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!
Don’t laugh…I’m not a fan of tasting peanut butter in recipes like this as I seem to pick up on it over everything else. Does this have a strong peanut flavor profile?
Hi Kim! It does taste pretty strongly of peanut butter. I’m a peanut butter fanatic so I love this dish, but you might want to decrease the amount of peanut butter or maybe skip this recipe.
One of our favorite recipes! We make at least once a month and have even taken to family functions (to rave reviews). Super easy and affordable.
I was wondering if the calorie information listed includes the 3/4 rice, or is just the 1.5 cup of stew?
This recipe is so good! Used kale instead of collard greens, added some lemon juice to bring more acidity and lots of sriracha. Delicious!
Thanks!!
The nutrition data provided is calculated using all ingredients listed on the recipe card, including any ingredient listed as optional. Keep in mind that recipes that involve marinades, breading, salad dressings, oil for frying, or salt for cooking pasta and potatoes may be skewed because some of these ingredients will be discarded and not included in the final edible portion.
My family loved this recipe, they were disappointed that I wouldn’t let them have seconds because I was saving the rest for lunch. Make sure to add the cilantro and chopped peanuts, it sends the flavor over the top.
I added some bay leave, tyme, extra garlic and slap yo mama for some seasoning. Then added some vegan chicken and sausage with some mushroom just because it was left over. It’s definitely delicious!
WOW! This is incredible and so unique. I used collards as the recipe called for (was nervous since I’ve never cooked with them before) and would recommend NOT substituting them! They add a heartiness and a bit of a crunch. A little brown rice as recommended is the cherry on top. Will be making this again! So good!
My roommate and I made this to eat for dinners this week and we both love it! Thank you so much for sharing.
This is one of my favorite dishes. I used to live in St. Thomas and get it at an Ital restaurant.
I’ve just made. I used your recipe with one alteration I used a can of coconut milk, and the same amount of water.
A little richer, if you’re not dieting.
Fantastic! Been Making this for over a year now, and love it. My variation: Add a 15oz can of diced tomatoes, and at the end I use an immersion blender to make it smooth as all get out because my kids won’t eat lumpy stuff. Like others, this is a staple in the house. I’ve also taken it to potlucks and it goes very quickly.
Man is this great. Sriracha is a must for my personal bowl, btw.
Would kale work for collard greens?
We haven’t tried it with Kale but as you can see in the comments below many others have and it’s turned out great for them!
Delicious, we used spinach added a bit of turmeric powder, next time I.msy be tempted with paprika too. Thank you so much!
Delicious looking recipe, but I have one small question:
If I see the phrase “natural style” peanut butter, I have no idea what that means. Does it mean crunchy? Does it mean made without sweetener? Does it mean that it’s the kind with the oil sitting on top?
I’ve never encountered any peanut butter sold with that descriptor.
Yes it’s low processed and only contains peanuts, oil and salt. No other additives.
If you have a Trader Joe’s market near you, go there. Or look for a natural food market of any kind. You want to avoid emulsifiers and other additives. Just look for a peanut butter where the oil separates out. In a pinch, you can definitely use regular peanut butter, just taste test before you add sugar or salt.
This is a new staple in our house, and I live with a dedicated meat eater so that is saying a lot. Hearty, healthy and packed with flavor. I can’t wait to keep making this for my friends and family! Soooooo good!
Ohhh man! The texture, flavors and simplicity of this meal is amazing! My 5 year old surprisingly LOVED it too… sure wasn’t expecting that, but, SCORE! Thank You!!
This was very good, and made a lot better with hot sauce. Collard greens are out of season where I live in Florida, so I used an organic power greens mix instead. It wasn’t as flavorful as I had hoped, so I added a can of V8 which helped. Except for the V8, I used all organic ingredients. It was very good with organic brown basmati rice. Everyone seemed to enjoy it at the dinner I made tonight, but I will try this again when collard greens are in season!