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!
This post contains some affiliate links, which means that we make a small commission off items you purchase at no additional cost to you.
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!
Amazing! Made this tonight and was a huge hit. Didn’t have sweet potato so used chopped carrots, put 2 fresh chopped up spicy thai red pepper in during simmer, and also added chickpeas to enhance the nutty flavor. Yummmmm quick and easy on a chilly fall day!
Fantastic! Finally made this tonight, as I have been experimenting with different dishes since my husband and I have become vegetarian. Not only is it delicious, but very flavourful and satisfying. Like others, I used kale (its what I had on hand), and then garnished with a squeeze of lime, cilantro, sriracha, and some peanuts. Served with a scoop of rice, and it was perfect! Next time, will try it with collard greens, just to see how it is with that versus kale. Will definitely be added into our rotation of meal ideas. Thanks Beth for another great recipe!
This is my new favorite go-to for the coming winter months. It’s everything I want – tasty as can be, sticks to the ribs along with a nice scoop of hot rice mixed in, and doesn’t require anything beyond pantry staples and maybe some kale from the store.
Thank you so much! Ground nut stew has been on my to-cook list for ages, and I’m so glad you came out with a recipe just when I finally found the time and incentive to give it a shot!
Long time follower, first time commenter.
If someone had’ve told me last week I was capable of making a dish this delicious with such complex and deep flavors, I would have told them they were crazy!! Alas, it is possible. I did it, and it was amazing! Made your naan bread recipe to go along cause I just cant get enough of home made naan!
Made this for lunch yesterday… man oh man! First vegan recipe. Was slightly skeptical, but decided to give it a try – man, I’m so glad I did! So delicious. Substituted lacinato kale for the collard greens and added sriarcha to my bowl before I dug in. 5 out of 5.
Just made this today. My hubby says: “It warms you from the inside!” Yum.
Amazing recipe! Perfect for a gloomy October evening. I wasn’t expecting to love it, but I’ll definitely be working it into the dinner schedule pretty frequently. What a strange but awesome combination of ingredients. :)
I used curly kale since my garden’s overflowing with it, and I think it turned out great. I didn’t need any additional salt at the end, but I did add a few more dashes of red pepper flakes so it’s nice and spicy.
Just another one of your to-die-for recipes. :) Thank you!
Delicious, nutritious, easy. Great with some rice as a very hearty dinner. Benefits from plenty of cayenne pepper.
Just made this and LOVED it! Used carrots instead of sweet potatoes (none on hand) and still turned out great! The fiancé polished the dish
My stomach is full of this yummy stew, one more of your fool-proof and delish recipes. Not a peanut fan so I substituted some home-made almond butter. Used some Ethiopian berbere spice blend from Penzy’s along with the cumin, doubled. It was my dinner and now there’s some in the fridge and more in the freezer for another day. Thank you!
I also added some of Penzey’s Berbere, without seeing this comment first. Great minds!
Great! I served mine with Malawian nsima (think if pancakes and grits had a baby, recipe here http://www.experiencemalawi.com/malawi_focus/20091510-nsima-staple-food-of-malawi.html). It was aweeeeesome.
I took all of your suggestions and used some homemade chicken broth that I had, some shredded chicken, and some diced tomatoes and it was absolutely delicious. I think next time I might use something else for more spice.
This hits the recipe trifecta: super cheap, super nutritious, and super delicious! I will make this again and again. Thanks Beth!
Great recipe, my son absolutely loves it (minus the greens – oh well…). I used a serrano pepper instead of the red pepper flakes. And it was even better the second/third day.
Next time, I think I’ll cook the greens separate (for me) and just glop the stew over the greens.
I made this last weekend and it was delicious. My husband loved it too. I used smooth peanutbutter and a mix of sweet and red potatoes. Love the cilantro garnish.