By Team Dirty
Mar 4, 2022,
Peanut stews are found throughout West Africa. Senegal, Gambia, Ghana, and Nigeria all claim peanut stew traditions that can vary from region to region. Our whole-food plant-based interpretation of this popular dish, sometimes called Maafe, Nkate, or Nkawan, was introduced in 2017 and since then, it’s been an all-time favorite of our community. While ingredients and styles can differ, a rich broth that includes tomatoes and peanuts is consistent across the board, and our variation is no different. Rich spices and flavorful veggies round it out. This West African-Inspired Peanut Stew is a rich, creamy crowd-pleaser.
There are hundreds of posts in our private Facebook group raving about how rich, creamy, delicious, and magical this soup is. Here’s what they say:
West African-Inspired Peanut Stew… I seriously think it is the most delicious thing I have ever eaten 🤩🤩🤩 my coworkers all asked for the recipe, my omni husband and my dad both were floored… winner winner chickenless dinner. 🤣
This is a regular staple dish of mine. It’s a “must-do” recipe! It’s a very satisfying dish, flavorful, beautiful…
It’s gluten-free, omnivores love it, kids love it, picky mothers-in-law love it, and you’ll love it, too. Have a peanut allergy? Don’t worry, we got you.
What you’ll need to make our West African-Inspired Peanut Stew
Spices: No Clean Food Dirty Girl recipe is complete without a carefully curated assortment of spices to complement and enhance the flavors of the dish. This stew includes spice trade staples like cumin, cinnamon, turmeric, chili, black pepper, cayenne, and clove.
Sweet potatoes: We use sweet potatoes as they’re typically more accessible in America than the fresh yams African cooks may prefer. Despite some misleading marketing, yams and sweet potatoes are not the same thing, and they’re not strictly interchangeable. We’ve built the flavor profile accordingly to work with sweet potatoes’ mild earthy sweetness.
Ginger: Fresh ginger adds a lovely sharpness that cuts through the richness of the stew and helps balance it.
This is just the beginning of deliciousness.
No credit card or perfection required.
Tomatoes: Tomatoes’ acidity and deep umami taste help balance and ground the stew while deepening the flavor.
Peanut butter: Yep, this stew’s most important ingredient is peanut butter. You may not have considered putting peanut butter in soup, but we promise it works. It more than works, it sings! Peanut butter adds rich creaminess and toasty nuttiness. You can substitute with another nut or seed butter, but don’t skip it entirely. It’s absolutely key.
Now, let’s make some stew!
First, measure out all of your spices into a small bowl and set aside. If you or a loved one doesn’t like spicy food, you can reduce or omit the cayenne.
When you’re chopping, slicing, and dicing, you can put the sweet potatoes, onion, bell pepper, garlic, and ginger into one bowl and the tomatoes and peanut butter in another. Keep your chopped kale separate.
Getting everything together before cooking is called mise en place. We love doing this because it helps things come together quickly and reduces the likelihood of mistakes while you’re multitasking. Give it a try if you’ve never done it. Or don’t and say you did, we’ll never know.
Now that your mise en place is in place (see what we did there?), heat a large pot like a stockpot or dutch oven over medium heat long enough for it to warm up, about 2–5 minutes.
Dump in the bowl with your sweet potatoes, onion, bell pepper, garlic, and ginger. Let them cook for about three minutes, stirring occasionally. If things start to stick to the bottom of the pot, add a tablespoon or two of water at a time and stir. No need to measure, you have enough going on, just add a splash as needed and move on.
Add the spices, stir to coat your veggies with them, and let them toast for about one minute. If they get too hot, they’ll go from toasty and aromatic to burned and bitter. While bitters can be fun in an adult beverage, we don’t want that in our soup, so we recommend you set a timer or listen to The White Stripe’s “Little Room” once. Up to you!
Now that your spices are nice and toasty, add your tomatoes and peanut butter. Stir well and be sure to scrape up any stuck bits from the bottom of the pot. Finally, add the water and bring the soup to a boil. If your stovetop is a little underpowered, you can kick it up to medium-high, but we wouldn’t go much higher than that.
Once you’ve reached a boil, turn the heat to low, add the lid at an angle so there’s room for steam to escape, and let the soup simmer for about 20 minutes. Stir every so often to keep things from sticking.
After 20 minutes, remove the lid, add your chopped kale and let it simmer for 10 more minutes (without the lid). After that, your sweet potatoes should be fork-tender. If not, cook for a few more minutes and check again.
You can serve your stew immediately with a few chopped peanuts on top or you can let it cool, store it in the fridge, and serve reheated the next day. The flavors will continue to meld and the stew will thicken as it cools. It only gets better.
If you have the patience to wait after smelling the incredible deliciousness that you’ve created, kudos to you! We, however, will be eating immediately and we hope you’ll pretend not to notice while we lick the bowl.
This recipe makes about eight cups or four full-sized servings and you can keep it in the fridge for about five days (if it lasts that long). It’s lovely served with a green salad or over cooked brown rice.
Peanut allergy got you down?
We don’t think a peanut allergy should keep you or your loved ones from enjoying this West African-Inspired Peanut Stew, AKA possibly the most delicious soup in the world, so we’ve got you covered.
There are three substitution options that we recommend. Choose whichever works best for your situation and budget.
Almond butter: Rich in flavor and easily accessible, this is probably the simplest and least expensive option. However, its texture isn’t as smooth and creamy as peanut butter.
Sunflower butter: Sunflower butter, or sunbutter, is a great option for those with more general nut allergies. It’s creamy and nutty in flavor, but not quite as rich as peanut butter.
Cashew butter: This is probably the best option in terms of flavor and texture. However, it can be quite pricey and possibly difficult to find.
Have you made our West African-Inspired Peanut Stew? Did it blow your mind and convince all your friends that you’re a magical genius? Let us know in the comments below.
Ingredients
For the stew
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon powder
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ¼ teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper (about 10 turns)
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne powder (omit if you don't like spicy)
- ⅛ teaspoon clove powder
- 3 cups sweet potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch chunks (about 2 small to medium-sized / 395 g)
- 1 cup yellow onion, diced (160 g)
- ½ cup red bell pepper, diced (75 g)
- 1⅓ tablespoons garlic, minced (10 g)
- 2 teaspoons ginger root, peeled and minced (8 g)
- 3 cups canned crushed or diced tomatoes (730 g)
- ½ cup peanut butter (130 g / no added salt or sugar / can sub with almond butter, sunflower seed butter, or cashew butter)
- 2½ cups water (590 ml)
- 3 cups kale, chopped (90 g)
For serving (optional)
- peanuts, chopped (toasted or raw)
Instructions
- In a small dish, mix together the cumin, salt, cinnamon, turmeric, chili powder, black pepper, cayenne, and clove powder. Set aside for now.
- Heat a large pot over medium heat for 3 minutes. Add the sweet potatoes, onion, bell pepper, garlic, and ginger. Cook for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add a splash of water and stir if things start to stick.
- Add the spices that you set aside earlier and toast for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
- Add the tomatoes and peanut butter and stir until all the peanut butter is mixed in and any stuck bits of spices are loosened up from the bottom of the pot.
- Add the water, stir and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes, with a lid on the pot at an angle. Stir every 5 minutes or so with a wooden spoon, making sure you get up any stuck bits from the bottom of the pot.
- Take off the lid, add the kale and simmer for an additional 10 minutes, with the lid off the pot, until the sweet potatoes are fork-tender.
- Garnish with chopped peanuts and serve immediately or cool and store in the fridge. The stew will thicken and the flavors will continue to meld as it cools.
Here’s to licking the bowl.
Xo
Team Dirty
Note: This recipe was originally featured on a blog post about how Betty Haynes, a Clean Food Dirty Girl member, went from eating meat, dairy, and processed foods to a whole-food plant-based diet.
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I can’t wait to try this recipe. I always get the p-nut soup at our local whole food store and I know this will be so much better without all the oil and sugar. Thank you, thank you!
Oh yeah! I am going to eat the last bit I have in my fridge for dinner tonight!
Keep us posted.
xo
Molly
I added a can of garbanzos to this soup so I could get my beans in! Delicious!
Another inspiring post – AND, I just made the stew and it is OUT OF THIS WORLD!! This one will go in the “rinse and repeat” folder for sure. Thank you!
Yes adding garbanzos to it makes this recipe almost identical to Angela Liddon’s soul southing african peanut stew <3
This stew is delicious! I just cut the salt back by half, and it had plenty of flavor! I had to leave before the final 10 minutes, so I turned off the heat, stirred in the kale, and shut the lid, leaving it on the burner. When I returned later, I dug in – Yum! Thick and hearty, and I’ll bet it would be good with some chickpeas added another day!
How do I make this in the Instant Pot?
Aloha! Jill’s friends in the Kingdom of Hawaii! I’m finally on your website and LOVING IT!
My daughter works in Africa and brought this recipe from one of the countries a few years ago. It’s fabulous and great for dinner parties. Everyone loves it, the kick! of spice, and it’s filling.
I’ll be joining your tribe now! Buen provecho, as we say in Mexico, my latest stop!
Can this amazing yummy-ness be made in a crockpot? I have not taken the plunge and splurged for an instapot yet… Hopefully I’ll talk myself into it soon ?
Thanks Molly!!
girlfriend…GIRLFRIEND! You are truly gifted! I decided a month ago to change my diet for health reasons. I thought it was going to be a difficult row to hoe and your FABULOUS recipes have made it so easy. This is the fourth one I have tried and it tastes so good, as the other three have!!! I thank you kindly and sincerely!!
Hi Kerrie,
I’m pretty sure it would do fine in a crockpot 🙂
We like it best on the stove but whatever works best for you!
xo
Molly
This was delicious! My absolute favourite so far.
I’m making it again tomorrow as it’s my turn to cook for the family and I’m already planning to serve it next time we have friends round for dinner.
Molly,
Thank you for pushing me out of my comfort zone with exotic flavors and yumminess! I would have never guessed that tomatoes and peanut butter would create such a delicious soup. This will be on regular rotation at my house. 🙂
Michelle
I made this soup today and oh my goodness!!! So good!! A must try!! Thank you for the recipe! Will make again in future!!?
It was really yummy. I did make some changes, I added some red curry paste that had a little kick, and mushrooms. I didn’t have kale so I used spinach. Unbelievably good! Thank you.
Your tweaks sound yummy!
xo
Molly
I have loved this from the moment I read the recipe!
I am considering starting up a support group for those that can’t seem to get enough of this incredible stew! I have also added broccoli to this and I just love it more!!
Yes! My name is Brittany, and I am obsessed with African Peanut Stew! Broccoli sounds like an amazing addition, I’ll have to try that!
This is a favorite soup of ours! It sounds weird when I read the ingredients but the flavor is wonderful!!
Has anyone subbed pumpkin for the sweet potatoes? If so would you recommend?
Hi Bethany,
We haven’t tested that substitution, but you’re welcome to give it a try! Just be sure to peel and remove the seeds before cubing and adding to the soup. Pumpkin tends to be more subtle in flavor than sweet potato, so it may change the overall flavor profile and the cooking time may change as well, so keep an eye on things.
Other types of squash like butternut or acorn could also be good ideas.
Let us know how it turns out!
Stephanie
Yum-o. Definitely added to my rotation. Used frozen broccoli and frozen fajita mix, which I added near the end of cooking.
Just finished my first bowl and I’m going for seconds right after I type this! Wow I love it! I ended up adding a little extra cumin and salt but otherwise followed the recipe 100 percent.
OMG y’all. I batched this today and just finished eating a sample bowl over a bit of mixed brown rice and quinoa for lunch (I may or may not have licked the bowl clean like a happy animal). I can feel the beta-carotene and spices soaking into my SOUL. This is truly amazing. I’ve seen a phrase on your site before which I adore – “love the food that loves you back.” I don’t know if I truly felt that phrase until this moment. This recipe is awesome on this spring afternoon, but I imagine it would be especially soothing and warming on a fall or winter day. Thanks so much for this. It’s definitely going into regular rotation.
PS: A happy accident happened when I gambled with canned tomatoes that contained basil. I wasn’t sure how the basil would meld with the cinnamon and cloves but I took a chance and it’s stellar!
We’re so glad you loved it! This is definitely a fan favorite!
Hey hey! Recent convert to this site and I’m l.o.v.i.n.g. it here; your Thai curry noodles recipe is currently blowing my mind (confession: I subbed kelp noodles for glass noodles). I’m *super* stoked to find this recipe because I’ve only ever seen it made with chicken (which I don’t eat). Question: if I were to add peanut powder (around a 1/4 cup, probably) to up the peanut oomph without upping the calorie content too much, are there any alterations you would suggest to accommodate an additional dry ingredient? Thank you in advance!!
Hi Angela,
Thanks for the love! This is such a tasty recipe. We haven’t tested it with peanut butter powder, but you’ll probably need to add a little more liquid to compensate. Water should be fine. You might try rehydrating the powder to a peanut butter consistency before adding it.
Enjoy!
Quick update: added the peanut powder with some additional hydration and brought it to “International Night” at my son’s preschool. I had so many of the teachers and other parents asking me for the recipe! I live in the middle of “meat-and-potatoes” land, so that was a very welcome surprise. I sang your praises (and gave out the website) all night. Thank you again!!!
I made this last night for guests. A new favorite go to recipe.
I’ve made this so many times, I’ve lost count. It’s easy to modify (say, I have spinach but no kale, etc.). Seems freezer-friendly – at least I routinely freeze some and haven’t noticed any drawbacks, maybe the texture is a bit different when first thawed, but warming and stirring seem to eliminate that.
I admittedly balked at the ingredient list at first, and feared I wouldn’t like it… but I just adore this stew.
So glad you enjoy it, Lynette! It’s a favorite around here too. 😀