West African Peanut Soup

If you’re craving something hearty, vibrant, and a little unexpected, you’re going to love this West African Peanut Soup. Inspired by traditional groundnut stews, this comforting dish blends the richness of peanut butter with a bold tomato broth, sweet potatoes, white beans, and fresh greens. It’s nourishing, cozy, and full of bold, balanced flavors. Perfect for a cozy night in or a special weeknight dinner.

There’s what in this soup?

That was my honest reaction when I first heard about groundnut stew more than a decade ago. I think the concept of African peanut soup has permeated much more of American food culture since then, but I admit that I had a hard time wrapping my head around peanut butter in soup.

I think it was less about the actual peanuts in soup and more about the peanut butter and my own history with it: layered in PB&Js, spread on celery stalks and apple slices, an ingredient in sweet cookies, etc.

As a savory soup ingredient, wild.

But I know better now, and enjoy peanut butter not only in this wonderful peanut soup but also in Asian-leaning soups, such as Vegetarian Thai Peanut Soup and Extra Peanutty Peanut Soba Noodles.

West African Peanut Soup is —

• Nourishing: It combines protein, vegetables, and complex carbs in one satisfying bowl and is packed with plant-based protein from peanuts and white beans
• Unique: A fun and flavorful twist on traditional soup recipes: The combination of peanut butter and a spiced tomato base is surprisingly delicious.
• Convenient: Easy to make with pantry staples.
• Flexible: It’s easy to adjust the spice level with sriracha from a tingle to wow.
• Customizable: The toppings of crushed peanuts, cilantro, and green onions add a delightful freshness and crunch.

Key Ingredients

Peanut butter — It’s such a lovely addition to this soup, the peanut butter. It’s like working with a roux or bechamel, but much thicker and heartier. Use your favorite brand, but take care to read the cook’s notes below.

Sweet potatoes — Cubed sweet potatoes add both heartiness and the sweet earthiness. Because the soup cooks fairly quickly, the potatoes will retain their shape and provide a nice bite to the soup.

Aromatic vegetables — Onions, plus plenty of fresh garlic and ginger, add lots of a vegetal zestiness that gives the soup a flavorful pop that’s a bright and lovely contrast to the heavy peanut butter.

White beans — While chickpeas are a common ingredient for vegetarian versions (see my Chickpea Peanut Stew variation), I like the texture that white beans add to the soup. They’re soft and creamy and add protein while gently thickening the soup without dairy.

Spinach — Leafy greens are welcome here both for nourishment and a pop of color. I love baby spinach leaves, but kale and collards are also popular options.

Sriracha — I’ve tried a lot of hot sauces with this soup over the years, and while I generally have a soft spot for Frank’s, good ole sriracha always wins out here. I love that the heat lands on your tongue instead of the back of your throat, as with some chile pepper combinations.

Cook’s Notes

• A word about peanut butter: Of course you want the peanut flavor to shine through. However, you also don’t want it to overwhelm the soup. Some peanut butters have stronger flavors than others, especially brands that are peanut-only and/or have dark roasted nuts. You can absolutely use your favorite brand, but you might want to dial back the quantity a bit. I call for a “scant cup” in my recipe here, which means between 3/4ths and 1 cup. I usually aim for 3/4ths, give or take, with my single-ingredient peanut butter of choice. But if you use a national brand with a lot of ingredients, such as palm oil and sugar, you might want to edge up more towards a cup.
• You can save a lot of stirring muscles by tempering the peanut butter before adding it to the soup: Place the peanut butter in a heat-safe bowl and stir in ladles of hot soup until it’s smooth and almost pourable. This will allow it to integrate much more easily and thoroughly into the larger soup pot.
• I always pluck off any long stems on the spinach leaves. Even though they’re 100% edible, slurping a spoonful of something sort of … stick-y (as in, stick-like) … is sometimes jarring for people who have texture aversions. Just the part of the stems that extends beyond the leaf. If using kale or collard greens instead, though, make sure you completely cut out the tough central stalks that run through the leaves.

How to Make West African Peanut Soup

Ready to make the recipe? Skip to the recipe card now to see the full ingredient list, quantities, prep/cooking times, and printable, detailed instructions. Or, keep scrolling for a visual walk-through of making the soup.

Prep notes

Here’s a quick guide for prepping the ingredients, if you need it (not including anything that simply needs to be measured out of a container, such as dried herbs and liquids).

• Peel and dice the onion. Scrub the sweet potato. Peel the outer skin (optional) and slice into cubes. Peel the garlic cloves, cut off the woody stem end, and mince. Scrape the skin off the ginger piece and mince or grate on a fine grater.
• Clean the spinach leaves and pluck off the long stems, if present. Chop or slice julienne.
• Clean and chop the cilantro leaves. Wash and slice the green onions. Roughly chop the peanuts.

Saute the aromatics and seasonings

We start by sautéing the onions and sweet potatoes in a little oil until the onions are softened. The sweet potatoes won’t be cooked at this point, but that’s okay. They’ll finish a little later. Mix in the tomato paste, garlic, and ginger.

Start the soup

Pour in the crushed tomatoes and broth, mixing well with the vegetables. Bring the soup to a gentle boil and let simmer for 10 minutes. Temper the peanut butter by mixing it with a few ladles of the hot soup to an almost pourable consistency. Stir the loosened peanut butter into the soup until thoroughly combined.

Finish up

Turn the heat down and stir in the beans and spinach and let heat through for a few minutes (the spinach will soften and wilt). Season with sriracha and serve with chopped peanuts, cilantro, and green onions as toppings.

Storing

West African Peanut Soup stores very well in both the refrigerator and the freezer. Seal in an airtight container and keep in the fridge for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for 3 months.

Did the peanut butter surprise you too? I love how it adds richness without overpowering the soup. If you give this West African Peanut Soup a try, drop a comment below and let me know what you thought, especially if you’re a peanut butter fan!

West African Peanut Soup

by Karen Gibson

5 from 6 votes

West African Peanut Soup is a hearty, flavorful stew made with peanut butter, sweet potatoes, white beans, spinach, and a spicy tomato broth. Unique and delish!

Print Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 tablespoon olive or avocado oil
• 1 small onion , diced
• 1 medium sweet potato , peeled and diced
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon minced ginger (or ginger paste)
• 3 cloves garlic , minced
• 15 ounces crushed tomatoes (canned)
• 3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 scant cup natural peanut butter , well-stirred*
• 15 ounces small white beans (such as great northern or cannellini), drained
• 2 ounces spinach leaves , long stems removed, sliced julienne
• 1 tablespoon sriracha
• salt to taste
• chopped peanuts , for serving
• minced cilantro leaves , for serving
• green onions , thinly sliced, for serving

Instructions

 

• Heat the oil in a 4 quart soup pot or Dutch oven over medium until the surface shimmers.
• Add the onions and sweet potatoes and saute until the onions soften and start to turn golden (the sweet potatoes will not be cooked through at this point).
• Stir in the tomato paste, ginger, and garlic until well mixed.
• Pour in the tomates and broth. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the soup up to an active simmer and maintain for 10 minutes.
• Spoon the peanut butter into a medium sized heat-proof bowl. Add 2 ladles of hot soup and stir until loose and smooth. The peanut butter should readily drip off a spoon. Add more soup if necessary.
• Pour the tempered peanut butter into the soup and stir well to completely combine. Reduce heat to low.
• Add the beans, spinach, and sriracha, stirring well. Let the spinach wilt and the beans heat through (about 5 minutes).
• Serve with peanuts, cilantro, and green onions as toppings.

Notes

* Two notes about the peanut butter:
Generally speaking, the fewer ingredients a peanut butter contains, the better. Some popular brands contain sugar, which is not necessary for this soup. However, oil-free, peanut-only peanut butter usually requires copious stirring before use. It’s up to you, of course.

One full cup of peanut butter is a lot of peanut butter. By “scant cup,” I mean, don’t fill the measuring cup all the way up to the top edge. I often use just 2/3rds or 3/4ths of a cup. The goal is to have a hint of peanut butter flavor rather than, “oh, this is soupy peanut butter.”

Keyword african peanut soup, west african peanut soup

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

N.B.: I originally posted this soup on April 1, 2013 (no joke! haha). I’ve updated the recipe here to reflect how I prepare it now and rephotographed it for better representation. Here’s one of the original photos from 2013: