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!
By necessity I made this incorrectly (I was using ingredients at hand) and it still turned out great. Here were my changes. Chicken broth substituted for vegetable broth, regular peanut butter for natural peanut butter, spinach for collard greens, cayenne pepper for red pepper flakes, and white rice for brown. My taste buds felt it could be rounded out with some ancho pepper powder so I added some. It worked. I look forward to making a more faithful version of this recipe when I can shop specifically for it (and when I’m not trying to use up old spinach, sweet potatoes, and cilantro).
My conclusion is this recipe is very forgiving, but you should probably stick to it as written for a first try. Don’t be scared off if you have to make a few substitutions.
So good I had two servings! I subbed the collard greens for kale and garnished with cilantro.
Tried it and loved it!!
This dish always comes out great, exactly as written in the instructions. It’s such a filling, comforting stew. I hadn’t used peanut butter in a stew/soup before, so I was a little hesitant, but I’m so glad I gave it a try. My husband likes it so much, he’s requested for me to keep this as part of our regular “rotation” when we cook.
I omit the crushed red pepper and collard greens, and I always add peanuts and cilantro as a garnish. This is my favourite dish!
Beth does it again! DELICIOUS!
We love this soup! I’ve made it like 7 times and it’s amazing every time! I’ve also made it as a pasta sauce and just added less veggie broth. I love how easy it is to swap any leftover greens in my fridge and any rice/grain/pasta I have lying around (it’s so good over quinoa!). It’s good both with and without the sweet potato. The perfect pantry meal!
For a family who is not adventurous with food, we were pleasantly surprised. We do not typically like sweet potatoes and had never tried collard greens. We have been trying recipes out of our comfort zone to try and find meals to add to our rotation, but we were all dreading this meal. Each of us loved it so much that we had two bowls (the two picky children included). Try this recipe, it does not disappoint!!!
I made this, in true budget style, with substitutions I had on hand: 10 oz frozen butternut squash (cubed) instead of sweet potato & added green pepper and used kale instead of collard greens. My wife, who hates vegetables, was very suspicious at first. But, her face changed like Mikey in the Life cereal commercial at first bite, and she gobbled it up. She even went back for seconds & had the leftovers for lunch today. I hardly ever post recipe reviews but had to this time bc she RARELY responds this way to my vegan dishes. The recipe is written very well, as I found the cooking times, quantities and tips quite accurate, which means it came out perfect in first try. Kudos!!!
I just tried this recipe, and it was ridiculously delicious! I’m amazed at how well all of those ingredients worked together. Side note: do the nutrition estimates include the optional topings?
Edit: yes, they do include the optional ingredients. Needless to say, I didn’t read the nutrition disclosure before posting that comment. My bad!
Omg this is delicious! I wanted to be carb conscious and skipped the rice. Even without it- it’s so hearty.
Currently making this now, just realised I put in 16 oz of tomato paste and not 1 6 oz can opps! Hopefully it turns out okay still, silly me!
Can I use pasta sauce and cut back on broth? I have everything but the tomato paste. Love your recipes!
Honestly I don’t suggest that. Pasta sauce and tomato paste are far too different to be able to make that swap.
First time making this recipe today and it was yummy! I didnt have sweet potatoes, but had plenty plantain on hand, so I managed to cook two and mashed them into the sauce as a substitute for the sweet potatoe. Simmered the sauce for about 30 mins and added in 1 bunch of collard greens. Served the sauce with some rice, grilled chicken, some baked plantain and it was so delicious!
So filling and delicious! I added sliced up okra to this, and it really added to the thickness of the soup (which I liked).
okra sounds awesome in this!
I have a join the chorus of praise for this recipe. I made it exactly as written and it turned out amazing. Definitely one for the recipe box.
This is my second time making this. I used white sweet potatoes plus a tablespoon of sugar. Also added a single carrot because I had one on hand. 5 cups of broth was enough for me. I might experiment with a little less peanut butter next time, but overall the flavors are fantastic and it’s such a comforting dish.