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!
This soup has become a regular in my house. I’ve made it at least ten times! I lived for two years in Africa, and every time I make this the flavors take me back. I’ve made this for my family too and they loved it!
This stew is fantastic! The first time I made it I used the directed amount of tomato paste and it was just too heavy/tomato-y for me. This time I used half the tomato paste and included 1 can of diced fire roasted tomatoes – PERFECT! :)
Eat it with a bit of rice or riced cauliflower and this makes a wonderful meal.
Thank you!
Has anyone tried to make this with Almond Butter instead? I’m avoiding legumes for health reasons and trying to re-vamp some recipes that I love!
I saw some older comments that said they used almond butter and it turned out well. Go for it!
Thanks for this recipe! I didn’t have plain cumin on hand, so instead I used curry powder. I subbed kale for the greens, and since the prepackaged veggie broth only came in 4 cups, I added a can of black beans with liquid intact. All in all, I think the final result was fantastic – and I would have never heard of this dish if it weren’t for your blog!
Cheers :)
I’ve made this many times — it’s one of my favorite recipes. Instead of rice, we usually get a crusty bread for dipping.
I just made this stew last night and tasted it this morning and I Love, Love my results the stew was way to make and turned out AWESOME!!!! But you make to smash the sweet potatoes down under the fire in the pot because they will not soften right away or u can pre-boil them to get them a little softer then add them to the stew. I used greens and spinach leaves in mines which made the stew even hardier with brown rice over it. DE-LISH 👍🏾
Just made my vegan African Peanut Soup and it came out DE-LISH!!!! I recommend this recipe to any one who wants to explode their taste buds!!!
Unbelievable recipe! It’s super easy to make, has really inexpensive ingredients, and it’s vegan! I like to add sriracha and pepitas (pumpkin seeds) as a topping. The first time I made it I got splashed by the soup when I was trying to smash the sweet potato so I would say to fish out some of the sweet potato, smash it in a separate bowl, and add it back.
This soup was amazing. So easy to make, and tastes fantastic! I added two large baked, shredded chicken breasts to make it a little heartier. Topped with lime and cilantro… mmmm.
Delicious! My husband is not a “soup” guy but even he gave this a thumbs up. I used chicken stock and creamy peanut butter because that’s what I had on hand. I liked the addition of rice to bulk it up a bit and in my opinion sriracha is a must to give it some heat. Can’t wait to make it again!
I love this recipe! I make it all the time
I looooove this recipe. So savory and flavorful. I put in some sticky rice to help me stay full.
I’ve made this recipe several times over the last few months, and I need everyone to know how fantastic it is. One-it’s so easy. Two-it’s so flavorful. Three-it’s adaptable. I’ve added diced tomatoes, frozen spinach, chili paste, lime juice, diced chicken, some shredded mozzarella…everything works with this soup. Four-it freezes well. Many a night I’ve come home from work too exhausted to cook, and simply thawed out a bowl of this soup and added a scoop of rice. It’s good, real food, with real ingredients, that feeds the tummy AND the soul.
Amazing recipe. We only made a few minor changes–kale instead of collards, omitted cilantro, and swapped rice for some hearty, crusty bread. This is one of my favorite soups/stews ever!
I was a little skeptical at first, but this recipe was fantastic! I doubled the red pepper flakes and cumin like others said and added some black beans. So, so good!