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!
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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!
The fact that I can enjoy collard greens and listen to school boy Q at the same time AND be healthy makes this recipe quite phenom. Oh and its quite delicious.
Good one!
Is there something I could use instead of collard greens? They aren’t available where I live. :(
Any type of hearty green like mustard greens, turnip greens, or even kale (dino or lacinato kale would probably be best).
I actually used Swiss Chard and just added it in at the very end, b/c it doesn’t take as long to cook…it was AWESOME! I think you could use any green you like, just watch cooking time, collards take the longest to cook…
So good! My sorry excuse for a grocery store didn’t have collard greens so I used green chard and it worked out just fine. I also wanted the soup to be a little heartier so I added a rinsed can of black beans and one extra sweet potato. I used freshly ground cumin :) It is wonderful. Thank you for posting this, I would never have thought to mix peanut butter and tomatoes otherwise.
Love this!! So far each of the vegan or vegetarian recipes I’ve tried from here have been amazing! I can’t wait to see what else you’ll come up with :D
Woah. Excellent recipe. I too added a can of black beans (right after I added the vegetable broth) and it seemed like a perfect fit for the dish.
I’m so looking forward to eating this for the rest of the week.
Thank you!
This was amazing! Such great, complex flavors. I added black beans to bulk it up a bit, and they were a tasty addition. My boyfriend and I both loved this, and plan on making it again.
I made this and not terribly impressed. Used homemade chicken stock and added in some sliced sausage and brown rice to bulk it up. Other than that i followed the recipe.
Ditto. Was not impressed. There seems to be something missing. Tasted chalky. Ddi I do something wrong.
I made this over the weekend (exactly as written, which is unusual for me) and am finishing up my last bowl today. It was fantastic! So much flavor and a change of pace from the standard soups. I shared a bowl with my mom who was very impressed! I served it up with a scoop of rice and cilantro and peanuts as garnish. It’s a keeper!
This was amazing! I ate it last night, today for lunch and I am already planning on when I can make it again.
If you are on the fence with a meatless meal, give this one a shot. I can honestly say this is the only vegan meal I have ever had without washing it down with a hamburger.
Made it tonight for friends- SO tasty and so easy to make. Will absolutely be making this again. Thank you for one of the best recipes I’ve ever seen online :)
Just made this and it turned out delicious! I like it a little more peanut-y, so I added a couple teaspoons of PB2 (powdered peanut butter) to the pot… adds lots of peanut flavour and protein without adding fat or changing the consistency :)
I finally made this recipe after years of wanting to do so, but not sure how or when. My boyfriend and I loved it, we found it hearty without the swiss chard. We also added 1 TBS of cumin powder, coriander power and 1 tsp of some extra hot red chili powder.
The lemon or lime at the end makes a huge difference. It ups it from a 4 to 5 recipe. :)
Delicious!! Made a couple modifications (which probably makes it less budget friendly): double the cumin, add 1 tsp coriander, substitute 2 cups of broth for coconut milk, use two sweet potatoes, double/triple the greens (I used kale), eat with brown rice, and squeeze a lime wedge over your serving before eating. My boyfriend commented “So… this is going in regular dinner rotation…right?” Pairs well with a Pinor Noir.
I made this last night. It was so good! I’m not a vegetarian but I didn’t miss the meat in this recipe AT ALL! It was also so easy to prepare, and I usually have all of these ingredient on hand, so I know that this will become part of my usual repertoire!
I’ve been vegan for almost a year now, and this is the BEST stew I have made yet. Made it exactly according to directions except did not use the oil. I always water sauté. Next time I think I will use the whole bunch of collard greens, and maybe try adding some chick peas for a more complete meal. Thanks for sharing such a great recipe!