Rich, creamy, and packed with flavor! Made with sweet potato chunks and hearty kale, this African peanut soup is perfect for dinner and easy to make.
When I first met my husband and he found out how into cooking I was, he insisted that I had to try some west African peanut soup. When I started blogging that turned into insistence that I had to blog some African peanut soup.
That all sounded good to me, but I held off because I really wanted to try a bowl from someone who knew what they were doing first. It took a few years to find African peanut soup in the area, but I finally found a vegan restaurant in the area that made it. I tried a bowl and it was delicious! And then the restaurant closed a few months later. :(
So once again there was no peanut soup to be found. I guess I had to go and make my own!
How I Make West African Peanut Soup
There are so many ways to make African peanut soup. You can add different veggies, spices, more peanut butter, less peanut butter. My version certainly isn’t the most authentic, but I love it! Here’s how it’s made.
Start by heating up some oil in a large pot. Now add an onion and cook it for a few minutes to soften it up.
Garlic, ginger, cumin, cardamom, and a touch of cayenne pepper go in next. Toast the spices just for a minute, until the mixture becomes very fragrant.
Now you can add some broth, lots of peanut butter, tomato paste, and just a touch of maple syrup. You may need use a whisk to mix everything up. Once the mixture is pretty smooth you can add some diced sweet potato.
Let the soup simmer until the sweet potato is tender and the broth is thick and creamy.
Kale is the last thing to go in. You might need to add it in batches, letting each one cook down a bit before adding more. Once it’s all in, let the soup simmer until the kale is tender.
Serve your peanut soup with rice, cilantro, and a sprinkle of chopped peanuts.
Variations
Like I said, there are lots of ways to make this soup. Feel free to switch things up and make it your own! Or try one of these variations:
- For extra rich and creamy peanut soup, increase the amount of peanut butter to a full cup.
- For lighter peanut soup, decrease the amount to a half cup.
- Not into kale? Try a different green! Collard greens, spinach, and chard would all work well.
- Replace some or all of the sweet potato with chickpeas.
- Sometimes when I make this I like to slice the sweet potato into slabs instead of chunks. When serving, I’ll place a couple of slabs in the bottom of each bowl before ladling the soup over them.
African Peanut Soup FAQ
- How do the leftovers keep? They keep great! Just store them in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Is this soup gluten-free? It sure is!
- Is there a way to make this soup peanut-free? I suspect almond butter would make a great substitute for the peanut butter, and almonds would work well in place of the peanuts.
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African Peanut Soup
Rich, creamy, and packed with flavor! Made with sweet potato chunks and hearty kale, this African peanut soup is perfect for dinner and easy to make.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon peanut oil oil (or high heat oil of choice)
- 1 large onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
- 5 cups vegetable broth, plus more as needed
- 3/4 cup creamy natural peanut butter*
- 1 (6 ounce or 170 gram) can tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup (plus more to taste - I sometimes use 2)
- 1 large or 2 small sweet potatoes, diced** (about 20 ounces total weight)
- 4 cups curly kale leaves, torn into bite sized pieces (about 1 small bunch)
- Salt and pepper, to taste
For Serving
- Cooked rice
- Roasted peanuts, roughly chopped
- Fresh cilantro
Instructions
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Coat the bottom of a large pot with the oil and place over medium heat.
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When the oil is hot, add the onion. Sweat the onion, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes, until soft and translucent.
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Add the garlic, ginger, cumin, cardamom, and cayenne. Cook everything for about 1 minute more, until fragrant.
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Add the broth, peanut butter, tomato paste and maple syrup to the pot. Stir well to fully blend everything (a whisk works great here). Add the sweet potato, raise the heat, and bring the liquid to a boil.
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Lower the heat and allow the soup to simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sweet potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. You can thin the soup with some extra broth or water if it becomes too thick.
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Stir in the kale. You may need to add a bit at a time and let each addition wilt to make room for the next.
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Let the mixture continue simmering for 5 to 10 minutes, until the kale is tender and the soup is thick.
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Remove the pot from heat and season the soup with salt to taste. Adjust any other seasonings to your liking.
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Ladle the soup into bowls and top with a scoop of rice, chopped peanuts and cilantro. Serve.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition information does not include accompaniments.
*To lighten the soup up a bit, use only 1/2 cup of peanut butter. For extra rich soup, use a full cup.
**As an alternative to dicing your sweet potato, try slicing it in slabs. When serving the soup, place a couple of slabs in the bottom of each bowl before ladling the soup overtop.
Yum! I love African Peanut Stew and can’t wait to give your version a try!
Speaking of Philly restaurants, my husband and I will be there in late April for an overnight stay and was hoping you might share some of your favorite restaurants in Philly. We are vegetarians (not vegans) so I am sure that whatever you like we will too! Thanks so much!
You MUST go to Vedge. Very highly acclaimed and one of the best restaurants I’ve ever been to.
If you love cocktails I recommend Charlie is a Sinner.
If you love coffee, I would recommend traveling to Grindcore House (an all vegan coffee shop)
Try and pick up some Dottie’s Donuts, they all vegan donuts. They are served at various coffee shops.
And if you are looking for a quick bite I recommend Blackbird Pizzeria.
Oh my gosh, so many options! I totally miss living in Philly for that very reason. I put together a short little piece on vegetarian dining in Philly a few weeks back – you can check that out here if you’d like. I mentioned Vedge, Charlie Was a Sinner and Blackbird Pizzeria, along with a few others. There’s a handful of Chinese places in chinatown that have full vegan menus – New Harmony and Singapore are a few that I used to frequent. Su Xing House, which is outside of chinatown is another one, and that was my favorite. Also, there are a few places in the Italian market neighborhood that have awesome vegetarian options. I used to LOVE the seitan cheesesteak from a place called Sabrinas. They also have a fantastic brunch.
Hi, I’ve been making this for years. We love it.
This look so good! But definitely indulgent with a whole cup of peanut butter. I’ll have to save this for a chilly, snowed-in night :)
Oh yeah! This was definitely indulgent!
Is that Mi Lah restaurant the same one that was in Philly? I remember reading on the PPK forums that it was planning on moving. In all the 4 years of me living in Philly I always wanted to go but I was a poor college student.
It is! I asked when I was there, and they just moved to the suburbs in April. I remember seeing it when I lived in Philly too, but I never got in either because I worked a bizillion hours a week during those last few years I lived in the city.
do you live in the philly area? i live so close to mi lah! your version looks awesome and i can’t wait to go to the restaurant!
I do! Right outside of Valley Forge Park! You should definitely check out Mi Lah. The food was great and they were so nice and friendly. :)
I translated your recipe in French … but I didn’t have all the ingredients at home when I wanted to try. So, my version is a little different! You will find it here: http://miammiambidou.canalblog.com/archives/2016/04/02/33531667.html
Thank you for the idea, it’s delicious :)
I made this today and it is very delicious. Alas I had no cardamom. But my wife just confirmed my opinion. Very delicious indeed.
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for stopping back to let me know!
I have never commented on a recipe before, but I have to chime in here to say this is delicious and in fact, 2 adults and a toddler shared this quite contentedly tonight – everyone was happy! That’s tough to pull off. I left out the maple syrup and added the cayenne to the grownups’ stew when it was done. The toddler’s rice to stew ratio was also a little more toward the rice. Otherwise, we all are the same thing. And loved it.
I’m so glad to hear it was a hit!! Thanks so much Gina!
This recipe is absolutely delicious. I make it in my slow cooker. It’s now a regular for a midweek treat.
Great idea to make it in the slow cooker! I’m so glad you like it! Thanks Jade!
I made this tonight after coming home exhausted. It was minimal effort for great flavor!
I’m so glad you like it!!
I went to MiLah the other day specifically for their Peanut Stew and foind that they are closed. I almost cried. I am happy to have this recipe.
On no! My husband and I have been saying we need to go there – we haven’t been in ages! I’m bummed to hear they’re closed. :( I hope you enjoy my peanut stew as much as theirs!
I have never heard of this recipe. But this is something which I can cook anytime after my office hours for dinner. Easy to make.
amazing recipe. I have been new to the plant based “vegan” style of eating since mid January. I love to cook so trying new things and flavors have been exciting. thank you. not only does this recipe smell incredible it opens up the senses with flavors and aromas
This looks absolutely delicious. I love all the things you have used-peanuts and potatoes are my staple and I can have them all the time. Will try it soon!
Made this soup over the weekend. Wow. It was delicious. My daughter and I ate it over rice. Ate the leftovers the very next meal. I will make this again! It seems like EVERY recipe I try from Connoisseurs Veg is terrific. I’m glad you are no longer a lawyer! :)
Thanks so much Jeni!! I’m so glad you both enjoyed it! I’m SO glad I’m no longer a lawyer too! :)
I’ve made this soup twice now, and love it. It’s easy to make and the leftovers reheat beautifully.
Wow it was so delicious looking.. Planning to make it ready tomorrow. Hope my wife will be happy for this surprise. Thanks buddy 🙂
Great! I made it yesterday. My family really enjoyed it. Thanks for sharing it as blog.
It really awesome recipe. I made it yesterday. My family love this soup vet much.
I can cook anytime after my office hours for dinner. Easy to make. I have never heard of this recipe. But this is something cool.
Very nice recipe.. I never heard about this recipe. thanks for sharing this article.
Does this soup freeze well?
I’ve made African peanut soup for years, however, you version looks fantastic!
Yes, it freezes great! I hope you enjoy it!
Thanks for sharing this awesome recipe with all of us
This is DELICIOUS!!! Ended up adding coconut and lime on the side and using carrots as I didn’t have enough sweet potatoes. Yum! Thanks for posting!
This is really great. Thank you for sharing such a delicious recipe.