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.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
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!
Can Vegan Peanut Stew be frozen?
Yes :)
I’ve been eying this recipe for a long time without trying it, because I already have a peanut soup recipe I love. But this is “clean out the pantry” month, and I happened to have absolutely everything or a good substitute. It’s awesome!
I order a one-pound bag of dried spinach about once a year, so that’s what I used instead of collards. I used the last onion and the last sweet potato, defrosted the stock my son made from the Christmas turkey, and made a good dent in the squeeze bottle of ginger. I’m starting to have room on the shelves and in the freezer now!
Still making my weekly batch! Not only is it delicious, I can feel really good about feeding my family such a well balanced meal. My teenager takes it to school for lunch!
This was *delicious* and super easy. I made it for a 5 days worth of lunches. Some edits I made:
– Instead of collared greens, I used a bag of prechopped/prewashed kale (to save time)
– Instead of rice, I added a can of chick peas when I added the kale
– I didn’t spend too long trying to mash the sweet potato, as I wasn’t too worried about having a super thick stew
It is the definition of comfort food that I felt good about eating!
Easy, healthy, delicious. One of my fall and winter favorites. Have fed this to a crowd with good results. I use kale as I can find it easier, and up the cumin (because I have a thing for cumin) and it’s perfect. Thank you Beth!
Amazing exactly as is…especially with the toppings and a hint of sriracha! Already telling my friends to make this ASAP!! Thank you so much for another great recipe!!!
Absolutely delicious! Absolutely simple! And absolutely amazing!! Would highly recommend. Thank you!
delicious!!
I love this recipe so much as a vegetarian college student. It tastes great as leftovers!
I’ve made this over and over again for the last three months straight, it’s so good!
Kale instead of collard greens.
I triple the recipe then add 1-2 tbsp of cinnamon.
Fantastic!
I’ve been making this soup for years, maybe since it was originally posted in 2014, and it’s still a go-to quick, cheap, and easy dinner for my family. We’ll keep making it again and again!
This is just wonderful! My taste buds are seriously singing right now. I had to make a few substitutions but I tried to follow this recipe as closely as possible. Because you mentioned chicken usually goes in a dish like this, I started thawing some chicken then remembered I have a 5 lb bag of shrimp I want to get through. I used frozen sweet potatoes and added frozen shrimp during the sauté process. I substituted onion powder for the onions, petite diced tomatoes for the tomato paste and kale for the collard greens. I make my own veggie broth and used it here. Sadly, my toddler decided she wanted pasta instead of this and refuses to try it. I’ll try with her again tomorrow. Hopefully the hubby is impressed when he gets home from work. This is an excellent recipe that’s really simple and very flavorful. I’m looking forward to making again soon.
*it
Another winner! I use less broth for a thicker stew, throw in a can of chickpeas (drained and rinsed) for added protein and fiber, and use about twice the quantity of greens called for. I’ve used both fresh and frozen/chopped and both work nicely. Another Budget Bytes recipe goes into the rotation!
So good and pretty foolproof! I was worried there would be too much liquid but turned out just right over brown rice. I added carrots and garbanzo beans at the same time as the sweet potato and used spinach at the end instead of collard greens. This was such an inexpensive and simple recipe to pull together and really forgiving of subbing in other ingredients with tasty, filling results. Will definitely make this again!
This was delicious – I used tahini as a PB substitute because I have a peanut allergy but it’s a very similar flavor and texture as natural PB. Might try it with cashew butter and crushed cashews on top next time!