it’s too thin, roughly mash the sweet potatoes or use a cornstarch slurry (1 part cornstarch and 2 parts water).
- Nutritional information is a rough estimate and should not be taken as health advice.
Nutrition
Note: We’ve updated this post to include new information and helpful tips about the recipe.
Justine Drosdovech is a food writer, photographer, and one of the founders of Broke Bank Vegan. She is a self-taught plant-based chef but uses her healthcare background to craft dishes that are both delicious and nourishing.