I had seen recipes for Peanut Stew and all of it’s many variations around the internet for years before I finally gave it a try, and I’m only kicking myself for not trying it sooner. This stew, inspired by several peanut based stews made in West Africa, is seriously DE-LIC-OUS!! This rich and creamy tomato-peanut stew is so incredibly flavorful, super comforting, and is truly a meal in a bowl. You’re going to love this flavorful stew!
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What is Peanut Stew?
This delicious stew is inspired by the many versions of peanut stew made in several countries across West Africa. The recipe and names for the stew vary from region to region, some of the names being: groundnut stew, maafe, or domoda, to name a few. The common thread between these regional recipes is a tomato broth made rich and creamy with peanut butter, and seasoned with plenty of delicious spices. The flavors are simply incredible. While most versions of this dish are made with chicken, I made a few subs to make it vegan, but I promise you won’t even miss the meat.
Substitutions
I love the texture and flavor of the collard greens in this Vegan Peanut Stew, but I’ve seen versions using all sorts of different greens, so feel free to substitute with kale, spinach, mustard greens, or whatever hearty greens you prefer.
Either chunky or smooth peanut butter will work here, but make sure it’s natural style, with no added sugar, to maximize the peanut flavor.
How to Serve Vegan Peanut Stew
Brown rice is my carb of choice to go with this dish because of it’s slightly nutty flavor and extra texture, so I like to scoop a bit straight into my bowl of stew. That being said, it can certainly be served without rice as well, or even with some bread (maybe some naan) for dipping. I also like my stew a bit spicy, so I like to top it off with a little drizzle of sriracha, even though that’s totally mixing and matching cultures. :) I’m all about fusion!
Meal Prep or Freeze for Later!
This recipe holds up really well both in the refrigerator or freezer. I like to pack up my bowls with rice and everything, then refrigerate for a few days or freeze for longer term storage.
Vegan Peanut Stew
Servings 6 1.5 cups eachIngredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil ($0.16)
- 4 cloves garlic ($0.32)
- 1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger ($0.30)
- 1 sweet potato (about 1 lb.) ($1.47)
- 1 medium onion ($0.21)
- 1 tsp cumin ($0.10)
- 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper ($0.02)
- 1 6oz. can tomato paste ($0.45)
- 1/2 cup natural style peanut butter ($0.55)
- 6 cups vegetable broth ($0.78)
- 1/2 bunch collard greens (4-6 cups chopped) ($0.99)
Optional Garnishes
- 1/4 bunch cilantro ($0.25)
- 4.5 cups cooked brown rice ($0.53)
- 1/3 cup chopped peanuts ($0.16)
Instructions
- Peel and grate the ginger using a small holed cheese grater. Mince the garlic, and dice the onion. Sauté the onion, ginger, and garlic in a large pot with the olive oil over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, or until the onion becomes soft and translucent.
- While the onion, ginger, and garlic are sautéing, peel and dice the sweet potato into 1/2-inch cubes. Add the sweet potato cubes, cumin, and red pepper to the pot and continue to sauté for about 5 minutes.
- Add the tomato paste, peanut butter, and vegetable broth to the pot. Stir until the peanut butter and tomato paste have mostly dissolved into the broth. Place a lid on the pot and turn the heat up to high. Allow the stew to come up to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, turn the heat down to medium-low and allow it to simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are very soft.
- While the soup is simmering, prepare the collard greens. Use a sharp knife to remove each stem (cut along the side of each stem), then stack the leaves and cut them into 1/2-inch wide strips. Place the chopped collard greens in a colander and rinse very well
- Once the stew has simmered for 15-20 minutes and the sweet potatoes are very soft, stir in the collard greens. Let the stew simmer for about 5 minutes more, then begin to smash the sweet potatoes against the side of the pot to help thicken the stew.
- Finally, taste the stew and add salt or red pepper, if desired. Serve the stew with a scoop of cooked rice (about 3/4 cup), a few chopped peanuts, fresh cilantro, and a drizzle of sriracha, if desired.
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Nutrition
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How to Make Peanut Stew – Step by Step Photos
Dice one onion, mince four cloves of garlic, and grate about 1 Tbsp fresh ginger. Add the onion, garlic, and ginger to a large soup pot along with 1 Tbsp olive oil, and sauté over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, or until the onions are soft and translucent.
While the onion, garlic, and ginger are sautéing, peel and dice one sweet potato (about 1 lb.) into 1/2-inch cubes. Add the sweet potato cubes to the pot along with 1 tsp cumin and 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes. Continue to sauté for about 5 minutes.
Add 1/2 cup natural-style peanut butter, one 6oz. can of tomato paste, and 6 cups of vegetable broth to the pot. Stir until the peanut butter and tomato paste are mostly dissolved into the broth (it will look a little weird and grainy at this point). Place a lid on the pot, turn the heat up to high, and bring the stew up to a boil. Once boiling, turn it down to medium-low and let it simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are very soft and mashable.
While the stew is simmering, prepare the collard greens. Run a sharp knife down the side of each stem to remove the stems.
Stack the leaves and slice cross-wise into 1/2-inch wide strips. Place the sliced collard greens in a colander and rinse very well (they tend to be very sandy).
Once the stew has simmered for 15-20 minutes and the sweet potatoes are very soft, add the rinsed collard greens. Stir them into the hot stew and let them simmer for about 5 minutes more.
Use a large spoon to smash some of the sweet potatoes against the side of the pot to help thicken the stew. Give the peanut stew one last taste and add more salt or red pepper flakes, if desired.
To serve the Vegan Peanut Stew, ladle about 1.5 cups of stew into a bowl, top with 3/4 cup cooked brown rice, a tablespoon or so of chopped peanuts, a light sprinkle of cilantro, and a drizzle of sriracha (if desired). Enjoy!
One of my favorite things I’ve made of yours (and I’ve made a lot!). I used homemade peanut butter because it’s better and cheaper- look up “You’re Doing it Wrong: Peanut Butter” on Slate.com, I haven’t bought peanut butter in more than a year now, so good!
I also used more garlic, like I always do, chick broth, and kale instead of collard greens. But wow, this is my new favorite soup!
I LOVE collards, but am used to cooking them longer. Are they still pretty crunchy after this short a time on the simmer? Mine still usually have a good amount of bite even after an hour.
Mine weren’t crunchy at all, but then the leaves weren’t crunchy even when raw. The only crunchy part on mine were the stems, which I removed. :)
Thank you, Beth. I did this recipe Monday night with kale, which was already in my fridge, and it was delicious. I will do it again soon with collards.
This looks delicious! I’m cooking for one this week, so I’m not sure I’d be able to get through 6 servings by myself. What do you think about freezing this one? Or should I just halve the recipe?
I do think this one would freeze well. :)
I’ve never heard of peanut stew before but it sounds like it’s fairly simple and delicious. Will definitely try this. Thanks!
–Sarah
thesloppyperfectionist.blogspot.com
Would chopped frozen spinach be an okay replacement for the collard greens?
The pieces might be too small with chopped frozen spinach (it might look like confetti in the stew), but I whole fresh spinach leaves would probably work if added at the very end of cooking.
I was just about to ask this question, because as much of a food lover as I am, I just cannot stomach kale & the likes of it. So it’ll be spinach. Can’t wait to try this!
What COUNTRY is this soup from? Africa is a continent after all. It looks DELICIOUS, but please give credit to the unique country this soup calls home, as not all of Africa eats this.
I was thinking the same thing lol! I did eat this type of soup a lot in Tanzania and a Kenyan colleague of mine has made a similar recipe, but other people say it is predominantly eaten in West Africa, so I don’t know…
thank you! these were my exact thoughts when i first saw this. africa is not homogenous.
google it, damn lol. it’s just a soup on a blog, not that serious.
Relax she never said Africa was a country. Are you proud of yourselves for knowing that or something?
Do you think you might be able to substitute almond or cashew butter in there?
I think cashew butter might work because it is more on the rich side, like peanut butter.
Thanks. When I give it a try, I’ll let you know.
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This sounds amazing. I can’t wait to try it. It’s going to be prefect as the weather cools down.
This looks beautiful and perfect for the drizzly weather in England at the moment! Thanks for sharing!
I think my neighbour (who is originally born in South Africa) made me this a while ago and I haven’t been able to connect with her to find out what it was! I am going to try this for lunch next week.
I can’t have spicy peppers, so I will eliminate those but it still sounds delicious! Especially with some diced tomatoes. Mmm. Thanks for posting!
This is an interesting recipe. I never thought peanut butter could be put in a stew! We’re having a 4-day holiday coming here, so I think I’ll give this one a try as something new and unusual (to me) for the holiday. Thanks, Beth!
Is there anything I could substitute for the sweet potato? I really dislike any kind of sweet potatoes or yams, but I am all on about regular potatoes. I’m not sure about the consistency and how to include that starch element.
A lot of the recipes I saw for peanut stew didn’t have sweet potato (or any potato) at all, so you can definitely just skip it. I’m not sure if I’d like the flavor of a regular white potato in there. If you skip the sweet potato, I’d use 4 cups of broth rather than 6, though, so it doesn’t get too thin.
I’ve never seen a recipe like this before but I’m super intrigued. I’m definitely going to try this one!
I love this stew before even making it . . . thank you!