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!
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!
Any idea if it would make a huge difference in taste if one were to use regular peanut butter rather than natural?
You definitely can just use what you have on hand. The regular peanut butter just may be sweeter.
This is the recipe that made my family glad I went vegan! I use a 6 oz bag of baby spinach because rip open, dump and stir. Done! I also add a can of small red beans, drained and rinsed, for added nutrients and fiber. Sunday dinner at it’s best!
Happy to hear it Laury! Thanks for sharing.
So delicious! I added chickpeas and green beans and a little hot sauce and it was so good!
Great additions!
I used to love a version of this soup a local co-op made years ago. It also had raisins in it.
I’ve since become sensitive to peanuts.
Would almond butter work as well?
Yes it certainly could!
I made it for a couple friends for vegetarian night and we just LOVED it!!!
Hooray!
Great recipe, perfect for winter! (thought it always takes me longer to make than anticipated)
This looks really great! I’m not vegan though and would like to add a protein element on the side as an optional accompaniment. Would salmon or chicken work if I just had the soup poured over some white rice?
I’ve added roasted chicken in it with great success before!
I just made this for the third time, and before I ate it I thought, “I shouldn’t be this excited for soup!”. It is so good. Do the rice, so the chopped peanuts, do the sriracha and cilantro if you can. To save time you can chop your nuts in a mini food processor, set them aside then use it to chop your ginger, garlic and onions all together. I also use chopped frozen kale instead of fresh greens.
This is absolutely delicious, so glad I tried it! Doe you know how well it freezes? I made way too much😂
It should freeze just fine. Make sure you cool it in the refrigerator, then freeze.
Made this stew for dinner it was absolutely amazing. A taste of Africa in my home.
Happy to hear it Nikia!
Oh my word. This is my absolute favorite soup! My husband and I just love it. We like to add crispy tofu into the soup and serve with white rice – yum!
Oh that’s a great addition!
Can anyone share the instant pot settings to cook the stew?
I did mine for 15 minutes at high pressure and natural release. I added extra water because I was afraid it would burn but I wish I hadn’t, it’s a little more brothy than I would like but still good. Next time I’ll leave the water alone since I also added a can of diced tomatoes which added liquid. I may take my immersion blender to it and see if I can thicken it up.
I love this recipe it was really easy for a beginner cook like myself to put together. I think Ill add a little more peanut butter and even black beans for protein, like Sarah said. Very hearty and yummy stew!
Made this last week. Was SO Happy with how it turned out! I added a lot more spice than called for, and it was so tasty. Froze a lot of it, and can’t wait to have it again!
I was a bit wary about trying this recipe due to the whole peanut butter/tomato combo but this was delicious, hearty and so easy to make! It is very rich and satisfying, I served it with a bit of jasmine rice. The only difference was I used some corn starch at the end to thicken it up a bit as well as substituting in spinach as we don’t seem to have collard greens where I live :)
I really enjoyed this strew. Added some black beans for some protein. Can’t wait to make it again.