This bubbling pot of African Peanut Stew with sweet potatoes and crunchy peanuts is the ultimate fall comfort food. I love that it's loaded with nutrition and so easy to make.
Table of Contents
African Peanut Stew
This vegan African Peanut Stew is actually a giant, bubbling pot of peanut butter with a spicy kick, and tasty veggies like sweet potatoes and eggplant. I was inspired to create it after reading about maafe, a West African peanut stew that's especially popular in Mali and Senegal. We loved it so much, I couldn't wait to share it with you.
I improvised quite a bit so I can't claim this peanut stew recipe is authentic. But the flavors I added are true to the African continent, including harissa, a spicy chili and garlic paste from north Africa, and spices that are commonly used in African cuisine, including fenugreek, coriander and cumin. This unique combination of spices produces flavor that's rich, well-rounded and satisfying - perfect for a cozy meal.
The stew is very easy to make, and it is one-pot (you do need to use a spice grinder or blender to blend a few spices). All you do is throw the ingredients in the pot one after the other and you will be eating what is sure to become one of your favorite winter and fall recipes in no time at all!
P.S. Try out more classic stews from the African continent, including Ethiopian shiro wat and Moroccan chickpea stew, and this utterly delicious African-American vegan gumbo. You can also find all of my vegan soup and stew recipes here.
Recipe card
African Peanut Stew
Ingredients
- ¼ teaspoon fenugreek seeds or methi seeds
- 2 tablespoon coriander seeds
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil or any neutral oil
- 1 large onion diced
- 1 tablespoons grated ginger
- 1 green chili pepper (minced. Use serrano or jalapeno chile peppers. Deseed or skip altogether if sensitive to heat. Remember, we'll also add the hot harissa sauce to this recipe.)
- 2 lbs eggplants (preferably tender varieties like Japanese or Chinese eggplants)
- 1 large sweet potato (diced)
- 2 tomatoes (pureed)
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- ¾ cup smooth peanut butter
- ½ cup peanuts
- 4 cups vegetable stock (or water)
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 3-4 tablespoons harissa
- Salt to taste
- 2 tablespoon cilantro (optional, for garnish)
Instructions
- Place the fenugreek seeds, coriander seeds and cumin seeds in a blender bowl or spice grinder.
- Blend the spices into a powder
- In a large pot, heat the oil. Add the onions and saute over medium heat for about 7-8 minutes until they're soft.
- Add the ginger and minced peppers, stir to mix.
- Add the powdered spices and mix.
- Stir in the tomato puree and tomato paste. Mix and cook 2-3 minutes.
- Add paprika and peanut butter and mix them in.
- Add all the vegetables and peanuts along with 3 cups of vegetable broth or water. Mix and bring the stew to a boil. Cover and cook 20-25 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. You can add more stock if you wish to thin out the stew.
- Finally stir in the harissa. I add a couple of tablespoons first, taste, then add more if I want to.
- Garnish with cilantro, if using, and serve hot.
Notes
- You can use potatoes, winter squash like pumpkin or butternut squash and cauliflower or other veggies of your choice in the stew. I have often used okra in this recipe and it's delicious. The sliminess of the okra helps thicken the stew without making the dish slimy.
- If you are sensitive to heat don't use scotch bonnet and opt for a milder chili pepper. Also be sure to deseed. Remember you will be adding in the harissa paste, and that has plenty of heat. If you had to pick either the harissa or the fresh chili peppers, pick the harissa.
- If you are allergic to peanuts but can consume other nuts, you can use almond butter instead. Or try this stew with pumpkin seed butter.
- Refrigerate:Â This stew can be stored in the fridge for up to three days.
- Freeze:Â Freeze the stew for up to three months in a freezer-safe container.
- Reheat:Â Thaw and reheat over the stove until warmed through.
Nutrition Information
To print recipe card without images, uncheck "instruction images" after clicking the "print recipe" button.
How to make African Peanut Stew
1. Place the fenugreek seeds, coriander seeds and cumin seeds in a blender bowl or spice grinder.
2. Blend the spices into a powder.
3. In a large pot, heat the oil. Add the onions and saute over medium heat for about 7-8 minutes until they're soft.
4. Add the ginger and minced peppers, stir to mix.
5. Add the powdered spices and mix.
6. Stir in the tomato puree and tomato paste. Mix and cook 2-3 minutes.
7. Add paprika and peanut butter and mix them in.
8. Add all the vegetables and peanuts along with 3 cups of vegetable broth or water. Mix and bring the stew to a boil. Cover, lower heat to a simmer, and cook 20-25 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
9. Finally stir in the harissa. I add a couple of tablespoons first, taste, then add more if I want to.
10. Garnish with cilantro, if using, and serve hot.
African peanut stew FAQs
This stew is excellent served over rice. Use a plain boiled brown rice or white rice, like basmati rice. Garnish with cilantro and, if you like, with more roasted peanuts.
You can also serve it with a chunk of crusty French bread.
You can also thin out the stew to serve it as an African peanut soup!
No. You might think that the harissa and the chili peppers would make the stew very hot, but the flavors are balanced perfectly with the sweetness of the peanut butter and sweet potatoes and what you taste is a yummy, flavor-packed stew. Remember you can also control the heat by adding as much or as little harissa as you like. If you like a lot of spice, you can add a spicier pepper, like habanero pepper or scotch bonnet pepper, to the stew.
If you don't have harissa, add 4 cloves of crushed garlic to the pot along with the fresh ginger. Use red pepper flakes or any hot sauce of your choice for heat.
Sara says
Looking forward to trying this recipe but I have a question about the harissa- mine is a powder, not a paste. Should I still add it at the end, or add it in the beginning with the other powdered spices?
Vaishali Honawar says
Hi Sara, just add it at the end. Hope you love the stew!