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
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!Scroll down for the step by step photos!
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!
I love this stew and make it quite regularly. I usually stick to the original recipe because I think it’s perfect as-is, however, today I had an idea to throw some madras curry power in and let me tell you, it is on another level!
Oh man…I HAVE to try it that way! Thanks for sharing Cassandra!
I tripled recipe it seems soupier than usual any advice?
Hmm, I’m not sure without having been there to watch the process. If all the ingredients were tripled at the same ratio, the soup should have the same consistency. My only guess is that perhaps one of the ingredients was accidentally measured wrong, whether it was the broth or the ingredients that help it thicken (peanut butter and tomato paste). You might see if you can smash some of the sweet potatoes a little because that will also help thicken the soup.
I don’t know what black magic is at work here but somehow the broth, tomato paste and peanut butter (and I guess some of the starch from the potatoes) in this recipe are transformed into creamy, comforting peanutty goodness. Delicious and easy recipe that’s going straight into my regular rotation.
I added a 15 oz can of chickpeas (about 10 minutes before the end of cooking) for some protein and extra filling which worked well. Next time I might also try to up the collard greens or add some other vegetables to make it more nutritious.
Serving size is too small though, I think. I made the amount that was given for 6 servings but only got 4 dinner-sized portions out of it (including the added chickpeas).
Thank you so much Ruben!
WARNING: Do not add the peanut butter before bringing to a boil! I wondered about it when i read through the recipe but followed directions since this recipe had such a high rating. The peanut butter scorches on the bottom of the pot if you turn the heat high. My pots aren’t super thin, either. I’m making a mega batch (I know, dumb to try out a recipe first time in quantity) and the whole thing was nearly ruined. I caught it just in time to pour off the top before the scorched bottom contaminated the whole soup too badly (I think!). Other recipes I’m consulting now after the fact say to bring to a boil and then add the PB when it goes down to a simmer.
Sorry to hear that Rachelle!
So tasty, satisfying and forgiving of some substitutions I think. I didn’t have fresh ginger, so I used a combo of ginger powder and freeze dried minced ginger, with adjustments to taste. Didn’t have any veg broth, so I used a 28 oz can of chopped tomatoes as well as the tomato paste, and then just added water by eye (haha). I decided to try the garbanzo addition by just adding uncooked canned garbanzos to my bowl of stew, and I really liked the addition of al dente garbanzo texture.
One warning: this stew is ridiculously addictive. Thank goodness I doubled the recipe.
Ha thank you!
This. Make this. It’s delicious, warm, filling, good-for-you comfort food. I sub in tomato puree for the paste, decrease the broth, and usually use kale (my grocer doesn’t carry organic collards). Today I didn’t have kale so I added some eggplant and cabbage with the sweet potato and it was still delicious.
Thank you Miriam!
I wish I could give this recipe 10 stars! It is so incredibly creamy, delicious, and filling. I don’t know how the peanut butter and tomato paste work together, but they do. I made only one small change, which was to add about a can’s worth of black beans (drained) at the very end for some added protein. I’ve made a lot of recipes from your site, and this has to be one of my favorites. Thank you so much for bringing this soup into my life! It’ll be going into the regular rotation from now on.
Thank you so much Courtney!
This stew lives up to the “comfort in a bowl” hype. I made it with kale instead of collard greens and served with rice and flatbread. It was divine. Perfect meal to warm you up on a cold fall day. I would definitely make this again.
Thanks Jenn!!
This was excellent. I made it just as recipe called, but I did sub in kale because it is still going strong in the garden. It made a large amount for two eaters here, so it became good lunches. It got more delicious as the week went on. It is, as we all know, made with inexpensive ingredients, but you feel like you are having something kind of special. We are “adding it to the rotation,” (highest commendation of the home cook).
You’re so lucky with your abundant garden! Thanks Sue!
Yum, I can’t stop sneaking more bites! I used kale instead of collard greens, added about a cup of black beans I had in the fridge, and added some leftover quinoa I had, too. This is good enough to make for a dinner party.
I made this tonight and just used a bag of frozen kale instead of the collards. It was cozy and comforting and filled with flavor! I totally recommend it!
That’s great Ashley! Thanks for sharing.
Hey Beth, if I realllllly want to add beans to this to increase the protein…what would you recommend? Garbanzo? Black?
Thanks!
I use cannellini (white) beans and they are great in it! I’m sure most beans would work though.
I’d add garbanzo beans, which would work very naturally with the cumin and red pepper.
Garbanzo would be a great addition!
Red lentils work excellent in this as well.
This is an awesome dish, everyone loves it every time I make it!
Thanks Paula!
Did you mean to change this recipe so that the greens are only simmered 5 minutes vs the 15 minutes + time to boil in the original? My wife tried making this and we were both wondering why the greens were almost crunchy compared to when I made it a year ago. It’s a great recipe, but I think the previous approach ended up with a better texture.
When I remade it I found that I didn’t need to let them simmer long to get the texture I liked, but that sort of thing always boils down (no pun intended) to personal preference. :)
Love this soup. I usually substitute butternut squash for the sweet potato and it is still delicious!
Oh that sounds good! Thanks PJ!